Romantic BGM

The door slid open, and all the eyes swung to look that the person entering. There should be romantic drama background music on his entrance since everyone was so enthralled. Alice momentarily glanced down at her nails before looking back up, unperturbed.

His strides were lazy with his footsteps tapping on the linoleum floor since the classroom went silent, making his way into the room with the teacher being unimpressed for setting a bad example and impatiently clicking and unclicking his pen from his seat before the computer.

He ruffled his hair with a short breath, making the stark black hair that was shiny fall into messy layers. People stared at him as if he was brighter than the sun with theirs peeled into half-open gazes taking in the commanding face with the infamous pale blue eyes and sharp nose that was the object of envy for many.

Alice found his tall frame imposing since it wasn't a string bean pole, but a complete and strong tower with stacks of muscles. Not that she knew. But one could imagine since he wasn't athletically challenged, and his gym uniform gave the idea of being ripped if his muscled arms weren't any indicator when he played sports out on the school grounds.

She swung her gaze back to her phone because she had already memorized his appearance from day one since they were always alternating from the number one spot for their academics.

Alice mentally exited out of her perusal the moment previously before turning her eyes back to the breathing one right in front of her.

He had his briefcase tossed over his shoulder with the top button undone and his black tie neatly straightened which was a contrast to his untidy hair that was a mess from his fingers. He slowed his gait to a stop in front of the teacher. "Hey, teach."

The teacher swung his legs out towards the class and pressed his lips in a stern line. "You are late, Noah."

"Ah, sorry. I got held up by Mrs. Saito since she needed help carrying some glass jars to the art room."

The homeroom teacher could hardly care less which made Alice silently laugh. "Please sit down."

Noah gave the teacher a remorseful smile while Madeline tapped on the notepad that she was holding. He stopped in front of her since she was blocking the way and decided to humor her. Noah tilted his head in waiting.

"Noah," Madeline started. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

Her lips twitched into a smile. "Can you be on the poster for us?"

Alice froze and cringed. Wait what? Claudia caught the action and covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. Alice thought that it was only going to be her despite knowing that having two people on the cover would hint at the overall theme of the couple.

It was just that she didn't want to ruffle any feathers or have any dating rumors flying around. Not that she would contemplate the thought of dating him in the first place. There was already too much on her plate.

Alice shook her head adamantly, but Madeline wasn't looking at her. It wasn't that she didn't want to work with him, she would rather have no ties with him at all. No matter what she did, he was always in her way whether it be in academics, sports, or clubs. It wasn't like she needed to be the best, but she was always chasing after him. To be on the cover with him would be like kicking over her pride.

Noah paused for a moment before adjusting the briefcase on his shoulder. "Yeah, sure."

Madeline brought her hands together in excitement. "This is perfect."

Alice gave Madeline a fake smile which Madeline took as okay. "Noah, your partner for the shoot will be Alice. She'll give you the rest of the info."

His eyes swung over to her, running down her body, and Alice tilted her head to the side while crossing her legs over the other not knowing what he was looking for. She never really exchanged words with him besides school projects and got the gist that he wasn't exactly what someone would describe as talkative. Alice sighed since she knew better than to act rudely to someone.

She inclined her head. "I look forward to working with you."

A hint of a smile graced his lips. "Likewise."

Alice turned her face away from his and looked back down at her phone to see that Claudia had messaged her despite sitting right next to her.

Claudia: Your face is all red.

Alice: Mind your own business.

Flipping her phone face down on the table, she turned around since Noah had settled in the seat behind her. She lightly tapped her knuckles on the desk, and he tilted his head up, as he brought out whatever work he needed to do.

Alice placed on an innocent smile. "So, the academy is holding a recruitment fair in a couple of months, and every homeroom is needed to come up with some sort of entertainment. We have decided on a couple game. After school, I'll meet you in room 402 to take the poster photos."

Noah nodded as he flipped through his textbook. "Okay."

"Is that alright?" Alice pressed. "We'll probably be done before the sun sets."

"Yes. I should at least do this since I haven't contributed to the brainstorming and planning process yet."

Alice tapped her foot and acknowledged his statement, replying otherwise would have sounded empty. It would only be for a couple of hours anyways. She shouldn't be a baby about it. "Okay."