I didn't expect my worst nightmare to begin with a simple message.
"Congratulations. You've been assigned a private tutor."
At first, I thought it was a joke.
But standing outside the empty classroom that evening, staring at the name written on the schedule sheet, I realized it was very real.
Tutor: Kai Ardent
My stomach dropped.
Of all people… it had to be him.
Kai Ardent was the kind of person everyone noticed the moment he walked into a room. Tall, confident, and effortlessly brilliant. Professors praised him. Students admired him. Some even feared him.
And now… he was supposed to tutor me.
I took a deep breath before pushing the classroom door open.
The room was quiet, bathed in warm orange sunlight from the setting sun. Desks were scattered across the room, but only one person was there.
Kai was sitting on top of the teacher's desk, flipping through a book like he had all the time in the world.
He looked up the moment I entered.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
His sharp eyes scanned me slowly, like he was trying to figure out something.
"So," he said finally, closing the book. "You're the student they assigned to me."
His voice was calm… but there was something teasing hidden inside it.
I awkwardly adjusted the strap of my bag. "I guess so."
Kai tilted his head slightly, studying me.
"You don't look very happy about it."
I forced a small laugh. "Should I be?"
That earned a faint smirk from him.
Interesting.
He hopped down from the desk and walked closer.
Too close.
I suddenly became very aware of how tall he was compared to me.
"Let's make one thing clear," he said, crossing his arms. "I don't waste my time."
"I'm not planning to waste it either," I replied quickly.
His eyebrow lifted.
"Oh? That's not what your grades say."
My face heated instantly.
Great.
This was going to be humiliating.
Kai stepped past me and sat at a desk, motioning for me to sit across from him.
"Alright," he said. "Let's see how bad the situation is."
For the next hour, he questioned me about topics I barely understood. Every mistake I made seemed to amuse him more than it should.
But something strange happened during that time.
Kai wasn't cruel.
Strict, yes.
Annoyingly confident, definitely.
But every time I got something right, there was a small spark of approval in his eyes.
And for some reason… that mattered more than it should.
Finally, he closed the book.
"That's enough for today."
Relief flooded through me.
But just as I stood up, the fire alarm suddenly blared through the building.
Startled, I lost my balance and stumbled forward—
Right into him.
Kai caught my arm before I could fall.
For a moment, we froze.
His hand was still holding mine.
Our faces were inches apart.
Close enough that I could feel my heart racing.
Kai's expression changed slightly.
Not teasing.
Not amused.
Something else.
Something I couldn't quite understand.
Then he leaned closer and whispered softly,
"Careful… Ethan."
My heart stopped.
I never told him my name.