The campus library was quiet that evening, the hum of ceiling fan blending with the soft shuffle of pages. Brooklyn sat at a wooden desk near the window, her notes already spread out in the neat piles. She tapped her pen against her notebook, waiting.
Of course, he was late.
She sighed. Typical.
Just as she was about to pack up and leave, Bryant strolled in, a backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder, his ever-present grin tugging at his lips.
"You're late," Brooklyn said flatly.
"You're early," he countered, dropping into the seat across from her. "Besides, genius work takes time."
She gave him a look that cut glass.
"This project counts for thirty percent of my grade. If you're not serious, I can ask the lecturer to reassign me."
Bryant leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Relax, princess. You'll see I'm full of surprises."
Brooklyn ignored that nickname and slid a stack of articles towards him. "We're doing a comparative analysis. I've already outlined the framework. You just need to—"
"Whoa, slow down." He flipped through the papers, pretending to be overwhelmed. "You've done all this already? Don't you trust me to contribute?"
"Should I?" She shot back.
Bryant chuckled softly, eyes glinting. "Fair enough. But how about we divide the work evenly? I'll handle the research on methodology, you do the literature review.
Deal?"
Brooklyn hesitated. He actually sounded...reasonable. Against her better judgment, she nodded.
They worked in silence for a while, except it wasn't really silent. Brooklyn could feel his eyes on her occasionally, and every time she glanced up, he was quick to smirk and look back at his notes.
Finally, she snapped. "Do you ever take anything serious?"
His smirk softened into something gentler.
"More than you think."
Before she could respond, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Brooklyn?"
She turned to see Mani standing a few feet away, holding a stack of books. His expression tightened as he noticed Bryant across from her.
"I didn't know you'd be here," Mani said, forcing a smile. "Want me to help with your project?"
Brooklyn glanced between the two of them. The tension was thick, unspoken.
Bryant leaned back in his chair, clearly amused, while Mani's jaw flexed.
"Thanks, Mani," Brooklyn said carefully.
"But I'm already partnered."
Mani's eyes flicked to Bryant again, sharp and unreadable. "Right. Of course." He gave a short nod and walked away, but not before sending one last lingering look in their direction.
Brooklyn exhaled slowly, suddenly aware of the storm she might be stepping into.
Bryant grinned. Looks like someone's jealous."
She glared at him. "Just focus on the project."
But her heart was racing, and she hated that part of her already wanted to know what he would do next.