The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, filling the mansion with a warmth it hadn't known in years.
Maya slowly opened her eyes, stretching lazily.
A smile tugged at her lips.
She blinked.
"...Why am I smiling?"
The answer came almost immediately.
Lav finishing the tomato soup he hated without a single complaint... and the cake.
"For the first time... this house feels like a home."
Her cheeks warmed instantly.
"...Idiot."
She buried her face in the pillow.
"Who says something like that..."
She shook her head, trying—and failing—to push the memory aside.
After getting ready for college, she grabbed her backpack, slipped on her shoes, and headed out.
The cool morning breeze brushed against her face as she made her way to the university.
The university campus buzzed with its usual energy.
Students hurried through the pathways, some rushing to their lectures while others gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.
Maya adjusted the strap of her backpack as she walked through the gates, her eyes scanning the crowd.
"Morning!"
She turned to find Tara waving at her from a distance.
"Good morning," Maya said with a smile.
The two fell into step beside each other, exchanging casual conversation as they made their way toward their classroom.
After attending their morning lectures, they decided to spend their free hour in the library.
The library was unusually quiet.
Only the occasional turning of pages and the soft tapping of keyboards filled the room.
Books and notebooks lay scattered across the table as Maya and Tara settled into their seats.
Maya had barely opened her notebook when Tara suddenly closed hers with a sigh.
"I can't."
Maya looked up.
"What?"
Tara leaned forward, lowering her voice.
"I've been trying to study for the last twenty minutes..."
"...but I have to tell you something."
Maya smiled.
"Funny."
"What?"
"I was about to say the same thing."
Tara blinked.
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"Mine first."
Maya laughed softly.
"Go ahead."
Tara glanced around to make sure the librarian wasn't looking before whispering,
"Vedh finally told me the truth."
Maya frowned.
"...The truth?"
"About the lunchboxes."
Realization dawned on Maya.
"The ones you used to make for Lav?"
"Exactly."
"And?"
"That shameless idiot admitted he was the one stealing them."
Maya blinked. "...Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
"So Lav never even saw them?"
"Nope. Not a single lunchbox reached him."
Maya stared at her in disbelief.
Then she burst into laughter.
"I can't believe he risked his life... for homemade lunch."
"Oh, trust me," Tara replied. "If I'd known back then, he wouldn't be alive today."
Maya laughed even harder.
"Poor Vedh."
"He deserved it."
There was a brief silence.
Then Tara spoke again.
"Alright."
"My turn's over."
"Now tell me everything."
Maya sighed dramatically.
"It all started because I wore Lav's hoodie."
"...Okay?"
"He looked at me for two seconds..."
"...and called me a sloth."
Tara exploded with laughter.
"A sloth?!"
"I know! I ended up chasing him around the house with a belt."
Tara gasped between laughs.
"Maya!"
"He deserved it!"
"I would've paid to watch that."
"I almost caught him too."
"I highly doubt that."
"I was this close."
"You weren't."
"I was."
Both of them laughed.
After calming down, Tara asked,
"So... what happened after your world-famous sloth chase?"
Maya hesitated.
"...I cooked."
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"Tara?"
"...You?"
"Yes."
"Cooked?"
Maya groaned.
"Can everyone stop reacting like that?"
"I'm trying!" Tara laughed. "I'm just imagining you in a kitchen."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Oh?"
"I made tomato soup..."
"...and a cake."
Tara blinked.
"A cake too?"
Maya nodded.
"Yeah."
Tara smiled.
"I'm impressed. Then what happened?"
Maya's smile softened.
"One of the maids told me afterward..."
"...he hates tomatoes."
Tara's expression fell.
"...Oh."
"And..."
Maya looked down.
"...he's never really celebrated his birthday."
"I felt horrible. I tried to stop him..."
"...but he finished everything."
Tara smiled softly.
"...That sounds exactly like Lav."
Maya's lips curved into a small smile.
She could still hear his voice.
"You're the first person who's ever cooked for me."
Maya bit her lip.
"...And..."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"He said..."
"For the first time... this house feels like a home."
"...Aww." Tara practically melted.
Maya covered her face.
"Don't."
"You two are disgustingly adorable."
"We're not."
"Maya."
"What?"
"Are you smiling right now?"
Maya froze.
"...No."
"Liar."
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are... and that's because you like him."
Maya's eyes widened.
"Shh!" she hissed, looking around the library. "Keep your voice down! Someone might hear you."
Tara only laughed.
"Why? Afraid a certain someone will?"
Before Maya could answer, a familiar voice spoke behind them.
"Will what?"
Maya froze.
Slowly, she turned around.
Lav stood there with one hand tucked into his pocket, looking between the two of them with a faint smile.
"Hi, Tara."
Tara smiled innocently.
"Hi, Lav."
Lav's gaze shifted to Maya.
