Enclosed Heart, Hidden Treasures
Part Two: Cookies Anyone...?

20-05-12
Author's Note: Here is story four, part two, of the five mini-stories that I'm writing. The characters are derived from the Gundam Wing Anime (meaning they aren't mine) except for the teacher, students, and Thaliah. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as the other stories!

Two weeks later:

Thaliah drummed her fingers on the table as she once again scanned the overpopulated cafeteria for a certain brown haired figure.

Her lips pursed together as she tried to hold down her frustration.

'Two weeks… Two weeks and that… that clown of a teacher is still not here! What? Doesn't he eat lunch or something? No wonder he's so thin! Geez! When I see that bozo… I'll… I'll… Ooohhhhh!'

Mr. Grayson saw Thaliah drumming her fingers in frustration, with eyes blazing a sign of "Kill!"

Clucking his tongue in worry, he ambled towards her.

"Wonder what got her so steamed up." He muttered as he noticed yet one more 'Thaliah-is-angry-expression' that her brother has described.

Fearing an explosion from Thaliah (knock on wood) Grayson put on a smile and got ready to try putting out the fire raging in Thaliah…

"Hello Thaliah." He said cheerfully as he placed his cup in front of him.

Thaliah glanced up and half smiled, "Good afternoon, Mr. Grayson… What brings you to my table?"

Thinking that it would be better if truthful, Grayson answered, "I noticed that you're about to explode- and I want to know the reason why."

Thaliah innocently widened her eyes and pointed to herself, "Me? Mr. Grayson, how can you think that I'd act so stupidly?" she said in a condensing tone.

"Don't play innocent with me young lady. You forget, I fell for that once, I'm not falling for it again… (Grayson glanced at his plate and started pouring cream on his coffee) Now what got you so hankered up?"

No answer…

Grayson looked up and noticed that Thaliah wasn't even listening to him. She seems to be leaning backward at some conversation at the other table…

And, figuratively speaking, he could see her ears grow longer! Frowning, he leaned forward and was able to catch some of the conversation.

"… Yeah, just go down that road by the forest. The classroom he uses is different."

Grayson saw Thaliah's corner lip go up, and her eyes twinkling… 'Ahhh… So that's what it is, eh?' he thought roguishly.

"Is it that small building by the clearing?"

"Yep, that's his classroom… Of course he has an office…"

Grayson saw Thaliah put more weight to the backrest of the chair. 'Hope you won't fall down now Thaliah… That would be embarrassing…' he thought as he pictured Thaliah's arms flailing in the air. Grayson almost laughed.

"… it's just down the East hall, right before that corner exit, but he spends more time in his classroom… Not that I could blame him." The student said cheerfully.

The conversation went on, but Thaliah tuned out of it to look at Grayson and smile sweetly,

"You were saying, Mr. Grayson?" she said in an almost sing song voice, all anger completely gone.

Grayson let the question hang in midair as he sipped his coffee and look at Thaliah teasingly from over the brim of the cup.

"The cat is out of the bag, Thaliah…" he chuckled.

One of Thaliah's brow went up, questioning him, "Hmmm? I don't think I know what you meant."

Grayson stood up, getting ready to leave, "Be careful when you listen to other peoples' conversation Thaliah, you almost fell just a while ago."

He saw Thaliah's face start turning red and he laughed softly, "You could've asked me you know." With that said, he left a very red faced Thaliah with her head bent down over her plate so that no one else will notice her embarrassment.

Thaliah's hand closed around the cold metal knob to Trowa's office.

"Oh God what the heck am I doing here…?" She muttered to herself, as she breathed calming breaths to herself…

Why she had been so deliriously happy when she learned where his office was located at, and why she felt so angry at him when she didn't see him for the past weeks, was a complete mystery to her.

She looked down at the small package wrapped in a clear bag with ribbons tying it together. "Ooohhh! Why did I bother doing this?" she asked herself, trying to buy time not to go inside the office.

She was thinking of the fencing event once again, and unconsciously, she had started baking small batches of different kinds of cookies. That's when she got this crazy idea to give some to Trowa…

"Oh, get a life Thaliah! You specifically made these cookies for him and you know it!" she muttered softly to as she tried to steady her trembling legs.

'God! I don't even know if he'll like these…' Thaliah's eyes went round with worry, 'What if he doesn't even like cookies and he just throws this away?'

