Chapter three

It had been a long day for Bella, packed with four two-hour lectures since morning. Exhausted, she turned to her roommate. "Mia, could you please hand me the literature textbook on my desk?" Bella asked, ready to dive into her revisions.

Mia sighed. "Oh my gosh, Bell, take a break from the books for once. What's got you so worked up?" She grabbed the book, but as she opened it, pieces of paper fluttered to the floor. "Oops, my bad," Mia said, bending to pick them up.

"Mia, just give me the book—" Bella started but was cut off by Mia's gasp.

"Oh my goodness, Bella! How did you get Adrian Blackwood's contact information?" Mia asked, wide-eyed with shock.

Bella's mind raced. 'Adrian Blackwood… isn't he the guy I spilled coffee on?' she thought. "No, wait, how is that possible?" Bella was just as surprised as Mia.

"Listen to me, Bella, you have the contact of the hottest A-list top student at Eldor University. He's like the prince charming of Natasha Dev, the top student in the physics department. And he's majoring in both history and finance," Mia babbled, excitement spilling over.

"Mia, what did you just say?" Bella interrupted, still trying to process everything.

"He majors in history and finance," Mia repeated, confused.

"Oh no, Mr. Smith asked me to contact him for tutorials in finance," Bella said, taking the paper from Mia's hand.

"So, your lecturer wants Adrian himself to tutor you?" Mia's eyes sparkled as Bella nodded. "What are you waiting for? Call him now!"

Bella hesitated but then dialed the number.

...

Meanwhile, Adrian was sitting with his history notes, sipping coffee, when his phone rang. An unknown number flashed on the screen. He hesitated but answered it.

"Hey, is this Adrian?" Bella's voice came through the line.

"Yes," he replied curtly. a

"I'm Bella Hart from the English literature department," she said. 'That's the girl from the coffee incident,' Adrian thought, instantly recognizing the name.

"Oh, Bella. How have you been?" he asked casually.

"I'm good. Actually, my level coordinator, Mr. Smith, gave me your contact. He said you would be my tutor in finance this semester," Bella explained.

Adrian recalled Mr. Smith's request for him to tutor a certain girl but hadn't expected it to be her. "Oh, right. Meet me at the school's garden tomorrow afternoon at two," he said, ending the call abruptly.

"That was weird. He just cut the call after a few words," Bella said, puzzled.

"I still can't believe you were just talking to Adrian Blackwood. Seriously, Bell," Mia said, her voice tinged with awe.

"He doesn't sound like what you say he is," Bella replied, not finding anything special about the so-called Adrian.

"Whatever. Even if he has a girlfriend—Natasha Dev, no less—I still want to dress you up for tomorrow," Mia declared.

"Mia!" Bella protested.

"What? It's not like you're taking him away from her. You just need to look good and smart so he doesn't judge you," Mia said earnestly.

Bella could only siigh, knowing her friend was just being her nosy self.