She wanted something else,
something different,
something more.
Passion and romance, perhaps,
or maybe quiet conversations
in the candlelit rooms, or
perhaps something as
simple as not being second.
……
“Ahmm…”, Janice cleared her throat to get Gerald’s attention. She decided to talk to him after class but as their professor left in between the class, she had an advantage to start the conversation right at the moment.
Janice usually occupies the last corner seat during Mr. Ezra’s classes as he teaches like turtle which made her yawn throughout the class. Gerald sat beside her seat and his gaze was fixed on the image displayed by the overhead projector. Janice thought that he was angry on her for over reacting and he had every right to do that.
On clearing her throat, she glared at him so that he would look at her but Gerald pretending like he didn’t hear it nor sense her sound. Janice realized that he was doing that on purpose yet as his anger was a acceptable one.
“Hey”, she called him out and he turn around to meet her eyes with a frown.
“Yes, tell me Ms. Janice. How could I help you?”, he taunted her. Janice raised her brows as she thought he was acting weird to her. Maybe Janice understood that her words wounded him very badly which made him act like this.
“Ahm… mmm… I just wanna say… that. .
..”, Janice looked away blabbering like bizarre.
“What do you have to say?”, he sounded rude and his face looked stern.
“I wanted to say that the other day my grandma told me, ‘when you and him are fighting, you both need to remember that it’s you two vs. the problem and not you vs him’ and that hit me hard”, she expressed her mind in words.
“Oh, look! Finally someone have understood the thing that I have been trying to say ever since I believed I had a chance with you”, he grunted.
“You had??? Why do you make it sound like the past?? I mean come on, you knew that I would over react when I get to know about the kiss but still you never said me a word about it”, she hissed and kept her voice down so that she wouldn’t get the attention of the whole class.
“If you would have told me about it rather than letting me find it on my own, that would have ended much better than this one”, she added with a smirk. Gerald watched her in pure shock but he didn’t say a word as a part of him realizes that she was right. He has did some wrong but that doesn’t mean she had to say all those nasty things at Gerald a day back.
“And Gerald you never knew what Doris said to the others and what they were conversing about us behind our back”, she rolled her eyes.
“I wanted you to acknowledge the truth that I realized long back. People will judge you, sometimes even the people you know, and it’s not your job their minds about you. You cannot control how people perceive you and you don’t need to use your energy to prove them wrong”, he implied. Janice remains quiet for few reasons.
“Your life isn’t yours if you always care what someone else thinks”, he glared at her.
“Do you think I care about what people say. Fuck! No! I care about you, about us, I wanted you to open up with me, speak your mind and I wanted to hear things from you, not through Instagram, especially not from all the other people out there”, she smirked.
Gerald nods understandingly on hearing her say things that he was wrong at.
“Which means…. can I explain on what really happened with Doris at the masquerade ball?”, he asked her unsurely.
“Yes”, she mumbled eyeing him.
“After leaving the dance floor, I marched towards the washroom. I never knew that Doris was watching me all that time. Once I stepped out of the washroom, continuing my way back to the hall, I heard someone shout my name”, he began his narration.
“It was hard for me to identify her at the beginning as she was wearing a mask. The closer she got, I knew it was the person I never wanted to talk to,? in my entire life. She began to apologize for what she did to Kathleen earlier. But I cut her in and I said I had nothing to do with her.
Out of the blue, she pounced on me and ……. that’s how the…. uh.. ahn…. mmmm”, he stammered to admit that as a kiss and Janice was furious on Doris for acting so cheap.
“Hmm mmm, I get it now, that’s how the kiss took place”, she hissed gritting her teeth.
“But I don’t how it was posted on Instagram. No one was around when this happened”.
“Of course, what’s there to think, Rachel? the worst bitch of all and the other bitches would have captured the kiss for this slut who planning on to tear us apart”, snapped Janice in fury.
“Maybe yes”, responded Gerald giving it a thought. In the meantime, the class was dismissed and the students left the classroom while Gerald and Janice remained rooted to their seats.
“Why the hell you never said a word about it?. So you thought to hide this from me forever right?”, she growled at him.
“What? No, not at all! I thought to talk this out in person but, do you remember the first thing you said when you saw me yesterday….. you never gave me chance…… and I was shattered when you said those words…… so I thought maybe…. ‘close the window that hurt you, no matter how beautiful the view is”, he hesitated to say that he was hurt and he thought it was over between them.
“Gerald…. I’m sorry for what I really said? earlier. My words would have wounded you for sure and I regret every single word I uttered but you should know that communication is a key……”, she trailed off as she sensed it was starting all over again.
“But so is a sense of understanding”, he shared his words.
“Gerald, if I tell you something and you are not willing to see where that is coming from, then what is the point of telling you anything”, she signed as it huge for her explain her mind.
