CHAPTER TWELVE

The flowers bloomed like no other day. The breeze was gentle as the palm of an infant, so soothingly soft. The early morning chill was comforting with sweet fragrance of moist soil and fresh air. Melodies of chirping birds echoed more like a lullaby. Christian woke up much earlier with a smile.

He wore a casual white subtle printed shirt tucked slightly in a grey tuxedo pants paired with black formal shoes, looking exactly like a gentleman he is, ready to pick Hannah up from her place.

Meanwhile, Hannah wore a solid black chiffon knee length dress paired with nude kitten heels and a clutch, looking elegant like a lady.

Christian was the knight while Hannah was his queen, they looked like an ideal couple wearing matching outfits.

"Morning Han! Hope we'll be the center of attention today." Christian winked looking at her outfit.

"Who cares," Hannah shrugged getting in the car.

"What about Scarlett?" Christian asked her to start a general conversation.

"She's still asleep. Perhaps did you have breakfast?" Hannah asked gaining his attention.

"Not yet. I woke up a bit late and had to skip," Christian said but little did she know that he woke up earlier with an excitement written on his face and spent his entire time on his outfit and visuals.

"Alright then, I bought you some homemade pancakes. I'm not sure that you'd like it," the pause in Hannah's speech was like a moment frozen in time itself, her delicate breath held against the weight of a thousand unspoken words. Meanwhile, in Christian's heart, the sky was painted with numerous bursts of light and color from the fireworks in a kind of ecstatic symphony. The car ride felt both brief and endless, the road stretching like a ribbon of dreams beneath their wheels.

There was suspense in the air, gloriously thick, like the morning mist, as they approached the university gates. Heady whispers translated themselves into a symphony of curiosity, and all eyes went darting after them as they went along, weaving tales and rumors in their wake. They were a storm's epicenter, the muse of every idle conversation, the living poetry of the day.

"Glenn! See, they are dating,"

"They are the couple of the century from now on,"

"It's so pathetic we fell for Anna when she said Christian was her boyfriend,"

"It's so just fine when the Greek god and the Angel from heaven paired up,"

And what not? They were the eye of the hurricane, but Christian loved it this time. Hannah didn't mind as she knew it was just a coincidence, and she didn't give a second thought.

The air crackled with tension as she entered the classroom, a tempest of curiosity, waiting to pounce. Hurling his question now like a dagger, Clarke's eyes glowed with accusations, "Tell me, how much did he pay you for this shit?"

Hannah felt anger smolder inside her, her face flushing with the heat of the rising anger. Words shaped by her lip, sharp and ready to lash out, died before being released with Christian's stepping in, his mere presence being a shield.

"Why do you care?" he'd said, his voice previously this cold, impenetrable wall now turning to Hannah. "Han! You said you made pancakes for me, so where are they?"

Hannah seized the lifeline and caught his casualness to it. She nodded, thank out that his popularity and offish manner supplied. Cold indifference on his side, this time, would provide Hannah with a hideout.

"Yeah, how about we have it when the morning classes are done?" Hannah said, completely ignoring the atmosphere, with a sassy look on her face that screamed victory.