A feeling of sadness so strong that came with this thought made Thaliah bite her lower lip and frown in worry. 'This is a bad idea…' she looked left then right, 'I have to get out of here…' she thought as she started to edge away from the door, sliding her back to the wall until she reached the corner.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she thought of the door just around the corner that will lead her to her freedom!

Jumping away from the corner, she ran to the solid metal door as if being chased by a pack of wild dogs, and then pushed the door with her body weight.

'Yes! Freedom!' Her mind cried out in joy.

BANG!

Her mind swirled with a kaleidoscope of colors, stars and blinding white background!

She felt her knees buckle and she slid down the floor.

Her thoughts were all in a jumble… And before she passed out, she thought,

'What… happened…? The… door… it didn't open… did it…?'

Trowa grasped at the metal railing by the steps as he tried to control for balance. He grimaced in pain as he willed his head to focus and to drive away the stars he's seeing when that bloody hell of a door opened so suddenly, nearly knocking him down!

He had been thinking of her again… and had let his guard down for the inevitable, -like being hit on the head by a solid steel door- Dammit! That hurts!

His hand went to his forehead then down to the right side of his face, wincing in pain. The stars faded away, and he could almost see the bruises forming in his mind…

He doesn't really care about that since his hair could easily hide the future bruises, but whoever opened that door is going to pay!

Trowa's eyes turned to slits in anger.

He knew well enough that logically, the person who is to blame will not be hanging around at the site of the crime- damn! But that doesn't stop him from being angry… Somebody could've been seriously hurt! Sure there were only three steps by the stairs before the door, but what if it was one of the older professors who was using this doorway?

His hand closed over the doorknob and he jerked it in full force…

The sight that he encountered quickly made his anger fade away. New and unknown feelings seem to suffocate him as he saw Thaliah's body limp as a rag doll on the floor with a bleeding wound on her forehead.

Kneeling quickly beside her, his hands grazed softly down her neck- there's a pulse and she's still breathing… and then down her body. Slowly and carefully, he placed his hand to her back and gently tried to locate anything that seem to be out of place in her body…

When Trowa finished, he sighed in relief. Unexplainable new feelings once again spread through him, but at least this one wasn't suffocating, rather it was elevating.

He checked his watch and frowned when he noticed that it was past five, knowing that the nurse have already left three hours ago…

So… there's only one logical thing to do… to take her to his office, the nearest one to this door.

He noticed that she's clutching a package of (Trowa's very sure) homemade cookies. He wondered how they taste as he placed her hands on top of her stomach with the bag. Cautiously, he picked her up in his arms, marveling on how light she is and how great it is to feel her in his arms…

Without breaking a sweat, Trowa was able to bring the two of them inside his office and deposit her on the two-seat couch at the left side of his office.

Getting the first aid kit in his desk, he placed it at the floor beside the couch, not wanting to wake her just yet and positioned himself beside it.

'If her breathing becomes irregular, I'm going to wake her up…' But at the moment, with bruises and wounds on her face, Trowa just wanted to look at her innocent and make-up free face…

Trowa started to worry… 'She's been unconscious too long,' he thought as he looked at his watch. 'If she doesn't wake up in two minutes… I'm going to wake her up.'

Suddenly, Trowa heard a slight creak from his sofa. Glancing up at Thaliah, he smiled softly as her face started to show her advancing consciousness.

She stirred, starting to come through… Her package dropped to her side as both hands slowly went up to her forehead.

When Thaliah accidentally touched the wound she didn't know was there, she grimaced in pain and moaned softly.

"Oohhh… what in the world happened to me…?" she wondered out loud, her voice an octave lower and hoarse.

Frowning, she blinked her eyes to readjust to her surroundings. She focused on the ceiling above her as she tried to forget about her seemingly splitting head.

Trowa, still sitting on the floor, next to the couch, was having the time of his life watching the different expressions cross her face, though mostly it was cute expressions of pain like wrinkling her nose and crunching her eyes in the most adorable way.

He saw the way her eyes turned wide with fear as she registered that she is in an unfamiliar office from the few area that she's covered.

'God! Am I kidnapped?!' Thaliah thought wildly for surely she doesn't know these bare walls. 'But… nobody is supposed to know that I'm here…!' her mind cried out.

She palmed the back of her head that seems so heavy at the moment and swung her legs off from the armrest of the couch to land on the floor with her in a sitting position.

