So, after all, here he was, sitting next to her, looking pretty, smiling like a fool while looking around, breathing in his new environment.

  It was a mix of sweet citrus, anticipation, and cold silence.

  He hadn’t needed to introduce himself; neither the teacher nor he himself thought it was necessary.

  Wealthy kids were never quiet for long.

  They whispered the language of exclusivity, wore their names like shields with heavy price tags, and got drunk on mind games.

  They screamed for belonging, using half-truths as a weapon.

  But all of this didn’t matter.

  It was just another reality one had to thrive in—this one just came with silver and golden spoons.

  What really mattered, though, was that he was here, sitting in his place, staring holes.

  It mattered even though his fixation acted like he didn’t exist.

  ‘ That girl really wouldn’t even glance at me, ‘ noted Adrien.

  It had been minutes, and the girl beside him still hadn’t even breathed in his direction.

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  ‘ What a rude little madame—how nice, ‘ mused Adrien inwardly, the sound low, traced by a slight pull up of his lips.

  He rewarded her silence with even more attention, pushing his chair closer to hers.

  Their elbows were almost touching—a sigh of distance preventing the collision.

  Yet she didn’t react, not a pinch or a pull away from him.

  It was like he wasn’t even there—a fact Adrien skillfully chose to ignore.

  He would rather choose to act oblivious to the fact that his supposed seating mate was actively erasing his presence.

  A bitter hint tingled on his tongue.

  In no way, shape, or form was he a person with the most honorable character.

  However, this was basic human decency; the bare minimum she could do was acknowledge him.

  He played with his tongue inside his mouth, the faint, bitter hint spreading, clashing with the warm vanilla note he had inhaled.

  Concentrating on the warm tone, the bitter hint weakened, dissolving into the back.

  Her actions weren’t important—or the lack of them.

  What was important was that he got the message.

  But how he chose to reply was his call, a little grin threatening to escape.

  Either way, she wasn’t going to make him lose—or, more, the chance to be his friend—because of that.

  So what if she ignored him? So what if she lacked a little manners?

  What if she just had bad social skills? Maybe she was just shy, Adrien asked himself.

  Anyway, he wasn’t giving up, decided Adrien, ruffling his hair with one hand.

  After all, he had put quite the effort into coming here, and it would take a lot more for him to back down.

  was his queen, whether it was known or not. After all, it was way harder to win a game without your designated reine.

  With this, his little smile turned into a full-blown smile, showing his dimples, adding more flair to his boyish charm, accompanied by a small laugh at the end.

  The laughter was loud enough to draw some near-unwanted attention but quiet enough for the class to go on like nothing happened.

  ‘ Gotcha! ’ he thought.

  Even if it was just a split second, she looked at him, widening her eyes with surprise as she glanced at him—and he was already staring at her.

  Their eyes met, even if it was only for a short time.

  He was sure he would never forget it.

  ’ I have seen dozens of brown eyes even so—it is so, so…, this had to be the deepest shade of brown I have ever seen, ‘ Adrien cut himself off.

  The warm vanilla tone intensified, almost vibrating on his tongue.

  Cooled by a pool of dark chocolate, filled with different layers of facets, poking him, inviting him to play.

  His tongue seemed to move on its own, trying to savor more and more—then she moved—a harsh wind blew in, exchanging heat with coldness—

  leaving him with nothing but her side profile to look at as compensation, besides his thoughts.

  Little teaser : “This place was like a drug—poisoning me slowly, deliberately, and I couldn’t quit.”

  Coming soon, next Sunday.

  Author : So how do we like him ? It’s kinda my first time writing male POV, so I am kinda nervous and excited. That’s also the reason why it’s so short .

  Anyways thank you for reading??—N.N