KASHIN|| DK|| DANYA KASHIN

continued in the protocol

The heat in the library was unbearable. Danil, as always, sat in the farthest corner, lined with shelves of dusty organic chemistry reference books. A mountain of textbooks towered before him, and he, hunched over, was busily copying something into a thick notebook. He was a classic botanist, immersed in his own world of formulas and equations, where noisy groups and mean jokes were just annoying white noise.

She stood by the entrance, leaning against the doorframe and watching him. Her group, lounging on a bench in the hallway, cast impatient glances her way. The bet was stupid, but there was good money at stake. She had to make this bespectacled man fall in love with her. In just a month. For her, the queen of sarcasm and Danil's chief tormentor, it was a challenge.

Taking a deep breath and plastering on her most innocent smile, she headed toward his desk. Each step she took echoed through the quiet room, like the thud of her boots. He raised his head, pushing his glasses up his nose, and recognition flashed in his eyes, which usually expressed only indifference or slight resignation. It was immediately followed by tension.

“Hello, Danil, ” her voice sounded disgustingly sweet. “Am I disturbing you?”

He didn't reply, only gripped his pen a little tighter. He was used to her appearance being a bad omen. Usually, her "hello" was followed by a caustic joke about his clothes or how his girlfriend was only from anime.

"I... I'm completely confused about chemistry here, " she bit her lip, feigning confusion . "About the hybridization of atomic orbitals. You're the only one here who understands it."

She saw his suspicion warring with surprise. She, the same girl who yesterday in front of everyone compared his backpack to the shell of a mutant turtle, was asking him for help. This was something new.

“Well… sit down, ” he squeezed out, moving a stack of books. His voice was quiet and hoarse from the long silence.

That was the beginning. Day after day, she honed her skills.

That was the beginning. Day after day, she honed her craft. She'd sit next to him in the cafeteria, ignoring the giggles of her friends at the next table. She'd ask him stupid questions, listening attentively to his confusing, jargon-filled explanations, and pretending to be interested. She even "defended" him a couple of times when one of her friends, out of habit, tried to make fun of him. Her cover story was simple: she'd matured, she'd grown tired of the dumb company, and she'd seen something genuine in him, in the quiet and intelligent Danil. And it worked.

At first, he shied away, expecting a trick at any second. Then his defenses cracked. She saw his eyes light up when he told her about his favorite astrophysics subject. She saw him begin to smile—timidly, distrustfully, but sincerely. He began to fix his hair before she approached, and once he brought her a chocolate bar, quietly placing it on her desk. This was his currency—small, awkward tokens of affection that were worth more than any loud confession.

The month was drawing to a close. Her company was rushing for a denouement, wanting a spectacle. She'd almost won. This evening he was supposed to invite her to a real meeting, a lecture at the planetarium. He just needed to put an end to it.

He was waiting for her in the library. When he saw her, he stood up, nervously fiddling with two tickets in his hands.

“I… I’m glad you came, ” he began, his voice shaking. “You know, all these weeks… I never thought that someone like you… could see someone in me… I was so wrong about you. You’re amazing.”

THC: STOPPED CRAP LINK TO THC: https://t.me/ykurenayashval