For a few weeks, the heavens had been behaving like a person prone to mood swings. The sun was often out in the morning, toasting everything around. People who were away from the comfort of their air coolers sweltered as though they were strips of bacon in the oven.

Dews on the leaves glistened under the sunlight, resembling small transparent crystals before either evaporating or trickling to the ground. The scent of fresh grasses imbued the gardens of SDV University, while birds on the trees serenaded the whole campus. It was during this time of the day that most students and staff fought the urge to close their eyes as the drones and twitters around them enticed them to take a nap.

Everything was bright and lively. There was no indication that it would rain in a few hours, but people had known better than to trust this fair weather when they had been led on many times throughout the week. This day was no different from the previous ones, except that the change of atmosphere arrived earlier than usual.

JP barely made it back to the CASS building from the university cafeteria when it tippled down. He sauntered into the hallway and reminded the scurrying pupils to be careful since the floor was beginning to get wet.

A pair of female students caught up and walked beside him. "Good afternoon, Mr. JP," they greeted simultaneously.

With a smile, the young instructor returned their greeting. His brow shot up when he noticed the sprinkles of water on the back of the young women's clothes and on their hair. The folded umbrella that was clamped to the strap of one of the students' sling bag made him even more perplexed.

"Why did you not use your umbrella, ladies?"

The owner of the umbrella flashed him a grin. "Because I didn't want it to get wet, Sir," she answered rather proudly, earning a giggle from her friend and a good-natured comment. "Silly."

JP shook his head in amusement, unable to tell the student off for thinking that way. After all, he often did the same thing because he found it more troublesome to open the umbrella and dry it after using than to run a short distance under the rain.

"Bye, Sir. We'll see you later."

Before JP could reply to the female students, they were already sprinting to the stairs. He called after the two young women and advised them not to run, but he doubted they were able to hear him amidst the noises from the other people and the rain.

The Philosophy instructor gazed through the window, taking in the hazy view outside. He resumed walking while meditating about how fickle the climate was these days.

Reaching the faculty office, JP paused at the door when he saw that a certain assistant professor was already in the room.

And here's a person as unpredictable as the weather, he thought with a frown as he revisited the events the other night.

With the whole revelation about Sky's history, to say that JP had been surprised was an understatement. At that time, it had finally made sense to him why the man didn't look anything like his younger brother or why, unlike in his case, Sky seemed to be the only person in his family who could see the red threads.

It's especially because he can't see these stupid strings that I believe his feelings for Artemis are not forced at all.

Forced. JP smiled weakly at that one word from Sky's statement. He understood it now. The heir of the SDV University was obviously someone who wanted everything planned out, so it was only logical that he would be wary of anything that was not included in his roadmap.

JP stepped into the faculty room. Whether the senior educator noticed his entrance or not, he didn't show any reaction as he continued to type away on his laptop.

The young instructor passed behind Sky and caught sight of the visual presentation that the man was working on with his personal computer. In addition to the texts, animated graphics and maps decorated the slides on the screen.

Always so hands-on, JP mused. If there was one thing that he had learned about Sky as an educator, it was that he always gave more than a hundred percent of his effort when it came to his students. He might be strict by nature, but he displayed genuine care for his kids at the university.

Without bothering with a greeting, JP sat down at his post. He booted up the new laptop that Angela had insisted he bring back to his work desk and then took an old Philosophy textbook out of his bag. An emerald tassel dangled in between the book leaves.

JP opened the paperback to the marked section, revealing the texts lined with neon green highlighter and the pencil scribbles on every side of the pages. Once he finished reviewing the notes he had written on the chapter, he ran the Word document on the laptop to make a summary for his next lecture.

The rainfall subsisted and resonated through the four corners of the CASS faculty room, overshadowing the rhythm of fingers hitting the keyboards. JP's eyes constantly flicked in between the book, his hands, and the computer screen as he carried on with his typing.

Enwrapped with his work, the young instructor lost track of time and forgot about his desk neighbor. It was once he reached the third page of the document that he decided to give his eyes and fingers a quick break. He leaned his tired back on the swivel chair and was just about to relax when he became aware of the presence next to him. At the reminder that he was not alone in the office, JP straightened his shoulders. He quickly switched to defensive mode, realizing that Sky had been intently staring at him.

"What?" JP demanded.

