uni au
some heavy topics described (insomnia, time confusion, refusal of eating)

•

"mr. Isaac, have a seat please," the older man coughed out and immediately took a sip of his hot tea while his eyes cold and lifeless as ice didn't blink even once. Isaac sighed and dragged out the old and historical-looking chair with its legs twisting more than his brain when he's hungover. the legs screeched against the floor and if dean Snow didn't like the sound, he did not show it. Isaac plopped himself in the chair, not bothering to fix his composture or remove his hood. his curly black hair got even curlier thanks to the dean asking him to visit in the heaviest fucking downpour he's seen this year.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat or begin with praise, since there is none about you," Snow started and Isaac instead looked outside the window at the rain which looked more like spaghetti straps than drops. "you attend your mandatory classes but your grades are barely above the passing level. if you want it this way, then so be it." Snow said in his raspy voice and the only thing Isaac begged for was not to call 911 once this old man has a heart attack.

"so can I go or?" Isaac was already standing up but the ice-cold glare he got told him to sit his ass back down.

"the problem here seem to be your compulsory optional subjects," Snow opened a drawer and grabbed a paper. it was filled with red X's and the header had 'History' written on it. "mr. Isaac, your major is Management so it goes beyond me to understand why you picked History as your COS. however, you know that it still has the word 'compulsory' in it, which means you actually have to go there." the dean leaned forward as Isaac groaned and rolled his head over the headrest. "which you have not done since the school year began."

"listen, mr. Snow, isn't there like an essay or extra homework I can do in order to erase all of these red X's?" the boy asked as their ice blue gazes met in the middle.

"I believe that is not possible. Professor Thomas requires you to catch up to all the chapters they've covered this semester as he will personally examine you from them and your attendance from the beginning of the second semester."

Isaac only groaned more, a throbbing pain starting to grow behind his eyes from yet another sleepless night. he either needed coffee to stay on his feet or get high to knock himself out. yet here he was listening to some bullshit from an old man about a thing he could care less about. if Kaitch was here, he would probably scold him like a father and force him to swallow all the history books that exist. and once he gave up, he would at least help him make a cheat sheet. but this was going to be an oral exam and Kaitch was not there because he took the whole second year to do a praxis in New York.

Isaac needed his roommate and best friend, he needed a cold shower and he needed to sleep. he could only get one of those things currently. he also craved some subway.

"Isaac, let's drop the formalities. your grades in freshman were at the top of your class, you also had a decent social life, I saw you multiple times shopping for alcohol with mr. Kaitch in the campus grocery store and you represented the school in the track team." Snow poured himself another cup of tea and Isaac swore to god if he had coffee in that teapot, he would have drank straight from it.

instead, he scoffed and pushed his freezing cold hands into the pockets of his hoodie. all the words were true. Isaac loved his life as a freshman. he had friends, he was acing school, and he was even popular among the professors. he was glowing, each day walking out of his flat looking fresh and ready to ace another day. now, he was sitting in the dean's office with his clothes soaked, water dripping into his face from his hair, dark circles under his eyes and a throbbing pain behind them, together with a never-ending numb sensation in his legs. what a rockstar he turned out to be.

"so what, this some shit therapist session right now?" he murmured and rolled his eyes. this didn't even budge with the dean.

"I want to know what happened." Snow pushed and Isaac finally snapped under his cold gaze.

"Kaitch left, that's what fucking happened! he was the only one keeping me in track, forcing me to do all this shit. he was happy doing it and loved seeing me happy and I would do anything for him to stay that way. so I endured it but now, all I want is to get out of here since I never wanted to be here in the first place." Isaac hissed and even though he tried to look dangerous or even angry, the dean did not buy it and sipped some more tea. they both knew at least half of those words were not true.

"I don't believe you," was all Snow said and Isaac blinked twice upon hearing that statement. "I would if Kaitch was in the same programme as you, but he majors in Engineering Sciences. Yes, he did help you, but you have to have some knowledge in that brain of yours in order to be at the top of the class." Isaac had nothing to say to that and he just opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "what I think you lack is guidance, someone to keep their eye on you. Isaac, I majored in psychology when I was your age and I can clearly see insomnia and the incapability to keep track of time crawling up your neck and trying to swallow you. if your body didn't ache for you to eat, you wouldn't because you wouldn't even know it is time to eat." the dean said and Isaac turned his gaze to the ground. "you need someone who is organised and can guide you through the schoolwork you missed. you need to have a schedule, even outside of school. before, Kaitch was your schedule, you lived together and he is a smart guy, knowing how to balance school and life, so you went on with whatever he did, just studying your things. but he is not here now."

