I CAN FIX HIM ! by KissLeclerc
November 21, 2022 # "I Do Like These."

SITTING IN A SECLUDED SPACE IN THE LIBRARY, Adeline worked away on a couple of her written french assignments as her headphones blasted Cyanide by Daniel Caesar. Her laptop wide open, with notes and papers scattered on the table, she patiently waited for Paul to arrive.

He wasn't late or anything, she was just early and wanted to get some unfinished work done before she spent the entire period tutoring Paul.

"Hi-I'm here." The blonde finally arrived with three minutes to spare before the morning bell rang.

"Hey." Adeline pulled her headphones down and paused her music, briefly looking up with a smile as she jotted down a couple more things from her French textbook.

"For you." He slid forward a paper bag, causing her to immediately know what was inside.

"Oh!" She laughed. "Aw, you didn't have to." Her grin tried its best to hide, but she just couldn't help it.

Taking the empty seat beside her, Paul set his bag down as he couldn't keep his eyes off Adeline as she tried to ignore his hard gaze in attempts to finish up the last bits of her French work.

"Can I help you?" She quirked a brow, quickly giving him her full attention. "This eager to learn about chemistry?"

"Eager to spend time with you, more like." He said in a sarcastic tone-clearly joking with his corny words.

"You're disgusting, quite frankly." Adeline laughed in his face. "Just hold on and give me a sec, let me finish this first." She insisted with a kind smile before continuing away with her assignment.

Leaning back in his chair, Paul watched her work with an amused expression. "Take your time," He said, drumming his fingers on the table. "I don't mind waiting."

Adeline focused on her textbook, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. Paul's presence always had a way of making her feel both comfortable and anxious at the same time, but eventually, she finished her assignment, closing her notebook with a satisfied sigh.

"Alright, I'm all yours!" She said, turning to him with a wide smile. "Let's get started."

Adeline and Paul settled into their usual routine, sitting a little too close for comfort-but they didn't mind. Getting straight into it, the pair dived into the chemistry material with focused determination. Adeline explained the concepts with clarity and patience, using simple analogies and diagrams to make the information more accessible.

Paul, initially a bit hesitant, began to grasp the ideas more quickly as they worked through various problems together. Their banter and jokes eased the tension, and despite a few moments of distraction, Paul found himself understanding the subject better than he had before.

Adeline's teaching style and Paul's genuine effort created a productive and surprisingly enjoyable session.

Although they didn't acknowledge what happened the other night, the two were able to sit side by side and study away.

They still needed to discuss what they were and how to go about things, but that could wait...

For now.

As they wrapped up the last of the practice problems, Paul leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head.

"I think it's safe to say we can stop here. " Adeline smiled, glancing at her watch to see about 20 minutes were left of their free study hall.

"Yeah, I think I finally get it," He said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Adeline smirked, closing the textbook. "Don't get too cocky. There's still a lot to cover before Wednesday." She laughed.

Paul raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh, come on, it's okay to admit that I'm your best student."

"You're my only student," Adeline retorted, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"And that makes me the best by default," Paul quipped, leaning closer. "So, what's my reward for being such a good student?"

Adeline pretended to think for a moment, tapping her chin. "Hmm, I guess you do deserve a reward. How about... a gold star?"

"Or..." He trailed off with a playful smirk.

"You're an actual pig, it's insane." She laughed, knowing what he was aiming for as he just smiled wide.

"Am I?" He tapped his chin, mocking her previous actions.

"Don't be an idiot." Adeline crossed her arms as he inched closer, her voice a meer whisper as their lips nearly met and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Real smooth."

Paul grinned, his eyes flickering with a mixture of playfulness and sincerity. "I try my best."

Adeline shook her head, her heart beating a little faster. "Idiot."

"You just love to call me that, don't you?" Paul said softly, his gaze lingering on her lips.

"Yeah." Adeline cheekily laughed, feeling the warmth of his proximity.

Knowing she was safe as she picked the most hidden spot in the library-specifically for instances like this-she closed the gap between them, their lips finally meeting in a gentle kiss. It was tender, yet filled with the unspoken tension that had been building between them before pulling away.

Paul smiled, his eyes locked onto hers. "I think I like this reward a lot."

Adeline's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't help but smile. "Well, don't expect it every time you get a question right."

"Oh, I'll be working extra hard for it," Paul said, his tone half-joking, half-serious.

Adeline leaned back in her chair, her smile turning mischievous. "Really? Then I might have to start making things impossible for you." She sighed, making a playful stank face as he softly nudged her side.

