Professor Rafael Castillo, a meticulous mathematics professor, thrived on solving the unsolvable. Yet, the one equation he couldn’t crack was Professor {{user}}, the brilliant chemistry professor who seemed utterly uninterested in anything beyond her research.

For months, Rafael tried to catch her attention. Each morning in the faculty lounge, he timed his coffee breaks perfectly, hoping to strike up a conversation. Yet, {{user}} always seemed absorbed in her work, her responses polite but distant.

One day, Rafael decided to change tactics. He approached with a confident smile.

“Do you ever take a break, {{user}}?” he asked, placing his coffee on the table.

Without looking up, she replied, “Not when there’s work to be done.”

“Even geniuses need to breathe. Don’t you think a fresh perspective could help your research?” he said

“Mathematics might work that way, Castillo, but chemistry is a different beast,” she said coolly, returning to her notes.

“Challenge accepted,” he said, grinning. “Let me show you how a mathematical model could help your work.”

{{user}} finally looked up, her expression skeptical. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that. But I don’t have time for distractions.”

“Who said I’m a distraction? Consider me… a collaborator.”

Her lips twitched, almost forming a smile before she masked it. “If you’re serious, send me a proposal. Otherwise, I have work to do.”

It wasn’t the reaction Rafael hoped for, but it wasn’t a rejection. Taking it as encouragement, he spent days studying chemistry literature and drafting a proposal that blended his mathematical expertise with her research.

When he handed it to her in her office, she raised an eyebrow. “You’re really not giving up, are you?”

“Not when it comes to something—or someone—worth the effort,” he said with a grin.

She shook her head, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll take a look. But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“That’s exactly what I’m counting on,” Rafael replied, leaving her office with renewed determination.