"I don't need a babysitter," Isaac murmured again. he knew about all the problems he had but someone firing them into his face was hurtful. the only one who knew about them was Kaitch. he was his anchor keeping him from sinking into the haze his life became when there was no one around. he didn't know it was time to sleep if Kaitch wouldn't tell him. he didn't know his body needed to eat until Kaitch placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him in the morning. it was true he needed someone beside him, he just didn't want to admit it.

"if you refuse, I might have to cancel your scholarship," Snow fired and Isaac was suddenly very much awake.

"what?!" he stood up from the chair, but quickly sank back into it as his numb legs gave out. he hated it, this was what happened when he lacked, well, food and sleep. his body was giving up, especially his legs.

"we granted you your scholarship because of your outstanding performances in high school, but right now, I simply do not see it." Snow shrugged and finished his cup of tea. Isaac panicked, his eyes twitching and he started to sweat.

"no no no, you don't understand. I have nothing left, I have no one left. this school is the only thing I have, I can't go anywhere else." if he saw himself right now, he would probably punch himself in the face. he was basically begging this old grumpy man.

"I am well aware of your...family status Isaac, but even so, we can't keep you here just because you have nowhere else to go." Snow tried to give him a sympathetic look but Isaac didn't buy it since it disappeared after a second. "your first oral exam from History COS is in a week. I will personally be there to watch. if I am satisfied, you can stay, assuming you continue to fix your grades. if you fail or don't show up..." he didn't even finish the sentence and Isaac forced his weak hands into fists, drawing blood from his palms from how hard he pushed his nails into them.

"how do I even do that..." Isaac whispered, more to himself but Snow heard him nevertheless.

"I'm not going to let you sink that easily." he began and Isaac forced his weak eyes to look at him. "I contacted one of the top students at our university. I asked her to become your tutor for starters. she is a History major, and what is more, chose Management as her COS. she can help with keeping you on track with both your major and COS, up to some point."

Isaac sighed, almost bringing his heart to stop from how much oxygen he exhaled. he pinched the middle of his eyebrows and for a second punched himself in his mind for how pathetic he became. if Kaitch was here, he would punch him physically. why was he even thinking about Kaitch? sure, he didn't want to disappoint his best friend, but he also needed to do this for himself. because if he didn't, he would quite literally end up on the streets. how painful could it be to get his life back to how it was? definitely less than how it hurt now because everything hurt like a bitch.

"and who is this person we're talking about?"

•

Isaac slammed the door to his dark apartment shut and collapsed on his bed, face down. he didn't know what time it was, but that was not a surprise. he needed to eat but he was too weak to even get up. his first session with the girl was tomorrow at 9 AM. on a fucking saturday. Isaac wasn't even sure he will be able to get up on time.

Snow told him she was willing enough to give up her saturdays until Isaac completely caught up with his COS. what type of a person does that?

Isaac then turned his head and saw a black smartwatch on his bedside table. it was a gift from Kaitch before he left.

"listen, you can set up all kinds of reminders on this," Kaitch said as he jumped next to Isaac on the sofa, who was examining the black piece of technology in his hand. "start small and set up an alarm clock, for 7 AM preferable," he continued and Isaac rolled his eyes, even though they both knew he needed even that. "you can also set a reminder that you should go to sleep. and another three for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"should I also set a reminder that I need to shit?" Isaac tried to joke but Kaitch just gave him a stern look.

"start small, but I already set a reminder there for you to take your insomnia pills. and for winter, I set a time reminder for you for 7 PM so you don't get confused by the early darkness. wear them all the time, they are waterproof and will vibrate strong enough with each reminder." he smiled and helped Isaac to put them back in the box. he wasn't leaving until the end of august anyway.

"just don't fall into the haze when I'm gone."

how was he so terrible at keeping promises? he was failing classes, he didn't wear the watch at all and he was back in the haze, deeper than fucking ever. he sighed and forced himself on his elbows, strapping the smartwatch to his wrist while failing to do so at least twice.

"I hope New York is fucking worth it, you bastard," he whispered and finally, after so many weeks, checked what the time was.

