chapter 1- dynamic

The classroom was dead silent, except for the low hum of the air conditioner. Pens scratched against paper, and Professor Evan's slow footsteps echoed as he strolled between desks, watching everyone like a hawk.

Everything was calm and peaceful.

Everything except Amy's mind, which was a complete mess.

Her eyes darted over the test paper, scanning the questions as if sheer willpower could make them easier. Identify the literary device in the passage...? What literary device? She could barely identify her own handwriting sometimes. How had she even passed high school and made it to college? That was a true mystery.

Her gaze flickered to her right. Zahn sat beside her, completely focused on his paper, his pen moving effortlessly across the page. No hesitation. No frustration. Just pure concentration.

Amy scowled. Ugh, of course.

It was unfair how easily he did this. While she was fighting for her academic survival, he looked like he was casually solving a crossword puzzle.

Well, whatever. That was exactly why she was sitting next to him-to cheat.

Carefully, she leaned in, making sure Professor Evan wasn't looking. She tilted her head just enough to peek at Zahn's answers.

Before she could even process anything, zahn noticed her...

His glare was sharp as he whispered, "What are you doing?"

Amy flashed him an innocent look.

" Can you show me...?" she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper, eyes hopeful.

Zahn's response was immediate, he covered his paper with his arm and shot her a pointed side-eye.

Amy clicked her tongue. Tsk, tsk. Nerd.

But she wasn't one to give up so easily.

A sly smirk crept onto her lips as she leaned in closer and whispered, "Show me the answers, or I'm posting that picture of you in the bunny ear headband I forced you to wear."

Zahn froze. His grip on the pen tightened, knuckles turning white.

He slowly turned his head, his expression unreadable. Then, as if deciding she wasn't worth the reaction, he turned back to his test, completely ignoring her.

Amy's eyes widened. No way. That usually works! Now She needed a new approach.

Under the desk, she lightly tapped his shoe with hers. But Nothing happened.

She tapped again. Still nothing!?

Was he seriously going to act like she didn't exist?

Fine. Another try.

Amy grabbed the sleeves of his shirt and tugged, whispering desperately, "Please, please, please... pleeeaaase."

Zahn let out a long, suffering sigh. "So annoying," he muttered, but he slightly moved his arm away, just enough for her to see. "Don't copy the exact"

Amy's face lit up. Phew. Not so heartless after all!

she quickly scribbled down her answers.

And Finally, She was saved.

After class, Amy met Zahn behind the campus building, in the quiet little garden they always claimed as their usual spot. It was peaceful here, away from the chaos of students rushing between classes.

The moment she arrived, Zahn smacked her on the head with his book.

"Ow! Zahn! You're gonna reduce my IQ like this!" Amy clutched her head dramatically, arms shielding herself as if she were under attack.

Zahn scoffed. "Are you sure you even had an IQ in the first place?" He tucked his book under his arm and gave her a deadpan look. "And don't overreact. It was light."

Amy gasped, feigning betrayal. " You wound me."

Ignoring her theatrics, Zahn crossed his arms. "Are you seriously planning to cheat off me forever? You're in college, not middle school. Have you even changed?"

Amy puffed out her chest. " You won't believe it, but I've actually matured a lot."

Zahn gave her a long, unimpressed stare.

She huffed. "Don't be so salty, Zahn. It's just a test. You should help your fellow classmate."

"Classmate? " He raised an brow.

" Well..." Amy grinned, tilting her head. " I'm your-"

He raised an eyebrow. "My what?"

" Your sweet, adorable girlfriend,"

she finished with a laugh.

Zahn rolled his eyes so hard she was surprised they didn't get stuck. Without another word, he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'm heading to the library."

"God, doesn't your head ever hurt from all that studying?"

" Better than wasting time like a certain someone," he shot back.

Amy clicked her tongue. Tsk.

She watched him walk off, shaking her head. Zahn was a dedicated, hardworking student. She, on the other hand, was a menace in his life. A complete opposite.

It was honestly a miracle they were even together. Not in a romantic way though..it was complicated, Amy had quite literally forced this relationship into existence. And then... kind of forgot about her original plan.

Last year of the high school, Zahn had kicked her out of a class project, which had really pissed her off. So, in an act of petty revenge, Amy came up with a master plan, to force him into dating her, just so she could break his heart.

And It was supposed to be foolproof.

So She pestered him relentlessly until he gave in. But somewhere along the way... she forgot about the whole "crush his heart" part.

She started having fun instead and

even followed him to the same college.

And now? Now they were in this weird situation.

Dating, but not really dating.

Friends, but not even friends.

No feelings, no label, no direction.

A complicated mess of a relationship.

But was anyone trying to fix it?

Nah.

Amy didn't really care anymore. She was just having fun with life.

_______________________

A few guys stole glances at Amy as she sat in the campus cafeteria with her friends, casually eating her meal. She didn't mind the attention if anything, she enjoyed it.

It wasn't surprising. With her long golden hair, striking green eyes, and effortlessly flashy outfits, cute dresses, stylish accessories, she stood out. Add in her 5'8 height, and eyes naturally drifted toward her.

Ruby, her friend, nudged her excitedly. "Amy, look at these guys. They keep staring at you. Why don't you just date someone already? Any guy would be lucky to have a beauty like you."