"I feel like I've been hit by an eighteen wheeler…" she grumbled.

Her whole world became distorted- the walls appear to bend and there are spots in her visions. She almost lurched forward in a half faint since she couldn't feel her body… But a hand stopped her.

"Careful now… You just woke up." Came that familiar sensuous baritone voice… Thaliah frowned while her eyes kept closed and pieces of the event came back to her.

She groaned in embarrassment and slumped her head forward, her body still supported by Trowa's hands on her shoulders.

"Don't tell me I barraged into you again." She asked in a tone that wants him to tell her that she's wrong.

Trowa didn't answer, rather, once again he felt that turning to be familiar tug of a smile whenever he sees this girl- no woman.

When Thaliah didn't hear Trowa answer, she groaned once again and buried her face in her hands. Then, she looked up at him,

"We've got to stop meeting like this… I don't think my… uh, rump will be able to stand much more of this." She asked, once again, fending off her embarrassment with one of her jokes.

'That's her…' Trowa thought. 'Always with a happy, yet insensible, thought…' he smiled inwardly not knowing why that appealed to him, though his outer façade didn't show any reaction to the humor he felt inside.

Thaliah sighed… Once again one of her jokes failed on him…

Trowa stood up with the first aid kit and sat at the open space beside Thaliah and said, "You have a small wound by your forehead. Let me clean it up for you." He offered, though he doesn't know why. After all, Thaliah is a grown woman, independent enough to be able to take care of a slight wound… But somehow, Trowa wants to do this… With a slight frown of confusion as to why he is doing this, he opened the kit.

A flutter of excitement whooshed through Thaliah at the thought of being taken care by him of all people! And before she could stop herself, she looked at him straight to his gorgeous forest green eyes, loosing herself, and whispered,

"I don't mind at all… Professor Trowa."

Trowa shook his head as he gazed back at Thaliah, "Trowa… please…"

"… Trowa…" repeated Thaliah, almost breathless as she felt herself drowning under his gaze. His eyes remained impassive. But his impassivity added beauty to him… And somehow as she gazed at him, she knew, she felt him… His suffering, pain, hope… Oh Trowa…

He couldn't look away… They say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul… And right now, he could see it. A soul full of innocence, love, and life… Realization fell heavily on Trowa… And sadly, he thought that this is something he can never have, and that he doesn't want her to loose… He broke away from her gaze and cleared his throat.

Thaliah felt a blush creep up to her face and looked down at her hands in embarrassment as Trowa took out cotton balls, betadine, medicinal thongs and a band aide and readied the needed medicines.

Trowa slid a finger under Thaliah's chin and gently pushed her face to look at him, forcing his own eyes not to look into hers. Why does all these action feel so intimate…? He gently brushed her brown bangs from her forehead and held the thong with the cotton ball in place.

"Ready?" he asked, as if not affected by her closeness. He saw her nod then squeeze her eyes shut, creating a cute wrinkle at the bridge of her nose.

"I hate medicines…" Thaliah said in distaste, wrinkling her nose. Once again, Trowa repressed the urge to smile and started patting her wound.

Thaliah felt his breath mingle with hers. 'O God what is wrong with me?!' She thought in anger. Gently, her hands moved and tucked themselves under her legs, suppressing the impulse to embrace the person in front of her.

She was thinking so deeply that she didn't feel the bandage being plastered on her forehead and was startled when she heard his voice once again.

"It's finished. You can open your eyes now."

Slowly, she did and stifled a gasp. The remnants of sunset flowed through the window creating a glow around Trowa. Making his features so delicate, his brown hair, lighter, and yet showing inner power. 'Adonis…' was the first coherent thought in Thaliah's head…

The moment Trowa had stood up and announced that he's done he made the stupid mistake of looking at her. Sunlight that filtered through his window, shining on Thaliah's face. Her light brown wavy hair acquired highlights and she looked so much like an innocent little girl. Her mouth was a bit open, as if shocked in a half gasp and his eyes traced that bowlike upper lip and full lower lip… Her eyes sparkled with laughter and of maturity. Trowa closed his eyes, 'Egad! What is wrong with me?!' he thought in frustration. 'First, I spend my waking moments thinking about the two meetings we've had, and fighting against myself as to whether or not to see her again, and now that I do, I don't even know what I'm going to do!' but his outer demeanor didn't show his inner struggles.

