It was around 4 pm when the meeting ends. Althea was immensely grateful for the smooth meeting that it could end earlier than planned.
Done with the important meeting and only having one event left after the exam, Althea felt her burden lifted. The exhaustion wouldn't go away that fast, obviously, but it was a good sign to start her recovery.
She would only need to focus on her studies after this, listen to her mother's wishes, settle the issues with Ray, and her life would be back to normal.
A normal, peacefully caged life.
Althea wanted to roll her eyes at her own thought but figured she should still keep her image for now.
"Lucas, can I go home first?" Althea asked as she gathered her stuff. The meeting had ended but the student council members were still chilling and talking in the room. Their days of being a member will end soon, after all.
"Aww. Why not join us here for some time? Did your mother tell you to go home?" Lucas asked, the boys who talked around him also turned their head to Althea.
"Oh, no. I just wanna go to my class for awhile." Althea smiled and waved her hand before Lucas could ask why.
Althea entered her classroom which was void of students and sat on her usual seat before opening her laptop.
Right after the meeting, Althea asked Ray to make time for a video call while she has time at school.
She could save up the little quota she had and wouldn't need to worry about her mother listening in, after all.
Checking herself out through the camera, she nodded in satisfaction as she at least seemed tidy.
Althea looked at the clock, half an hour should be fine before going home.
She dialed Ray's contact and waited in anticipation to make things right again.
"Hello, Ray." Althea beamed as soon as Ray's image appeared on the screen. His head was lowered as he read something and he was wearing his usual black shirt, making Althea wonder if he doesn't have any other color except monochrome.
"Hey, dear." Ray replied, still writing something in his book before putting it down and look up.
"Oh my God, dear. You look so bad." Althea exclaimed as soon as she saw Ray's face. He used to have dark eyebags due to insomnia but this time it looks even worse. Althea could see clear signs of fatigue from his complexion and her heart ached from the sight.
"Yeah? I guess." Ray sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes closed for awhile before opening.
"How much did you sleep yesterday?"
"Don't know. Not much I guess." Ray leaned back on his chair. Althea wondered if he didn't feel sore all over, sitting that way for long hours.
"Dear, you should get some rest. It's not good for your body. And it won't do you good if you're exhausted when studying." Althea tapped her camera a few times, wanting to really knock some sense into this guy's mind.
"I can't dear. The time is too limited and I can't-- we can't afford to fail." Ray rubbed his eyes before yawning.
"Still, dear. It's not right to do it this way. You know how harmful it is too. What if you pass out from the burden?" Althea continued her persuasion, a slight annoyance which she doesn't usually feel nagging on the back of her mind.
Is this how he felt when she didn't listen as well?
"I don't have a choice dear. The consequences are too much to bear." Ray replied. His finger scrolled the screen, and what he said next made Althea realized what he was checking, "Break ends in 5 minutes." He said.
"What? But I thought we would have half an hour." Althea whined.
"Dear, I sacrificed my time for cooking and working out for study and I felt like that's not enough yet. Even the time I spend talking to you is something I had to work hard for. Please understand."
"Okay, dear." Althea sighed and nodded her head as disappointment engulfed her.
Her mind thought over her aim for talking today and renewed her will.
"So, umm... Dear. About the things from before..." Althea started. Ray visibly scrunched his eyebrows, disliking where this is going.
"Which one?" Ray still asked, though.
"Well... All of them. The one about my costume, I really didn't have a choice." Althea said and saw Ray nodded his head silently.
"And the one about my meals and stuff, I think I'll try to start it by tomorrow."
"Whatever, dear. I'm done with trying to convince those who don't listen." Ray said. His tone was flat as always, but it made Althea felt suffocated.
A pang of guilt and something more she couldn't identify made themselves known, and she absolutely dislike the feeling.
"It's not that I don't listen, dear. I just really can't." a sudden thought popped up and Althea added, "Just like how you can't help but still be focused on your studies despite me telling you to rest."
Althea almost regretted saying that last line as she saw Ray's lips turned into a thin line.
He might not like it, but it's true, isn't it?
"And about the boys," Althea continued before her will to speak up withered, "I wish for you to reconsider."
'I said it.'
"No." Ray's answer was immediate.
Now it's Althea's turn to scrunched up her brows.
"Why not? I just ask you to be more tolerant of it. I will never cheat on you, dear." Althea persuaded.
"It's not about whether you will cheat on me or not, Thea." Ray looked at her with his tired eyes, "It's just that I can't bear the thought of you being close to other boys than me."
Althea wasn't really sure what to say next, "But still, isn't it too much to restrict me from my friends?"
Althea was too focused on Ray that she didn't notice the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty room and soon a manly voice sounded.
"Thea, I'm glad you're still here. What are you doing?" Lucas got close to Althea in just a few steps and peeked on her screen before she could scramble to close the call.
Ray's menacing glare was what she saw last and her heart grew wary of a bad premonition.