Adam was back inside the classroom.
The professor was teaching from the front. Chalk moved across the board, and students kept writing in their notebooks. From the outside, it looked like a normal class.
For John, it was not normal at all.
He sat a little far from Adam, but his attention kept moving in that direction again and again. His pen was in his hand, yet the page in front of him stayed almost empty.
’What is going on?’ John thought.
Adam had not co to college for three days. John had expected him to appear worried. Aster Core was under pressure. Governnt agencies had started moving. If Adam had soone backing him, that side should be busy trying not to collapse.
But Adam did not look like that.
He was sitting in class as if nothing had happened.
Then John looked beside him.
Monica was sitting right next to Adam.
That was the part John could not ignore.
Many students in the classroom had noticed it too. Monica was not an ordinary girl. She was known for her looks, and she kept distance from most people.
Boys looked at her from far away, but most of them did not even know how to start a proper conversation with her.
Now she was sitting beside Adam like it was natural.
A few students whispered.
Adam heard so of it, but he did not turn his head.
Monica also heard it.
She kept her eyes on the notebook, but her mind was not on the lesson. For the last few days, Adam had been absent again. Just when she had started feeling that maybe she could talk to him honestly, he had disappeared from college.
This was not so romantic feeling.
She only wanted one place where she could stop acting for a while. In front of most people, she chose every answer and watched every small habit.
With Adam, after their last talk, she felt that she could show a more real part of herself.
That was why she had taken the seat beside him.
Adam was also surprised when she sat there.
He did not ask her to move.
In truth, he almost enjoyed it because of John.
John was still acting calm, but Adam could read the small changes. The slow look toward Monica. The quiet way his eyes ca back to Adam again.
’So this bothers you,’ Adam thought.
For a mont, Adam felt a small pleasure inside his chest.
John had always been good at hiding reactions. He smiled when angry. He spoke softly when planning sothing ugly. But today, Monica sitting beside Adam had touched sothing he could not fully cover.
Adam’s mind started moving.
’Can I use this?’
Several ideas ca and went, but each one moved too fast.
So Adam did nothing.
He only sat through class and let the picture stay in front of John.
The day moved slowly after that.
During lunch, Monica sat near Adam again.
This ti John ca too.
He simply arrived with that calm face and sat close enough that Monica could not speak freely.
Adam noticed it at once.
Monica had wanted to say sothing. It was clear from the way she opened her mouth once, then stopped. She moved the spoon around her plate without eating much.
Twice, she looked at Adam like she wanted to begin a serious talk.
Both tis, John was there.
Adam did not help her.
He answered small questions with small answers. Most of them were only yes and no.
That was enough.
He could feel Monica becoming a little more restless, but he did not push the mont. John had co here on purpose. He was trying to interfere without making it look like interference.
Adam understood that ga.
So he played wait and watch.
The classes after lunch passed in the sa strange way.
Monica stayed near him whenever she could. John stayed close enough to remain part of the space. Students noticed, but no one understood the real fight moving under the surface.
When the college day finally ended, Adam closed his notebook and stood.
He walked out of the classroom at a normal pace.
Monica followed after a few seconds.
John also stopped near the door.
Adam knew it.
He had been waiting for this mont.
He turned before Monica could speak.
"Monica," Adam said, "I need your help with sothing important."
Monica blinked. "My help?"
John’s eyes sharpened.
Adam kept his face simple, as if he had only rembered a small student problem.
"I have missed a lot of classes," he said. "I am behind now. If you have ti, can you help catch up?"
Monica’s expression softened at once.
Before she could answer, Adam added, "I would have asked you to co to my hostel room, but that would not look right."
John’s face almost changed.
’Bastard,’ John thought.
He understood what Adam was doing. Or at least, he felt he understood it. Adam was giving Monica a clean reason to spend ti with him, and he was saying it in a way that made refusing look strange.
Another thought entered John’s mind.
’Does he know?’
Then he rejected it almost imdiately.
Adam’s attitude toward Monica did not look like the attitude of soone who knew everything about her family. If he knew, he would have acted differently.
Still, Adam was becoming harder to read.
He did not look like a person whose backing was under heavy pressure. He did not look like a person whose support could collapse at any mont.
’Did they not tell him?’ John thought. ’Then where was he for these days?’
That question stayed in his mind, but the bigger problem was in front of him.
John stepped forward.
"Adam, if it is about course work, then I can-"
"No, no," Monica said before he could finish.
John stopped.
Monica looked at Adam. "It is fine. I can help you. I also wanted to revise so parts anyway."
John’s smile stayed on his face, but his eyes beca colder.
’This is worse than I thought,’ John thought.
Adam looked at John, then gave a small smile.
"I think Monica is a great pick for this," he said.
Then he turned back to Monica.
"There is a restaurant nearby," Adam said. "Should we go there?"
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