Suddenly, Trowa's thoughts were interrupted.

"Thank you, Trowa…" Thaliah whispered as she looked up at him.

Trowa jerked his head in acceptance, as if he's never been thanked before and doesn't know how to accept it.

Thaliah shifted her weight on the couch and they both heard some crunching sounds. Trowa saw her bite her lip, then her eyes roll in guilt and embarrassment.

"Uh… hahahaha…" embarrassed she fished out the cookies from her side then look at it.

Trowa sat at the edge of his desk, trying to get as far away from her as possible to be able to think why he's reacting to her in such a way.

"What were you doing anyway, Thaliah? You weren't running again were you?"

Crossing her fingers under the folds of her skirt, Thaliah answered, "I was just… er… excited I was finally going home, so I guess… I .. .ah… opened the door too quickly. I mean, I didn't even know anyone was on the other side, it is a solid steel door you know." She said, rather quickly.

Trowa nodded, her explanation reasonable enough, but why does it sound as if she's hiding something? Naah… I'm probably hallucinating…

Then, he saw her hold up both her hands with the bag of delicious looking cookies at the middle. Trowa frowned, Thaliah looked up, mistaking the frown for distaste. But, she's never been the one to back down… I'm the stubborn one in my family. I'm the one they say is courageous among my sisters. I am not backing down! With her mind resolved, she said in her clearest voice,

"These are supposed to be yours." She said as she stood up and went to Trowa and placed it on his desk, beside him. Turning away from him, she continued, "If you don't like it, give it to your students or something." With that said, she marched to the door with head held high and went outside, leaving a confused Trowa at her wake.

Once outside, she leaned to the wall and sighed, all her strength, draining from her. "What in the world is wrong with you, Thaliah?" she whispered to herself. Slowly, she started walking to her rented apartment, just two blocks from the school (but still quite an exercise, if I do say so myself- knowing how large a university is).

As she walked, she tried to reason out her feelings toward Trowa. "I'm probably infatuated. (she snapped her fingers) That's it! I'm suffering from infatuation! He beat me in fencing, a sport I'm very good at, and he seems to not see me at all! He is handsome, and liked by all his students, a good teacher." She frowned in concentration, narrowly missing a ditch.

"Yeah… In actuality, he's just another boring teacher with a good body with the usual average car, with the average salary and average house. He's just good with students and with gymnastics, which is the only thing that is interesting about him."

A couple passed her and looked at her in a scared way, Thaliah didn't notice. Suddenly she stopped. "Wait a minute… How did I get into his office in the first place…?" She suddenly asked to no one in particular… Then, she blushed as the only possible reason crept to her mind, "Oh God! He probably carried me…!" Once again, she felt that uplifting sensation that she tried to quell, "Thaliah- remember, you need to get over this infatuation!" She nodded her head in agreement to herself and resumed walking, not noticing the weird looks people who passed by gave her.

"You don't like him… You don't like him…" she muttered again and again, reciting it as if a prayer. Then a thought struck her mind that made her smile.

"Wait a minute… If I become friends with him… I'll start seeing faults, and he wouldn't appear so perfect anymore! That's right! Friends! This is so perfect! Why didn't I think of this before?!" And with that, her walk showed a little hop, or skip here and there.

Trowa looked at the small package beside him and fingered the colorful ribbons… In all his life, the only other girl who has given him anything is Catherine… A friendship strong enough to help him when he was in need… A home, and acceptance… And, when he left the circus for this university, a piece from her precious set of knives…

And then, receiving a bag of cookies he knows well enough was made from Thaliah's hands… It made him happy, somehow…

Not like it? What made her think that he wouldn't like homemade cookies?

He opened the bag and took out a chocolate chip cookie, biting into it. The velvety taste of chocolate oozed over his tongue and he smiled. "They're right… She is a good cook…" he murmured, bringing out two more cookies and biting into them.

Taking a container from one of his cabinets, he divided the number of cookies evenly. Then, tying the ribbons back to place, he slipped it into his pocket and walked out of the building towards the parking space.

What is it about her that makes him think of her anyway? Why does she always slip into his mind, like water slips through hands?

