05

It was a calm evening when the teacher assigned discussion groups for the evening lessons. Gyan, who never really cared much for group work, found himself paired with Charlotte. It was just the two of them, and he wasn't particularly interested in who he was with — until Charlotte began speaking.

At first, she was the only one trying. She asked him questions, made comments, and tried her best to strike a conversation. Gyan, however, only gave short replies, usually one-worded. This irritated her slightly, but instead of giving up, she switched tactics. She simplified her approach, asking more casual questions. To her surprise, it worked. Gyan began to open up a little, and soon they were having a light conversation that flowed more naturally.

Later that evening, they discovered they had quite a bit in common — a shared love for animations and comics, something that genuinely surprised Gyan. By the end of the lesson, what began as an awkward pairing had grown into a casual friendship. They exchanged contacts and even home addresses, although Gyan hesitated at first. Charlotte's innocent expression, however, was more convincing than any argument, and he eventually gave in.

"Would you both like to go out for a cup of coffee?" Hynnah, a mutual friend, asked. "There's a new restaurant nearby. It's really nice."

Before Gyan could excuse himself, the trio — Hynnah, Ryan, and Charlotte — led him to the restaurant. They picked a private balcony table with a stunning view. As they ordered, Gyan remained mostly quiet, rarely speaking more than ten words at a time. When Charlotte asked, "What would you like?" he simply replied, "Anything."

Despite his quiet nature, Charlotte remained drawn to him. She watched him closely throughout dinner, curiosity dancing in her eyes. Gyan could feel her gaze and grew increasingly uncomfortable but chose to endure it out of politeness.

"Are you always like this?" Charlotte asked when Ryan and Hynnah stepped away from the table.

"Huh?" Gyan looked up.

"I mean, are you always this quiet, or is it just around me?"

"I rarely have people to talk to," he replied after a pause. "It's just my nature."

Their conversation was interrupted when Gyan turned sharply toward a distant spot.

"Did you bring any of your private guards?" he asked suddenly.

Charlotte blinked, confused. "No. I came alone. Why?"

"There's a sniper a few miles from here aiming at us. And someone behind you holding a gun, pointing in our direction. Don't look. Just act normal," Gyan said calmly as he pulled her closer.

Charlotte lost her balance and fell into his arms. He instinctively held her by the waist, steadying her. "There are too many of them. Just pretend we're close and everything's fine," he whispered, gently brushing her hair as he surveyed the surroundings.

"But how do you know this? You don't seem like an expert," she asked, looking at him skeptically.

"I saw it with my eyes," Gyan replied, adjusting a barely noticeable earpiece in his ear.

Just then, Ryan and Hynnah returned, catching a glimpse of the two in what looked like a romantic embrace. From their perspective, it appeared as though Charlotte and Gyan were kissing. In truth, Charlotte had been trying to fix the earbud in his other ear while still caught in his grasp.

Gyan stepped back quickly, but in doing so, their faces nearly collided. Their lips came dangerously close a few times before Gyan pulled away. Charlotte's heart pounded, her breathing quickened — not just from the moment's tension but also from the lingering sensation of Gyan's hand still resting gently at her waist.

She found herself smiling and somewhat puzzled. Her heart was telling her to kiss him but her mind was saying otherwise. Infact her mind was telling her that she should stay away from Gyan but she refused to pay any attention to it. Sue knew that she was sending herself to a tiger's den but she didn't seem to care.

Meanwhile, Gyan did not notice the awkward atmosphere or maybe he did but he pretended to be calm as always. To him, nothing had changed and he did not have the time to think about relationships especially in such a perilous situation.