Chapter VIII

Anne was staring at her textbook, frustration clear in the way she aggressively tapped her pen against the table. She sighed and grabbed her phone, typing a message to Sebastian.

Anne: "Hey, I'm skipping the session tonight. Math is killing me. I swear, I'll be stuck on this all night."

It didn't take long for him to reply.

Sebastian: "What's the problem?"

Anne: "Everything."

Sebastian: "Need a hand?"

Anne: "Nah, I'll figure it out. Eventually. Maybe."

Sebastian: "You either let me help, or I'm coming to you and force you to learn properly."

She groaned, staring at the message. Of course, he wouldn't let it go.

Anne: "Fine, I'm coming. But if I fail, I'm blaming you."

A while later, she arrived at his place, notebook clutched in her hands. Sebastian leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, smirking like he had already won.

"Look at you, actually seeking my wisdom," he teased, stepping aside to let her in.

Anne rolled her eyes. "More like forced wisdom."

They settled at the table, and she flipped open her notebook to the page of doom—an entire test filled with equations that might as well have been written in another language.

Sebastian glanced over it and chuckled. "Alright, let's break it down. First of all, you're overcomplicating it. See this?" He pointed at a particular equation. "You don't need to expand everything—factor this part instead."

Anne squinted at the paper. "You say that like it's obvious."

He leaned closer, tapping the pencil against the page. "It is when you stop panicking and actually look. Here, try it."

She hesitated but followed his instructions, her brows furrowing in concentration. After a few moments, something clicked. "Wait... did I just—"

"You solved it," he said smugly.

She gaped at the answer. "I hate how easy you make this look."

"It's because I'm a genius," he said, flashing a teasing grin.

Anne huffed, but she couldn't deny that, for the first time that night, math wasn't feeling like an impossible nightmare. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't fail after all.

The glow of the desk lamp illuminated the stack of open textbooks, scattered papers, and coffee cups—an organized chaos that Anne had grown accustomed to. But today, it felt different. As Sebastian sat across from her, carefully explaining yet another convoluted math concept, Anne couldn't help but notice how the faintest smile played on his lips whenever she furrowed her brow.

"You know, this whole 'math is hard' thing is becoming a bit of a cliché, don't you think?" Sebastian teased, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He pushed his glasses up his nose, giving her that all-too-familiar smirk.

Anne rolled her eyes, though her heart did a little flip. "Well, I can't help it if you keep throwing words like 'integrals' and 'functions' at me," she sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "I know what it means but it doesn't sound normal."

"'Functions' is a perfectly normal word, Anne." Sebastian chuckled, the deep sound vibrating in his chest. "You're making it sound like I'm asking you to solve a mystery with a thousand steps."

"Because I am," she grinned. "A very complicated mystery."

His gaze softened. "You know, you're not as hopeless as you think. You're just... thinking too hard."

"I'm thinking too hard? I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm thinking at all. You just said—wait—what was that about square roots again?"

Sebastian leaned forward, his arm brushing against hers, and Anne couldn't ignore the electricity that ran through her at the contact. Her stomach fluttered. He was close, close enough to whisper.

"Square roots are easy, Anne," he said quietly. "They're like... peeling away layers to get to the core of something." His voice was warm, smooth, and her brain wasn't exactly processing the math, but rather the way his eyes held hers. "You just need to go slow, one step at a time. Like us." He gave her a look with his dark eyes. Since math and "situationship," or whatever they were, was the same thing.

"Slow?" Anne raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I thought you were the one always rushing through 'equations'?"

Sebastian's face flushed a little, his usual self-confidence fading just enough to show a glimpse of vulnerability. "Sometimes... the fast way isn't always the best way." He looked down at his notes, a little embarrassed by how true those words felt—not just for math, but for everything in their relationship.

Anne caught that, and the teasing tone in her voice softened. "And what's the slow way? Careful with me? Gotta watch your step?"

Sebastian smiled sheepishly. "Something like that."

She leaned in closer, her voice softening. "You know, I don't mind you taking your time... in fact, I kind of like it."

He was quiet for a moment, eyes lingering on her, before he cleared his throat and pushed the notes toward her. "Alright. Let's get back to those functions, huh?"

"Okay, so... here's the problem." Sebastian drew a complicated equation on the paper and gestured for Anne to take a crack at it. "Find X."

"Again?" Anne groaned, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I swear, 'X' is a trap."

"Don't think of it as a trap," he replied, his tone now completely serious. "Think of it as... a metaphor. A missing piece. A mystery to solve."

"I think I prefer the trap theory," Anne grumbled under her breath. But still, she looked at the equation, trying to remember the steps he had shown her earlier.

Sebastian observed her for a moment before suddenly stepping up behind her, too close for comfort. "You're making it harder than it is," he said gently, voice low. His breath was warm against her neck as he pointed at the paper.

Anne froze, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Sebastian, you're... you're standing awfully close."

He chuckled. "Oh, sorry, that was on purpose." His tone was cool, a smirk playing on his lips.

With his hand on her shoulder, guiding her movements, Anne was suddenly hyperaware of how much his touch affected her. The way he was so gentle but firm, the way he made her feel... safe. And, at the same time, a little excited.

Sebastian let out a soft sigh, leaning even closer. "Are you sure you're just distracted by the math?"

She didn't answer right away, unsure if she wanted to admit how much she was distracted by him. Instead, she just focused on the equation, trying to block out the growing tension between them.

Then, just as she was about to ask him to give her some space, he whispered, "X is only missing because you're not looking at it from the right angle."

Anne hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. "Right angle?" she repeated softly, unsure of the double meaning behind his words.

Sebastian didn't answer, instead pressing his lips gently to the side of her head, a fleeting moment that was over almost as soon as it started. "You'll get it," he said, voice thick with unspoken words. "I know you will."

Anne's mind raced. Was this about math? Or was it about something else entirely? Something she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

The tension lingered for the rest of the evening.

Anne's mind raced. Was this about math? Or was it about something else entirely? Something she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

The tension lingered for the rest of the evening, and neither of them spoke much about it. But as the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over his apartment, Anne realized something. Maybe Sebastian was right. Maybe she just needed to take things one step at a time.

When she finally solved the equation, she let out a triumphant laugh. "Got it! X equals—well, X is actually pretty obvious now."

Sebastian turned to her, his eyes filled with admiration. "Told you you'd get it."

"Yeah, but I think you were talking about more than just the math."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, neither of them sure how to bridge the gap between them. Then, Anne broke the silence, her voice soft but playful. "You know, I think you were right. The slow way... it's not so bad."

Sebastian's smile grew, and he reached out, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Maybe the slow way isn't so bad after all. But"

"But?" She looked at him. Every time when she thought it was all settled now, she read him. He again had a joker in his pocket.

"But. That way we will get bored easily." He pulled her chair towards him, as he came closer to her, his face just a little far away from hers. "And we play the game just to kill boredom." He had a grin on his face as he then moved from her.

She was frozen.

The time stopped for her the moment he came that close.

But then again, he was not done. "You see, this way is more interesting. I should get some XP points for making you blush every time." He said it like always, in one tone with that smirk of his.

"You are an actual demon." She sighed. She was still not used to his actions.

"And guess what, you are the one who made a pact with me."