"I think I'm going to have to steal Maya for a while."
Tara waved her hand dramatically.
"Please. Take the sloth with you."
Maya nearly choked.
"Excuse me?! Can I get a new best friend?"
Tara smiled innocently.
"No refunds."
Lav chuckled.
"I don't know about the sloth part..."
His gaze met Maya's for a brief moment.
"...but she's kind of cute."
Maya froze.
"...Huh?"
Her cheeks instantly turned red.
Tara's eyes went wide.
Did he just... flirt?
She looked from Lav...
...to Maya...
...then back to Lav.
A grin slowly spread across Tara's face.
"Oh, this is getting interesting."
Maya buried her face in her hands.
"Can everyone please stop embarrassing me?"
Lav only smiled.
"Come on, Sloth."
He gestured toward the other table.
"Let's go."
"You..." She glared at Lav.
She pushed back her chair and lightly smacked him on the arm.
"Don't talk to me!"
Lav blinked.
"What did I do?"
Maya folded her arms.
"You know exactly what you did!"
She turned toward Tara, narrowing her eyes.
"And you..."
Tara straightened innocently.
"...What?"
Maya huffed.
"Don't talk to me either."
Tara pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
"...Yes, ma'am."
Maya grabbed her books dramatically.
"I'm surrounded by idiots."
Lav exchanged a glance with Tara.
They both burst into quiet laughter.
Maya whirled around.
"Stop laughing!"
The librarian looked up from the front desk.
"Quiet, please."
All three immediately froze.
"Our apologies," Lav said with an apologetic smile.
The three of them immediately quieted down like children who'd just been scolded.
Tara picked up her books.
"I'll go find Vedh."
She looked at Maya with a grin.
"You two... try not to start another belt chase in the library."
"Tara!"
Chuckling to herself, Tara walked away.
Maya watched her leave before letting out an exaggerated huff.
She folded her arms and pouted.
"...Traitor."
Lav watched Tara disappear before looking back at Maya.
"...Are you done sulking?"
Maya looked away.
"...No."
"You seem very upset."
"I am."
"Because Tara left?"
"...No."
"Because she called you a sloth?"
"...No."
Lav tilted his head.
"Then why?"
Maya finally looked at him.
"You."
"I did something?"
"You know exactly what you did."
"I don't."
"You called me..." She lowered her voice, glancing around the library. "...cute."
Lav blinked.
"...I did."
"And you said it so casually!"
"I was just telling the truth."
Maya froze.
"..."
"..."
Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.
Lav frowned, genuinely confused.
"Was I not supposed to?"
Maya let out a defeated sigh. "You're such a dummy."
Lav simply smiled and opened his book.
Maya huffed before opening hers as well.
Neither of them was actually reading.
Maya finally decided to study instead of doodling.
At least, she tried.
She stared at the page for a whole minute before her pen suddenly stopped working.
She clicked it again.
Nothing.
With an annoyed sigh, she threw the pen onto the table and rubbed her temples.
Lav, who had been silently observing her the entire time, reached into his bag and placed a small balm in front of her.
"This will help with your headache."
Maya blinked at him.
"...You carry balm?"
"Yes."
Before she could question him further, he placed another pen beside the balm.
"And here. Your favorite black gel pen. I know you're never going to return it."
A small smirk appeared on her face.
Maya looked at the pen, then at him.
"...Rude."
"How do you even know I need this?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Wait... were you even studying, Lav?"
Lav raised an eyebrow confidently.
"Your pen stopped working thirteen minutes ago."
Maya stared at him.
He glanced at his watch.
"Correction. Fourteen minutes now."
Her mouth fell open slightly.
"What?!"
He shrugged.
"And look who's asking me if I'm studying. You're literally doodling."
Maya quickly covered her notebook with her hand.
"I was not."
Lav looked at the covered page.
"Really?"
She coughed.
"At least I'm not stalking."
Lav leaned back, amused.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"You're welcome for the pen, by the way."
Maya rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
Lav returned to his book, and Maya finally started writing with the new pen.
For a few minutes, the library was peaceful.
Until—
"Am I interrupting something?"
Maya and Lav both looked up.
Vedh stood there with a suspicious smile, holding his books.
Maya immediately narrowed her eyes.
"...Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to annoy me."
Vedh gasped dramatically.
"Ouch. I just got here."
Lav raised an eyebrow.
"That's never a good sign."
Vedh ignored him and pulled out a chair.
"So..."
He looked between them.
"Why were you two sitting alone?"
Maya frowned.
"We were studying."
Vedh glanced at the untouched books.
"Sure."
Maya's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"I said nothing."
"You clearly said something."
Vedh smiled innocently.
"Nothing at all, Sloth."
Maya's expression changed instantly.
"...Tara told you, didn't she?"
Vedh tried to hide his laugh.
"Maybe."
"Vedh."
