In the end, you didn't even get to give Dimitri the gift you made. Your conversation didn't end in friendly terms and he was really upset by the things that you said. You were also upset by the things that he said but you understand where he's coming from. Maybe you should have asked him first why he likes you. Maybe then you can give a more informed response to his affections.

However, you saw how he reacted. It was unsavory seeing him lose his cool like that. It was confusing. Yeah, you don't know much about him but you heard that he was really level-headed, competent, and respectful. He was very popular in your school not only because of his looks, talents, and money but also because of his unshakeable composure.

You clutched the packed lunch you made for him. It would be such a waste to throw it away. Maybe you should just leave it in his classroom. You don't care if he throws it away because at least you put in some effort to apologize.

You took a detour and headed for his classroom. His classmates gave you confused looks. You knew some of them and were even on friendly terms. You went to your friend Abegail who you were classmates with in preschool and asked her where Dimitri's seat was.

"What? Are you going to confess to him?" she asked teasing you. You immediately turned pink and shook your head.

"It's not like that. I felt like I offended him just recently so I wanted to apologize," you replied.

"Oh, I thought it was a confession. So what did you do? Knowing your unfiltered potty mouth I'm sure it was something awfully rude." she chuckled. Abegail was really beautiful and she even came from a well-off family. Not only that but she's also a consistent honor student and a member of the same club as you. She participates in several interschool competitions and she wins quite a lot of them. She was better at you in a lot of ways so you begin to wonder why Dimitri chose you instead of someone like Abegail.

"Yes, it was something like that."

"What did you say?"

"Something that should not be repeated." Abegail laughed, the sound was beautiful and melodious. She pointed you to a seat with a lot of letters and little gifts piled on the table. You were impressed. So it was true that he gets a lot of confessions. The stationaries were also the expensive kind and they were fragrant too!

You placed the packed lunch on his table and were about to leave when you thought of something. How will he know it was from you? Maybe he won't even acknowledge your apology because he didn't know it was from you.

You asked Abegail for a post-it note and also borrowed a pen from her. It was pink and glittery which was kinda cute.

'I'm sorry for being such a bitch. Let's talk more once you've cooled off.'

—(Y/N)

You took another Post-it note and attached it to the lunch box and wrote down another thing on it. This would serve as another explanation for rejecting his confession. These were poem titles and their authors. If he is as smart as they said he is, he will get the meaning of your intentions once he reads them.

"Are you sure it's not a love confession?" Abrgail clarified feeling amused as she read the note you left.

"Eh, (y/n) is confessing? I thought you were a lesbian." Patrick teased. He is one of Abegail's classmates and a prominent basketball player.

"Really? And you're even confessing to Dimitr. Dude, you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't think he's interested in girls who can punch harder than a guy." joked Chedrik, his friend.

"I'm not really interested in talking to men with penises the size of triple-A batteries." you retorted smugly.

"You're ugly. Dimitri will never love you. Wake up." They retorted laughing in unison like the fools that they are. Honestly, you weren't too offended. This is your friendship dynamics with these two. Teasing and jabbing at each other was a hobby at this point. You weren't too close with them but you find that fooling around with the boys is fun. After all, you are also a mischievous creature.

"Shut up, Triple A." you chuckled making the people laugh with you.

"Hey, can we have his lunch if he tries to throw it away?"

"Sure, I made sure to poison it if other people eat it."

"How does that even work?" wondered Chedrik.

"It's black magic." you replied.

"You're wicked." They laughed and you bid them goodbye since the bell was about to ring.

You thanked Abegail and returned her things before heading out. On your way out you unexpectedly bumped into someone nearly making you topple. You really should look forward while walking. A lot of your friends were saying something to you while you walked out so your attention was on them that you didn't realize that someone was already on the door.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."

"What are you doing here, (y/n)?" Your blood ran cold when you came face to face with Dimitri whom you had rejected just a little while ago.

"She came to leave a love letter. She's lame." yelled Patrick. You turned to him and mouthed some profanities which made him giggle.

"Ignore him. He's stupid." you told Dimitri who didn't reply. He kept giving you that blank expression which was starting to make you feel nervous. Well, this is awkward. His entire class was staring at you two expecting something, waiting for you to confess and get rejected like the other girls. But you didn't come here for that.

"Please excuse me. I need to get back to class. Sorry again for bumping into you." Unable to take any more of the awkward situation you bolted. Dimitri didn't say nor did anything. He simply went to his seat and took the love letters scattered there. He tore them apart and threw them in the trash.

The girls whispered about how cruel he was but he couldn't care any less about that. His fingers pulled the two notes you left and he began to read through them.

'I'm sorry for being such a bitch. Let's talk more once you've cooled off.'

—(Y/N)

His expression remained blank but then turned to intrigue once he read the other note.

"The Passionate Shepherd to his love" by Christopher Marlowe

"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh

These were poems. You're a smart girl which means that you hide your intentions in the most brilliant of places. Class was about to start but he didn't care. He left his classroom and went to the library. He brought the lunch box you made making his classmates whisper among themselves.

In the library, the librarian gave him a look of perplexity as if asking 'Weren't you just here'. He didn't bother giving her a reply and headed straight to the literature section. He searched for the anthology of love poems and finally found the one he was looking for.

He began reading through The Passionate Shepherd to His Love first before reading The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd.

The first poem was about a shepherd professing his love for the woman that he likes and promising to offer her beautiful things. Beautiful but ephemeral.

These poems were somewhat parallel to your conversation earlier. He promised you everything you could ever want much like the shepherd in the poem.

Meanwhile, the second poem was the reply of the woman to the shepherd. She rejected his offer because all he offered were things that could break and wilt. Material things. He never spoke of undying love, gentleness, respect, or support for her wants and dreams. That is why she rejected him.

That is why she rejected him.

His eyes turned to the little lunch box beside his hand and he opened it to inspect its contents. It was cute filled with animal-shaped rice balls, fried chicken, and some fruits. He used the toothpick to poke a chicken and have a taste of your cooking. It was delicious better than all the food his personal chef could ever prepare. He smiled.

"But could youth last, and love still breed,
Had joys no date, nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee, and be thy love." He repeated the last stanza with a reverent kind of fondness. He had memorized the poem all because of you. A profound warmth seems to be filling his heart replacing the negative feeling that had accumulated because of your rejection.

Now he felt foolishly for his behavior earlier. How can he act so rudely in front of someone who is as intellectual and brilliant as you? He ran his hair over his silver locks and grinned. You were telling him how to win your love.

Alright. He'll play.

He's beginning to like your little games.