He reached his sleek black Harley, the latest model, and secured the helmet in place, rubbing the machine with tenderness as if fingering the finest silk… He turned the key and the motor came to life. And then… he cocked his head…

"It's probably because she's very good in fencing… Yes, and because she's a girl… The only one who's beaten me so far is Heero. Quatre's my match, and they're both guys and my friends. She's the first girl. (Trowa nodded) Yes, that's right. It's the only logical reason… If I be-friend her then, ask her for another match, as friends, then, I wouldn't be thinking so much about her! Yes… Of course!"

With that in mind, he leaned forward and let go of the brakes, zooming away from the university, attracting both envious and admiring gazes from other people.

"All right. Let me get this straight, Thaliah." Grayson started as he pushed the book Thaliah is reading down, covering the pages with his hand, "You want to be friends with Trowa so that you can find faults about him?"

Thaliah nodded at the confused man as she interlocked her fingers in front of her, "It's all perfectly reasonable. I need to get him out of my system, so I have to see him more than enough to quell whatever imaginations I have of him, and that way, I'll see his faults and see him as the average man that he is."

The frown deepened on Grayson's brow and his head throbbed with strain as he tried his best to follow Thaliah's so called 'rationale' of her situation. And finally, he sighed, giving up.

"Women and their logic… Who can understand them?!"

Thaliah looked up to the ceiling in response, an action a person shows when giving up in teaching something so simple to another.

"Well, whatever. Whether you understand me or not, at least I understand myself. So let me finish my reading, please. And disturb me when lunch time is over." Thaliah replied, jerking the book out of Graysons' grasp and starting to read once again.

Grayson shook his head and started rubbing his temple. 'Geez! Who can ever understand women?! (he looked at Thaliah at this thought) More so, who can understand Thaliah except her brother?' He still don't know why she's using a false name… Not to mention not saying anything about his brother to the other people here who admires him here…

Grayson suddenly saw a young man by the edge of the cafeteria freezers…

"Heaven's are merciful!" gasped Grayson, "For the first time in over two years, he's inside the cafeteria!" not believing his very eyes as he saw Trowa Barton fish out an orange juice from the open freezer and pay.

So engrossed was Thaliah as she read how the hero confessed his love to the heroine, that she didn't hear Grayson's incredulous comment. She bit her lower lip as she felt tears welling up in her eyes when the heroine finally accepted her love…

"Good afternoon Thaliah."

The book nearly flew out of Thaliah's hand as she heard that unsettling baritone voice. She quickly closed the book, and covered it with her hands. 'No one, and I mean it, no one is ever going to know that I read these things, except Grayson…' she thought.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Grasyon chuckling silently at her demise. 'I swear that he is going to pay for this!' Thaliah thought as she tried to picture her old teacher, and friend, through different ways of torture procedures.

She faced the teacher, standing beside her table and stifled a gasp. Teachers who look like him are supposed to be outlawed! How can anybody think when they have this Adonis facing them?!

Thaliah swallowed her suddenly parched throat and managed to get out a (strained) greeting to him, "Aahh… Good Afternoon to you too, Trowa (Thaliah blushed at the mention of his name) would you like to join us?"

Once again, Thaliah looked at the now red-faced Grayson who is trying for all the world to stop laughing, but seems to be loosing the battle.

"Yes, of course, Professor. The table is hungry for another companion. It's also going to give me a chance to escape Thaliah's growing fury, which I am sure is directed at me." Grayson said, and he saw Thaliah's eyes turn to slits.

Trowa looked from one person to the other, trying to understand what he had missed… Nope, he doesn't understand them at all… He understands one thing though, and Grayson sure is right about it. Thaliah is just about ready to explode. And if he learned one thing from living in the circus under Catherine's supervision, it's that to never get females mad.

He could still remember the time when Duo came over while he had amnesia. Catherine had assured him that she wasn't mad anymore after Duo had left. But later on, he saw her unleashing her fury by throwing knives at a picture of an oz mobile suit. And, he shivered inwardly, most of the knives were stuck at the neck, heart and in between the eyes…

Trowa started to get nervous, but once again, his outer devil may care demeanor didn't show it. No one knew that other than being confident of his skills as an acrobat, and gundam pilot, and now, as a teacher, he wasn't really confident of his communicative skills, except possibly Catherine.

Teaching is different. At least he's on safe grounds, knowing where he stands. A subject he knows, just like discussing strategic war plans, or business plans with friends... But, Thaliah and just acquaintances are a different matter… especially with the different questionable way he's feeling towards her.

