The next day, the Literature Department's hallway buzzed with its usual noise, students rushing to classes, groups huddled together discussing assignments, and the occasional laughter echoing against the cream-painted walls.
Eliot was on his way out, notebook hugged to his chest, his typical routine... when he heard a small commotion near the entrance.
"Hey, that's Kaius, right?" one girl whispered to her companion, eyes wide as she subtly pointed where Kaius was.
"Wow, he's still so handsome even just wearing a simple polo shirt. How does he even do that?" another girl whispered, fanning herself with her folder.
Eliot froze. His stomach sank. No way. And there he was. Kaius Zyran Reyes. Standing tall in his crisp white polo, black slacks, and that signature camera strap slung casually across his shoulder.
His presence alone seemed to shift the energy of the hallway, students turned their heads, some smiling, others murmuring with awe. A thing that made Eliot secretly roll his eyes, so dramatic.
"He's really good at photography. Did you see their last exhibit? Solid shots."
"Not only that, he's a student leader too, and active in organizations. Literally a total package." Eliot gritted his teeth as he pushed through the crowd. Oh great. Here comes Mr. Perfect.
And, as if fate had it out for him, Kaius' eyes locked on his immediately. That damned smirk appeared. He wanted to erase it so badly, along with the owner of that irritating grin.
"There you are," Kaius said smoothly, stepping forward.
Eliot raised a brow. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Fetching you," Kaius replied, feigning innocence.
Eliot blinked, dumbfounded. Then, louder than necessary: "Fetching me? Excuse me, I have feet. I'm not disabled that you have to pick me up." He said with sarcasm and a hint of annoyance.
A few students chuckled nervously at his bluntness; Eliot didn't care at all if the other students near them heard what he said. But Kaius only grinned wider, seemingly unbothered by the glares Eliot was shooting him.
"Partner, don't get so worked up. It makes you look ugly, let's just calm down. Besides, I just thought, it's our first official day working together. It's better if we go together."
Eliot scoffed, clutching his notebook tighter. Partner, he says. Damn it, I want to drop the subject just so I don't have to be with him.
"You don't have to do this. I can go by myself," Eliot snapped, turning to walk past him.
But Kaius simply fell into step beside him, walking leisurely like he owned the damn hallway. Students' murmurs followed them like a shadow.
"Kaius is so nice, right? He's even picking up his partner."
"Wow, imagine him as your project partner. Eliot is so lucky, but why does he seem to hate it? So dramatic."
Eliot rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might get stuck. I really don't want to.Lucky? more like a nightmare, you mean.If only they knew.
He glanced sideways at Kaius, who was still smirking like this was all some kind of inside joke.
"Don't you get tired?" Eliot muttered under his breath.
"Of what?" a tone of feigned cluelessness could be heard in Kaius' voice, but you'd be a fool to believe him.Eliot knows better. They only spent a long time together yesterday, but... he was already at his limit.
"Smiling. Smirking. Acting like everyone adores you. Newsflash, not everyone does."For real, not everyone likes Kaius, there are others who don't.He is one of them.
Kaius chuckled. "So, you don't?"
Eliot stopped walking for a second, glaring at him. "I'm not everyone."
"Exactly," Kaius said softly, almost like he meant it.
Eliot's stomach flipped against his will, but he quickly masked it with a scoff. "Crazy," he muttered again. Right, for him.Kaius is just a crazy fly who stubbornly follows him and forces himself on him.
Kaius only smiled.
Looking back to what happened yesterday...As they walked out of the building together, Eliot couldn't help but remember last night, right before they'd parted ways from the café.
The entire walk to the bus stop, Kaius had been beside him, humming softly, glancing his way, and God help him, smiling. Not the polite kind, either. The kind that lingered, the kind that made Eliot's skin crawl.
"What's with the smiling?" Eliot had finally asked, annoyed beyond belief.
Kaius tilted his head, his grin widening. "Nothing. I just think..."
"Think what?" Eliot snapped.
Kaius' eyes sparkled mischievously under the dim streetlight. "...you're beautiful."
