Luca looked up from his notes to stretch when he noticed what Gabriel was reading.
"You finally got one?" he asked.
"Pharmaceutical Compounding and Dispensing by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. You were searching for the collector's edition, right?"
Gabriel looked at him before looking down at the book in his hand, then nodded, "Yes, got it yesterday."
"Even my family was having difficulties searching for an available copy," Luca commented, referring to his family, the Lockhart Family.
Gabriel blinked, stunned to hear that Luca was searching for it as well.
"Do you need it?" he asked.
Luca stared blankly at first before he started laughing a bit too loudly, causing the librarian and the other students in the library to turn to him.
"Sorry," he immediately apologized before turning to Gabriel.
"I noticed that you were searching for it, so I thought I should help you. I asked my family to look for it for you," he explained.
Gabriel stared at him for a while.
"Why do you look so surprised when we are friends?" Luca furrowed his brows.
Gabriel smiled, "You are too kind to everyone. Sometimes I forget that I am your friend."
Luca was taken aback.
"No offense meant. You are my friend," Gabriel elaborated, his voice filled with sincerity.
His meaning was simple.
It doesn't matter how Luca acts, he will remain his friend. Not because of his background, but because of his kindness, even though it was also something that made Gabriel wonder just to what extent Luca's kindness could go.
At the same time, just like what he thought about Harmony, Luca is someone worth getting close to.
"I see," Luca commented after a while.
He knew how excessive his kindness could get, something Harmony had been pointing out all this time. Even his aunt was already talking to him about it.
But somehow, he had no desire to change. He was enjoying the way he was.
Gabriel did not push through with his opinion either.
Unless Luca showed how his own kindness pained him, Gabriel would let him be.
That would be the support he would give him, hoping silently that he wouldn't get too hurt by it.
"Anyway, this was given by Harmony," Gabriel returned to the topic.
Luca looked at him, a bit stunned, "Harmony?"
Gabriel told him what happened over the weekend.
Luca nodded, "It seems that she really is carrying a lot of burdens."
"Even so, the way she responded to the situation, I think I understand what you mean…"
Luca looked at him.
Gabriel smiled, "Harmony is someone worth befriending."
Luca had a blank look for a while before he slowly opened his lips.
"…Have you… fallen for her?"
Gabriel suddenly choked on nothing.
How long had it been since he lost composure?
He glared at Luca, who could only purse his lips at how cold his glare was.
He could only hand him a bottle of water.
After he calmed down, Gabriel gave him another sharp glare.
"Where did you get that thought?"
"Well, this is the very first time I heard you speak in such a way towards a girl. I mean, even towards Beatrice and Kathrine, you never said a single thing about getting close. You just go along with us," Luca explained himself, suddenly fearing for his life.
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
For the whole day, it seemed their group's trademark was rolling their eyes.
"I just find her likable but not to the point of falling for her or even liking her as a woman," he could only explain, despite not wanting to do so.
He shook his head before returning to his book, no longer wanting to communicate with this person who was jumping to such absurd conclusions.
Luca could only return to his own studies.
He was just commenting; he did not expect to suddenly experience the arctic wind blowing inside the library.
…
The next day, Harmony found herself holding another script with an expectant Beatrice in front of her.
Beside them was Kathrine who had simply tagged along.
'Why does this scene seem familiar?' she wondered before looking down at the script and then back at Beatrice.
"Uhmmm, that is my audition piece for a theater group in Juilliard," Beatrice slowly explained.
Harmony waited for what she wanted to say next.
"That is… can you help me with the character I have to portray?"
"Not that I am declining, but why me?"
Kathrine couldn't help but sigh upon hearing Harmony's response.
It was the complete opposite of how she reacted to Beatrice after the play.
'We really are closer to her now.'
Then she remembered how she treated Harmony back then.
'I really wish I could get in a time machine and hit the back of the head of my past self. How dare I treat her that way?'
"Your acting was definitely something else. I want to really do well on this," Beatrice replied.
Harmony looked straight into her eyes.
She could see determination, but there was also fear.
For someone who had shown enjoyment and love for acting, to show such fear was quite unusual.
Entering a good theater group in an acting school could be a good foundation for fully starting her career as an actress.
Harmony squinted her eyes when she noticed something else in Beatrice's eyes.
"It feels like I am looking at my reflection," she commented.
"Huh?" Beatrice was bewildered.
Harmony shook her head, "Nothing. Very well, we can try and see but do not expect too much. I am not a director."
Beatrice's smile widened, while her eyes brightened, "Thank you."
***Author's notes: This is a world of fiction. Even if there are real-life things mentioned, how they were portrayed will be different just like the Pharmaceutical Compounding and Dispensing by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Collector's Edition) that was mentioned to be difficult to obtain. I don't know how many copies are out there now but in this world, it is limited… ^_^