•

Isaac was in pain. he didn't take his insomnia meds in weeks and it was already too late to do so yesterday since they needed to be taken at a certain time. he managed to close his eyes for a couple of minutes last night, but when the watch started to vibrate on his wrist at 7 AM, he wanted to rip it off and flush it down the toilet. then he remembered it is waterproof.

instead, he took a very long cold shower and wore another hoodie and his track sweatpants. the watch then vibrated again and the text 'breakfast' was written on the small screen at 7:30 AM. he ravaged the kitchen for any food but only found mouldy bread and his supplies of coffee. so he made himself one and then decided to stop by the campus café to grab something to eat. he knew it will be hard to force any food down his throat as he has been surviving solely on coffee for as long as he can remember.

it wasn't raining anymore when he stepped out of the building but it was still cloudy. his backpack carried a lonely pen and notebook since he didn't even bother to buy textbooks at the beginning of the semester. he stepped into puddles as he came closer to the café and the bell rang above the door once he opened it.

an albino boy stood behind the counter with his curly white hair and freckled face on display. the café was empty so Isaac had his whole attention and he was glad to see the boy after so long.

"well look who it is, I thought you died for a second there." he chuckled as he was slicing the banana bread.

"good to see you Rasc," he didn't even bother to order as the boy knew his order has always been double espresso, no milk, no sugar. Rascal was a high school senior, but he already got his scholarship here for a Medical major. he decided to get a part-time job at the campus to get to know the people from a distance since he wasn't very social. somehow, Isaac managed to befriend him in his freshman year as he and Kaitch frequented the café for their study sessions.

"you look like shit," he said from behind the whirring coffee machine.

"right back at ya," Isaac sighed and leaned against the counter to support his legs. many customers got freaked out by Rascal's appearance, but Isaac knew better than to judge one's look, especially in his current state.

"how's Kaitch?" the boy asked and snapped the lever into the coffee machine, soon the smell of coffee filled the air.

"good, he seems to be enjoying times square and the subway with hundreds of people," Isaac whipped out his phone and squinted at the brightness as he showed the barista the selfie his best friend sent him from the famous square.

"ew," was all the boy said as he saw all the people behind the brunette.

"I know right," Isaac sighed and put the phone back into his pocket. a to-go cup with double espresso was pushed to him on the counter while Rascal punched the order into the register. "and a butter croissant," was all he said and a pair of red eyes widened at him. but before he could ask, Isaac just weakly smiled at him and the boy was quick to put the snack into a paper bag and place it next to the coffee.

"it's on the house," Rascal said before Isaac could whip out his wallet. it shocked him a bit but he just decided to go with it, grabbed the cup and the bag, murmured a thanks and was out of the door before the boy could ask or say anything else.

he drank the coffee so fast he threw out the cup in the bin outside the café. the croissant was another story tho. Isaac was sure the golden brown twisted fella was having a staring contest with him and after three long minutes of examining it if it really isn't a bomb, he took the smallest bite out of it. his tongue exploded and saliva pooled in his mouth while bile tried to push the food back as he tried to swallow. he tried, but the micro bite ended up being spit out into a puddle of rainwater.

having a reminder to eat was one thing, but doing the actual thing was another story.

on the way to the library, he felt like the paper bag was burning a hole into his hoodie. once he reached the massive historical building, he pushed the door open with his back and stood on the balcony. the whole library was spread out beneath him, with tables in the middle and thousands of books on display on the shelves around them.

he also saw a single person by a table in the corner. of course Isaac searched her up on Instagram the night before to know how she looks, but he didn't need to search since she was the only one here on a saturday morning. she had books spread out all over the table with an ipad in front of her, probably taking notes. Isaac took a deep breath before he started to walk down the stairs towards his doom. she surely heard him open the door anyway.

he took in her appearance once he was close enough. she had short brown hair which she tried to put into a bun, but very little stayed in the hairstyle anyway as it was, well, too short. she also had a hoodie on with the university logo on it and sweatpants, sitting cross-legged on the chair as she munched on sliced apples. Isaac then finally shook off all the uneasiness and stepped forward to greet the person his life basically depended on.

"hey," he murmured and sat down opposite of the girl. she lifted her gaze from the device, hair falling into her face and if she got shocked or scared by how Isaac looked, she didn't show it. instead, she smiled, and handed him a slice of her apple.

"hi, I'm Teri," Isaac blinked for a solid ten minutes before he took the slice of apple and placed it on the paper bag where the devil in the form of a pastry was still resting.

