I Like Him. I Hate Her.

After Xylia's encounter with Aciel on the rooftop, she always had her eyes on him. Chelsea noticed it but kept quiet, thinking it would eventually subside.

Three weeks had passed, but Xylia was still observing Aciel. His friends also noticed that she was always looking at him.

"You like him?" Chelsea asked her.

She sighed and nodded while looking at Aciel sitting on the other side of the cafeteria with his friends.

Her friends were surprised that she didn't deny about liking Aciel. They glanced at each other and saw the same reaction. They were worried about Xylia.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Aciel was also being questioned about Xylia.

"Hey Aciel, I think the Antonov princess likes you. I always see her staring at you. It's too obvious." Simon, Aciel's best friend, teased him.

He smirked and glanced at Xylia. He caught her looking at him, then suddenly turned her face away when she saw him looking.

"Do you like her? She's like a princess, a perfect girl for you." Simon asked.

"Why do you like that guy? He has a bad reputation. He's not suited for you." Chelsea commented.

Xylia looked at Aciel again, and she was surprised to see him still staring at her. She knew her friends were worried about her, but what could she do about her feelings? She couldn't stop herself from liking Aciel.

He wasn't a perfect guy and maybe not the right man for her. He was a rebellious young man with piercings and tattoos. He was feared by many, but she didn't care about all of it. She liked Aciel just the way he was.

Xylia looked into Chelsea's eyes while Aciel snickered and looked at Simon.

"I don't know. I like him for being imperfect." Xylia answered.

"No. I hate her for being so perfect." Aciel answered.

A burst of loud laughter from the other side echoed in the cafeteria, catching everyone's attention. It was Simon's laugh. Everyone looked at the Aciel's group, but they didn't care if they were laughing so hard.

"Xylia, you have to do your job as the student council president and stop daydreaming. Aciel and his friends should stop disturbing the students' break time." Naomi said in annoyance.

Xylia's reaction changed. She stood up and walked towards Aciel's group, followed by the other members of the student council.

"Please keep your voices down. I understand this is a cafeteria, not the library, but you're still disturbing the other students." Xylia said in a serious tone.

Yes, she liked Aciel, but that wasn't an excuse to avoid a warning from her. She didn't even glance at Aciel when she left the cafeteria with her friends.

"I thought she likes you. But I guess not." Chris commented.

"I think that annoying bitch really likes you, Aciel."

Aciel frowned. He didn't know who that was, so she turned around to see who had just joined in their conversation. It was Heather, another spoiled rich kid who acted like she owned the school.

He didn't say anything and was planning to ignore her, but Heather was not done yet. She stood up and bravely sat at the boys' table.

"Wanna bet?"

Aciel couldn't take Heather's scent. He left her friends who were making a bet on him and Xylia. He didn't care about it, so he walked out of the cafeteria and went to the rooftop to be alone.

He passed by the student council's room and saw Xylia cleaning the top of the bookshelf. She was turned the other way and didn't notice he was there. He looked at her from head to toe and admitted she was sexy and hot.

She was putting the books and was having a hard time reaching the top, so he decided to help her.

Xylia was startled when a man suddenly appeared behind her. He was holding the books she wanted to return to the bookshelf, but it felt like he was holding her hand.

"T-Thank you." She whispered.

When she turned around, her eyes widened to see Aciel standing in front of her. He was just a few inches away, making her heart skip. She tilted her chin up, surprised to see him staring at her.

Aciel's one hand was holding the books while the other was touching the shelf, making it look like he was cornering her.

"Your eyes. They're like emeralds." He blurted.

"Are they bad?" She asked.

He shook his head, then slightly smiled. "No. They're pretty."

She blushed, hearing a compliment from her. "T-Thank you."

He didn't say anything and returned the books and left the room. Xylia was stunned and couldn't believe what had happened. She bit her lips, stopping herself from smiling.

"What happened to you?" Chelsea asked.

Xylia didn't notice her friend's arrival. Chelsea saw her staring blankly, biting her lips and trying not to smile.

"Did something happen to you and that jerk?" Chelsea asked again.

Xylia looked at her best friend, who looked so worried. She didn't want to keep something from her, so she took Chelsea's hand and dragged her to sit with her on the couch. Then she started telling Chelsea about her encounter with Aciel on the rooftop and his compliment earlier.

"Xylia, to be honest, I don't like him for you. He clearly dislikes you, and then he suddenly barged in here telling you that your eyes are pretty? I don't believe that." Chelsea ranted.

Xylia sighed. "Hey, I know you're worried about me. But you don't need to. Yes, I like him, but I'm not interested in having a relationship with him. It wouldn't happen anyway. Like what you said, he dislikes me."

"Are you sure? I'm sorry if I can't support your feelings for that guy. I just don't trust him."

"And what's your reason?"

"I don't know. There's something strange about him that I can't explain. It's something dark. I felt like he's hiding something." Chelsea answered.

Aciel was standing by the door outside the room and heard the girls' conversation. He started to walk away with a malicious smile on her face.