“For this project, you’ll be working in pairs. You will submit a written analysis and deliver a presentation. Choose your partner wisely.”

At the front, Professor Robert adjusted his glasses and spoke.

A few students glanced around, already calculating.

Professor Robert continued, “I’ll give you a fifteen-minute break to discuss and form your teams. Stretch if you need to. We’ll reconvene after.”

The moment he stepped away from the podium, the room shifted—chairs scraping back, voices rising, the hush of formal instruction dissolving into bursts of chatter.

Professor Robert was a rare kind of professor, the sort who shaped every move with his students in mind. He had a reputation for the way he handled group projects—never leaving anyone stranded until the last minute or too shy to speak up, but instead guiding the class to form their teams early, making sure everyone found a place. It was something Mira respected about him.

She was already shifting from her desk, half-turned to look for Camille, pen twirling idly between her fingers.

Then—a small folded note slid onto her desk.

She blinked.

Glancing around, she cautiously opened it.

"Team up with me. – Adrian"

Mira slowly lifted her head. At the row beside hers, Adrian sat perfectly composed—jotting something down in his notebook, utterly unfazed, as if he hadn’t just casually dropped the most shocking request of the semester.

Adrian? Adrian just asked her to be his partner?

Before she could even process it, Mira blinked at her phone.

Camille: MIRA team with meee 😭😭😭

Mira hesitated.

Mira: I… already got asked

Camille: WHO?

Mira’s fingers hovered, then she typed:

Mira: …Adrian

There was a three-second silence on the screen — then Camille detonated.

Camille:
WHAT
THE
ACTUAL
HELL

Camille: you mean THE Adrian?? mr “I only work alone”???

Mira: maybe he just wants to get the assignment done

Camille: shut up. this is not “just assignment”. this is cosmic math. this is fate.

Mira covered her face with her hands.

Mira: please don’t tell anyone

Camille: too late 😌

Mira’s phone exploded with notifications.

This semester was already collapsing.

Mira hesitated for a moment before scribbling back on the note:

"I wouldn’t want to refuse you, but I have friends to team up with. If there’s any special reason for me to give up my friendship to work with you, I’ll think about it."

She slid the note back to Adrian, expecting him to just brush it off or move on. Instead, after a brief pause, his pen moved across the page in a clean, precise script:

"You’re the only one here who won’t slow me down."

Mira blinked. She hadn’t expected such a direct response. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and hesitated for a fraction of a second before scribbling her reply.

“Is there any way that we could have mutual benefits?”

She slid the note back to him, expecting—what, exactly? A dismissive response? A sharp, efficient answer that cut straight to the point?

Instead, after barely a moment, the note came back, short and direct.

“What kind of benefit are you looking for?”

Mira’s fingers curled around the edge of the paper as her breath caught. That wasn’t the kind of answer she was expecting. Her eyes flickered toward him, instinctively—

And met his.

A quiet beat passed between them, her pulse stumbling.

Then, too quickly, she turned her head, looking away, pretending to be suddenly interested in the classroom walls, her textbook, or anything else.

Really… she never expected Adrian to be this—

She couldn’t even find the word.

Before she could write a response, another folded note slid onto her desk.

She unfolded it.

To her shock, it’s not just a simple reply—it’s a fully detailed draft. Adrian had already chosen a topic, outlined key arguments, and provided an analysis of a specific tech issue.

The group assignment was only announced minutes ago.

This guy was terrifyingly efficient.

After a beat, she wrote back and passed the note.

"I appreciate your effort. But I’m not the type to let someone else do all the work—I want to learn something from this class. If you’re just looking for someone to nod and agree, I’m not her.”

Adrian’s lips pressed together; his pen moved again.

“I’m not looking for a shadow. I need someone who can keep up.”

Mira stared at the words, lips tightening despite herself. There it was again—that quiet, pointed challenge. Like he’s not just asking to team up. He’s measuring her.

She let out a small breath as she bent over the page, writing. “I don’t want you to struggle either. But I don’t decide things without talking them through. Let’s discuss it first— then I’ll let you know.”

Adrian read her second note slowly this time. Then he turned his head across the narrow gap between their tables, eyes meeting hers.

“Fine. After class.”

But when she sneaked a glance at him a minute later, his eyes were already back on the page.