Chapter 8 - Between the Lines
633 Words
The afternoon classes dragged on.
Or at least...
They did for everyone except Jasmine.
Every five minutes she leaned toward Rose with the exact same smile.
"So..."
Rose didn't even look up from her notebook.
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"Yes, I do."
"What?"
"It's about Kelvin."
Jasmine gasped dramatically.
"I feel so understood."
Rose smiled without meaning to.
Across the room, Kelvin happened to look up.
His eyes landed on Rose just as she smiled.
For a second...
He forgot what the teacher had been saying.
"Mr. Reid."
Kelvin blinked.
"Yes, ma'am?"
The class laughed.
The teacher folded her arms.
"Would you like to teach today's lesson instead?"
"No, ma'am."
"I didn't think so."
Even Rose covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Kelvin quietly cleared his throat and looked back at his textbook.
From the corner of the room, Maltilda saw everything.
Again.
She clenched her jaw.
"He's looking at her again," she muttered.
Naomi sighed.
"You're counting?"
"I've counted seven times."
"It's actually eight," Brielle corrected.
Maltilda stared at her.
"...You've been counting too?"
"I like drama."
Naomi slowly moved her chair away from both of them.
"I don't know either of you."
The final bell finally rang.
Students rushed out of the classroom.
Rose placed her books into her bag.
Just as she stood, Kelvin walked over.
"Rose."
She looked up.
"The library."
She nodded.
"Four o'clock."
"I'll be there."
Jasmine watched the exchange with sparkling eyes.
After Kelvin left, she grabbed Rose's shoulders.
"He remembered!"
"He remembered the time."
"He remembered you."
"It was literally our plan."
"I know what I saw."
Rose laughed.
"You watch too many romance movies."
"And yet I'm always right."
The next afternoon...
Rose arrived at the school library exactly at four.
She expected to be first.
She wasn't.
Kelvin was already sitting by the window, a stack of books beside him and his laptop already open.
"You came early," Rose said.
"I like being prepared."
"I noticed."
She took the seat across from him.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It was... peaceful.
Kelvin slid a notebook toward her.
"I made an outline."
Rose's eyes widened.
"You already finished half the planning?"
"I had free time."
She laughed softly.
"You really don't know how to relax."
"Probably not."
That made Rose laugh again.
Kelvin looked at her.
Not because he meant to.
Because he couldn't help it.
She looked different when she laughed.
Brighter.
Warmer.
And somehow...
Beautiful.
Rose looked up.
"What?"
Kelvin immediately looked back at his notebook.
"Nothing."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You were staring."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was thinking."
"About?"
"...The project."
Rose smiled.
"If you say so."
Before Kelvin could answer-
CRASH!
Both of them jumped.
A pile of books had fallen from a nearby shelf.
Standing beside them...
Was Jasmine.
She froze.
"So..."
Rose folded her arms.
"You followed us."
"I prefer the word 'coincidentally arrived.'"
"You were hiding behind the history section."
"I like history."
Kelvin pinched the bridge of his nose.
Rose couldn't hold it anymore.
She burst into laughter.
The sound filled the quiet library.
For the first time in days...
Kelvin laughed with her.
Not a small smile.
An actual laugh.
The librarian looked over her glasses.
"This is a library."
The three of them immediately straightened.
"Sorry," they said in unison.
The librarian nodded once before returning to her book.
Jasmine leaned closer and whispered,
"See?"
Rose frowned.
"See what?"
"I told you."
"Told me what?"
"You make him smile."
Rose looked at Kelvin.
He was already pretending to read his notebook again.
But the corners of his lips still refused to stay down.
And for reasons neither of them understood...
The project no longer felt like just a project.
- Writer
