The following week came faster than Olivia expected. All week, she carried the weight of that first tutoring session like a secret in her chest. She replayed his words...“You’ll hate me before you improve.” At the time, she had laughed nervously, but as the days went by, she began to wonder if he had meant it.
By the time Thursday afternoon arrived, she felt both eager and sick with nerves. She dragged herself into the same quiet study room in the library, clutching her notebook tighter than usual. Her palms were clammy again, just like last time, and no amount of deep breathing seemed to help.
Julian was already there. He sat at the oak table with his sleeves rolled up, a pen in hand, scanning through a thick stack of notes. He looked like he belonged there, like he could sit in silence
