C8

"Asher, stop being stupid and give me my pizza!"

"Stop being glutton, Sera. Eating too much pizza is bad for your health."

"And you dare to lecture me when you almost eat all the fries inside the bucket!"

"I'm an athlete. It is only normal for me to eat a lot."

"Yeah, sure. An athlete who does not know how to eat healthy foods."

"You influenced me." Asher replied with a shrug.

"And you just let me do it." Sera refuted. "Now stop talking and give me my pizza."

"Nope. This pizza is mine. You already ate your share."

Sera and Asher are now sitting on the fluffy carpet with the food they ordered earlier placed in front of them. The things that happened between them a while ago were dismissed that easily. It is always like that. Every time one of them forgets the things they always need to keep in mind, both of them will indulge in it for a while before erasing those memories in their minds and continuing their usual relationship.

Before Sera can complain more, Asher grabs the last slice of pizza inside the box and take a huge bite on it. That slice of pizza is the one that Asher promised to Sera earlier in exchange for playing with him again. She tries to reach for it but he shamelessly rolled the pizza and put it all inside his mouth. In her annoyance, she kicked the shameless man on his foot but he only let out a muffled laugh instead.

"Just because you are a sore loser in video games does not mean you will shamelessly eat the pizza that you promised to give to me." Sera said in annoyance while opening another can of soda.

Asher swallowed the pizza in his mouth first before he replied.

"Well... That slice of pizza is originally mine." Asher replied as he reached for his glass of soda.

"But you promised to give it to me earlier. What? Do you have a memory of a goldfish?"

"Who knows, right? Maybe it just slipped in my mind."

"Psh."

Sera did not continue complaining about the slice of pizza that she lost just now. Asher will just shamelessly make more rebuttal to justify why does he need to still have it despite his promise to give it to her. Sera thinks she is just making a favor to herself since she is saving her energy instead of spending it to fight with Asher. After taking a sip from her glass of soda, she starts cleaning up the mess they made in the living room.

"Stop being a lazy slob and help me clean your living room." Sera said and lightly kicked Asher on his legs. "Aster is not here to clean up your mess."

"Wow. You are just making it sound like I am bullying my twin brother. And we just finished eating, Sera. Can you just let me rest for a few minutes before doing it? Here, you can sit next to me." Asher replied and taps the empty space beside him.

"No thank you." Sera said with a deadpanned expression on her face. "Unlike the certain man I know, I am not that lazy to let my mess scattered everywhere. Now move."

"Hey! Are you pointing out at me?"

"Oh look. Cinderella finally found her missing shoe."

"Sera!"

The young woman ignored his complaints and starts cleaning the empty boxes of pizzas and fries that they ate for their early dinner. Feeling a little bit shy to let Sera do all the work, Asher finally decided to help her. He grabbed the empty boxes and wrappers from Sera and put them all inside the trash can. They also picked up the sports magazines that fell on the floor and properly return it under the coffee table. Sera picked up the scattered throw pillows on the floor and put them on the sofa. After cleaning up the mess they made in the living room, they sit on the fluffy carpet again and drink the remaining sodas in their glasses.

"I have to go back to my place now. I still have to finish my last project later." Sera said. "How about you? Did you already finish all of your requirements?"

"Yeah. More or less."

"It means you haven't started anything yet."

Asher clicked his tongue when she hits the nail.

"I can still finish it by next week. I am just a little busy lately because of our practice for the upcoming tournament."

"That is a lie and we both know it." Sera helplessly said.

Busy? Sure, Asher is busy with his daily practices with his team. Sera also admits that Asher is pouring all of his efforts to make his team improve a lot in order to win the trophy in the end. But he is not that busy to ignore his school projects and book reports.

He still has time to play games with her. If Sera had only known about his unfinished projects in advance, she should have declined his offer to play video games earlier.

"Those projects are always the same anyway. It is not like those professors are reading all the book reports that their students had submitted to them."

"Maybe you are right. But there are still a few professors in our school who are really dedicated to their work. Just like our professor this year." Sera said. "If you still want to graduate with a title of Mr. MVP, then I suggest that you have to start your projects and submit them on time."

"Tch. You always nag at me about it."

"I am not nagging you. I am just reminding you." Sera corrected him. "So do you want me to help you? I can spare you a whole day this week since I've already finished my book report yesterday."

"Nah. I got this. It is just a book report. I can finish it on time." Asher said.

And Sera believes him. Despite his lazy and laidback attitude towards his study, Asher is a genius. He is just keeping a low profile about it since his goal in life is not to be a top student in their class. Asher just wants to enjoy college life, play his favorite sports, and enjoy all the parties that he can possibly attend.

"Alright. That's good to hear. At least you do not want to abandon your studies."

"You are talking like my mom again." Asher pointed it out.

"Oh."

"Whatever. Let us stop talking about me. What about you?" Asher asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you are going to enter a piano competition, right? How are your preparations?"

"So far, so good." Sera answered with a shrug. "The piano piece I choose is not too complicated to play and easy to execute."

"Yeah? Is it the song that you were playing yesterday?"

"That's the one. It is a good piece, right?"

"Yes." Asher agreed. "But don't you think it is also too simple for a competition? I mean, I once joined you to watch a piano competition before and all the contestants there chose complicated and hard level music pieces."

"I guess? Well, I am not really joining because I want to win anyway. All I want is to gather more experience and enjoy the competition."