Eliot tripped on his own feet. His entire body froze, a chill running through him. Who the hell just says that so casually?
He remembered glaring at Kaius, muttering a sharp "You're insane," before storming off. But deep down, his hands had trembled the entire bus ride home. Worse, the cut on his knee stung. Damn Kaius, if it weren't for him, his knee wouldn't be scraped.
And now, here they were again, with Kaius acting like nothing happened.
Isn't he embarrassed? He really is crazy.
Back in the present, Eliot walked faster, desperate to shake off the stares of their classmates and the suffocating presence beside him.
"Kaius, seriously. This isn't funny anymore. People are staring." He was truly irritated. He's not the type who wants attention, especially for something so pointless.
"They always do," Kaius replied calmly, adjusting his camera strap. "I'm used to it."
"Yeah, well, I'm not."
Kaius glanced at him, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Then maybe you should be. After all, we're partners. Where I go, you go too."
Eliot stopped dead in his tracks. "Excuse me? Don't drag me into your popularity circus. I didn't ask for this."
Kaius simply shrugged. "Didn't say you asked. Just saying it's inevitable."
"You really have the nerve." Eliot groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you ever listen to yourself?"
Kaius leaned closer just enough to murmur, "All the time. And right now, I'm listening to you... calling me brazen. Cute endearment, by the way." He said mischievously, which further increased Eliot's annoyance.
Eliot choked on air, heat rising unbidden to his cheeks.
"Crazy! You really are crazy!" He marched ahead, ignoring the growing whispers trailing behind them.
Eliot cursed under his breath. Kaius followed at a leisurely pace, smirk never faltering, like he was enjoying every bit of Eliot's indignation.
And maybe he was. By the time they reached the courtyard where they were supposed to meet for their planning session, Eliot was fuming quietly. He dropped his notebook onto the table with a loud thud. "Next time, don't fetch me. I just get annoyed."
Kaius sat across from him, still maddeningly calm. "Noted." But the smirk on his face said otherwise.
The courtyard was quieter now. Most students had gone back to their classes, leaving only the faint hum of voices from distant buildings and the occasional rustle of leaves in the soft afternoon wind. A table sat beneath the old Narra tree, and that was where Eliot and Kaius settled for their first real planning session.
Eliot crossed his arms, still sulking from earlier. Kaius, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered, setting his camera carefully on the table before leaning back in his chair.
"So," Kaius began, tapping his fingers lightly against the wooden surface. "About our project. I have an idea."
Eliot arched a brow, pretending disinterest though he'd already opened his notebook. "Go on."He didn't want Kaius to say he was lazy to listen and take notes.
Kaius' eyes flickered with a spark of seriousness. The smirk faded, replaced by something steadier, weightier.
"I want to capture photographs that don't just show faces or places," he explained slowly, like every word mattered. "I want to capture the true essence of beauty. Not the kind that's just surface-level, but beauty in its rawest, most honest form. Moments that people don't remember as beautiful until someone makes them stop and look."
Eliot's pen hovered above the page, his brow furrowing slightly. What the heck? beauty in its rawest form?
"Then," Kaius continued, leaning forward now, his tone firm but passionate, "you'll write the words that open that door wider. Poetry. Lines that don't just describe but reveal. Words that feel like you're holding the reader's hand, guiding them to see what the photo wants them to see. Every detail, every truth about what beauty really is."
Eliot blinked, almost forgetting to breathe. His pen moved, almost automatically, jotting down phrases, essence of beauty... raw... words as guide... door to truth.
Kaius' hands gestured subtly as he talked, like an artist painting pictures in the air. His voice was steady, layered with conviction, and not once did he falter. He was completely different from the Kaius who fetched him earlier. Gone was the playful smirk.It's like, you're talking to someone new.
"Think of it this way," Kaius said, his gaze steady. "A photo can freeze a moment, but sometimes it's lacking. Your words will become the bridge. In a way, my shot is the frame, but your poetry provides the substance. Together, it's more complete."
Eliot's pen stopped mid-sentence. He stared at Kaius, bewildered.
