Bonds in Isolation

Smack!

Serena jabbed Mike's arm lightly, unable to keep up with his teasing any longer. His endless remarks about her being jealous were getting under her skin. Yet, deep down, she couldn't ignore the nagging thought — 'was I really jealous?...'

"Ow, Miss... You didn't have to do that," Mike groaned, rubbing his arm.

"Well, don't tease me, and you'll be spared from my fists," Serena shot back, crossing her arms.

Mike grinned mischievously. "Hmm... if you want, I can draw a sketch of you, just like the one I did of Amy. What do you say?"

Serena blinked in surprise. For a moment, excitement flickered in her eyes. The thought of Mike spending hours capturing her on paper, just like he had done for Amy, made her heart skip a beat. But just as quickly, her expression hardened. 'Wait... if I say yes, won't that make me seem jealous?'

Trying to sound indifferent, she waved her hand dismissively.

"Nah... I don't want you wasting your hard work on me."

"Oh, come on!" Mike protested. "It's no big deal you'd just have to pay a little, that's all."

Serena frowned in confusion. "Pay? What do you mean by that?"

"Huh?" Mike blinked, then realized what she misunderstood. "Oh! I mean... the detailed drawing of Amy? That was a commission. She paid me to make it for her. Through i didn't got the chance to give the physical copy to her because of this lockdown. I can do the same for you too... if you're willing to pay."

Serena's eyes widened. 'So that's why he drew Amy… because she asked him to not because he wanted to...'

Her earlier unease melted away, and her smile returned. But then, something hit her a sudden, awkward realization.

'Wait... why did that make me feel so relieved?' Her thoughts spiraled. 'Why am I feeling this way... especially about him?'

The unexpected warmth on her face betrayed her thoughts. A blush crept from her cheeks down to her neck. Embarrassed, Serena quickly buried her face in her hands, hoping Mike wouldn't notice.

Fortunately, Mike was busy flipping through his sketchbook, organizing his pencils, and mumbling something about fixing one of his earlier sketches. He hadn't noticed her flustered state... yet.

But then...

"Hey... Miss?" Mike's voice suddenly broke the silence.

Serena peeked through her fingers to see Mike staring directly at her.

"Are you... hiding your face?" he asked with a curious smirk.

"N-no!" Serena shot up from her spot like a spring. "I-I'm just... I'm going to take a bath!" she stammered, her voice unusually high-pitched.

Without giving him a chance to question her further, Serena bolted from the room and disappeared into the hallway.

Mike stared after her, blinking in confusion.

"...A bath?" he muttered to himself. Still, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. 'Miss is so weird...' he thought, yet somehow, that thought made him smile a little longer than it should have.

Two days had passed since that morning, and in that time, not much had happened — just casual conversations between Serena and Mike about their lives, school, and random topics. Yet, somehow, those simple chats had brought them a little closer.

Serena had almost completely forgotten about her own apartment by now. Living in her student's place no longer felt odd and surprisingly, she didn't seem to care anymore. The same went for Mike.

Mike had taken on the role of cook, preparing meals for both of them. Serena, who usually just ate whatever she could cook, found herself genuinely impressed by his cooking skills. Each meal felt like a delightful surprise, and she even took the opportunity to learn a few recipes from him during their free time.

To Mike's surprise, Serena was a fast learner. Whatever recipe he taught her whether it was simple stir-fry or something trickier she picked it up quickly, without hesitation or any awkwardness about a student teaching his teacher. She was as if a perfect housewife who just needed a little training.

Now, two days later, they were seated at the dining table having lunch when both of their phones buzzed at the same time.

Curious, they each grabbed their phones and read the notification.

[ Dear Students and Parents,

As you are aware, there is currently a state of lockdown in our country due to the coronavirus outbreak. While we understand this situation is challenging, we cannot overlook the importance of students' education. Since we are unsure how long this lockdown will continue, the Education Minister has decided that all schools will begin conducting online classes. Accordingly, XXX High School will also start online classes two days from now.

Regards,

The Principal and Staff ]

Mike groaned after reading the message.

"What the hell?!" he muttered. "Do they seriously still expect us to work our asses off learning and writing in this lockdown?"

He turned to Serena, who was sitting across from him, still staring at her phone.

"Miss," Mike said with a hint of annoyance, "you knew about this, didn't you? I mean... look! It says 'staff' at the end of the message too. So you must've known, right?"

Serena sighed heavily, dragging her gaze away from her phone. Her face shifted from surprise to frustration as she spoke in a cold, irritated tone.

"I'm just as shocked as you," she snapped. "In our teachers' group chat, we got the exact same message they just swapped 'Dear Students and Parents' with 'Staff of XXX High School'."

She held out her phone, showing Mike the identical message to prove her point.

Mike frowned, setting his phone down on the table with a groan. "Ugh... this sucks," he muttered. "I really didn't wanna study during this lockdown."

"Yeah, well..." Serena mumbled, resting her chin on her hand. "I didn't exactly plan on teaching either."

Both of them sat there quietly for a moment, sharing the same defeated mood.

But then... a thought struck Serena.

'Wait... if I'm teaching online classes, and Mike's attending them... that means we'll both be in the same apartment.'

Her eyes widened slightly.

'What if one of us accidentally shows up in the background? If someone sees us in the same room...'

But, She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. No, no... it's fine. As long as we're careful, nothing weird will happen.'

...At least, that's what she hoped.