In the realm of humans...
"Have you finished all your admission paperwork?" Liam inquired of Lea as they made their way back to class.
At the mention of paperwork, Lea halted in her tracks. "Oh, I completely forgot. I need to sign a few papers at the admin block today to get my ID."
"I'll join you in a bit. You go ahead," Lea attempted to head towards the admin block, but Liam intervened.
"Wait... The freshmen will have formed a long line by now. It'll take the whole day just for that one task," Liam reasoned. "I know someone there; we'll get it done quickly."
"But the class—" Lea began, but Liam cut her off.
"It's just the second day. Not much is happening in class, and this is the least I can do to show my gratitude for your help and for forgiving me," Liam insisted.
"Lea, let him come with you. It'll be faster," Rayan chimed in.
After a moment of consideration, Lea relented. Together, she and Liam headed towards the admin block, while the others returned to class.
At the admin block...
"Finally done. So exhausting! Now I won't have time for lunch, and class starts soon," a tired and irritated-looking guy exited the admission office, clearly a bookish type with his neatly pressed attire, buttoned-up shirt, transparent glasses, and meticulously combed hair.
Seeing him grumble to himself, Lea couldn't help but laugh.
Startled by her laughter, the guy turned towards her with surprise, then approached. "Hey, Lea! You're studying here too?" he asked, adjusting his glasses with a broad smile.
"Hi, Will. Good to see you. Yes, I'll be studying here," Lea replied with a smile. "Looks like someone isn't thrilled about stepping out of their comfort zone."
"Not at all. Been in line since morning to get this paperwork done, and it took ages. I'm just annoyed thinking about how much I could've accomplished in that time," Will vented.
"Are you done with yours? If not, I pity you. The line's moving at a snail's pace," Will added.
"No need to worry," Liam, who had been overlooked until then, spoke up.
Startled, Will turned towards him. Lea, feeling a twinge of guilt for neglecting Liam, shot him an apologetic glance, which he acknowledged with a smile and a blink.
Without delay, she introduced them. "Will, meet Liam, my classmate. Liam, this is William, my brother's best friend's younger brother."
After a brief exchange, both men nodded and exchanged handshakes.
Suddenly, Will checked his watch, speaking hurriedly. "Look at the time! I'm late for class again. Can't afford to miss another one," he exclaimed, giving Lea a quick hug and bidding Liam farewell before dashing off to complete his task.
For some reason, Liam felt a pang of discomfort seeing Will hug Lea. He couldn't quite explain the surge of irritation towards Will or the feeling of being overlooked. It puzzled him. His reverie was interrupted by Lea addressing him.
"So, what's the plan? What should we do?" she asked.
"Nothing. We'll just wait," Liam replied.