Mrs. Priscilla's office smelled faintly of old books and polished wood. Lina stepped in, adjusting the strap of her bag, and said politely, "Good day, ma'am. You called for me?"
"Oh yes, Lina," Mrs. Priscilla said, glancing at the young man seated comfortably on her office chair. "This is Jordan. Jordan, this is Lina, one of our most exceptional students. She will be tutoring you."
Lina blinked. "What?"
Jordan stood, extending his hand with a confident smile. "I'm Jordan," he said smoothly. "It's so nice of you to tutor me. Thank you so much."
Lina forced a small smile, trying not to look completely overwhelmed.
Mrs. Priscilla's expression turned serious. "Jordan, wait outside for a moment. I need to speak to Lina."
"Yes, ma'am," Jordan said politely, stepping out and closing the door behind him.
Turning to Mrs. Priscilla, Lina crossed her arms. "Ma'am, what is this? Why didn't you inform me beforehand?"
Mrs. Priscilla looked genuinely desperate. "Lina, you know I only come to you for help when it's important. Right now, it is. Jordan's parents are some of the biggest contributors to this college, and they've threatened to withdraw him because of his low grades. I need you to tutor him until he can catch up."
Lina sighed, glancing at the floor. She knew how hard it was to say no when Mrs. Priscilla looked like that. "Fine… but I will need some compensation for my time. Either priority for campus events, extra library access, or maybe some credits towards leadership programs. Something in return."
Mrs. Priscilla's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes! Absolutely, whatever you need."
Lina forced a small, uncertain smile. Mrs. Priscilla nodded and called, "Jordan, you may come back in."
Jordan returned, smiling warmly, and Mrs. Priscilla continued, "So, Jordan, you and Lina will discuss your schedule for tutoring. If you need anything at all, just let me know, okay?"
Jordan nodded, and Lina walked out of the office first, Jordan following behind.
In the hallway, Lina spoke quickly, "So, I won't be free today or tomorrow, but I can do Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesdays for four hours, and maybe Tuesdays for two hours after classes. How does that sound?"
Jordan's smile widened. "Yeah, that works perfectly."
They reached the outside of the building and stopped. Jordan pulled out his phone. "Give me your number so we can contact each other," he said.
"Of course," Lina replied. She typed her number into his phone and handed it back. Jordan smiled politely and waved. "Thank you, Lina. I'll see you at the first session."
As he walked away, Lina turned and waved to someone across the courtyard. Her eyes met Evan's. He had just finished talking with a friend and had seen the entire exchange. Lina hadn't noticed him at first, so she smiled warmly and walked up to him.
"I haven't seen you all day," she said cheerfully, tilting her head. "What's wrong?"
Evan hesitated, his stomach twisting. "It's nothing," he said quickly, forcing a small smile.
Lina rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on, let's go get some burgers. I'm in the mood for junk food," she said, her smile bright and carefree.
Evan's chest tightened, but he nodded. "Sure… yeah, let's go."
As they walked together, Lina chattered about her day, completely oblivious to the unusual knot forming in Evan's stomach at the thought of her spending time with Jordan. Evan found himself stealing glances at her, trying not to let her see the flicker of something he didn't quite understand yet, jealousy, or maybe something more.
The little campus burger joint buzzed with the low hum of chatter and the sizzle of frying patties. Lina sat opposite Evan in a booth by the window, a tray piled high with fries, burgers, and two milkshakes between them.
She'd already demolished her burger and was now working her way through her fries, her cheeks puffed as she chewed. Evan couldn't help but laugh under his breath at how sloppy she looked while eating.
Lina blinked at him mid-bite. "What?" she mumbled, her mouth still full. "Why are you laughing? Is there something on my face?"
"Yeah," Evan said, his eyes softening. "Hold still."
Before she could react, he reached for a napkin and leaned across the table, dabbing at the corner of her mouth. The warmth of his hand so close made Lina's heart skip a beat. She felt her cheeks grow hot, and she quickly looked down.
"T-thank you," she stammered, reaching for her milkshake to hide her face.
Evan smiled faintly and sat back, trying to play it cool while his own chest felt tight.
Lina went back to eating her fries and dipping them in ketchup. Evan cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. "So… who was that guy I saw you with earlier?"
"Who?" she asked, genuinely confused, before realization dawned. "Oh... you mean Jordan?"
Evan tried not to look too interested. "Yeah. Him."
"He's my tutoree," Lina said breezily. "Mrs. Priscilla told me today I'll be tutoring him until his grades improve."
Evan twirled his straw, his tone carefully light. "Oh. Then why did you exchange numbers?"
