Chapter 135: How To Woo A Girl?

Aina

Aina stood frozen in her doorway, her eyes scanning every corner of her bedroom. Was someone in my room?

Not only had she found the door unlocked when she got back from that ridiculous dinner, but she could also smell faint traces of scents that didn’t belong to her lingering in the air. She stood there for a second, debating whether she should panic, before letting out a tired sigh. It was probably just Vance being incompetent enough to leave her door wide open when he came to grab her spare uniform.

Thinking about Vance again made her think of their terrible date, and a quiet laugh escaped her lips as she walked further into the room. It was easily the most horrendous hour of her life, but the food... oh, the food was magical.

She closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it tight this time, before she threw herself onto the bed, completely exhausted. Just as her head hit the pillow, the academy intercom crackled to life, announcing that all students were required to report to the dining hall for dinner.

Aina rolled her eyes at the speaker. "Nope. No way. I’m not doing that."

She was pretty sure no one would even notice if she skipped. Besides, she was still completely full. She had just eaten a ten-gold-coin fish medallion; she didn’t need more food.

What made Vance think it was okay to say all those things on a first date? she wondered, staring up at the ceiling. Has he never been out with a person before? How is he going to list off how many girls he’s dated like it’s a resume? Even Amilia isn’t that snobbish, and she’s the absolute queen of snobs.

She shook her head, pushing herself up off the mattress to head into the bathroom.

Stepping up to the sink, Aina stopped. Something was definitely off. She looked at the shower edge, her de-scenting shower gel had been moved from the left side to the right. She looked at the brass hook near the wall, her towel was hanging a good five centimeters away from where she always left it.

"Huh. Odd," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

She paused, looking around the small bathroom. Then again, it could still be Vance, she reasoned, trying to calm her rising pulse. He was probably tearing through my things trying to find that de-scenting lotion.

She shook her head, turning on the tap to wash her face. If someone else was in here and found out about me, they would have said something by now. Someone would have confronted me.

Across the hall, the atmosphere was completely different.

Vance

Vance sat alone in his pitch-black room, perched right on the edge of his bed, staring down at his carpet. His mind was spiraling.

What did I do wrong? Vance thought, gripping his knees. How did I mess up that badly? Was I too forward? Girls usually like it when I list all the things I own and the estates I have! Should I try a new approach? Yes... I definitely need a new approach. What am I even supposed to do?

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, his thumb flying across the screen as he opened a search bar. He typed in: How to win over a girl.

A list of articles immediately popped up. He clicked on the first link, scanning the bolded bullet points.

Rule #1: Find out what she actually likes.

Rule #2: Don’t just talk about yourself.

Rule #3: Pay attention to the small details.

Vance stared at the screen, clicking his tongue. "Oh. Okay, okay, okay. So I need to find out what she likes. But how am I supposed to find out what she likes? Who am I even supposed to talk to about that?"

Panic flared in his chest. "I only have two dates left. I can’t blow them."

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Vance jumped, shoving his phone into his lap. "Come in!"

The door swung open, and Theo hurried inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He stood there, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon.

Vance raised an eyebrow, leaning back. "What’s up with you?"

"Where were you this entire time?!" Theo blew up, his hands flying into the air. "I have important news to tell you! And does oes it really take more than three hours to roll in the grass?!"

Vance grumbled, looking back down at his phone. "Yeah, it does. What is it? What do you want? I’m busy."

"Well, are you busy enough to not hear that I found our fated mate?!" Theo shouted in a hushed, frantic whisper.

Vance snapped his head up, his dark eyes widening in pure shock. "What?"

"Yeah! It’s Travis, dude!" Theo paced across the floorboards, pulling at his hair. "I went into his room earlier today because Keali was ransacking the place, and I was trying to stop him. And I smelled his scent! He smells exactly like wild jasmine! In fact..."

Theo stopped, sniffing the air in Vance’s dark room. "...this room right now smells faintly like jasmine!"

Vance’s gaze darted over to the chair in the corner of his room. The wet pile of Travis’s clothes was still sitting there, damp and radiating that soft, sweet scent.

A sharp wave of hesitation hit Vance. Part of him wanted to spill the truth right now, to tell Theo that he already knew, that he had spent the afternoon with her. But as he looked at Theo’s intense, determined face, a cold realization struck him.

No, Vance thought, his heart sinking. If I tell him now, he’s going to step in, and it’s going to ruin all my chances. Travis already hates me. If Theo starts pushing her too, she’s going to run away, and think I told him. I can’t risk this. I don’t even know her real name yet!

Vance immediately jumped off his bed, thrusting his hands out and walked to Theo. "Brother, you are being completely ridiculous! There is no way Travis is our fated mate! That is literally impossible!"

Theo glared at him, crossing his arms. "It’s not impossible! In fact, I’m thinking about going back to his room to ask him directly right now!"

"No! Don’t do that!" Vance shouted, grabbing Theo by his shoulders. "Don’t do that!"

Theo blinked, utterly confused by the violent reaction. "What is wrong with you?"

Vance scrambled for an excuse, his brain working overtime. "You know... it’s best if, instead of embarrassing yourself, you do an investigation first! What about that? Keep an eye on him. Investigate. And then, if he really is our fated mate, we can do a complete three-sixty on our behavior toward him! Because come on, Theo... we have a terrible track record with Travis."

Theo paused, his expression shifting as Vance’s words sank in. "So..." Theo finished the thought, a slow smile breaking across his face, "...we can get in his good graces first?"

"Yes!" Vance urged, nodding furiously. "So don’t confront the matter yet, and definitely don’t let him know that you suspect anything!"

Theo stared at Vance for a second, then slapped his hand onto Vance’s shoulder. "Genius!"

Vance let out a breathless laugh, pushing Theo toward the entrance. "Okay, great. Now get out of my room."

He shoved Theo out into the hallway and quickly slammed the heavy wooden door shut. Vance backed away, pressing both hands over his racing heart.

"That was a close call," Vance whispered, leaning his head against the wood. "I need to win over her heart before I fumble... or before Theo fumbles everything for both of us."

He scrambled back over to his bed, snatched his phone off the mattress, and re-opened the article.

Step One: Find out what she likes.

Vance stared at the glowing screen, his eyes narrowing with fierce determination. "I have to do this. And I will get this done."