“Yes, I’m sorry for not opening up every time when you wanted me to. Sometimes, I don’t even understand myself…….”, he ran his hand through his hair in pure frustration and regret.
“Hey it’s okay. I should be the one apologizing for the venom I spit out in anger”, she confessed and moved away from her seat. Gerald followed her actions and he nodded with a small smile.
“So…….?”, Gerald walk behind her in a much slower pace.
“So….?”, she asked him back.
“Are we okay.? Will I get a chance to make it up to you….?”, he was unsure about Janice.
“Hmm… mmm maybe or maybe not”, she smirked.
“Well in that case I’ll take this as a maybe yes”, saying this, he caught her wrist and pulled her into him, enveloping her petite body by his strong arms.
“Gerald, we are in the middle of the corridors and take a glance at the students who are watching us, for God’s sake”, she mumbled and wriggled to let herself free from his hold.
Gerald raise his eyebrow at the crowd who eyed them, while the other few photographed them together, but on witnessing his stern face the crowd dispersed in a blink.
“All gone for good and now I’m left alone with my……… let me think something good to address you from now on”, Gerald wanted a perfect name for his girl and his musings were interrupted by her snapping.
“Tell me go….. I have to find kathleen and Laura. She has texted me an hour ago about meeting someone…..”, Janice wondered who the anonymous friend was.
“So how is Kathleen? Is she alright?”, he asked her holding her close.
“Theoretically speaking, she is furious at EJ and Robert”, Janice stated.
“Uh? Why Robert? I knew EJ was way out of line and she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that”, he accepted.
“How you know about this?? I mean the conversation between EJ and Kathleen.”, Janice was surprised to know that Gerald was aware of the things that happened between EJ and Kathleen in private. Gerald stayed silent for a minute. He set her free and lean against the wall, staring brazenly into her beautiful doe eyes.
“Come on… tell me who else knew this and how did people know about what he said to Kathleen…. was it posted on Instagram as well??”, Janice shoot him with numerous questions all at a time.
“Relax… the previous day, I was in search of EJ to warn him about ‘staying away from Beverly’ while I witnessed EJ and Kathleen together…. I decided to leave but I saw him barking at her and before I could move away Beverly entered the scenario and that’s when I planned to stay there in case if they need help.. . because she is such a trouble, jay stay away from her”, he explained making her exhale in relief.
“That’s a relief to us. Kathleen never wanted to be the center of attention and she doesn’t feel like making her private life public”, she shrugged ignoring Beverly and his warnings.
“Well, she is already”.
“Ahmmm…. mmm”, she hummed.
“Hey, how about we go to a movie… this weekend… just you and me?”, despite the tall figure and deep voice, Gerald stuttered while he asked her out for the first time ever.
“Like a date?”, she squint her eyes at him while he bite his lower lip nervously.
“I’ll think about it”, she tried to hide the smile that was breaking her walls.
“So that is a yes right?! Fine, Sunday – 4pm…… I will pick you up….”, he kissed her cheeks and marched towards the opposite direction before she could react to any of it. She was dumbstruck in awe.
………..
At the exact time on the other side of the campus, Kathleen came face to face with the most dashing man she has ever met. She gulped while he extended his arm for a formal shake. She was drooling without her knowledge and she stare at him shamelessly. His irish eyes were soft, orbit round constantly gleaming with the vigour of youth. They shone brightly like two sapphire stones dipped in milk pools.
His dressing made him appear younger than he was and his cologne was inviting. Kathleen dusted her ruffle dress and picked up her things while Nathaniel dropped his hands in disappointment. She ignored him as she always believed that ‘where there is beauty, there is a danger behind it. There is a reason why people say sugar is poison. She was facing enough dramas already and she doesn’t want him to be another one.
His eyes carried a mixture of wonder and shock. She walked past him and he scoffed at her.
“Hey, come on. I said I’m sorry but you walk away like I’m no human at all”, he scoffed.
“Well, apologize accepted”, she said marching forward. He matched her pace and walked beside her. Every jaws drops and stare at him along the path. Few gasps, mumurs, and whispers were heard but Kathleen ignored it.
“So is this just me, you are being rude at or you are just being who you are?!”, he asked her while she continued to walk ignoring him.
“Well, why do you care”, she replied with a forced smile that made him scoff again.
“Okay then, can you guide me to the admission building for the university of engineering and architecture?! I’m new to this place”, he muttered and her eye shot open on hearing his comment.
“Yes, I can do that”, she accepted and they walked towards her campus. She was doing it out of courtesy.
A pair of eyes noticed it with a frown that kathleen and Nathaniel were unaware of.
……
Keep reading the next few chapters and I can assure you that this is gonna get interesting furthermore.