THE TROUBLE I FELL FOR

6- Lesson One: Boundaries

"Wednesday will be a subject-wise breakdown. I'll bring some of my old notes and resources you can go through. We'll see where your weak points are and build strategies from there."

"And Thursday?" he asked, gaze still fixed on her with unnerving focus.

"Mock assessment," she said. "Short one, to check how much you retained in this week. We'll revise the approach if needed after that."

There was a short silence. Then he let out a low whistle. "You're really serious about this."

"I don't take responsibilities lightly."

Cole's lips twitched. "Yeah, I figured."

She started to close the planner, but he spoke again before she could.

"And where in all this do we get time to mess around a little?"

She looked at him, unamused. "We don't."

"Oh come on," he said, grinning. "What if I work really hard and deserve a reward?"

"You'll get a passing grade. That's your reward."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You're relentless."

"Alright," she said, clicking her pen. "Let's start with the basics, attendance."

Cole leaned back against the bench, arms stretched out behind him. "If this is about the science class I skip sometimes, I have a valid reason."

She didn't look up. "Which is?"

"I hate it."

Alyssa raised her head, brows lifting.

"What? That's valid, atleast for me it is" he added with a shrug.

"You've missed more than just science, Cole."

He smiled but didn't argue.

She flipped to the next page. "Assignments. Your submission dates are... inconsistent. You don't even submit some of them." She said shaking her head.

"Inconsistent is a strong word. I prefer to call them spontaneous submissions."

She gave him a look, half exasperated, half composed. "You're not even trying to hide it."

"I figured honesty might earn me a point or two."

"Well, it won't."

He grinned.

Alyssa took a short breath and turned to face him more directly. "I'm not here to scold you. I'm here to figure out where you're losing focus so we can fix it. So just tell me straight, what's making it hard for you to keep up?"

For a moment, he was quiet. Just... thinking.

Then, he said, "I guess I just don't see the point sometimes. Everyone's always pushing expectations. Do this, do that. But no one really asks what we want."

Alyssa looked at him, her expression softening slightly.

"That's fair," she said. "But whether or not you see the point right now, your future self might. And I think he'll thank you for at least trying."

Cole studied her for a beat. "You really think I can turn this around?"

"I wouldn't be wasting my time if I didn't," she replied quietly.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Alright then. Hit me with the rest of the brutal truth. I'm ready."

Alyssa gave a small nod and turned the page. "okay now let's move on to test scores."

His groan echoed through the quiet library.

She didn't flinch. "You knew this was coming."

"I was hoping you'd forget," he muttered, slouching lower in his seat.

"I don't forget things that easily." Her voice was calm, but not unkind.

Cole rested his chin in his palm and peered at the page she was scanning. "Let me guess... it's disastrous?"

She hummed. "Not entirely. You have potential. But you lose marks over the same issues, careless mistakes, incomplete answers, and sometimes just... blank spaces."

He scratched the back of his head. "Blank spaces are for emotional effect."

Alyssa looked up slowly. "You left half an essay blank."

"Exactly. Very emotional."

She narrowed her eyes at him, unimpressed.

He let out a soft laugh and sat up straighter. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'll try harder. No more emotional essays."

"Thank you." She turned her attention back to the scores. "We should work on your writing structure, and comprehension. I'll prepare a few mock papers for that as well. In the meantime, focus on being present. In class and in thought."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with mock obedience.

She didn't rise to it. She was used to him now, to the rhythm of his teasing. He'd poke, and she'd deflect. That was their pattern. What he hadn't expected, what maybe even she didn't realize, was that she was starting to get through to him. Quietly. Persistently.

He stood up, stretching. "Well, that was intense. Am I allowed to breathe now?"

"You're allowed to review the pages I marked," she said, handing him a set of notes.

"Cold," he murmured, taking them anyway.

As they packed up, Cole glanced over. "You know, you're kind of terrifying when you get into this mode."

Alyssa paused. "I'm not trying to be."

"I know." He smiled, genuine this time. "But it's kinda impressive and you're adorable."

She glanced at him, startled for a second, her cheeks red, before busying herself with her pen pouch.

Then he didn't say anything else. Just followed her out of the library, a step behind, like always.

As they stepped out into the corridor, the late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the tall windows, casting warm streaks across the floor. The school had quieted down, most students already gone, leaving only the faint hum of distant conversation and the occasional sound of footsteps echoing down the hall.

Cole walked beside her, a little quieter than usual. Alyssa noticed but didn't comment, not yet, he was processing something. She could tell by the way his hands were tucked into his pockets and how his eyes weren't darting around playfully like they usually did.

Just as they reached the front steps, he spoke again.

"So," he said, his voice a little more grounded than before. "Do I at least get a gold star for sitting through all that without dramatically falling off my chair?"

