Taylor had never seen anyone look so smug while solving equations that weren't even assigned. Chris sat across from her in the library again, typing so fast his fingers barely touched the keys. She had spent the last ten minutes staring at the same sentence in her notebook.
"How do you even know all this?" she finally asked.
He didn't look up. "It's called paying attention in class."
"No, it's called being an overachiever," she shot back.
He smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is when you make everyone else look dumb," she muttered, glaring at him.
Chris leaned back, eyes gleaming with amusement. "You're not dumb, Evans. Just… average."
Her jaw dropped. "Wow. You really have a way with compliments."
"It's not an insult," he said, almost sincerely. "Most people are average. You just happen to hate that word."
She did. Because he was right. Taylor worked hard — stayed up late, highlighted everything — but she was never the best. And somehow, Chris Bennett managed to be brilliant without even trying.
She frowned at her notes. "You probably think you're better than everyone."
"No," he said, closing his laptop. "Just better prepared."
Taylor glared at him, then sighed. "Okay, fine, genius. Explain this part to me."
He leaned forward, his arm brushing hers as he pulled her notebook closer. She froze. He smelled faintly like coffee and something clean — like aftershave and mint.
"Here," he said, his voice softer now. "You're overcomplicating it. You just need to connect this to the main argument. Like this—" He scribbled a few lines, his handwriting annoyingly perfect.
Taylor watched his focused expression — the little crease between his brows, the way his lips moved slightly as he thought.
"Got it?" he asked, glancing up.
She blinked quickly. "Uh… yeah. I think."
"You think," he repeated with a teasing grin. "That's progress."
Taylor rolled her eyes, trying to hide her flustered smile. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he said, closing her notebook and pushing it back to her, "you keep showing up."
"Only because this project is half my grade," she muttered.
"Sure," he said, smirking. "Let's pretend that's the only reason."
Taylor grabbed her notebook and stood up before he could see the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"See you tomorrow, Bennett."
"Don't be late," he called after her. "The average ones always need extra time."
She threw him a glare over her shoulder, but there was a hint of a smile in it. And Chris couldn't help but grin back — because for once, studying didn't feel boring.