Lina paused mid-bite, then gave him a sly smile. "Well… for the tutoring, obviously." She leaned back, smirking. "Wait... did you think he was asking me out?"
Evan choked on his soda, coughing. "No. Of course not."
Lina tilted her head, eyes glinting mischievously. "Are you jealous?"
"No, I'm not. Why would I be?" Evan said quickly, his voice an octave too high.
Lina popped a fry in her mouth, her smirk growing. "Well, yeah, why would you be? You're not my boyfriend anyway." She dipped another fry into ketchup. "But don't worry, I won't spend all my time with him. Our sessions are just three times a week for four hours, and maybe on Tuesdays for two hours. So don't worry... I'll still have time to hang out with you."
Evan looked away, his fingers tightening slightly around his cup. "I wasn't worried about anything like that," he muttered.
Lina raised an eyebrow at him, smirking as she sipped her water. "Yeah, right."
"If you want," she added lightly, "I can introduce you to him on Saturday. Maybe you two could even become friends."
Evan frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Lina chuckled. "Evan, we both know I'm your only friend."
"That's not true," Evan said defensively, leaning back. "I have tons of other friends. In fact, I'd just finished talking to one when I saw you earlier."
"It's okay, Evan. No need to lie, I get it," Lina teased, reaching for her milkshake. "Just come on Saturday and I'll introduce you. But you'll have to come after the tutoring, okay? I'll call you when we're done."
Evan scrunched his face and stabbed at his burger like it had personally offended him. Lina watched him with a soft smile, taking in the way he pouted even as he tried to hide it. She dipped another fry into ketchup and leaned back against the booth, her eyes dancing with amusement.
Evan caught her looking at him and raised a brow. "What?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, grinning as she popped the fry into her mouth.
He huffed but couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching upward.
It was Saturday, and the library was as quiet as ever, with students scattered between the stacks, some buried in books, others typing furiously on laptops. Lina and Jordan were tucked away in the English section, a small corner that felt like their own little world.
"So," Lina said, handing a notebook to Jordan, "you can work on this and show it to me tomorrow, if that's okay."
Jordan smiled warmly. "Yeah, of course, no problem."
Lina nodded, then bit her lip as she added, "Well, um… I have someone I want you to meet. He's a very good friend of mine, basically my bestie. Don't tell him I called him that."
Jordan laughed. "Okay, I won't."
Lina grinned, pulled out her phone, and quickly dialed. "Evan? Come to the library. You're around, right…? Get in here now," she said before hanging up and sighing. "Okay, he's on his way."
A few minutes later, Evan walked in, scanning the rows of shelves before spotting Lina waving. He let out a small sigh and made his way over, trying to keep his composure.
"Jordan, this is Evan. Evan, Jordan," Lina said, her voice cheerful.
Jordan extended his hand with a friendly smile. "Hey there."
Evan shook it, forcing a polite smile. "Hi."
Lina clapped her hands together. "Okay, now that you two know each other, how about we grab some ice cream?" She winked at Evan, who glanced at her in surprise, caught somewhere between curiosity and irritation.
"Yeah, why not," Jordan said, already grinning.
At the ice cream store, Lina and Jordan were laughing over a ridiculous story about how they once thought goats and sheep were the same. Evan, on the other hand, sat stiffly, like a child forced to eat vegetables. He pushed his chair back abruptly. "I, uh… I have to go to the bathroom," he muttered.
Lina looked up, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"No, it's nothing. I just… drank too much water today," he said, forcing a smile.
"Okay, well, don't be too long," Lina said warmly.
Evan nodded and walked toward the restroom, taking a deep breath before looking at himself in the mirror. "What's wrong with me?" he murmured. "It's not the first time I've seen her with another guy… but why does she have to be so friendly with him? And even invite him out for ice cream?"
He splashed some water on his face, trying to calm himself. "No. I need to relax. Lina isn't mine. I'm not her boyfriend or anything. Just calm down, Evan."
When he walked out of the restroom, his heart began to race. Jordan and Lina were standing close together, Jordan gently wiping a smudge of ice cream from her face. Evan's chest tightened, his thoughts spiraling. How dare he touch her? And why does she have to be such a sloppy eater?
He walked closer, trying to act casual, though his hands were tight fists in his pockets. Lina noticed him and grinned innocently. "Look who finally decided to show up! We were waiting for you."
Evan blinked, forcing a smile. "I… I need to leave, Lina. Jordan, I'm sorry, but something urgent came up."
"What? What came up?" Lina asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"You two enjoy your time," he muttered, turning to walk away.
As he left, his mind churned. I think I need to stay away from Lina. I'm becoming way too possessive, and it's not healthy for either of us.