"Have you forgotten that you are now one of the famous students in our school? Once they heard that Seraphine Parr will join a competition, I will bet all the money in my pocket that your fans will cheer for you."

"Have you also forgotten that I never care whether there are people who will cheer for me or not?"

"Yeah? Then your fans will definitely feel disappointed that their idol will lose the competition."

"I am joining the competition because I want to do it and not to please anyone."

Asher snorted when he heard her reasoning but he did not question it anymore. He forgot that she is the type of person who never cares about her growing popularity. Unlike him who enjoys basking on other people's attention, Sera does not give any particular interest to those people who admire her. She is just doing the things that can pique her interests without minding anyone's business.

"When is your competition anyway?" Asher suddenly asked.

"Two months from now." Sera answered. "Why? Are you also going to cheer for me?"

"Stupid. I will just tell Aster about it. You know that my brother enjoys listening to those classical music."

"Oh, right. Tell me if Aster will watch the competition so that I can give him a free ticket."

"Got it. Thanks in advance for it."

"You're welcome."

"How about you?"

"What about me?" Sera asked in confusion.

"Are you not going to ask me when is our tournament?"

"And why should I ask you that?"

Asher gave Sera a scowl but she only looked at him with a raised brow.

"After I asked you about your competition, you will not care about my much-awaited tournament?" Asher asked. The scowl on his face is still visible. "You are really heartless."

"You know, I sometimes doubt whether you are only book smart or a true genius." Sera said with a sigh.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?"

"Anyway, why should I ask you about it? The date of your semi-final match is already known on our campus. The volleyball team is the only sports team in our school that reached the semi-finals and has a huge chance of winning the championship. It is one of the hottest news in our school forum." Sera explained.

"I know that. Just... You know what? Forget it." Asher said before standing up and going straight to the kitchen.

Sera watched Asher leave her alone in the living room with an amused look on her face. Teasing that man child is really a fun thing to do. Of course, Sera knows why is he acting like that. How can she miss those tell-tale signs that Asher just wants her to ask him about the details of his preparation for their upcoming tournament?

The most distinguished trait of Asher is that he is wearing his heart on his sleeves. If you are close enough to him, you can easily read his moods like an open book. Compared to other people, Asher can easily express his emotions without any problems. He does not know how to hide his feelings either.

Well... Maybe except for one thing.

Seeing that Asher still has no plan to come back, Sera shakes her head and decided to follow him. He is probably sulking inside the kitchen. For an alpha who always loves the attention of other people, Asher sure knows when to hide whenever he feels off. And sure enough, Sera found him leaning on the kitchen island with crossed arms on his chest. She can smell the faint scent of raw vanilla coming from him.

"Asher, are you upset at me?" Sera asked although she already knows his answer.

"...No."

"Sure. I believe you." Sera said and rolled her eyes.

When Asher harrumphed at her, Sera can't help but smile because of his childishness. No one in their school can probably imagine that Asher Myein, the handsome team captain of their volleyball team and one of the famous students on their campus, is acting like a puppy that was kicked by his owner. Even if Sera spread this news on their campus, she thinks no one will believe her aside from Aster and her cousin.

Asher always maintains a good reputation although he is sometimes causing a few troubles in their school. If Sera is a well-known figure on their campus, then Asher's popularity can overshadow her reputation. Asher has this charm to steal everyone's attention and focus it on him. Only a few alphas can possess the ability to command the crowd to pay attention to themselves without uttering a single word.

"Since you are not upset at me, then I will go now. It is already late anyway." Sera said with a shrug.

Before Sera can take another step away from the kitchen, Asher suddenly grabs her hand and hold it tight. She stares at their hands first before looking at his face.

"Hmm? What is it?" Sera asked.

Asher try to say something but he quickly shut his mouth.

"Nothing." Asher said. "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"

"I will meet up with my cousin tomorrow." Sera replied.

"Oh? You and Ben-ben will hang out tomorrow?"

Sera can't help but smile when she heard the nickname that Asher gave to her cousin.

"If Benette can hear you right now, he will not hesitate to scratch you in your face."

"Ha! As if he can defeat me. I can easily throw him somewhere without sweating too much."

"But he will not back out without any fight."

"The result will still remain unchanged."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Sera said while waving her hand. "But I really have to go now."

"...Lock your door once you get inside your unit. Call me if something happens. I will quickly come to your rescue."

"Asher, my unit is literally a few steps away from your place. And let me remind you that the security in this building is top-notch. Lastly, have you forgotten that I am more than capable of protecting myself? Well, I am pretty sure that you already know what I mean."

Asher did not reply anymore. Sera just shakes her head and gently removes Asher's hands from her hand. Looking at his serious face, Sera can't help but tease him a little to ease the tension around them.

"Relax, Asher. You do not have to be scared once I leave your place. Just like what I've said, I am only a few steps away from here. If you suddenly feel unsafe, you can always knock on my door and I will protect you."

As expected, those words worked their magic and made a huge expression on Asher's face.

"What the fuck?! I do not need your protection!" Asher exclaimed.

"Oh." Sera slowly said. "Then there is nothing to worry about. I am leaving now. Bye, Ash! Thanks for your treat."

After giving Ash a pat on his arm, Sera turned around and walked towards the door. She quietly leave Asher's unit and closed the door. The longer she stays there, the more chances that he will ask her to stay the night inside his place. Sera pretended that she did know what Asher wants to ask her earlier and quickly changed the topic.

Seeing her empty and quiet place, Sera thinks that she did the right decision just like the usual.