Puzzled

"Why the hurry?" Veron questioned, but when he saw the frown on her face as she wanted to answer, he mistook it for annoyance and changed his words. "It's alright. I understand. I'll inform the driver."

"Thank you." Karina smiled brightly at him, a smile that brought a great level of satisfaction to his heart. It was that genuine smile that she had been giving everyone else except him. He had been waiting for the day she would offer him that free, straight-from-the-heart smile, and getting it now made him let go of the pain of her announcement.

She wasn't going away forever; neither was she going somewhere he wouldn't get access to. It was just school. He would still get to see her every day, after all, they still had their research to complete.

Pushing himself off the chair, he approached her, prompting her to stand up as well.