: you're hard to ignore. i really should be walking out the door.

--❦--

CHAPTER DEDICATED TO my baby Niviii!!!! Thank you sooo sooo much for always being my absolutely amazing and biggest support!!! Me loves you!!!

--❦--

ziyanah's p.o.v

                                BEING bossed around was by far the worst form of care to ever exist to Ziyanah Alit. Throughout the nineteen years of my life, I had trained my mind to instinctively reject any form of orders or commands. So when the man, standing tall and close before me, dared to throw an unwarranted, judgmental observation and unnecessary opinions my way back in the parking lot, I knew exactly how to retaliate.

Twice as hard.

'Cause I ain't the one.' I could feel myself mentally screaming those words with the movement of my fingers matching with the typical sassy accent I heard in one of the reels which went viral.

With a scoff and a shake of my head, I recalled the scene that had unfolded earlier in the parking lot.

'Good luck to him if he thinks I'm some lost child in need of his holy guidance.'

Grabbing my notebook and bag, I glanced at the black device encircling my wrist, proudly displaying the time as 4:17. A small sigh escaped my lips.

"Mr. Deb, here I come..."

As I stared at the white door leading to the Legal Science room, my heart raced a bit at the thought of encountering him again. I couldn't comprehend why the name "Kayzaad" had provoked such a strong reaction from Rohaan. It did intrigue a part of me, but being the stubborn Taurus that I was, I would rather remain ignorant and cling to my belief in being right, even if it meant ignoring his words of wisdom.

'Nope.'

Taking a deep breath, my cold hands prepared to push open the classroom door. However, my eyes paused at the A4-sized note affixed to the glass panel, meant for all to see.

'To firefly. 5:30.'

The piercing sound of tape being ripped off the glass-paneled door echoed in my ears as I hastily stowed it away in my bag. My reflexes surprised me in the process. Whispers floated behind me as I pushed open the classroom door and found a seat in the second row. The class seemed relatively empty today, with only a handful of students already present. To be exact, there were five. However, even with the sparse attendance, I couldn't ignore the constant furtive glances those five pairs of eyes cast my way, causing a slight furrow in my brow.

'If only I had pretended not to know who the note was intended for...'

Mentally berating myself, I retrieved my phone from my pocket and began scrolling through my social media feeds. I had a staggering 22 unread DMs on Instagram and 150 unread messages in my class WhatsApp group, eliciting a weary sigh as I chose to ignore them once again. Instead, I indulged in yet another booktok video, the thousandth one of the day.

"Someone get me an Adam Carlsen," I muttered to myself, when the sound of people shuffling around me caught my attention, causing my eyes to widen.

"Are you guys leaving?" I asked, rising to my feet as I looked at the group of five.

"Yeah, the class got canceled," one of them replied.

"Did it? When?"

"In the grou—"

"If only you would come down from cloud nine and check your DMs," a guy interrupted in a mocking tone, causing my eyebrows to shoot up.

"Excuse me—"

"Ziyanah, pardon, Sahil. He's stupid, but please don't tell him about what Sahil said!" the girl whom the guy interrupted hastily interjected, leaving me puzzled.

"Tell whom?"

"Your man!"

"My man?"

Another girl interrupted,

"She means Sir. Don't tell Sir,"

"Deb sir--"

"No!"

Then another.

"Your partner,"

"My wha--"

They didn't wait for me to complete my sentence before rushing out the door, muttering out a last apology, before their disappearance.

Weird.

With a sigh, I contemplated the torturous hour I still had to endure on my own until the clock struck five-thirty. Resolute not to waste any more time, I retrieved my bag once again and decided to be productive by conducting further research on the case I was working on.

The leisurely walk to the TOEFL lab proved peaceful as I made a brief stop at the canteen along the way, treating myself to a perfect cup of cold coffee that instantly lifted my spirits. Carrying the cup in hand, I entered the elevator and selected the first floor.

I must admit, laziness had a firm grip on me, and my actions spoke volumes about it.

Ignoring the peculiar, judgmental glance the elevator operator cast my way when I pressed the '1' button, I simply greeted him with my trademark unapologetic creepy smile one last time before stepping out of the elevator. Placing my bag inside the locker conveniently positioned next to the entrance door of the all-glass room, which was divided in half by a glass wall separating the library area from the section equipped with PCs and printers—the TOEFL lab. I retrieved my folder and discreetly stashed my cup of coffee alongside it, evading the attention of the guard stationed to my right as I skillfully snuck the liquid into the labA satisfactory smile escaped my lips at my achievement of successfully sneaking inn my power bank.

"Is that coffee I smell?" I heard a familiar voice, and with a sigh, I pulled a chair beside Rahul and placed the drink on the table.

"No, it's poison."

Rahul chuckled, eagerly reaching out for it, disregarding my glare. As I switched on the computer, I began going through my emails and delved deeper into studying my case, doing my best to ignore his constant chatter. However, a thought struck me.

Of all the people in my batch, Rahul was undoubtedly the biggest social butterfly. His charisma was irresistible, and it seemed like everyone in the college knew him within the first week of joining. How he managed to accomplish that, I could never quite figure out. Every time I saw him, he was surrounded by a group of seniors or faculty, as if he were a long-lost celebrity they couldn't get enough of.

'Wattpad was wrong. Tiny, bespectacled men do get attention.'

'Quite a lot of it.' I thought, a sigh escaping my mouth as I looked at him blabber. My curious mind popped with an idea.

"And then she asked for my number. I was like- sure you can have it. She was like I can't believe it you actu--"

"Rahul,"

"--ally gave me your number. Y'know with the weird shrill voice girls make with their hands mo--"

"I wanna ask you something,"

"--ving in a weird motion, like in a fan-like movement. Oh, wait- that reminds me. There's this guy from the media, he has this huge ass thing for you. Suyash, Want me to set you guys u--"

"Who's Kayzaad?"