"Isaac," he introduced himself and the girl paid no mind as to why Isaac didn't eat the fruit snack. her brown hair didn't leave his face and he felt so exposed under her gaze and soft smile, even though she didn't know anything about him, aside from the fact that he was close to being expelled. "uh, sorry, i didn't bring anything.." he rubbed the back of his neck which ached like a bitch but the girl, Teri, still didn't budge.

"oh it's okay! i prepared all these for you anyway!" she shrugged and Isaac almost fell down the chair. he started to cough and Teri gave him a confused look. he pointed to the bottle of water next to her and she handed it to him. he took a long sip and then his gaze fell down to the devil in the paper bag. he sighed and felt the cold sweat run down his back. he eventually took the pastry out, took a large bite this time and immediately downed almost the whole bottle of water.

he was sure Teri would have some questions now after he basically had a fight with a croissant, but once his gaze settled on the girl, she was minding her own business, doing something on the ipad and turning a page in a book here and there. she was silent for at least ten more minutes and Isaac figured he can finish the food fight. and it was only when he crumpled up the paper bag that she lifted her gaze.

"you done eating breakfast?" she asked with that soft smile and her cheeks chubby from it just a little, making her chocolate brown eyes squint. he never thought simple brown eyes could be so beautiful. all he could force himself to do was nod and Teri pushed a sheet of paper in front of him. "okay, so here i listed out time periods and some major historical events," she explained and ran down her slender finger down the paper which Isaac found himself staring at for much longer than the actual paper and task in front of him. "please tick all the periods and events that interest you and you enjoy them, and cross the ones you dislike or struggle with." she guided him and Isaac had to take a gulp once their gazes met again. he was sure his mouth was agape.

how was this girl even real? Isaac was sure if she had nowhere to sit, he would gladly become a chair for her. she was thoughtful, patient from the start, smart as fuck from what it seemed, and pretty above it all. plus her aura just seemed to be swallowing Isaac. she was like the calm sea and he was the storm and they came crashing at each other. her calmness and hint of worry in her eyes seemed to encourage Isaac to crumble.

"you got a pen?" she asked but Isaac could not hear a thing.

"what?" was all that came out of his mouth and a silent chuckle came out of hers.

"i asked if you got a pen," she repeated and Isaac almost hid beneath the table. instead, he grabbed his half-empty bag and started to search in it.

"uh, yeah."

they fell into silence again as Isaac completed the simple task. it took him longer than it should because he couldn't help his gaze from wandering to her hand working on the ipad, where she worked on her neat notes, highlighting some titles and organising something into brackets. she finished her apples and tried to force her hair behind her ear, only for it to fall into her eyes again. Isaac almost helped her fix it, almost. he also noticed the small number of freckles on her face, especially the one right under her left eye, where a light scar also ran over her eyelids. damn, was he staring?

"you done?" she asked in that smooth voice and Isaac's heart started to beat faster from probably being caught in the act. but once again, she didn't seem to be weirded out or even pointing it out. so instead, Isaac just slid the paper to her. she scanned it for a moment before smiling, again. "seems like we're gonna suffer together," she chuckled and placed down the paper. "i also hated the middle ages and the revolution year of 1868."

"you're a History major. shouldn't you like, enjoy everything?" Isaac poked and she smirked at him. he felt like a deer in headlights.

"you're majoring in Management, do i take it you enjoy accounting?" she answered with another question and Isaac finally seemed to relax. maybe it was the uneasiness from eating something after so long.

"no, that shit is annoying as hell," he scoffed and folded his arms on his chest.

"well there you have it," she pointed at him with her pen. "plus, i chose to study the 20th century and the Cold War after the hell which we call 'general first year'," she did quotation marks in the air. "and i believe that you haven't chosen the path of accounting either?" she winked at him and all Isaac knew for sure after so long of not knowing anything was that he was pretty fucked this time, in a way he has never experienced before.

the time flew without Isaac even knowing about it, not like he ever did anyway, as Teri helped him go through the Migration Period, explaining which clan forced who to move where on a little chart she printed out for him together with a map. she threw some history jokes here and there which Isaac barely understood but it seemed funny to her so he always just chuckled and watched her eyes sparkle instead. before they knew it, his watch vibrated for lunch.

"okay, let's call it for today," she said once Isaac got the order of the clans right for the fourth time and she started to pack. "i gotta get to work anyway. we're gonna meet here every saturday at 9. we're gonna take sundays off and then meet here every day at 4 except for wednesday." she sent the schedule to his phone as they already exchanged numbers if Isaac got any questions. "from thursday to saturday we will focus on your History COS, while on monday and tuesday both of us do whatever we need for our main classes, just having each other's company. sounds good?" she summed it up and Isaac was once again left in utter shock.