Amy barely spared a glance. " Uh-huh." She popped a fry into her mouth, completely unbothered.

Well, of course, nobody knew she was secretly dating Zahn. No one. And no one needed to know.

Noah, her other friend, smirked. "What, planning to stay single forever?"

" Dude, I'm literally nineteen," Amy said, still unfazed. " Can we not make this conversation about me?"

Ruby huffed but quickly changed the subject. "Fine, whatever. Anyway, after classes, let's hit the arcade! It'll be so fun-"

" Oh, wait. I can't."

Ruby frowned. "What? Why?"

"I gotta go somewhere."

"Where?"

Amy grinned. " Home, obviously."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. " Liar. You haven't been back to my apartment in weeks. We literally planned to live together, and you just vanished. Where the hell did you settle?"

Amy laughed, amused. " Where else would I go? Home, duh."

Ruby and Noah exchanged glances, silent but suspicious.

Yeah. Their doubts were valid.

Because Amy wasn't going home.

She was just... addicted to a certain place.

Zahn's place.

Amy rang the doorbell, and within seconds, the door swung open.

Zahn stared at her, unimpressed. "What are you doing here... again?" His voice was flat, bordering on resignation. At this point, it was practically a routine; Amy showing up unannounced in the evening, or sometimes late at night after a drink.

Amy grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Yo, did you miss me, handsome guy?"

Zahn exhaled sharply. " Amy, I just saw you hours ago. In class."

" Hours is still hours," she said cheerfully, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the couch like it was her place.

Zahn watched, exasperated. Mannerless menace.

Amy raised a plastic bag. "Here, snacks for us. Get plates."

His jaw tightened. " Snacks for us, or snacks for you?"

"Me. But you can have some."

" No thanks. Do it yourself."

Amy groaned but got up anyway, dragging her feet to the kitchen.

She settled back on the couch, cozily munching on her snacks, while Zahn sat beside her, sipping his coffee. He always had either tea or coffee in hand-one of his little habits.

The second he put his cup down, Amy snatched it up and took a sip. She immediately made a face. "Ugh, Zahn, this is bitter! You're not low on money, why'd you put so little sugar?"

His glare sharpened. " That was mine. Why are you drinking from my cup?"

Amy shrugged, completely unfazed. " It's just a sip. Not a big deal, is it?"

He gave her a long, tired look. " It is when it's you."

Ignoring him, Amy continued lounging.

Zahn pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are your extra clothes in the guest room?"

She barely glanced at him. " I come here often, don't I? Gotta have something to change into in the morning."

His patience was wearing thin.

" And why are you here daily, Miss Amy?"

She shot him a smug grin. " We're housemates now."

He deadpanned. " Excuse me?"

Amy giggled, looking far too pleased with herself.

Zahn leaned back, staring at the ceiling. She's been sticking to me like glue for over a year. God knows what she wants, but she never leaves.

What a pest, he thought, rolling his eyes.

Barely an hour later, Amy stretched out on the couch, lazily whining, "Zahhhhn, I'm hungry. Make me noodles for dinner. Spicy. And bring me a soda too."

Zahn, without missing a beat, picked up a small couch pillow and chucked it at her face.

Amy yelped. "HEY!"

"This is not your house. You don't get to place orders," he said dryly. "Eat the vegetables or go out."

"Tsk. Why are you always salty?"

" Your fault." Zahn completely ignored her and went back to what he was doing-tidying up, dusting the table, vacuuming the floor.

Amy watched him for a moment before muttering under her breath, "Nerd and a clean freak... figures."

Zahn sighed. It's going to be a long evening.

Amy's gaze drifted away from the TV, drawn instead to the man moving around the room.

Zahn, with his dark hair, deep blue eyes, and sharp features, looked like he belonged on the cover of some high-end fashion magazine rather than stuck vacuuming his apartment. His favorite white shirt was tucked neatly into black pants, the sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal his toned forearms. His expression was as serious as ever like a strict teacher about to scold a student but that only made him more annoyingly attractive.

Amy hated it. Hated how her eyes kept lingering on him for more than ten seconds, hated how the TV no longer held her attention.

Then, as if sensing her gaze, Zahn straightened and shot her a questioning look. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, tearing her eyes away.

Zahn scoffed and went back to cleaning, moving around the coffee table near where Amy was sprawled on the couch.

But in the next moment, things took an unexpected turn.

His foot snagged on the vacuum cord.

Before he could react-

Yank.

A sudden lurch forward.

And the next thing he knew, he was crashing right on top of her.

Amy barely had time to react. One moment, she was watching him clean; the next, she was pinned beneath him, his weight pressing down just enough to steal the air from her lungs.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

His face-so close. Just inches away.

Her wide eyes met his equally stunned ones, his warm breath fanning against her lips. His hands, braced against the couch on either side of her, tensed as he tried to steady himself, but even he looked momentarily frozen, trapped in that sudden proximity.

Amy's heartbeat spiked.

The air between them grew thick, almost suffocating.

Amy's eyes flickered down, his lips were slightly parted, his sharp jaw tense. The faint scent of soap mixed with something undeniably him made her head swim.

Zahn swallowed, his Adam's apple moving, his deep blue eyes darkening just a little. He seemed to realize just how close they were at the same time she did...