As if he suddenly remembered something, Rex turned toward Daisy, his expression carrying that faintly mischievous glint of his.
"I finished the song," he said casually, as though he were talking about a homework assignment.
For a heartbeat Daisy froze, her mind lagging behind his words. Then, like a rush of lightning, the memory came back, the encounter in the car, his smooth voice weaving a beautiful melody, only to stop halfway. And then, the mortifying realization of why he had done it: to keep her from catching herself sneaking glances where she shouldn’t have. He’d done it deliberately, she realized back then, to keep her distracted... and to stop her from noticing where her gaze had wandered.
Her cheeks heated before she could stop them, the blush blooming across her face like a guilty confession. She could still see that moment, feel the closeness of the car, hear the unfinished notes hanging in the air. The memory was both infuriating and... embarrassingly sweet.
She looked at him now with an odd mix of reproach and curiosity, as if demanding an explanation without saying a word.
But Rex wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction. After letting the silence linger just long enough to make her squirm, he added with deliberate slowness, "But... I won’t sing it to you just yet."
Daisy blinked, caught between wanting to throttle him and wanting to press him for more. She shifted in her seat, lips pursed, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Coming back to her senses, she managed to steady herself, but that same confusing mixture of reproach and curiosity lingered in her gaze, betraying her calm façade.
Rex only smirked faintly, as if enjoying every second of her reaction.
Seeing him looking straight towards her, Her cheeks flared instantly, the warmth creeping up to her ears. She turned her head a quickly, pretending to check something in her bag, anything to hide the obvious flush.
"W–Why bring that up now?" she muttered, trying for irritation, but her voice cracked just slightly. Official source is Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Rex smirked, leaning back in his chair with infuriating ease. "Why? Because I can’t just sing it for free. At least, not without... a little benefit."
Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide, scandalized. "What kind of—benefit?" she demanded, her embarrassment disguising itself as anger.
He only shrugged, enjoying the show. "If I just sang it , in the middle of class, it would be terribly anti-climactic. A good song needs atmosphere. The right mood. The right moment." His voice dropped half a note, as if he were speaking more to himself than to her. "So... let’s wait for the right time."
Daisy glared at him, lips pressed tight, the pink in her cheeks refusing to fade. For a second she wanted to argue, to force him into singing then and there just to wipe that smug grin off his face.. But... deep down, a traitorous part of her admitted he was right. If he sang to her again, she wanted it to feel special.
She exhaled sharply, as if surrendering. "...Fine. Whatever."
Her reluctant agreement didn’t escape the notice of the girls nearby. Hannah leaned closer, brows raised. "What was that about a song?"
"Yeah, Daisy," Hannah also chimed in, her tone laced with curiosity and suspicion. "What song?"
Caught off guard, Daisy waved her hand too quickly, trying to dismiss it. "It’s nothing, just... just something stupid he made up in the car."
Her face burned hotter, which only made the denial more suspicious.
The girls exchanged looks, their eyes darting between Daisy and Rex, who sat there with that maddeningly calm smirk that only made things worse. The air grew charged with unspoken questions, and Daisy’s heart hammered as she silently begged them not to press further.
But judging by their glances, they wouldn’t let this go so easily.
The other girls exchanged knowing glances, like wolves catching the scent of blood. Daisy, for all her efforts to look composed, was a shade of pink no makeup could hide.
Sophie was the first to pounce. Leaning forward with a sly grin, she nudged Daisy’s arm with a grin that spelled trouble. "So let me get this straight," Sophie said slowly, dragging out every word like she was unraveling a juicy mystery. "Rex sings you a song in the car, then refuses to finish it until the right moment. And now, suddenly, he’s talking about finishing it just for you." She waggled her brows. "Uh-huh. Sure, Daisy. Totally sounds like nothing."
"It is nothing!" Daisy squeaked, her voice a little higher than usual.
Hannah, calm as ever, decided to deliver the killing blow with her trademark poker face. "Honestly, Sophie, it almost sounds like..." She paused, then glanced at Rex, then back at Daisy. "...secret boyfriend vibes."
"WHAT?!" Daisy practically shot out of her seat.
Half the row turned to look at her, which only made her sit down immediately, burying her face in her arms. "I swear to God, it’s not like that!"
"Ohhh, secret boyfriend vibes confirmed!" Sophie stage-whispered, just loud enough to be heard by the nearby students. She clasped her hands together dramatically. "Daisy-chan, how could you hide this from us? We trusted you!"
"That’s not... it’s not like that!" Daisy sputtered, her voice muffled against the desk.
Even Elara, the quiet one, let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. "It... it really does sound like it though," she said shyly.
Daisy whipped her head up to glare at her. "Elara! Not you too!"
Sophie leaned back, satisfied, and sighed dreamily. "Imagine it, though. Daisy, secretly dating the mysterious rich guy with a Ferrari, being serenaded in cars and promised unfinished love songs... so romantic."
"That’s literally not what happened!" Daisy protested, her hands waving frantically.
"And It wasn’t a serenade!" Daisy protested too quickly, which only fueled the fire.
Sophie cupped her hand dramatically around her mouth, whispering just loud enough for everyone at their table to hear. "Careful, Hannah. If Rex is writing songs for Daisy, next thing we know he’ll be standing outside her window with a guitar."