Paul chuckled, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "I wouldn't mind the challenge, as long as there's a chance for another one of these." He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers again, another gentle and lingering kiss that spoke volumes of unspoken words once again-which she didn't mind.

Adeline's heart raced, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of her notebook. "You're awfully confident for someone who's still learning the basics of chemical bonding...."

"Well, I have a good teacher," Paul replied with a grin, his hand finding hers under the table.

Their moment was interrupted by the distant sound of the library door opening, signaling the arrival of more people. Adeline reluctantly pulled away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she glanced around.

"Maybe we should save the rest of our 'rewards' for somewhere less public," She whispered, her voice barely audible over the library's ambient noise.

Paul nodded, his eyes full of understanding and something deeper. "So basically you're inviting me over to your house today, after school?" He questioned with a silly quirked brow.

"Yes! Exactly that." She smiled wide.

"Perfect."

Continuing their conversation, Paul continued to pack up the rest of his things as Adeline went ahead and pulled her laptop forward, beginning to type away as she focused intently on a college application essay opened on a Google Docs.

Mindlessly reaching forward for the untouched strawberry croissant Paul bought her-nearly forgetting about it-the library around her buzzed with quiet activity as students shuffled in and out, but she was lost in her thoughts, carefully crafting each sentence to reflect her ambitions and passions while she munched on her sweet breakfast treat.

Paul glanced over at her occasionally, noticing the intensity with which she was working. He leaned in closer, curious but hesitant to interrupt her concentration.

Finally, unable to contain his curiosity, he gently placed a hand on her arm.

"Hey," He said softly, drawing her attention away from the screen. "Can I ask you something?"

Adeline blinked, momentarily startled before giving him a warm smile. "Yeah, what's up?" She turned in her seat, giving him her full attention.

"Uh." He cleared his throat.

"Would you ever want to go on an actual-date with me?" He asked nervously as she was taken aback, awkwardly setting down the last piece of the croissant she was planning to put in her mouth.

Glancing at her screen with the painful amount of words flooding it, and thinking back to the words she confessed to Ollie-about not wanting anything serious-she looked at Paul, and couldn't help but feel a tug at her heart strings.

She did like him.

She liked Paul Aron, a lot.

And they shared a couple moments that she won't ever manage to forget, and now she feels a little stuck.

But of course she'd want to go on a date with him.

"Depends." Adeline finally swallowed down her nervousness. "Are you taking me to the usual spots you take all the girls you pursue or..." She joked around, trying to ease the tension she felt.

"Ha.. Ha..." Paul rolled his eyes, a little offended which caused her to laugh. "Very funny." He scoffed as she grabbed his arm in attempts to now cheer him up.

"I was kidding." The girl said softly, trying to get him to look at her-but he wouldn't budge. "Yes, I would love to go on a date with you." She whispered. Those words successfully making him glance at her with a smirk.

"Really?" He said with a surprised tone.

"No, I just lied??" She furrowed her brows. "Yes, of course, idiot."

"Oh-For some reason, I didn't expect to get this far." Paul laughed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as her hand was still wrapped around his forearm.

"It's okay, I'm busy this week anyways, we can plan eventually..." She suggested. "Sound good?"

"Yeah-sounds good." The blonde grinned. "But now, I've got another question-which might be a little much." He said with a hint of wracked nerves. "But a wise girl once told me to talk about my feelings! And I'm trying." He said with a playful tone, trying to lighten the mood as she jjst suppressed a grin.

"Do tell." She closed her laptop, and intently listened.

"I know that everything between us is very fresh and new." Paul looked her in the eyes. "But..." He trailed off.

"If we were to ever get serious-which is what I'm aiming for eventually, and I don't want to scare you by jumping into it too quickly-but, how do you think it would work out for us?" He shockingly asked the one question she had been avoiding and dreading. Her heart skipping several beats as she felt her breath hitch.

"Right." She nodded, looking away momentarily as she felt stuck again. "I haven't actually thought that far.."

"Yeah-me neither, but I just..." Paul trailed off. "I saw you typing some of your college essay and I just thought about it." He admitted. "Sorry."

"Don't worry-don't apologize." Adeline laughed. "But I'm sorry that I don't actually have a proper answer for you.." She paused. "I don't even know if I'm getting into any of these schools anyways, but I'm praying hard..."

He laughed. "You will, I don't doubt it." A pause. "What's your top school?" His question identical to Ollie's from the other day.

"After a little more research-" She looked him in the eyes.

"Yale."

"I can see you thriving there." He was quick to reply, trying to be as supportive and for it as possible.

She chuckled nervously, shifting in her seat. "Yeah, it's a bit of a reach, but I'm giving it my best shot."

Paul smiled warmly. "You'll do great. I believe in you."

