Zara thought tutoring Ace Ryder would be a one-week nightmare. It was turning out to be a full-blown semester-long punishment from the gods.
Week two of their academic pairing, and he was already testing every fiber of her self-control.
"You were supposed to read chapters four to six," she said, tapping her highlighter on the table as they sat in the back corner of the library. "Not just skim the headings and pretend you magically absorbed knowledge."
"I did absorb something," Ace said, stretching like he was on a yacht instead of in a dusty study cubicle. "The way you chew your pen cap when you're frustrated? Top-tier entertainment."
Zara threw the pen down. "We've been sitting here for thirty minutes and you haven't even opened your book!"
"I'm more of a visual learner," he said smoothly. "Maybe you could act out the chapter for me?"
She glared. "Do you want to pass this course or not?"
"Debatable," he said, flipping through the textbook lazily. "Honestly, the only reason I'm here is because Jake said if I flunk out, I'll be 'damaging my image as a multidimensional artist.' Whatever that means."
Zara blinked. "You know… normal students go to university because they want an actual degree. Not because their manager told them to."
Ace grinned. "And yet here we are. Worlds colliding."
She stood up abruptly. "If you're not serious, I'm done."
But before she could walk away, he reached out and gently tugged at her sleeve.
"Wait," he said, voice softer than before. "Okay, okay. I'll try."
Zara hesitated. For a second, he didn't sound like a celebrity. He sounded like a regular guy, trying to figure things out. She sighed and sat back down.
"Fine," she muttered. "We'll start from chapter four. Just... focus."
"Scout's honor," he said, holding up two fingers.
"Have you ever even been a scout?"
"Nope," he said cheerfully, and opened his book.
---
Thirty minutes later...
To Zara's surprise, Ace actually was paying attention. He asked questions—silly ones, sure—but he was trying. And when he got something right, he'd flash that boyish grin like he'd just won a Grammy.
It was... distracting.
She tried not to notice the way he tapped his pencil when he was thinking, or how he squinted slightly while reading, like he was still adjusting to the normalcy of being in a classroom instead of on stage.
"So," he said, flipping a page, "why Literature? Why not, I don't know... something less poetic?"
Zara shrugged. "Books don't lie. They don't ghost you, or post you for clout, or dump you because you're not shiny enough for their TikTok aesthetic."
Ace raised a brow. "Wow. That was oddly specific."
"Sorry," she said, not really sorry. "I just like things that make sense. Stories, characters, structure."
He tilted his head. "And people don't?"
"People are unpredictable."
He nodded slowly. "Touché."
---
Later that night...
Jake scrolled through his emails in their off-campus apartment and glanced over his laptop. "How's campus life?"
Ace flopped onto the couch. "Horrible. Lecturers speak in riddles. The chairs are hard. And Zara thinks I'm an idiot."
Jake chuckled. "Well, you are trying to keep your pop star status a secret."
"I'm starting to think she might be the only person who hasn't figured it out yet," Ace muttered. "Which is weird. Refreshing, but weird."
Jake looked up. "You like her."
Ace grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "I'm just saying. She's different. She doesn't care that I'm Ace Ryder. She probably wouldn't even care if I was a lizard."
Jake smirked. "Liking someone normal, huh? Maybe you are growing up."
Ace groaned. "Kill me now."
---
Meanwhile...
Zara sat on her bed, staring at her notebook. Mimi was painting her nails bright pink and humming Ace Ryder's latest single.
"You sure you don't wanna go to the welcome-back bonfire tonight?" Mimi asked.
Zara shook her head. "Crowds make me itchy."
"Okay, grandma," Mimi teased. "Don't come crying when I meet my future husband by the marshmallows."
Zara didn't reply. She was too busy thinking about how Ace had actually paid attention today. How he had smiled at her like she was a puzzle he was eager to solve.
It was dangerous, this weird tension. He was a celebrity, even if she pretended he wasn't. And she was just… Zara.
Just the girl who lived off instant noodles and highlighted books for fun.
She sighed and buried her head in her pillow.
---
The next day...
Professor Bello stopped them after class.
"I'll need your mid-semester projects in two weeks," he said. "You'll work on them in pairs. Topic: 'Love and Identity in Modern Fiction.'"
Zara froze.
Ace beamed. "Sounds fun."
Zara slowly turned her head toward him. "We're literally doing a paper on love?"
"Don't worry," he said, winking. "I have lots of experience pretending to be in love."
Zara muttered, "God help me."
Ace leaned closer. "You know... you might end up liking me."
She looked him dead in the eyes. "Highly unlikely."
But Ace just grinned again, like he knew something she didn't.