Chapter 7: Early Birds

The haughty duo then were laughing in unison at Azura, and Azura just shook her head in disgust. As Azura starts packing her belongings, she notices that Theo has entered the canteen area, and she doesn't know why, but she feels like leaving before the man catches her again. So she quickly gathers all her stuff and vanishes from the spot. Cindy also notices Th,eo, and it seems like he was trying to search for something or someone? This thought already displeases Cindy as she hastily calls for him. "Hey, Theo. Over here." Theo glances in the direction from which his name came. And just like Cindy, his face also didn't seem much pleased after knowing that it was Cindy to called him. Maybe he wanted to hear his name from someone else. Probably by someone he was searching for but could not find. _______ Warm temperature, sunny weather, and a brighter lawn. Just a perfect set for a farmer to renovate the grass and land with freshly manifested greenery. Especially if the said farmer was none other than Frederick Barnes. "Hahh… It's not every day that I get the chance to have this scent of mist. Or to be around this blooming nature." Frederick wonders to himself as he works on the soil harvesting and the grass. "This could have been romantic, no? Well, yeah, not with all this sweat and heavy breath, but you know me, don't you, Vivian?" "Dad?" The sudden voice of his daughter takes Frederick's notice as he breaks out of his reverie. "Azura, my little lady." Azura smiles softly while voicing, "You were again having a dreamy interaction with Mom?" Chuckling at the latter's mischievous quote, Frederick adds, "Oh, come on, just call it dramatic and not dreamy. It's just crazy. You can be honest with me, honey." "No, Dad. It's not at all dramatic. Neither is it crazy. Interacting with your loved one isn't crazy. Mom most probably is somewhere here. Otherwise, you wouldn't be blushing like the way you are right now." Now that was something which Frederick couldn't tackle back because the man was blushing at the thought of his beloved wife. And since he didn't have any comeback, he just simply says, "Well, if your mother were here, she would herself call me crazy and that for sure." He concludes playfully, and both the father and daughter burst into a little laughing session before they collect themselves. A short moment of silence takes place afterwards before Frederick breaks it. "So, how was college today? Anything interesting happen?" Interesting? Well, if having unwanted company and having her lunch finished by someone else, then Azura for sure had it interesting time. Because, other than that, she doesn't remember anything interesting. And although there might not be something interesting, there may be someone more interesting. And yes, it was unnatural that despite all Azura's attempts to stay away and avoid Theo in every way possible, she was finding him interesting. That too, on the very first day she saw him. Not even an interaction, but just by the minimal contact that their eyes had. "Azura, honey, you're listening?" Frederick's voice takes Azura back to her senses, and she realises that she was daydreaming just like her father was a while ago. "You look stuck up in something? Did something happen today at the uni?" The younger lady immediately shakes her head as an answer to her father. The man doesn't seem to have it, though,h as he raises his brow doubtfully. "Really? Because it seems otherwise." "Oh, no, no, Dad. Nothing happened today. Especially nothing interesting to be factual. Just the usual classes." Azura nonchalantly blurts in an attempt to tackle the situation. Somehow, it even seemed to have worked when the latter chirps, "Yeah. And let me guess, just like the usual, you must be sitting all alone by yourself, huh?" Frederick walks towards Azura as he ploughs The spade through the soil. "Umm, not alone today. But I wish that I could be." Azura replies thoughtfully while following her dad behind. "That sounds. Crazy. You sound crazy." Frederick puns as they begin walking together inside the house. "Well, Dad. I am crazy. Just like you." Azura concludes, and the duo again take a session of laughter together. ______ Another day at college. Meaning another day for Azura to struggle to avoid Theo and probably to be falsely invisible. Why falsely?Because, of course, she was no wizard to be able to vanish for real. But she believed that her baggy hoodie and silent state made her invisible enough when, in actuality, people just weren't interested in noticing her. No idea as to why in the world that strange Theo guy, out of everything and everyone, was interested in her. Or maybe it was just Azura's inner thoughts, and maybe she was just exaggerating the situation on her own because it could be possible that it wasn't Theo who was intrigued by Azura, but Azura who was captivated by him, since she couldn't get him off of her mind ever since? "No, no. Azura. You can't be. This can't be." The lady rambles to herself in denial as she rushes through the college campus to her class. Azura was a morning person because of her dad, so she was usually early at college. Which was a perk for her as she could strike on her spot with no disruption. With no distraction. That is until… The oh so unexpected distraction was already stuck to her place. The girl's eyes went in nervousness as she realized that there was not even anybody else except her and Theo in the class. And the said man happened to be boarding over her seat when she was already used to sitting in a place where nobody usually wanted to be. Just why did this strange guy have to be so obvious? Not bearing to debate over her seat, Azura gazes around to pick an alternative spot. She randomly begins walking to another desk past her previous desk. Which now seems to have been claimed by Theo. Just as she walks past Theo, a masculine voice calls for her from behind. "Hey." Despite Azura's utter unwillingness, her steps stop, and her head automatically turns a little backwards. Once again, Azura's eyes were locked. Like, locked that Azura could not blink, move, or flutter her eyes. But something was fluttering in her stomach, if not her eyes, and she did not even know why! "Please, you can sit here. Next to me. With me." Not knowing how to react or what to say, Azura just kept staring in silence at the man. If one were honest, she looked kind of creepy with that enormous gaze of hers. How was Theo still comfortable With her? And why was Azura already thinking as if they were already together when they were not, and they were nothing! Nothing… Yet.