WORDS. |Kim Seungmin

Seven.

It's been ten minutes since Aria stood at the front porch of her house, debating on how to go to her classes.

Changbin is the one who usually drives Aria to and from college since they have the same classes but he missed his alarm today, which makes him late for the first class. Picking Aria was not an option because both of them would end up being scolded. Felix stopped driving since his world turned red years ago. Aria was always lazy to drive back home after her classes and that's why Changbin does the task.

That left Aria with only one option.

Public transportation.

Aria sighed, shoved her backpack to her shoulder, and started walking to the bus stop lazily. She didn't wait long at the stop before the bus arrives. Aria hopped on the bus and sat in a window seat. The bus started moving away from the stop as Aria rested her still heavy head on the window. Just before she closes her eyes to have a nap, she noticed a figure running towards the bus. Her head shot up at the scene.

"Oh! Oh!" She yelled. "Stop.. wait. Someone is catching up."

The driver who hadn't sped up yet pulled over at Aria's yelling. The bus stopped and the door opened to reveal the boy who was panting from running after the bus. He stepped in and bowed multiple times thankfully to the driver who didn't ditch him.

He then walked to one of the back seats, clutching his backpack straps tightly while bowing down to all the passengers in an apologetic way. He was doing so all the way to the back of the bus until his eyes fell on Aria who was looking back at him. He froze for seconds, straightened up his back, and blinked a few times before he bows for her and reaches the seat at the very back.

Aria's eyes lingered at where he was standing. It was her first time to see him in that style. He was wearing a pair of shorts, a wide sky-blue shirt, and a baseball cap backward, letting his brownish bangs decorate his forehead.

That was new from the bubble tea boy.

Aria rested her head on the window again and closed her eyes but she never fell asleep as she planned. She was busy thinking about the boy that worked her curiosity the best so far.

The bus reached its last stop and all passengers got off. Aria looked around her, trying to catch any hint of the boy, but he was already swallowed in the crowd.

Sighing in defeat, she clutched her backpack and made her way to her first class with Changbin who had already arrived and was waiting for her at the hall's door.

The two friends walked in just before the professor did. Aria glimpsed at the bubble tea boy, sitting at his usual very back corner seat, stuffing his face in his backpack as he was pulling out his notes and books.

The class started and no one was actually paying attention to what the professor was explaining. It was a literature lecture. No one likes literature including Aria and Changbin. It just happened that they were obligated to attend those lectures in the course they were having.

Aria's curiosity made her glance at the boy every now and then. She would always find him the only one paying attention, looking focused, and writing notes.

Looks like he's interested in literature, she made a mental note to herself.

"Stop staring at him." Changbin whispered while nudging Aria.

Aria jolted and shoved her head to Changbin to find that he was looking ahead of him with a smug smirk. "I wasn't." She whispered back.

"Whatever."