"Okay, yes."
Maya closed her book.
"I swear..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"That punk."
Vedh immediately gave her an offended look.
"That punk?"
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. That punk."
"Hey, don't talk about my girlfriend like that."
Maya stared at him.
"Your girlfriend who betrayed me?"
Vedh shook his head.
"She didn't betray you. She just told me the truth."
Maya rolled her eyes.
"Wow. Taking her side already?"
"Obviously."
Maya sighed, completely fed up.
"Unbelievable."
Lav quietly watched the two of them argue, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Vedh looked at Lav. "Let's go."
Lav blinked.
"Where?"
"I'm saving you."
Maya narrowed her eyes.
"Saving him?"
Vedh nodded seriously.
"Yes. Before you start another belt chase."
Maya's eyes widened.
"Oh, really?"
Lav tried to hide his smile.
Vedh nudged Lav's chair. "Come on, brother. We need to leave before she gets ideas."
Maya stared at Vedh. "How dare you, you piece of shit."
But Lav didn't move.
Vedh looked back at him.
"...Are you seriously not coming?"
Lav calmly shook his head. "No."
Vedh stared at him. "You're choosing to stay?"
Lav glanced at Maya. "Yes."
Maya immediately looked away. "Don't make it sound weird."
Lav gave a small shrug. "What? I'm just studying."
Vedh looked between them, completely offended.
"Wow."
Maya sighed.
"Just get out, Vedh."
Vedh pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes. You."
She pointed at Lav.
"And take him with you."
Lav looked at her, slightly surprised.
"...Me?"
"Yes, you."
Vedh immediately grinned.
"Finally, someone agrees with me."
Maya rolled her eyes.
"Don't get excited. I'm just tired of both of you."
Vedh nodded seriously.
"Understood."
He gave a quick salute.
Maya stared at him.
"...Are you seriously saluting?"
Vedh lowered his hand as if he had just received a very important order.
"Yes."
She sighed.
Vedh turned to Lav with a confident smile.
"Enough studying. Let's go."
Lav simply looked at him.
"No chance."
Vedh blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Lav went back to his book.
"I'm studying."
Vedh looked at him in disbelief.
"Studying? Since when did you care this much about studying?"
Maya glanced at him. "Maybe because some people actually do."
Vedh looked between them and smirked.
"Oh, please."
He pointed at Lav. "You're not staying here to study."
Lav raised an eyebrow. "Then why?"
Vedh grinned. "Because of her, aren't you?"
Maya froze.
"What?"
Lav stayed quiet.
Vedh's smile widened.
"See? I knew it."
Maya immediately looked away. Did everyone get a PhD in embarrassing me today or what?
Vedh ignored her.
"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day."
He dramatically wiped an imaginary tear.
"I've been replaced."
Lav sighed.
"You're being dramatic."
Vedh looked at him, offended.
"Me? Dramatic?"
A pause.
"Never."
Maya was completely fed up with both of them.
Without saying another word, she picked up her books and walked away silently.
Vedh and Lav watched her walk away.
"...She's mad," Vedh whispered.
Lav looked at him.
"Obviously... because of you."
Vedh pointed at himself.
"Me?"
Lav gave him a look.
"Yes."
Vedh frowned.
"I was just joking."
Lav shook his head slightly.
"That's what you always say."
Vedh crossed his arms.
"Oh, come on. It's not just me. She was already annoyed when I came."
Lav watched her leave and shook his head slightly.
"Poor her. We really annoyed her."
Vedh nodded.
"Yeah..."
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"But I got some interesting tea..."
Lav glanced at him.
"What?"
Vedh adjusted his chair, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
"One time, a random girl asked me for my number."
Lav raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"I was just surprised, so I didn't even know how to react."
He paused.
"But then I looked at Tara..."
Lav already knew where this was going.
"Her face?"
Vedh burst out laughing.
"Bro... it looked like she was two seconds away from killing me."
Lav smirked.
"She was jealous?"
"That's what I realized later," Vedh said. "At that time, I was completely clueless."
He shook his head.
"Girls really think they can hide it."
Vedh leaned back with a knowing smile.
"See? That's why I'm telling you."
Lav looked at him.
"You're telling me what?"
Vedh pointed at him.
"Try it with Maya."
Lav frowned.
"Try what?"
"Make her a little jealous."
Lav stared at him.
"Are you serious?"
"Completely."
Vedh grinned.
"Trust me. Girls are cute when they're jealous."
Lav shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
Vedh shrugged.
"Maybe not. But I'm curious to see how Maya reacts."
He smirked.
"Because if she really likes you, she won't be able to hide it."
Shaking his head in amusement, Lav dapped him up.
"You're an idiot... but a useful one."
They both laughed.
Neither of them realized...
that while they were planning how to make Maya jealous...
Maya was already planning something completely different.