Rebirth: Love me Again

[EVE]

When Riri and I arrived at the study room, we found everyone already seated, exchanging notes and chatting away. There wasn't a single empty chair in sight.

Lily glanced up as we entered and flashed us a beaming smile, the kind that looked sweet but had a sharp edge.

"Oh no, it seems we only have enough chairs for everyone else," she said with a mock apologetic tone. "But don't worry! You can sit on the floor—it's carpeted," she chortled, nose scrunching as she beamed.

I raised an eyebrow, catching the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. It was clear she'd planned this.

Before I could say anything, Daniel stood up abruptly. "You can take my seat, Eve," he offered, already moving aside.

Lily's smile faltered, and she let out a surprised laugh. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Daniel," she insisted, trying to hide her annoyance.

"It's okay, Daniel," I interjected, waving him off. "Riri and I will find another spot. We'll just set up over there by the window."

"Okidokie!" Riri chirped, following my lead without missing a beat.

But Daniel, ignoring Lily's attempt to keep him close, grabbed his books and moved to follow us. "I'll join you two. There's more space over there anyway," he said, his voice casual.

Lily's expression tightened, clearly displeased with how things were playing out. "Wait! I'll get the servants to bring a couple of chairs for you," she said hastily, almost tripping over her words.

It was obvious she didn't want Daniel drifting away, not when she was hoping to monopolize his attention.

I gave her a polite smile. "No need, Lily. We're fine where we are," I said. "But if you really want to help, how about you bring us some snacks later?"

The look on her face was priceless, caught between maintaining her fake sweetness and annoyance at losing control of the situation.

"Sure," she replied through gritted teeth, her smile now looking a bit strained.

As we settled down by the window, sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, I turned to Daniel, feeling a bit awkward.

"You don't have to sit with us, Daniel. We're fine here," I said, giving him a polite smile.

Daniel just shrugged casually, leaning back against the wall. "The only reason I'm here is because of you," he replied.

"Huh?" I nearly choked on my own spit.

My eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks warm up. Was he joking, or was there something deeper behind those words? My mind raced, trying to decode what he just said.

Riri, ever the nosy one, leaned in closer, wiggling her eyebrows at me like she'd just discovered a juicy secret.

Daniel, seemingly oblivious to my confusion, added with a nonchalant tone, "And who else would teach you?"

"Oh . . . right," I stammered, suddenly feeling very flustered. "T-Teach me what, exactly?"

Daniel gave me a puzzled look. "Uh, about our lessons? That's why we're here, right?"

I nearly smacked myself on the forehead. "Oh! Right, our

lessons

," I echoed, laughing awkwardly.

What was wrong with me?

I felt like a nervous wreck for no good reason.

Riri, sensing my embarrassment, leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "I get it. It's easy to lose your tongue in front of Daniel, isn't it?"

I shot her a warning look, cheeks flushing. "Let's just focus on studying, okay?"

Daniel, oblivious to our little exchange, dove straight into the material. He was like a human encyclopedia, effortlessly explaining concepts that usually made my head spin.

It was almost unfair how easily he broke down complicated problems as if they were nothing but basic arithmetic.

"I swear, this makes so much more sense now," I mumbled, scribbling notes as fast as I could.

Daniel smirked. "See? You're not hopeless after all."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment," I muttered, rolling my eyes but smiling anyway.

Before we knew it, our little corner by the window had turned into a full-on study circle. One by one, the rest of the group abandoned the table and scooted over to join us on the carpet, all eager to benefit from Daniel's brainpower.

It was like watching ants flock to a sugar cube.

Meanwhile, at the main table, Sophie, Lily, and their two friends sat stiffly, glancing over at us.

The look on Lily's face was priceless—she clearly hadn't expected her carefully organized study session to turn into Daniel's impromptu tutoring club.

I flashed them a smile, which only seemed to irritate Sophie and Lily more. It was like a little victory, watching them fidget in their seat, clearly debating whether to swallow their pride and join us or keep pretending they were above it all.

Eventually, the snacks arrived—finally, my favorite part of this day. My brain could really use a lot of sugar right now.

I eyed the spread hungrily. The sweets were no joke: fancy chocolates, buttery biscuits, and an array of delicate pastries. It was clear Lily had spared no expense in trying to impress us or Daniel.

Riri grabbed a biscuit, taking a big bite. "Wow, these are amazing," she said, spraying crumbs everywhere.

I gave have one too.

Daniel leaned over, eyeing a chocolate truffle. "Don't mind if I do," he said, popping it into his mouth.

As everyone started nibbling on the treats, I couldn't help but notice Lily's subtle glare. Despite her best efforts to win over Daniel with her fancy snacks, here he was, sitting on the floor with us, laughing and snacking like we were at a casual picnic.

It was a small, satisfying victory I didn't even know I needed after all the lost that I suffered in the past.

"That's $5000 a dozen, you know," Lily suddenly chimed in just as I was about to take a bite of a truffle chocolate cupcake.

I paused, looking at her with a raised eyebrow before giving her my most nonchalant smile. "Is that so? Well, good thing I don't care," I said, taking a big bite and savoring it exaggeratedly.Nôv(el)B\\jnn