TEMPORARY FIX | Shirbert

Chapter IV

College is stressful, no matter how much you loved what you were studying there are times when you start to consider if all this trouble was worth it. Right now was one of those moments. Anne has been trying for the last ten minutes to print the text she needs for her classical greek class and the printer keeps making weird noises and showing the message: ERROR!!

It does not make sense. The guy that was using it just before her, printed his stuff perfectly. Why is it not working for her? Life is so unfair.

Ugh

This day has been bad enough already.

She was late for class because her alarm did not go off. Gilbert did not plug in her phone before he left last night, not that he had to but he should have, so her phone died in the middle of the night. Thankfully, Diana barged into her room looking for a shirt to borrow and woke her up. Anne only had time to get dressed quickly and grab an apple. She ate it on her way to class, but usually, she has a pretty decent breakfast to survive until lunchtime, but today she only had an apple. That is why when she was in the middle of her second to last class, the teacher had turned around to write something on the board and the class was completely quiet, her stomach growled, making almost every pair of eyes in the classroom turn to look at her.

Then, Gilbert invited her to have lunch with him and he did not apologize for forgetting to plug in her phone (“You didn’t tell me I had to, how was I supposed to know!”). She forgave him eventually, even though he did not do anything. Oh, and then the sandwich she ordered specifically without tomatoes came with… guess what? TOMATOES.

Now the printer is not working, this day could not get worse.

“Need help, babe?”

Or it could.

Why of all people? Why? What did she do to deserve this? This day has been horrible and now she had to face the last person she wanted to see…ever.

“No, Royal”

“You sure?”

“Yes”

“Cause I’ve been watching you for a while and you still haven’t printed anything” He moved from behind her so she could see his face, but she kept her eyes in the printer.

“Maybe I just want to keep the machine company” Anne retorted.

Royal laughed, and quickly covered his mouth. Some time ago Anne would have found that endearing, she knows he hates his laugh and that is why he covers his mouth every time a treacherous laugh leaves his mouth without his permission and control. Now she just finds it ridiculous.

“That’s cute, come on, babe, let me help you,” Royal said, reaching for her hand to—who even knows… move it to one of the buttons perhaps?

“Don’t touch me!” Anne snapped, quickly realizing she is in a library full of people “and stop calling me babe” she said, lowering her voice.

“Why?”

“Only Gilbert can call me that” It was a stupid excuse, he did not call her that. Both of them had agreed they were not going to be that couple that calls each other babe or baby.