Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Assume She’s Jealous
It was only once the girl was in front of him that Zaeryn noticed. He blinked, pulling himself back from the haze of his thoughts like surfacing from deep water.
The hallway’s sounds, the low murmur of conversations, the soft hiss of distant doors, the click of boots on the polished floor, echoed in his ears, suddenly sharp and present.
He’d been drifting, lost in the chaotic landscape of his new reality. Thoughts swirled: Sage’s impending departure for the Aegis Division, the complex web of their evolving relationship, the daunting task of somehow convincing High Commander Lysara, a Tier-1 outlier who likely viewed him as a fascinating specimen to personally train him.
And then there was academy life. Right now his problem was Leia, the fiery Warlady in training he was already strategizing how to defeat her in their inevitable rematch.
Power, alliances, survival, the mental checklist was endless.
But now, this girl was in his face. Her yellow hair, pulled back severely but escaping in rebellious strands, caught the morning sunlight streaming into the hallway like a blade. She stood too close, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her posture all sharp angles and radiating challenge.
Her eyes were a stormy gray, locked onto his with the kind of intensity that screamed, ’’I just caught you red handed you pervert!’ before words even formed.
She was beautiful, undeniably so, flawless skin glowing faintly, as if Vitae pulsed just under the surface, hinting at power held in check. But the fire in her stance, the sheer force of her presence, made her more than just attractive.
She was Intimidating. Intriguing.
"Excuse me? Is everything alright?" Zaeryn asked, his voice smooth and low, automatically falling back on the charm that was both a shield and a weapon.
"You tell me," she retorted immediately, her voice flat, lacking any sort of warmth. "You were the one staring at me." The accusation landed like a thrown stone.
What? Staring at her? Zaeryn almost laughed, the absurdity of it bubbling up.
She was pleasant on the eyes, he wouldn’t deny that, but the idea he’d been staring? Completely off. He’d only really noticed her now, standing there, in front of him, the morning light catching her yellow hair like a blade.
He wanted to diffuse the situation with a quip, maybe a compliment laced with just enough sarcasm to put her off balance. But something held him back.
He recognized her now, she was the girl who had been speaking with Leia just moments ago. Leia’s friend.
If Leia was friends with her, she was probably just as skilled and annoying as she could spark a fight, maybe sooner than he wanted. Part of him relished the challenge, sure, but another part, the one still aware of the ache in his shoulder, urged caution. He’d rather save his energy for Leia.
He could feel Yuna shifting closer beside him on the bench, her warmth a subtle, grounding presence. Morticia watched the exchange with that faint, analytical smirk, clearly finding the entire situation amusing.
Genevieve leaned forward slightly, her interest piqued.
Thinking quickly, Zaeryn realized what must have happened. While lost in thought, his gaze had likely drifted, settling on her general direction without conscious focus. Staring? Technically, yes, probably.
But it wasn’t her he’d been seeing, or Leia for that matter. It was the future, the tangled path to the power he needed to seize if he wanted to survive this world, let alone thrive in it. Still, escalating this on his second day seemed unwise. Not yet.
"Just zoning out," he offered, keeping his tone light, non-confrontational. "Long morning."
"Really now?" The girl, Leia’s friend, he mentally tagged her, didn’t budge. Her lips curved into a smirk, sharp and pointed, but it didn’t reach her stormy eyes. "Zoning out right at my ass? Classy."
Okay, so much for de-escalation. The specificity of her accusation made him flush slightly. He hadn’t intended it, but clearly, that’s where his unfocused gaze had landed. Awkward.
"I know it looks bad, but I swear, I wasn’t staring at you... intentionally," Zaeryn said, trying again to diffuse the rapidly escalating situation. He needed allies, not more enemies in his first week.
"Liar. I saw you staring, pervert" The voice came from behind her, near the lockers. Leia still lingered, arms folded, watching the exchange with a cool, detached interest. Her fiery red hair framed a face that could shift from stunningly beautiful to severely intimidating in a heartbeat, and right now, it leaned heavily toward the latter.
She didn’t intervene further, just observed, like a predator sizing up prey before the kill.
Zaeryn met her gaze and they stared at each other for a second. Until, she decided to look away from him.
Jyn huffed beside him, her braid swinging as she leaned forward protectively. "Ingrid, I can assure you, he wasn’t staring."
The name clicked. Ingrid. It suited her sharp, a little cold, and just as equally playful.
Zaeryn gently placed a hand on Jyn’s knee, a brief, reassuring touch. He didn’t need defending; it would only reinforce the perception that he was weak, a male needing protection.
Instead, he met Ingrid’s challenging gaze head-on, letting a slow, deliberate grin spread across his face. The kind of grin that acknowledged the awkwardness but refused to be intimidated by it, even if his pulse ticked up a notch.
"If I was staring," he said, his voice dropping slightly, becoming smoother, more intimate despite the public setting, "it’d be because you’re hard to miss." He let his eyes do a quick, appreciative sweep, not lewd, but definitely noticing. "But honestly? My mind was elsewhere. Training stuff. You know how it is."
"Don’t believe him," Leia called out again, her voice sharp, instigating. She still lingered by her locker, though she hadn’t left, clearly invested in the unfolding drama. There was even an evil smirk curving her lips now, showing she was enjoying the spectacle. "And don’t let him get away with it."
"Leia, how about you mind your business?" Jyn shot back, her voice laced with annoyance, protective of Zaeryn.
"Leia, if you keep being in my business, I will assume things." Zaeryn threatened playfully, turning his attention fully to the redhead by the lockers.
"What things?" she asked, her smirk widening, clearly amused by his audacity.
"Well," he drawled, his voice dropping to that low, teasing timbre, "if you keep inserting yourself into my conversations, meddling like you care... I’ll assume you’re jealous." He let his eyes lock onto hers, holding the stare with deliberate intensity, the corner of his mouth quirking up. "Jealous that I’m sitting here with them," he nodded subtly toward Jyn and the others, "and not paying you the attention you secretly crave."
Leia stared back, her expression unreadable for a second. Then, unexpectedly, a short, barking laugh escaped her, not mocking, but genuinely amused by the sheer audacity of his assumption.
In reality, this was completely unexpected to her; she hadn’t anticipated him thinking something like this. Honestly, Leia hadn’t even considered the possibility.
"Tch. What a delusional anomaly," Instead of becoming defensive and trying to prove him wrong, she laughed, the sound sharp and dismissive.