My Paradiso

Chapter 17: First Arrangement

Chapter 17: First Arrangement

The past few days had been…deliberately uneventful. After their exchange on Monday, both Marcus and Celestia seemed to have made an unspoken agreement to maintain a careful distance. They went about their usual routines: Marcus attended his classes, spent his free time between the library and his dorm, and Celestia navigated her own busy schedule of classes and social commitments. There were no chance encounters in the hallways, no lingering glances in the classroom. Even their online presence remained separate; no messages, no reactions, no virtual breadcrumbs to suggest any interaction beyond the strictly academic. It was as if a silent curtain had fallen between them, each playing their part in this carefully orchestrated avoidance.

Friday evening arrived, casting a warm, golden glow over the campus. Marcus found himself in his dorm room, the familiar quiet settling around him. He'd been re-reading a textbook chapter, but his focus kept drifting. The image of Celestia, her polite but firm demeanor when accepting his conditions, kept replaying in his mind. He couldn't deny a certain curiosity about her, a pull that was as confusing as it was unexpected.

Okay, time to get this over with, he thought, finally pushing the textbook aside. He picked up his phone and opened f*******:, navigating to Celestia's profile. He hesitated for a moment, his thumb hovering over the message icon. What should he say? How should he phrase it? He didn't want to sound too eager, but he also didn't want to be too cold, especially given the business-like tone he'd adopted on Monday.

After a few false starts and deleted messages, he settled on a simple, straightforward approach.

Marcus: Hi, Ms. Rivera. It's Marcus Sebastian. Regarding our arrangement for the weekend, what kind of food would you like to learn how to cook?

He pressed send and waited, the silence of his room amplifying the anticipation.

Meanwhile, Celestia was in her room, the elegant space a world away from Marcus's spartan dorm. She was sprawled on her bed, scrolling through her phone, a half-empty mug of tea cooling on her bedside table. Aira and Mika were with her, the three of them dissecting the latest campus gossip with practiced ease.

Suddenly, Celestia's phone buzzed with a new message notification. She glanced at the screen, her eyes widening slightly when she saw the sender.

"Ooh, who's that?" Aira asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Just…someone from class," Celestia said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant, but her slightly flushed cheeks betrayed her.

Mika, ever the perceptive one, raised an eyebrow. "Someone from class who makes you blush? Interesting. Not that gloomy guy, right?"

Aira wrinkled her nose. "You mean Marcus? The one who always looks like he's about to rain on everyone's parade? I didn't think he had it in him to text anyone, let alone Celestia."

Celestia swatted playfully at Mika. "Shut up. It's nothing like that. He's just asking about the cooking lessons."

"The cooking lessons with…him?" Aira said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Why him? I thought you'd pick someone…else. Someone who actually talks."

Mika chimed in, "Yeah, you know, someone more your type? Not someone who looks like he hasn't seen the sun in years. But if you want to learn to cook Filipino food, there are a lot of resources online."

Celestia sighed internally. Her friends, bless their hearts, had a very particular image of who she should associate with, and Marcus definitely didn't fit the mold. To them, he was practically invisible, a background character in the vibrant movie of campus life. "He's good at cooking, apparently. And he agreed to teach me. That's all there is to it."

"If you say so," Aira said, but the teasing glint in her eyes suggested she wasn't entirely convinced. "But if he tries to serenade you with a sad song, you let us know."

Celestia rolled her eyes, a familiar gesture of fond exasperation. "He's not going to serenade me," she said, even as a small, traitorous part of her wondered what that would sound like. She opened the message and read it, a small smile playing on her lips despite herself. "He's just asking about what kind of food I want to learn," she said, her voice softening slightly. "I told him I'm open to anything simple."