In Between

Chapter 13

Theo Pov.

Heading inside the house after spending some time at Vivian's, being with her has been one of the happiest moments in my life. It's really a good thing that I met her and became friends with her,how I wish I could keep her forever.

After resting in my room and taking a half bath before bed, I heard some buzzing near the commode. As I approached, I grabbed the phone with my right hand while my left hand helped dry my topless body. Viewing the caller ID made me take a sigh before I pressed the button to answer the call.

[On the Phone]

"Hello? Theo."

"Yes, Dad?" I managed to reply after a while, hearing my father speak.

"I heard some report that you're included in the athlete team at Stone Hurst, is that true?" I heard the cold, serious voice of his on the other line, which made me feel some uneasiness.

"Yes, Dad..."

"Then, didn't I tell you to focus on law?" I took a sigh before he dared to reply carefully, knowing where this conversation was going.

"I'm doing great in that, Dad."

"You must be, being a lawyer suits you more than being an athlete. Do you get me?"

"Yes, Dad."

After that call, I let my body drop onto the bed, looking up and gazing at the ceiling with a bunch of thoughts swirling in my mind until I drifted off to dreamland.

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Vivian Pov.

I'm now heading out, as he mentioned that our ride to the airport going to Daegu is early, so I don't have any choice but to follow his order. This is also for my future, anyway, I need to finish this thesis to graduate and fulfill my dream. So, this is the last chance to give everything I can.

Soon, after a few minutes of standing in front of my apartment, I noticed the glimpse of a car that slowly became visible to my sight. Once the car stopped in front of me, the window opened, and I saw him.

"Come on, hop in." he said. I walked to the other side, pulled the door open, and hopped in, settling into the passenger seat next to him.

"Let's go." I said, glancing at him, noticing that he didn't start the engine.

"Did you leave something?" I asked, assuming that maybe he was thinking of something he left at his house.

"No."

"Then why aren't you-" He interrupted, glancing at me before speaking, then turning his gaze back to the front.

"Put your seatbelt on first." he said, making me nod as I lifted my head to look around for the seatbelt. I struggled to find where it was, I didn't know why the seatbelt wasn't cooperating with me today.

On the other hand, noticing him glance at me made me feel pressured, thinking he was bored waiting for me to put the seatbelt on. When suddenly, he caught me off guard, bending himself and leaning closer to me. I stared at him, shocked by his sudden action, and our gazes met, staying locked in that position. His serious gaze created a tickling sensation in the lower part of my abdomen, and as I noticed his brown pupils daring to look at me freely, I felt his breath fanning my face, causing a burst of heartbeats.

What the? "You seemed flutters?" What do you mean? Shut up. "Well, find out by yourself." His voice disturbed my thoughts, snapping me out of it once I heard him speak. Facing him made me realize our space had gotten too close, and I composed myself properly, finding the scene embarrassing for us, well, definitely for me.

"There... put it on." he said, looking away and averting his gaze somewhere else, then handing me the seatbelt before leaning back and clearing his throat.

I also turned my gaze out the window after putting the seatbelt on, realizing that it was awkward between us. After that moment, he started the engine and drove us onto the road.

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After almost an hour ride from Busan to Daegu, they finally arrived in Daegu and now took a short stop at a restaurant to have breakfast. The fact that Vivian had already eaten before leaving didn't matter, as he insisted they have some food.

Vivian somehow enjoyed the whole trip, as she was now returning to a beloved place. She really missed the sights, views, and atmosphere of Daegu, which brought back some memories and flashed experiences and moments from the past. Some happy memories, as well as bad ones, came back to her mind as she returned to Daegu. Despite this, she felt overwhelmed, and coming back here made her think about visiting her parents since she was finally in Daegu. However, she kept in mind that they needed to finish what they came for before doing activities outside of their goals for the trip.

Both of them stepped out of the car and stretched their bodies after the long ride, before heading inside the restaurant. They finally settled at a table as the waiter had already taken their orders and was waiting for their food to arrive. While waiting, Vivian occupied herself by observing the surroundings, feeling awkward. She didn't do anything to distract herself from his presence. She felt uneasy towards him, which made her remember the scenes earlier and what had happened last time in the south lounge. She wasn't sure if the figure she saw that night was really him or if it was just her illusion under her sleepy state. She took a few glances at him, occasionally turning her gaze back to the surroundings.

Is he really doing that? Is he really the one who put the blanket on me?.But he says he didn't. She didn't deny it, but felt uneasy when their gazes met.

[flashback..]

I woke up to the light streaming through the window near the right side of the shelf, tickling my eyes as I barely opened them, wincing and turning my head away from the light. Composing myself and slowly coming back to reality, I recalled the events of the previous night. Abruptly, I dared to open my eyes wide, remembering what had just happened, but the sudden action caused a sharp ache, making me lean back against the wall and let out a sigh. Did we really get stuck in here last night?

Snapped out of my thoughts, I softly rubbed my eyes to clear my sight and felt something around me, a blanket?

My eyes widened in wonder as I noticed the blanket wrapped around me, looking around in confusion. Soon, his figure fell into my sight; he was still drifting in sleep, sitting opposite me. Thoughts slipped into my mind, and I realized something. Is he the one who did this? Is he the one who placed the blanket on me? After a while, I heard a groan, bringing me back to reality. I saw him with one eye barely open, shifting his body.

I recognized his messy curl hair and his morning face, which was barely visible but now seen with my both eyes. Suddenly, his gaze poured onto me, making me look away, behaving as if I wasn't paying attention to him. He stood up, and I followed his figure as he went back through the door, holding the doorknob and checking if it was now open. I also stood up, stepping towards him in front of the door. Glancing at him, I took a chance to ask him, not minding the awkwardness between us.

"Does it open now?"

"Not yet. School starts at 7 am, and it's already 6:30 am, we have to wait 30 minutes more."

"So we're going to be late for class?" I asked again, thinking about how we could attend class if we weren't prepared, wearing yesterday's clothes and not having freshened up.

"Don't mind that. The matter is what time we're going to get out of here." He said, glancing at me, and I paused for a minute after and spoke hesitantly. Well, I didn't know what urged me, but why not?

"Ah... Red?" I hesitantly stated, making him look at me with a 'what' face, indicating for me to continue. "I just want to ask... are... you... the one who placed the blanket?"

"No." He said straightly, looking away, and took steps back to his earlier place as I kept looking at him leave.

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To be continued....