"y-yeah," did he just fucking stutter?

"okay, oh and take this textbook! it's a great summary of the history of the entire world i guess and i divided it into sections which should cover each of your oral exams. so read the orange one before your first exam, no more, no less." she gave him the book and threw her backpack up her shoulder. "see you Isaac," she gave him a wave before she disappeared up the stairs and out of the library.

Isaac blinked and then opened the book to see how much he had to read until he came upon an orange divider which told him the chapter ended there. in neat handwriting 'stop here or i will kick you' was written there with a frowning emoji. Isaac chuckled and pressed the book to his forehead, inhaling the scent.

"fuck."

•

time flew and Isaac was getting better, slowly. the haze was disappearing, slowly. taking his pills each evening gave him more minutes of sleep every night and eating regularly was...a process. Teri helped a lot with her unending supplies of snacks every day at the library. she seemed to notice Isaac never brought anything aside from coffee to their study sessions so she made it her personal goal to force at least a sandwich down his throat each day they saw each other.

it was the day of his first oral exam from History COS and he was standing in the shower at 7:15 AM, cold water running down his body. why was he awake this early when his exam started at 11 AM? well, he had a facetime with Kaitch the other day and he asked him multiple times whether he was sticking to the schedule and he promised he is. and he kind of sort of has a date? well, Teri invited him out for a breakfast before his first oral exam as a boost of good luck.

they were supposed to meet at 8 by Conceptless, which was a breakfast place just outside the campus. currently, Isaac was standing in front of his closet, deciding what to wear like a teen girl. he should probably show up somewhat formal to his exam, so he decided to wear a white dress shirt of which he rolled up the sleeves. he paired it with black jeans and a silver chain around his neck as well as some silver rings. he looked good in his opinion, after so many weeks of representing a walking trash bag. and it was totally for the occasion of the oral exam. he wore his black trenchcoat before he left his flat to arrive at the café at precisely 7:47.

he waited for a couple of minutes by a table for two and took in the aesthetic of the café. it was spacy and cosy as none of the furniture was the same. for real, each chair and table was different. the door then opened and his gaze snapped towards it to see Teri walking in. she had a long plaid skirt which reached her shins and some old sneakers on which weirdly seemed to go with the outfit. she also had a black turtleneck and huge golden earrings in the shape of monstera plant leaves and on her fingers golden rings. her cheeks were red probably from the wind and her eyes squinted again from the smile on her face.

"good morning!" she sat down on the opposite side of the table and Isaac returned the greeting.

"you look great," Isaac realised this was the first time he was seeing her in anything else than a hoodie or an oversized shirt. all he had to say was that he even loved her style.

"thanks, you don't look bad yourself," she winked at him and finally took the menu to choose her breakfast. after a couple of minutes, a waiter showed up with their long brown hair in a messy bun. they were skinny, almost to the bone and their skin was pale white. but a huge smile was on their face and green eyes were glowing.

"hi Teri! and who do we have here?" they wiggled their eyebrows and Teri just elbowed their side.

"stop it Ver. i'll have green tea and the waffle combo,"  Teri said her order and then looked at Isaac.

"i'll have a double espresso, no milk, no sugar, and the oatmeal with fruit." he knew it was sorry of an excuse for breakfast for a grown man, but even though he made progress, he wasn't sure he will be able to force down the whole thing down his throat anyway. Teri didn't question it tho, and the waiter didn't either.

"oookay, gonna be back with drinks in a minute," they said with a smile before disappearing behind the counter.

"so, you know them?" Isaac made sure to always quickly break the silence before it became awkward whenever it came to food.

"yeah! Verita is a great friend of mine. they major in Physics, i didn't know they have a shift today," Teri explained and a minute later, their drinks were placed in front of them. she raised her cup of tea and Isaac clinked his coffee with her. "to a successful first exam,"

•

and successful indeed it was. of course Isaac texted Teri his results right after, telling her he got an A and secured his scholarship for now. he straight up wanted to kiss her when she showed up in the library on monday with blueberry cupcakes as a celebration gift.

before he even knew it, he enveloped the girl in a bear hug. her eyes went wide and she placed the cupcakes on the table just in time so they wouldn't get icing on their clothes. she returned the hug for a short second before Isaac pulled away. "thank you," was all he said before they sat down and pulled out their textbooks and notes for their major subjects. they fell into a comfortable silence. surprisingly, Isaac didn't struggle to catch up with Management and quickly came back to the top of the class, which only gained him the approval of his professors once again. even the dark circles under his eyes weren't as prominent as before.

