Stepping closer, Raven nodded in his direction, tugging her jeans and rubbing over her covered arms.

  His face brightened even more as he waved her over, the distant croaks of lingering birds drifting through the open windows causing Raven’s ears to twitch lightly.

  “All good — just Adrien,” breathed Raven, inhaling the known sweet undertone of ripe lemons and cleaning products.

  Moving forward, Raven averted the rows of the pushed-together polished one-seater tables, concentrating on one particular seat.

  Each stride nearer, Raven gritted her teeth tighter, pressing on despite her slightly faltering steps amid a familiar whisper echoing inside her: ‘—Leave. It’s not. It’s not worth it…’

  Raven cursed lowly at the nagging voice, feeling a light pulsating on top of her head. “This has to be a bad joke.”

  It made no sense. Not even an ounce, that a puppy, that Adrien Anarché had such an effect.

  “This is literally the lesser evil.”

  So why did her stomach fill with heat, or her heart spike, whenever they were alone or he was too close?

  Raven stifled a loud sigh. It had been days, and still breathing became another matter, and her steps faltered whenever the quiet voice awoke.

  It wasn’t like she enjoyed his company or anything, but if things went according to her plan, she would have to endure him for at least a little while longer.

  Fisting the ends of her thick hoodie, Raven mouthed soundlessly, “I would rather be over this, like last week over it.”

  ***

  Whilst Raven settled into her seat, she hadn’t even glanced at Adrien, who just blew little circles into the air, clearly unfazed by her cold shoulder. — ‘Good for him, I guess.’

  In Raven’s opinion, there was no need to acknowledge him any further, since “hello” was already a stretch.

  ‘I mean, what do I have to tell him, or anyone for that matter, anyway? It’s not like they list—‘

  Raven stopped midsentence, tracing her mouth with her tongue.

  ‘Na uh… I am not going down that rabbit hole today. Besides, we won’t ever be really friends or something like that — why bother.’

  Straightening her near-perfect posture again, Raven glared at her phone, skimming through articles she wouldn’t even glance at if she had any book.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Even so, she needed something to somewhat successfully blend him out like always — so the article would do.

  Whereas Adrien hummed melodies, his voice was low, gentle, and the rhythm familiar yet unknown.

  Just as Raven was about to let out a resigned breath and resume her formerly abandoned futile search for another article, Adrien coughed.

  Although he had coughed multiple times, it sounded closer to little chokes, like he was clearing his throat or trying to gain attention.

  Raven nearly rolled her eyes. ‘—As if he didn’t have it on him almost 24/7 already.’

  Despite her thumb hovering over the touchscreen, her phone had shut off, leaving Raven staring daggers into a pitch-black screen.

  ‘Not that it actually matters. I’m getting the same information as if I were reading.’

  And it wasn’t like the article was that bad — not at all based on the first few sentences.

  It was probably the reader who could only hear the heavy breathing of her seat mate.

  However, it didn’t take long before the rough sound softened into a lighthearted voice, sharing snippets of his weekend.

  “I literally did nothing but laze around,” moaned Adrien, his wooden chair scraping against the stone ground.

  “I definitely left a dent where I laid on the couch.” The thud of his upper body falling back on his leather-cushioned backrest resonated through them, the scraping halting.

  A faint groan escaping him, Adrien asked, “What did you do, Ravéne? Did you also only chill?”

  His voice thinned mid-speech, stretching her name with a lilt close to a French or Italian accent — before returning to the usual upbeat rhythm.

  Raven heard something shuffle around her, coming a little closer.

  Her face still hung on the phone, her knuckles turned a lighter shade but not discolored enough for visible sight — at the power she grabbed her phone.

  She heard a muttered, “Nah, you don’t give me the vibe of a lazy person,” feeling soft huffs on her skin.

  Due to their immediate proximity, it didn’t take long before Raven was drowning in a fresh mixture of woody musk and a hint of amber.

  Raven shifted in her seat and pushed herself closer to the end of her wooden table.

  A silence settled over them, orchestrated by Raven’s lack of response, which didn’t last long enough, if she was being asked.

  Even the seat beneath her warmed, not to mention herself. ‘I wish class would start,’ murmured Raven inwardly, the tune low, carried by a sharper edge.

  “Okay, tough crowd here,” Adrien added, backing away, leaving Raven a little more space to breathe. “Well, nothing I didn’t prepare for.”

  It rustled again, the noise of fabric being pulled away from metal. Adrien clicked his tongue.

  “Sadly, I have to let you go for now, ma Ravéne.”

  Not awaiting a response, he pushed back his chair and stood up, taking his backpack onto his shoulder.

  Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the room, facing Raven full-on as she sat directly next to an empty seat near the open window.

  Her body shuddered under the sharp caress.

  The next thing Raven registered was a quiet click chiming around them.

  Startled by the unexpected clang, Raven raised her head, body tilted, eyes wide — searching for the source.

  Then it clashed: water and earth. Blue and brown. Two elements. Two different natures, yet somehow stubbornly meeting each other again and again.

  They shouldn’t, though — because sand absorbed the sea, hindering it, trapping it, while the sea made it clump.

  His phone hummed, sniping the suffocating atmosphere, and their eyes settled back.

  Adrien sucked in a breath, flicking a rather hardened look at his phone, while Raven softly bit her cheek.

  Turning away, letting her eyes roam, Raven noticed the formerly open window was closed.

  Even though it was a normal action, Raven couldn’t help it — and questions arose.

  ‘When? Why?’

  It surely was nothing, though, contemplated Raven, her tongue playing with her lip.

  He probably was cold; he stood directly at the window after all.

  ‘Yeah, that is it,’ finalized Raven.

  Banishing the inner conversation to the back of her head, taking another one over, vision sharp.

  Raven realized Adrien was already halfway back to his seat, his tall back facing her as she averted her eyes.

  ‘It’s over,’ mumbled Raven quietly under her breath, turning her gaze toward the window, expecting exploding noises any minute by now.

  Her prediction did not fail her, as the door started to stir soon after, and the class filled with students.

  A few seconds before the fifteen minutes were over, the teacher walked in.

  The loud talks reduced to hushed ones, the mindless roaming to sitting, and the wandering stares to focused.

  The rest of the class went without any noteworthy hitch.

  Raven released a few breaths, moving a seat closer to the window prior to the lesson officially starting, when some students and the teacher settled in.

  Skip if you dislike rambling!!

  See yaa \\( ‘ ~ ’ )//

  —(N.N)??

  Do you think Raven is to harsh to Adrien ?