Her cheeks flushed at his encouragement, and she glanced down at her hands, clasped tightly together. "Thank you. That means a lot."

He leaned closer, his voice softening. "So, back to my earlier question... about us potentially getting serious. I don't want to rush things of course, and I'm up for any pace you're willing to go, but I also want to know where your head's at."

Adeline took a deep breath, meeting his gaze with a mix of uncertainty and fondness. "Honestly, I haven't thought much about it either. But if we're both on the same page, taking it slow and seeing where things go sounds good to me."

Paul nodded, relieved. "Yeah, most definitely. No need to stress over it now. I'm okay with just enjoying the time we have."

The debate captain smiled gratefully, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "Right! And who knows? If it's meant to work out, we'll figure it out along the way." A pause.

"But on a real note." Leaning toward him a bit closer.

"I do like these." She smiled before placing a quick kiss that lingered for a couple seconds. "Addicted to them, quite frankly." She chuckled.

"Oh-and I'm the pig?" Their faces still close and personal as Paul quirked a brow, causing her to lean in once again and place another quick peck on his lips.

"Yeah, basically." She smiled before they heard familiar laughs coming from the book aisles.

Pushing herself away from Paul in a panic, Adeline proceeded to pack the rest of her stuff into her bag as Ollie and Joslyn suddenly appeared, their hands interlocked, causing the duo sitting to look at each other in shock.

"See-I told you she'd be here." Ollie nudged the girl beside him. "And Paul?"

"Right! So why are we ditching class right now, Miss Alaoui?" Adeline leaned forward, her bag in her lap as she propped her elbows on the table with her chin rested in her palms, staring at Joslyn.

"And what's all... this." Paul laughed, motioning at their held hands.

"Why are you two stored away in a secluded corner?" Ollie retorted back, his arms crossing as Adeline rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"I'm tutoring him for Wolff, dingus." She said unamused in attempts to put on a front. "Not that serious."

"Right." Joslyn nodded slowly.

"So why are we ditching?" Adeline smirked wide. "Sneaking off with your boyfriend?" She laughed.

"I prefer to call it sneaking off with someone I'm willingly giving my time of day." Joslyn corrected, causing the boy beside her to sigh.

"Boyfriend, essentially." Ollie shook his head.

"OH." Adeline gawked. "OHHHHKKAAAY." She nodded, trying to process everything. "WHAT?" She said in a loud but hushed whisper.

"Asked her over the weekend." The brunette said proudly as Adeline and Paul awkwardly glanced at each other, the two not surprised but still shocked the new couple managed to finally make it official.

"This is beautiful." The debate captain said with joy. "I'm happy for you two!" Adeline genuinely smiled at Ollie and Joslyn, feeling a mix of happiness and a twinge of something she couldn't quite place. She was genuinely happy for them, yet the situation couldn't help but stir up thoughts about her own feelings for the blonde beside her.

Paul, ever the supportive friend, offered a congratulations of his own with a grin. "About time, honestly. Glad you guys finally figured it out."

Ollie chuckled, nudging Joslyn playfully. "Yeah, it took us long enough, didn't it?"

Adeline glanced at Paul again, her mind racing with thoughts about their own situation. She felt a pang of uncertainty about where they stood-about where she stood.

But as she looked at Paul, she also saw a sense of understanding in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Right-The bell is about to ring." Joslyn suddenly interrupted as she glanced at her phone. "I should get to class, it's like on the other side of campus."

"Come on, I'll walk you." Ollie offered. "I'll see you in a bit, Ads." He waved at the girl, bidding her and Paul a quick goodbye before turning on their heels and walking away, hand in hand.

Observing the couple quietly as they left the library, she turned to Paul, her heart pounding with the weight of unspoken words between them as she set her school bag on the table.

"Are you going to class soon?" Paul questioned.

"Eventually." She shrugged, looking at the time. "I think I left one of my textbooks in my car though-so, might need to grab that."

"Oh!" He said playfully. "I left something in my car too."

No he did not.

"Well! In that case, shall we go to the parking lot?" Adeline quirked a brow as she knew he was lying, but still went with it so she could continue spending time with him.

"We shall." Paul laughed, standing from his seat before holding a hand out to help her up.

Yeah. They were going to be just fine.

VERA'S VOICE!
guys writing them flirting is so crazy and so weird. like ooouuuuhhrrrrr... can we tell i didn't know how to end this chapter. got tired. SOZ!!! xx

hi. idk if i have anything else today.. bht my head is pounding! and the next chapter is already ready, so will publish her in a bit ^_^

love venus , Hello Blackhole & Eclipse.