Just earlier, he was all smirks.It seemed like he knew nothing else to do but stare and tease.But now...
He swallowed, trying to shake off the thought, but it clung stubbornly. Now, he seems like a different person. Professional. Passionate. There's no room for nonsense.
And damn it, he was amazed. Even if he didn't want to admit it... well, there was no point. It's hard to deny something that's so obvious. Who wouldn't be amazed if... you were used to this rascal's antics.
He scribbled faster, trying to keep up with Kaius' explanation. Yet his mind kept drifting, wandering back to that thought. How can someone shift this way? From irritating to... inspiring and a little extra attractive?
Kaius continued, his eyes glinting with focus. "For example, I have a shot of an old woman selling flowers by the street. On its own, she's already a beautiful subject—wrinkles, colors, natural light. But with your poetry? Maybe you write about how her hands tell a story, how each petal mirrors the years she's lived. Suddenly, it's not just a photo. It's a story. It's truth. Isn't that more interesting to hear and look at? Our viewers will not solely depend on the picture I took, but also, on the poetry you wrote. Together, we'll create what we call harmony. Then, our viewers' imaginative minds will be the ones to decide how they will understand or see the message behind the photo and the poetry in it."
Eliot pressed his lips together, his chest tightening in a way he couldn't name. He wrote the example down, even underlining it twice.
God. Why am I feeling this? This shouldn't be happening. I'm annoyed at him, right? But why do I feel like I want to keep listening to him?Oh, well!! He can't blame himself. Kaius has a certain appeal when he's serious.
He looked up briefly and caught Kaius mid-sentence. His eyes burned with passion, his hands alive with emphasis, his voice calm but there's something in his voice that grabs his attention.
It startled Eliot. Because for the first time since yesterday, Kaius wasn't smiling, wasn't smirking, wasn't teasing. He was serious. Sincere. And beautiful in a way Eliot didn't want to admit.
He quickly looked back down at his notebook, cheeks warming. I swear, if he were always like this... maybe I wouldn't mind working with him.
Kaius leaned back finally, exhaling softly as though he'd poured out everything he'd been thinking. He studied Eliot for a moment, who was still scribbling furiously in his notebook.
"So?" Kaius asked, his tone gentler now. "What do you think?"
Eliot hesitated, twirling his pen between his fingers. He didn't want to admit how much the idea impressed him; how much it stirred something inside him.
But honesty slipped out before he could stop it. "It's... good."He didn't want to deprive Kaius of an honest review.So, he just gave his real impression.Even though he didn't want to, Kaius might get a swollen head.It's risky, and Kaius' body is more often filled with hot air than not.
Kaius tilted his head, amused. "Just good?"
Eliot shot him a glare. "Don't push it."
Kaius chuckled, the serious mask cracking just a little. "Noted."
Eliot rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the way his notes had filled nearly two pages with Kaius' ideas.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy anymore. It was lighter, almost comfortable, as if the air between them had shifted. Eliot busied himself with adjusting his pen, but his mind wouldn't quiet down.
Just earlier he was all smirks, now he's like a professional lecturer.You're hard to read.You're hard to understand. But you're easy to... listen to.
He pressed his pen harder against the page, as though the motion could drown out the thought.
Kaius, meanwhile, reached for his camera, checking its settings, clicking the shutter once like a habit. He didn't look up when he spoke again. "You know," he said softly, almost like an afterthought, "I think this will work. You and me. Words and frames."
Eliot looked up, startled at how natural it sounded coming from Kaius' mouth.
But he quickly masked it with another glare. "Just stop being annoying..then, we're good asf."
Kaius finally looked up, his smirk returning, though softer this time. "Annoying? me??"
Eliot's jaw dropped, "Seriously? You're not aware that you're irritating?"
Kaius laughed, low and genuine, the kind that made Eliot want to throw his notebook at him.
But deep inside, Eliot found himself wishing, just a little, that this side of Kaius, this serious, passionate, professional side, would be the one to show up more often. Because if his patience runs out, he might throw his notebook at Kaius' face.
Also... maybe working together wouldn't be as unbearable as he thought.