That seemed to have shut him.

I gazed into Rahul's light brown eyes, hidden behind his glasses, and saw a mixture of shock and curiosity in his expression.

"So the rumors are true, huh?" he asked, causing my frown to deepen.

"What rumors?"

"About you having a thing with, Sir," he replied, his tone tinged with intrigue. My frown deepened further.

"No! What the hell, man. I'm not-- He's not-- I don't--" I paused, sighing in frustration, while Rahul patiently waited for me to gather my thoughts, his eyes filled with curiosity. There was something about the way Rahul stared at people, as if he couldn't get enough of the gossip.

There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but his gaze suddenly made me feel uneasy, causing me to nervously clear my throat as I took a sip of my coffee.

"First of all, I don't know which Kayzaad everyone else is talking about, but the one I'm referring to is not a faculty member. He's just a sophomore. And no, I'm not involved with him romantically. We're just paired up for an upcoming legal project."

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Rahul nodded, his hand resting on the desk as he wheeled his chair away, turning to face me completely.

"First of all, the Kayzaad we're talking about is the same person. And no, he's not a faculty member. He's a brilliant sophomore with a notorious reputation. Half the people call him 'Sir' out of respect, while the other half... out of fear."

I stared at Rahul, my eyes widening and my mouth slightly agape.

"Fear of what?"

Rahul took a deep breath, hands raising above his head as he stretched. "Nepotism,"

I rolled my eyes,

"Nepotism?" 'Really?'

"Y'know how people believe a superstar's son would be a superstar, well they also tend to believe a criminal's son is ought to be a criminal too. Like it's a hereditary franchise to be passed on."

With that said, I looked at him as he got up on his shoes, eyes still boring down at me.

"Is he really bad news?" I couldn't stop the question from slipping out of my mouth.

One part of me immediately questioned my own judgment and morals, admonishing myself for entertaining such thoughts, while another part remained silent, acknowledging the importance of prioritizing my own safety. Rahul's lips curled into a small smirk as he slowly made his way towards the door of the lab, pausing to give me one last glance.

"You were into literature, right?" he asked.

I nodded, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he quoted the infamous lines by Robert Frost.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—"

"—I took the one less traveled by," I finished the quote, the sound of the door closing behind him resonating in the room.

--❦--

My gaze remained fixed on the paper before me, my finger rhythmically clicking the back of my retractable pink pen at precise half-second intervals. My mind drifted back to Rahul's words from our conversation in the Toefl lab, as my leg rested on the slender plank attached to the bottom of the long wooden desk, serving as a makeshift footrest. I rocked my chair back and forth, lost in my thoughts.

This was precisely why I found poems to be the most disconcerting aspect of literature.

I had never been a fan of open endings. I would rather be emotionally devastated by a heart-wrenching climax than left with unanswered questions and room for speculation.

I despised it.

I still vividly recalled my disappointment upon realizing that there were no further verses exploring whether the road less traveled was truly worth the pain in the first place. Robert Frost had done me wrong.

With my head resting against the back of the chair, forming a perfect 90-degree angle, I didn't realize how long I had been staring at the library ceiling, lost in thought about a stranger whose name I had never bothered to ask.

Kayzaad.

Now that the face had a name... I found myself oddly drawn to it.

Part of me was curious to discover everything about him, while another part urged me to maintain a cautious distance.

My head bobbed slightly from the impact, and I could feel warmth rushing to my neck, ears, and cheeks as I sensed his hand coming close to the back of my head before he settled into a seat beside me. His palm extended towards me almost immediately.

Feeling embarrassed, I bit my bottom lip and offered an awkward smile.

"Hi—"

"Research."

His interruption cut me off, and my smile faltered as I quickly handed him the prints I had obtained, placing them in his outstretched palm.

Rude.

Suppressing an internal eye roll, I turned my head towards the man, catching a whiff of his captivating oceanic fragrance. My eyes roamed over his profile, from his perfectly tousled bed hair to his fair complexion, thick lashes, chiseled nose, light stubble, and full lips, before noticing his white full-sleeved t-shirt, which clung snugly to his muscular arms. Holy mother of—

Wait.

White?

Wasn't he supposed to be the bad boy? Sure, he had the looks that bad boys were blessed with in books, but why was he dressed so... decent? Where was the all-black attire?

"What are the applicable laws again?"

His voice.

His voice.

Damn his voice.

Was it always this deep and alluring, or was my mind playing tricks on me again?

I glanced at him, his eyes still scanning the sheets of paper I had given him, when his hand moved closer to his mouth. His tongue darted out, barely grazing the pad of his thumb in a swift, almost imperceptible motion, before he used it to turn the page.

Something about his action sent a subtle shiver through my stomach as I absentmindedly muttered, "Huh?" in response to his question.

This time, I noticed his movement pausing, his head turning towards me. His eyes locked onto mine, and the corner of his lips curled into a micro-subtle smirk, so fleeting that I almost doubted its existence.

"I thought you saw enough of me in the parking lot."

______________

--end of chapter 06--

Holaaa babies!!!!

OK.ayy sorry for the late update your girl's been having my exams and I certainly didn't study the entire semester so... you know the gist

anywayyyyy

I guess I should've warned you guys how this book is an absolute slow-burn so sorry if you're getting bored but trust me it'll get better just.... trust the process.

ALSO

I'll be doing shoutouts and chapter dedications from now on so make sure to leave a comment and lemme know what you feel about the book so far, and I'll try my best to mention each and everyone of you.

That's it!

Thank you sooo much for reading!!!

XOXO
It's Iewholoved!