“If I didn’t know any better, it seems as though you enjoy talking about and looking at me more than you say you hate it…”

Were the words that left Alhaitham’s mouth and left you a baffled mess, face red. Just how could he insinuate such a thing?! Sure, you tended to rant about him to your peers a lot—mostly about how insufferably smug he was, how he always thinks he’s above others, his stupidly smug yet handsome face, his strong biceps that look “fake” to you (despite how much you’d gawk at them when he wasn’t looking), that infuriating way he bites his lower lip when focused—which Kaveh’s still unsure how you noticed till this day—the way his oddly tight shirt would cling to his body, bringing out his abs which you always claimed you found vulga—

At that point, your friends had already left, disturbed by how much you notice about him, and how intimate it gets the more you keep talking about him. It’s part of the reason why Kaveh barely rants about him with you anymore as you jump from burning-hatred to “i wanna kiss his stupid face so bad” .

But of course, your mindless rants about him just had to end up having said person overhear them when he walked in at the wrong moment, his shadow practically illuminating you as you froze after also taking notice of that familiar, insufferably-good that makes you want to smell it more, cologne…The Acting Grand Sage was standing right behind you, having heard all your passive-aggressive compliments about him and how he makes you want to tear your hair out. As if that part wasn’t obvious enough.

Though, the other parts did make him curious…

“You sounded almost absolutely infatuated with me instead of frustrated with me like you keep insisting you were…I’m flattered that you even think I’m strong.”

You didn’t miss the way his teal eyes flickered down to your lips.