Madison's POV:

I was hurling to class the minute I stepped my foot on campus, and reminding myself that I was already late and my professor might not let me in made me move even faster.

"Ms. Miller! You are five minutes late and the lecture has already begun, I'm afraid I can't let you in"

I paused by the door to take deep breaths. I am so out of shape!

"But-" I started objecting even before totally regaining my normal breathing.

"No buts Ms. Miller, let this be a lesson to learn to show up on time next time"

I can't believe he kicked me for being five minutes late. Only five minutes late!

I silently huffed breathlessly as I made my way out.

Damn it I am never late but the headache caused by the night before was the reason behind me over sleeping. I could kill Mason right now.

If it weren't for him and his pleadings to help him with the girl who keeps rejecting him then I wouldn't have gone to that party. I only agreed because I thought this girl might be his only chance to change his ways and actually become the decent man he really is.

She seemed different and different is what Mason needed. Still it didn't stop me from feeling like murdering him right now with my bare hands.

I put my books back in the locker and went outside for a walk hoping it would help with the headache.

I wandered around for about ten minutes, taking deep breaths of fresh air, until I could feel the headache reside. I took a seat in the shades under a big tree and started scrolling through my phone.

"Don't you have a class right now?"

I looked up, watching Elijah take a seat next to me.

"I overslept, don't you have a class?"

"I skipped, I have an assignment I need to do" he shrugged.

"What are you doing here Elijah?"

"Don't you get tired of always asking me the same question?" he teased.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Fine, I need help with the assignment I just mentioned, it's my project for this semester"

"And you're here because?" I raised an eyebrow at him wondering where this was leading.

"Well I can't tutor without someone to actually teach"

I knew it!

"Go tutor Mason then, you're already with him most of the time"

"I can't tutor someone in the same year as I am"

"Then go tutor Noah" I muttered.

"I can't, I need someone in the same major as I am and you're the only person I know"

I groaned.

"There must be someone else, I don't have time for this"

"Then make time, please, there's no one else" he gave me the cutest puppy eyes and I couldn't say no to that look.

"Fine" I huffed.

I can't believe I keep getting myself stuck with him and each time gets worse. After this I need to keep myself away from him as much as possible, I can't risk getting my heart broken, especially by him.

He holds a special place in my heart and one break would kill me. I certainly do not have the time for that, I have more important things to focus on.

Plus I've spent years avoiding him so how hard could it be to start all over again? It hurts to do so but it's for the best, at least that's what I keep convincing myself with.

"So what do you want me to help you with?"

I turned to him, silently thanking him for disturbing my unpleasant thoughts.

"Well business law is the hardest thing between what I'm taking this semester"

"Business Law it is, I'll pass by your house in the evening and we'll start then. I'll help you with whatever you want, no matter how much time it takes, and I'll be taking notes for myself along the way"

I nodded.

"It's a date then, see you later" he quickly got up, brushing off his pants, and left.

I froze at his words, not expecting them and probably by the looks of the quick runaway he just did, neither did he.

The reasons to run in the opposite direction from him were just increasing and at some point I ended up losing track.

For a while, I'd let go of everything and enjoy the precious time I'm given with him, but once we part ways, my fears crawl right back.

"Hey"

And then there's my mysterious guy, a person who's managed to get me just as cozy as Elijah does. Sometimes it feels like I'm liking two different guys in exactly the same way.

They give me the same feelings when I'm talking to them, and then there's my fluttering heart that recently started. And that's when I knew some old feelings for my old crush were starting to resurface and some new feelings for my new mystery were starting to develop.

"Hey"

Somehow wherever I go they follow me and I find myself splitting my hours between the both of them all the time.

"How are you doing today? It's been awhile since we talked"

I felt like laughing at his childlessness, but laughing was the last thing on my mind right now.

"We texted yesterday"

"24 hours ago to be exact and that felt like a decade to me"

I smiled at his sweet words.