Hell! He just wants to get out of here and back to his zero-G classroom. So, gathering up his courage, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I have to decline. I just passed by to (he turned his intense forest green eyes at Thaliah) thank you for your, … uh, gift. They were delicious." He finished, not able to stop the slight lifting at the corner of his lips, but he was able to control it quickly enough.

Thaliah thought she saw the ghost of a smile on Trowa's face once again. But, she just couldn't be too sure. This person is such an enigma… Does he ever laugh? Smile? I wonder what it'll be like…

She felt the warmth spread over her at his compliment, "Thank you." But, then sadness also dampened her mood when she remembered that he will not be joining them. "It's a shame that you wouldn't be able to join us…"

Grayson shook his head. He's pretty much sure that these two had forgotten that he's here. Well, he could just feel the tension between them.

Dang! What is wrong with them? When will they drop the pretense and start talking like normal people and not like the prissy way they're talking right now? I mean, good afternoon is all right, but, 'It's a shame…'? 'I have to decline…'? Jesus! The last time he heard Thaliah being this proper was during her coming out party at the colony! If only they would drop this stupid act…

She's drowning again… Those intense, cold, seemingly unfeeling eyes… Does he even know that he's doing this to her…?

Trowa gulped… That impish innocent face looking up at him… Her hair is once again constrained in a tight ponytail… I wonder how it's going to look if it's down… Maybe she wears it like this so that when she's cooking it wouldn't get in the way…Hmmm… Logical. But the feelings that are getting muddled inside him isn't something he's used to… What is wrong with him?

"I… I have to go." Trowa said, breaking his eye contact with Thaliah.

Thaliah sighed inwardly in disappointment. But forced herself to smile a little.

"Well, thank you for the compliment once again, Trowa."

Trowa nodded and with one last look at Thaliah, then a nod at Grayson, he started walking out of the cafeteria.

Thaliah followed his graceful walk with her eyes, leaning over the table and propping her chin on the palm of her hand.

Grayson looked at Thaliah and shook his head. She's gone in over her head, and she doesn't know it… Well… he's not the one who's gonna tell, although (he got a gleam in his eyes) he'll be the one doing the pushing. For all the world, he knows one thing for certain. Thaliah had better make the first move because if she waits for him, she'll be waiting until she's a hundred years old!

He cleared his throat, "Finished staring, Thaliah?"

Thaliah tried to control the blush that instantly crept to her face, and concentrated on anger that's focused on Grayson.

'Uh-oh…' he knows that look well enough and it doesn't bode well for him…

"Mr. Grayson, you better stop while you're ahead, because if you don't, this little former student of yours is going to tell your little darling of a wife something-" she was cut off by Grayson.

"No!" He looked around and in a calmer tone, he pleaded, "You promised not to tell her what humiliation I went through to get her!"

Thaliah raised an eyebrow and snickered. She had him… "Well, then… I supposed everything is fine…?" she asked, knowing full well that Grayson knew what she meant.

Grayson grumbled an agreement.

"All right then, see you tomorrow." She said as she picked up her bag and book. But before she could step away from the table, Grayson was able to catch her arm.

"What is it?" she asked in frustration.

Grayson looked at her seriously, "A piece of advice from a man…" Grayson waited until he was sure that every nuance of her attention was focused on him,

"Trowa is… different from any one you might've met before. I suggest that if you want to be 'friends' with him, you go and see him today and make small talk while he feels gratitude towards you and your,…uh… gift…"

Thaliah looked at Grayson and surprised herself by understanding what the older man said. But her meeting a lot of other men other than her brother?! Yeah right! Sure! When had she had time for such idyllic emotional ties? She can only dream of it… But, she smiled at Grayson.

"Thanks Grayson, I do appreciate the help…. And you know I wouldn't say what I promised I wouldn't say…"

Grayson looked into her eyes and nodded. She knew what he meant and that's all there is that's needed to be understood. Hopefully, she'll make the most out of it and barge into Trowa's office or classroom today.

He finally let her go and leaned into his chair as he watched her disappear behind the doors.

"Wonder what Maura will think about this… Our little Thaliah all fallin' for a man…" he muttered happily to himself…

(Well, there it is… After a very bad writer's block, I'm finally able to finish it! You know where to write for any comments or criticisms! Take Care!)