She is missing

The next day, Albie didn't show up for the first few classes, only arriving in the second half. Xavier knew the reason but felt powerless to stop him. With an eye roll, he moved into the classroom. This time, Albie didn't rush to get in first. He knew that no matter where he sat, Emma would avoid him anyway.

Xavier usually sat in the last row, on the last bench, waiting for Emma to arrive. But to his surprise, Emma didn't attend class that day. To both Xavier's and Albie's dismay, she didn't show up the next day either.

After three days, on the fourth day, Xavier glared at Albie with accusatory eyes.

"What's with the look?" Albie raised his hands defensively. "You think I scared her off?"

"What else?" Xavier shot back.

"You seriously think just because I offered her friendship, she got so scared that she stopped coming to college? That's ridiculous," Albie said incredulously.

"It was all fine until you came along," Xavier insisted.

"Come on! Blame me if you want, but it's impossible that someone would be scared of my charming face!" Albie scoffed.

"Guys, stop it. When she comes back, I'll ask her," Mason interjected.

Both Xavier and Albie instantly turned and shouted, "You won't!"

----

Xavier never let it show on his face or in his mood, but deep down he was tense. He was afraid of losing her again. For four straight days, he couldn't focus on his studies. His attention was fixed on the door, hoping to see her walk in. Finally, his anticipation was rewarded.

At the beginning of the next week, he finally saw her walk into the classroom. Xavier felt his back go stiff, but he didn't dare look directly at her. Across the room, Albie hid his face behind a book, not wanting to scare her away again. More than for her sake, Albie was scared of Xavier, who might actually punch him if Emma disappeared again.

Emma unhurriedly took her seat beside Xavier. She pulled out her books and quietly resumed her studies, ignoring the rest of the class. Xavier gave a faint smile of relief. He used to see her every day and, perhaps because of that, hadn’t realized how much her presence calmed him. With her beside him, he felt composed and relaxed, the tension of the past days melting away.

Class started, and today they were informed about a group project that needed to be submitted by the end of term. Taking notes diligently, Emma absorbed the details. As the class soon ended, she gathered her things. Their generic class was in the first half, so Emma picked up her book and decided to rest in the garden until her next class began. She walked quietly through the corridors, looking forward to some peaceful time amidst the greenery, away from the bustle of the classroom.

Unknown to her, a figure was following her from class. Earlier, when Emma left the classroom, Xavier also packed up to leave. Knowing his friend very well, Xavier warned Albie to be careful and not to do anything rash before heading off to his own commitments. However, Albie couldn't help himself and ended up following her. His attention was piqued by every action of hers, his curiosity compelling him to see where she was going and what she was doing.

Soon, Emma found a quiet place to sit. She took out a book to read, but to her dismay, she noticed Albie walking towards her with a cup of coffee in hand.

This whole week, Emma hadn't been allowed to leave the mansion, which explained her absences. It was always Kai who helped her escape for college under the guise of tutoring, but this week, Kai had to leave the country for work with his father. Knowing that Kai wasn't at home, Emma had no reason to leave the house.

Her dad wouldn't allow her to go anywhere except with Kai, causing her to miss many classes. She was worried about the notes, and knowing that she had no friends, her anxiety only grew. Kai had already provided her with notes for all their other subjects, but since they had different generic subjects, she had to prepare those notes herself. This added to her worries.

"Hey," Albie greeted, approaching her with a cup of coffee.

Emma remained silent, waiting for him to continue as usual.

"For you." Albie extended the cup of coffee toward her, but Emma didn't move to accept it. She remained still, prompting Albie to place the cup beside her instead.

Taking his seat beside her on the ground, Albie leaned against the wall behind him and glanced at Emma as she continued reading her book.

"Been a while since I saw you. Did something happen, or did my smile really scare you away from class?" Albie asked with an awkward smile.

Emma speechlessly looked up as if she heard an idiot. How could even Albie believe that he is even scary?

"Don't give me that look you too. Seriously, I don't get why everyone thinks it's my fault. Your deskmate, Xavier, is convinced that my charming smile frightened you off."

Emma couldn't help but squint her eyes in surprise. She never thought she had been part of their discussions, and the idea that Xavier noticed her absence? That was entirely unexpected.

"So anyway, can you tell me why you were absent so that I can prove my innocence to my friends?" Albie poked again to get an answer.

"..."

"You seriously just want to avoid me, right?" Albie asked again.

"..."

"You know, you don't have to ignore me completely," he said softly, hoping to break the ice.

Emma continued to focus on her book, but Albie's presence was hard to ignore. He sighed, leaning his head back and staring up at the sky.

"Why do you hate me? I haven't even done anything, and you're ignoring me like I'm some kind of idiot or drunkard beside you." Albie pouted hard.

"Well, can't tell about being drunk but definetly you are acting like an idiot to me," Mason said as he walked towards them from behind.