"I'm feeling weird and confused right now to answer your question. There are feelings around that I started to notice, all of them I never wanted to feel. I'm afraid of them and I don't know what to do"

"I have a feeling all the thinking going on is done with your mind, but don't. Listen to your heart instead, it will always guide you to the right answer. You will know what to do then"

I let out a breath, his words were deep. Maybe he was right, but then it will be like putting my heart out only for it to be broken in the end.

It is bound to be broken, I just know it. Not all relationships survive and what are the odds for me to be the one percent?

"I'll think of it"

"Now that's what I'm talking about, you're letting your brain do all the thinking. Maybe try splitting your thoughts between your brain and heart if you're scared. It's a start"

I thought on his words for a second, this seems like a less troublesome option.

"Okay, I'll try it"

"There you go, this is a start to solving your problem"

I nodded, but then realized he couldn't see me. I was about to send him another okay, but stopped, smiling at the next message he sent.

"Want to play a game?"

I squirmed around a little bit trying to find a comfortable spot on the ground and went back to texting.

"Sure"

"Here's the game, each of us asks the other a question and we need to answer immediately. First thing that comes to mind, no matter what the answer is. It makes the game more interesting"

I could imagine him sitting somewhere around this campus, already thinking of possible questions as he explains the game to me, and smirking at the last part of the explanation.

"Seems easy, you start"

"What is your guilty pleasure?"

"Chocolate, but I guess you already know that" I answered immediately, wishing for yet another chocolate even though I ate one an hour ago.

He sent me a laughing emoji at my text.

"What is your biggest pet peeve?" I took a while to think, but eventually settled on this question.

"People cheating on the ones they're with"

He answered immediately and it felt like he didn't even need to think of an answer.

"Were you ever one of those who get cheated on?"

"It's not your turn to ask"

He ducked the question and it stirred something in my heart. It made me feel like I needed to know the answer or else I'd go crazy.

"Fine, it's your turn so ask away"

"What's something embarrassing that you do that not a lot of people know?"

I blushed in embarrassment at his question, he'll probably think I'm weird after knowing the answer.

"I like the white part of the watermelon more than the inside. My friends call me a sheep whenever I eat watermelon in front of them but I just can't help it. It tastes so good"

He sent me way too many laughing emojis this time and another wave of deep blushing took over my cheeks.

"My turn, answer the question you avoided before"

"I've never been put into this kind of situation and I thank god for that, but I've seen it happen to a lot of people around me. It broke them terribly and in some cases absolutely changed them"

Relieve hit me and I could finally breathe normally once again. I could no longer deny the fact that this mysterious guy affects me just as Elijah did when I was crushing on him. And recently started to once again if I'm being honest.

"Do you believe there's one person meant for you and if yes, do you think you found it or close to finding it?" he sent even before I could comment anything about what he just said.

I guess he's not comfortable with this subject, but the fact that he put his uneasiness aside just to answer me put a smile to my face.

"I guess yes, and I'm not sure if I found it or not because I'm not really looking around me"

Every now and then Elijah would pass through my mind and ever since I was a little girl, and he used to tease me, I believed we'd get married when we grew up.

I mistook his actions for his own way of showing me that he reciprocates my feelings. I was in fairy tale land and he was my prince charming, but I only snapped out of it when life introduced itself to me and its harshness made an appearance.

"My turn and I want you to answer the same question"

"Cheater, you're taking my questions instead of thinking of your own"

His text was clearly teasing.

"Definitely I do, ever since I was young I believed that. Love has always been a part of me, as cheesy as that sounds, and I always thought there's one person for each one of us just like my mom is for my dad. I love their story and I've always wanted one as strong as theirs"

He sent another one.

"A romantic from birth, don't tell me you watch romantic movies too and cry at them"

Now was my turn to tease.

"Don't tell anyone, but I live off of this sappiness"

I laughed at his silliness.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, but remember that I could always use it against you"

"Touché"

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