The assistant professor lifted a brow, and the gesture instantly got on the junior educator's nerves. There had been a couple of instances where JP had itched to poke this man's eyelids to see if it could wipe the condescending expression off his face.

Sky glanced at the young instructor's table. With his no-nonsense voice, he said, "You have a pretty interesting way of typing. Only your middle fingers were moving."

JP felt himself flush at the choice of words. His mouth twisted into a sneer. As much as he liked to maintain his composure in front of this man, Sky De Vera's talent for ruffling his feathers was just top-notch. He always managed to set JP's teeth on edge without even trying.

"You didn't have to make it sound too nasty," the young instructor bit back, "And what do you care about how I type? It's the way I've always been used to."

Sky's dark brown eyes widened by a fraction as realization flickered across them. JP took in the satisfaction of witnessing him get flustered, even for a split second.

"I didn't mean to make it sound like that," the assistant professor explained. His expression lost any evidence of unease, his poise made a full recovery. "I was only saying I've seen most people use the hunt-and-peck method in typing, but they usually use their index fingers. This may have been the first time I saw someone use their—" Sky managed to cut off his statement just as JP narrowed his eyes at him. He responded to the young instructor's glower with an emotionless gaze.

Unwilling to cave in under Sky's imposing aura, JP held his own in their outfacing.

The two educators continued to stare at each other. They stared silently, unblinking. They stared until the tension around them grew louder than the blaring shower outside.

A moment of triumph rushed through JP when Sky broke eye contact first. The Philosophy instructor smirked, reveling in the short period of victory, but the feeling immediately slipped away and was replaced by confusion when the other man commented, "You might want to learn how to touch type. It's a pretty effective technique to help you type faster."

JP blinked at last. "Learn what?"

"Touch type," Sky answered, swiveling his chair to return to his task, "There are a lot of online sites that offer free lessons on touch typing and help you practice to improve your speed."

The little information tickled the younger man's curiosity, but because Sky didn't seem too thrilled to provide any further explanation, JP decided to learn more about it on the web. He started the search engine and keyed in the words 'touch type'.

The throbber beside the tab whirled. JP eyed the screen with rapt attention and waited for the results to load.

The circular icon continued to spin. Ten seconds passed. It kept going round and round and round. No answers were appearing in the browser. Twenty seconds. Twenty-five. With his impatience building up, JP furrowed his brows.

He clicked the refresh button. Nothing changed. He closed the tab. Opened another and tried searching again. The display window remained blank while the loading sign persisted.

"Internet's slow," he grumbled, more to himself.

While it appeared as though he was minding his own business, Sky revealed it wasn't the case when he chipped in, "I've already referred it to the IT Department, but they told me that it's a service provider issue. They should be coordinating with them by now."

JP sent a disbelieving look in the other man's direction. If Sky noticed the reaction, he chose not to care.

The young instructor let out a helpless sigh before concentrating back on his work. Or at least, he tried.

As Sky's remark about his typing replayed in his head, JP found himself distracted. Insecurity gnawed at him every time he moved his fingers on the keyboard.

From his peripheral vision, JP got a glimpse of the assistant professor pausing, only to watch him again. Scowling, he turned to Sky.

"What?" he asked, huffier than the first time. Convinced that nothing the man would do or say could wash away his irritation at this point, JP didn't wait for any response. He directed his gaze in front of him, scanning the texts he had input on the document file, as he whispered sourly, "If you're so concerned about it, why don't you share your method? You're making it sound like you're so good at it, but you won't even bother to explain it to me."

"Then, let me teach you the basics at least."

JP flung his gaze back to his side, surprised by the assistant professor's sudden proposal. Before he could determine whether to agree or decline, Sky was rolling his chair, closing the distance between them. The mildness of milk soap fused with the zest of spicy perfume pervaded the younger man's nose as their shoulders bumped into each other.

Just when JP thought he couldn't be any more stunned, Sky grabbed his right hand, uncurled his forefinger, and guided it to the center of the keyboard. He repeated the same process on the instructor's left hand.

"You have to start by placing your fingers on the home row," Sky said; his deep voice was so close that JP could almost pick out the tiniest vibrations in his every word.

The mysterious string tangled around their attached hands, gleaming, drawing tight around his pinky. JP's inexplicable nervousness heightened. Judging by the warmth on his face, he suspected that the thread was not the only thing radiating red. A time bomb ticked inside his chest; any moment now, he was certain it would explode.