Alyssa gave him a sidelong glance. "You're confusing me with a kindergarten teacher."

"Harsh," he muttered, then looked at her more seriously. "But really... thanks. For not giving up on me before we've even started."

She met his gaze, quiet for a moment. Then, softly, "It's not about giving up, Cole. I just think people need someone to show up for them sometimes. That's all."

He didn't answer right away. But something about the way he looked at her shifted, like he was seeing her a little differently now. Less like a task assigned to him, more like a person who had chosen to be here.

And maybe that mattered more than he realized.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked, stepping down the stairs.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll even try to bring my attention span this time."

"I'd appreciate it."

They walked toward the gate, the silence between them this time not uncomfortable, but thoughtful. Measured.

As they parted ways, Cole turned back once, watching her cross the street toward the bus stop. His usual smirk was gone, instead stayed a beautiful smile on his face. It was something else. Lighter. Warmer. Maybe even hopeful.

Cole shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, standing at the edge of the school gate as she waited at the stop. Her figure was partially lit by the fading sun, head tilted slightly down as she scrolled through something on her phone, probably already reviewing what to prepare for tomorrow.

Typical.

He should've walked away by now. Turned the other way and headed home like every other day. But something about her calm presence, the way she didn't flinch when he tried to throw her off, the way she saw through his deflections instead of being annoyed by them, it kept him standing there a few moments longer.

Then, almost without thinking, he pulled out his phone.

Cole:

Try not to miss me too much tonight, tiny professor. Big day tomorrow.

He watched from a distance as she felt the buzz in her hand, glanced at the screen, and paused.

Her brows twitched ever so slightly. Then she locked the screen without replying and slipped the phone into her bag.

Still unreadable.

But her ears had turned faintly pink.

Cole grinned to himself and finally turned away, hands loose in his pockets now. He didn't need a response. That was more than enough.

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By the time I got home, the sky had slipped into deeper shades of violet, the city lights blinking to life like slow-breathing fireflies. I let the door swing shut behind me, dropping my bag gently onto the couch before heading to the kitchen.

Dinner was quiet, like most evenings in this apartment. Peaceful. Predictable. Just the way I liked it.

But the peace didn't last long.

Because the moment I sat down at my desk, planner opened, pen in hand, my phone buzzed.

Don't stay up thinking about me too much, baby. I'll be in your head enough tomorrow anyway. 😌

I stared at the screen for a full five seconds.

No. He did not just-

A breath left me, sharp and flat. The casual arrogance was one thing, but the baby?

Was he serious?

He was impossible. Completely impossible. The day had already been long, and I had a week's worth of plans to finalize. If he wanted to play games, he could do that on his own time.

This wasn't personal. This was a responsibility.

And if he thought I was going to be flustered by a single message, one stupid, smug message, he didn't know me at all.

I picked up my phone again to type back a message, "what the hell? What is wrong with you?!! Did you just call me "baby"? Do you think this is funny!! This is not a joke, you understand. It's not a joke."

Only when a few drops of tears dropped on my notebook, I realised I was crying. I touched my cheek to feel the wetness, my brain taking me back to the traumatic memories which I worked so hard to keep them away.

I took a few deep breaths but the sobs and tears were never ending.

But I still went back to my planner and underlined review weak areas - Wednesday twice, this time with a little more pressure than necessary.

Cole had better be ready tomorrow.

Because this time, I wasn't going to go easy on him.

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The campus felt quieter than usual as I made my way toward the school building. Maybe it was the late afternoon hush, or maybe I was just more aware of everything today, especially the fact that I had to deal with him again.

Cole.

He'd sent nothing since that ridiculous message last night. No follow-up. No apology. Just silence. And somehow, that was worse.

I adjusted the strap of my bag and checked the time. Ten minutes early. Good. That gave me a chance to breathe before he showed up with his usual smirk and offhand remarks that barely qualified as acceptable in an academic setting.

I reached the courtyard bench we'd agreed on to study today and pulled out my folder, reviewing the notes I'd made. Today was about analysis. I wanted to break down his subjects, dig into performance patterns, and identify what was salvageable.

I was mid-page when I sensed his presence.

"Miss Mentor," Cole's voice greeted smoothly from beside me.

I didn't look up. "You're late." And I didn't want to talk to him after what he pulled yesterday, but I didn't bring up that topic.

"I'm exactly two minutes early."

I flipped to the next sheet. "Then we've both improved since yesterday."

He dropped onto the bench beside me, just far enough to keep a respectable distance, but close enough to be annoying.

"Did you miss me?" he asked casually.

I looked up this time, expression blank. "Not even for a second."

He grinned like I'd given him a compliment. "See, I knew you'd say that."

"Then why ask?"

"To hear you say it," he replied, leaning back on his hands like this was the most entertaining part of his day.

I exhaled slowly and clicked my pen. "Let's get started."

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