"hey so um, I'm sorry if this is a sensitive topic, but we've known each other for a couple of weeks now and i can't help but notice that you barely eat?" Teri suddenly asked and it caught Isaac off guard. he lifted his gaze from his textbook only to see Teri with flushed cheeks and eyes averting his. even under these circumstances, he found her expression cute. he was silent for so long he didn't even notice the panic in her eyes. "I'm sorry, i shouldn't have asked..."

"no, it's fine. it's just kind of a long story," he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "why don't we go get a drink after this?" he asked and Teri hesitantly nodded. so after a couple of hours, they were seated in a small booth of a local bar, cocktails in hands. not their first ones of the night.

"I'm so sorry, i had no idea this is what the dean meant when he said you needed guidance," Teri said after Isaac more or less explained what the fuck was wrong with him.

"yeah, I'm a grown-ass man in need of a babysitter," he scoffed, the alcohol evident in his tone.

"well, Kaitch is your friend," she said and sipped on her drink.

"yeah, but he is not here now, and so you are stuck with me," he groaned and felt the pain coming back to his head.

"oh c'mon, you're not that terrible. plus, I'm sure it can't be that hard to help you," she shrugged.

"yeah, it can be that fucking hard when you have to have something to remind you 24/7 to eat, to drink, to go to sleep," his voice raised and he showed the girl his watch. "when you are an adult that doesn't know his body is about to shut down because he hasn't eaten in days. when you don't know you are supposed to go to sleep when the sun goes down and your friend has to tell you because your brain is so fucking stupid that it doesn't understand the concept of time," he snapped and pushed the fists of his hands into his eyes. he was truly pathetic. like a lost puppy for his entire life, being forced to be on a leash and taking away the life of the person that was holding it. "sorry," was all he managed to say into the long heavy silence.

"guess what, Kaitch did all of that because he is your friend and that's what friends do. they help each other. so if you would stop being so fucking stubborn and let me help you then-"

he did not want, no, need to hear anything else come from her mouth as he smacked his own on her soft lips. Teri didn't even hesitate as her eyes fluttered shut and she melted under his cold lips, her hands immediately tangling into his black hair. they moved in sync like the sea waves and then came crashing at each other as if they hit a cliff. Isaac could not get enough. she was swallowing him like the first day he saw her. he craved more, he wanted her closer even though it was not possible as her chest was already pressed to his.

"you good?" he asked once she pulled away to catch her breath. she nodded. "you wanna go to my place?" she nodded again and that was all Isaac needed to basically run to his flat with the girl of his dreams, where he forced her on the door immediately, taking off pieces of clothes. he swear to god he was about to malfunction as he finally, finally, got to see all of her, and for once, he was the one guiding her here.

•two months later•

"congratulations!" the girl laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cold lips to his. some snowflakes were in her hair and Isaac made sure to dust them off once they parted. "you are officially COS oral exam free," she then kissed his nose and he intertwined their hands as they took off to a café. "and you can attend classes like a normal person," she nudged his shoulder and he rolled his eyes, kissing the top of her head.

"what did Thomas want with you anyway?" he asked in exchange.

"oh, he just assigned me a special midterm essay," she shrugged and Isaac squeezed her hand. he still had no idea how he got this girl who was basically pushing him through every obstacle he encountered. even Kaitch asked on Facetime if she didn't hit her head once he introduced her to his best friend.

"am I dating a smart girl?"

"I don't know, am I secretly dating a smart guy who just won't admit it?" Teri fired back at him with a smirk.

"hey, I do admit it! I am at the top of my class again!" he tried to act wounded but was forced to a halt as Teri faced him, giving him a quick kiss with adoration flooding her chocolate eyes.

"I know," was all she said, and all she had to say for Isaac to fall in love with her each day.

Isaac then held the door for her and they both greeted the albino boy behind the counter. Teri waved at him as Isaac told her to go sit down and that he will order for them.

"green tea and a carrot cake for the lady, double espresso, no sugar, no milk for me and i'll also have the chicken wrap and the blackberry cheesecake. yeah, and a croissant."