While their proximity threw JP's inner state into chaos, Sky didn't seem to be fazed by it. Without wavering, the assistant professor explained, "Your index fingers go to the letters F and J; that's why these two keys have bumps on them to let you know the proper starting positions even when you don't look at them. Both thumbs should be on the space bar, while the rest go here." One by one, he lined up the instructor's remaining fingers on the middle row of the keyboard. "Once you've memorized which keys are assigned to each finger, you should be able to type without looking down and focus solely on the texts on the screen."

JP nodded, despite the instruction flying right over his head, given that his consciousness was on the other man's presence itself. He gulped and squeezed a few words out of his mouth. "Oh, okay, I—"

His answer faded mid-sentence when he turned his head and came face-to-face with Sky. Transfixed by the intense gaze, JP didn't move, didn't say anything.

Everything around them eased up as the world started to run below the normal playback speed. The butterflies that had disappeared from the campus gardens because of the rain must have taken shelter in his stomach.

In the midst of the drizzle and chatter outside, the lyrics of a certain song sprang up.

Oh no, it's not that I planned to

But I think it feels like maybe I'm fallin'

For you and me

'Unexpectedly,' JP thought, recalling the title of the piece. While he could not remember the name of the artist, he was sure it was a man. Yet, the voice that he was hearing right now was distinctly feminine. And a very familiar one at that.

The click-clack of wedges against the floor was the last clue that JP needed to recognize their female colleague stepping into the faculty office.

He drew back. In his haste, he unintentionally pushed Sky away from him. Still calm, the assistant professor went back to editing the presentation on his personal computer, as though nothing had happened.

JP looked at where the singing was coming from. Thankfully, Angela seemed to have missed them as she walked straight to a small file cabinet in the room.

"Just don't know, oh were we ever meant to be?" Angela hummed the next part while taking out a large gray bag from the top drawer. Turning around, she continued, "So off guard, we fell in love so unexpected..."

The female professor faltered as soon as her eyes fell on the pair of younger educators. A thoughtful frown spread across her pretty face.

"Are you two alright? Did something happen?" she asked, glancing back and forth in between the two men.

JP wanted to shrink in his place, feeling like a toddler who had been caught doing naughty things. He didn't get the chance to answer when Sky beat him into it.

"I was just teaching him some stuff he could use for work," the assistant professor answered in a serious tone, as if stating some law of business communication to his class.

"Uh-huh?" Angela raised a brow at Sky, appearing unconvinced. "Well, I have to go back to my class. I'm just borrowing the projector because the one in the lecture room is broken."

JP thought he saw her smirk before she exited the room, belting out, "The one I'm searching for, was right here all along, now I see, I see you standing in front of me."

Once his ears could no longer catch Angela's chant, JP glanced at Sky. Thinking about how the assistant professor had tried to guide him a minute ago, all the events from the past couple of days also came back to his mind.

The fountain pen. The free ride back home during the rain. The laptop. The dinner that was supposed to be his treat, but had ended up the other way. It occurred to him that he had been in Sky's care an awful lot since he had arrived at this workplace.

"I don't get it," JP blurted out quietly.

But not as quiet that it was lost on the other man.

"Do you want me to repeat it from the start?" Sky asked, sincerity lacing his voice.

"No." JP shook his head. Bemusement touched off his frustration. Gesturing to the laptop in front of him, he said, "I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about your behavior. I don't understand why you keep treating me nice even if you're obviously averse to me."

"I don't dislike you, Mr.—I mean, JP."

Something like a cross between a sigh and a soft laugh came out of JP's mouth as he remembered their first encounter. "You may not dislike me, but you don't really like me either. For as long as this..." He rubbed his thumb and forefinger against the pinky of his other hand where the end of the red string twined. It was weird how he could always feel it tugging or tightening around his little finger, but he could never touch it if he tried. Then again, everything about the threads, even their mere existence, was already strange. "As long as you're reminded of these things, you will always have that guard up around me. Don't get me wrong, I still stand by what I told you the first day we met and agreed to ignore it. I'm not asking you to see me as your soul mate, but at this rate, it's even hard for us to become friends, right?"

Sky didn't say anything, and JP thought this must be a case where silence actually meant yes.

He looked the other man in the eye. "So I've been wondering, if neither of us could see these strings, would things have been different between us?"

Averting his gaze, Sky whispered, "Possibly."

»»————-　➴　————-««

This was the song that Angela was singing.