PROLOGUE: Friction of Opposites
Sa loob ng University Library, may dalawang mundo na hindi dapat nagtatagpo.
Sa dulo ng mahabang wooden table, nakaupo si Nyxiel Soler. Kung titingnan mo siya, makikita mo ang depinisyon ng STEM burnout. Naka-hoodie kahit tirik ang araw, may dalawang empty cups ng espresso sa gilid, at halos ibaon na ang mukha sa kaniyang Advanced Calculus reviewer. Para kay Nyx, ang buhay ay parang math: may logic, may formula, at higit sa lahat, predictable. Ayaw niya sa gulo. Ayaw niya sa distractions. At higit sa lahat, ayaw niya sa mga taong akala mo ay pag-aari ang buong campus dahil lang marunong silang mag-dribble ng bola.
Then there's Vesper Thorne Silverio.
The moment Vesper entered the quiet zone, nagbago ang hangin. Rinig ang bawat yabag ng kaniyang high-cut rubber shoes. Amoy citrus at chlorine siya-ang amoy ng isang taong galing lang sa training at hindi man lang nag-abalang mag-shower nang maayos bago pumasok sa library. He dropped his heavy gym bag sa tabi ni Nyx, creating a thud that echoed through the silent hall.
"You're late. Thirty minutes," Nyx muttered, hindi man lang iniangat ang tingin mula sa kaniyang notes. His voice was cold, sharp like a compass needle.
"Traffic, Soler. Relax," Vesper replied with that annoying, cocky smirk na nagpapatindig sa balahibo ni Nyx sa inis. He leaned back, his muscular frame looking too big for the library chair. "Tsaka, Calculus lang 'to. Hindi ba pwedeng dumaan tayo sa shortcuts? You know, the Silverio way?"
Nyx finally looked up. His eyes, framed by his thick glasses, were blazing with a mix of exhaustion and pure disdain. "There are no shortcuts in my session, Silverio. Either you sit down and solve for x, or you walk out that door and fail your eligibility for the finals. Choice mo."
Vesper stared at him. For a second, the arrogance flickered. There was something about the way Nyx looked at him-na parang hindi siya ang "Golden Boy" ng university, kundi isang problema lang na kailangang i-solve. It was infuriating. It was insulting.
And for some reason, it made Vesper's heart skip a beat he couldn't explain.
"Fine," Vesper whispered, leaning closer until Nyx could smell the salt and heat radiating from him. "Teach me, then. Pero wag kang iiyak kapag napatunayan kong mas matalino ako kaysa sa iniisip mo."
Nyx scoffed, slamming his pen down. "In your dreams, Athlete."
They hated each other. It was clear in the way they crossed their arms, in the way their knees accidentally brushed under the table and they both flinched as if burned. They were two parallel lines that were never supposed to intersect.
But in the world of University physics, friction creates heat. And heat? It eventually leads to a burn that neither of them was ready to handle.
