Page 23

ANYA

“I have no idea why we have to attend this seminar.” Siya sighs. “I do not like to be mean, but Professor William doesn’t know what he is saying,” she adds.

Soph scoffs. “You are not being mean, babe. You are just stating facts,” she says.

“Yes. First of all, he is speaking so slowly, and his voice is sweet, so it is making me sleepy,” I say as a yawn escapes my mouth. “And secondly, he is just repeating what is written in the PPT. I mean, we could have read it on our own. At least, he could give us some real-life examples. This is so boring.” I sigh and put my head down.

“I took this seminar just so that I can get that PPT. It provides some important information related to my economics assignment,” Soph says, and I nod against the table.

This is torture, considering I couldn’t get a wink of sleep last night. All I could think about was Daniel. The almost kiss, the way the air crackled around us, the heat of his body so close to mine. My mind keeps replaying it over and over in my head. Every time I think about it, my heart rate spikes.

Normally, Daniel’s eyes are a bright, vibrant green, like a fresh, new leaf in spring. They are always full of intensity and focus, like he’s staring right through you, seeing something no one else can see. At least, I think so. But when we were face to face yesterday, when he was looking at me, his eyes roaming around my face, they darkened to almost black, like a forest at night.

I ended up watching Girl in the Picture on Netflix. It served its purpose, honestly. At first, I thought I should watch a Bollywood rom-com, but then I decided against romance as a genre itself. My purpose of watching anything was to distract myself from these thoughts, and crime documentaries do help, because I love to profile criminals. It is one of my hobbies. I have a whole notebook with details of all the documentaries or podcasts I have indulged in. People find it weird—honestly, I would too—but it helps me feel safe knowing I can make an educated guess on who can become a potential criminal, and I make sure to stay away from such people, which is very judgemental, but it is what it is. You gotta keep yourself safe.

“Alright, people, that is it for today,” Professor Williams announces, and the audience sighs together. I chuckle at us. We are all so similar yet so different. It’s funny and a very deep thought. It could easily keep me up till three in the morning if I start to think about it.

“Okay, I desperately need coffee,” I announce as we get up and grab our bags.

“Oh, how unpredictable,” Sophie exclaims. I roll my eyes, ignoring her comment, and walk ahead. I can hear Siya and Soph chuckle behind me, but I do not pay them any heed as I raise my middle finger.

I stomp ahead of them, stepping out of the classroom when a cup of coffee suddenly appears in front of me. My steps falter, and I frown at the unexpected gesture. “Wow, I wasn’t aware I had a coffee fairy?” I quip, looking up to find Daniel holding the cup with a small smirk.

“It’s for you,” he says, extending it closer.

My brows raise in surprise. “For me?”

He nods and I avert my gaze. Why does he have to make it so hard for me? I sigh and quickly grab the cup and take a sip. Yup, this is heaven. I have to avoid him but I guess he knows what buttons to push. “It’s true what they say—a coffee a day, keeps grumpy away,” I mutter, more to myself than him.

Daniel chuckles. “Good to know, I’m doing a public service then.”

Just when I thought I could get through my day without thinking about him, he appears in front of me with a cup of coffee in hand. I can feel my irritation growing. I have no idea how he manages to know and emerge with my coffee at the right time.

“Hi,” he says gently. Why does he have to be so beautiful? I want to cry. Dammit .

“Hi,” I whisper back. His smile widens, and my heart skips a beat.

“Hi, Daniel!” Sophie exclaims from behind me.

“Hey,” Daniel says, I freeze, suddenly hyperaware of Sophie’s amused grin beside me. She nudges my arm gently, a knowing look in her eyes. I shoot her a warning glare, silently begging her to behave.

“We’ll wait for you,” Siya says, shaking her head at us. She’s so done with us. She’s the mother and the child of the group, if that even makes sense.

“No, I don’t—” I start, but Daniel cuts me off.

“Thank you, guys,” he says with a tight-lipped smile.

They nod and Soph gives him a thumbs-up. Whose friends are they? I am going to give them a piece of my mind later. I huff in annoyance. I take a long sip from the coffee, trying to act nonchalant. He puts his hand in his pocket.

“What do you need?” I ask .

His eyes roam around my face. “I wanted to see you,” he says with a smile.

I try to hide any reaction. “Well, you’ve seen me. You can go now.”

He takes a step closer to me, and my breath hitches. “Firecracker,” he says, his voice low and rough. I hate to admit it, but that nickname always does things to me.

“I need to talk to you about yesterday,” he says. His proximity, his intense gaze, it’s too much. I can hear my heart beat wildly.

“Anya.” He sighs, his eyes softening a bit. “I want—”

I immediately interject. “I think it was just…” I fumble as I fidget with the cold cup. “I think it just happened in the moment.” My heart thumps loudly. I look up into his green eyes. “Nothing to worry about.” I give him a small smile. He stares at me expressionless.

I look down again, unable to hold eye contact, and continue rambling. “I think I was watching a Bollywood romance movie. It’s called Chennai Express . It’s enemies-to-lovers, so the girl belongs to a very strict family, and they decide to marry her off to some goon. She doesn’t want to get married, but—” I feel his finger on my lips. My eyes widen. His touch sends a shiver down my spine. I feel heat rising in my cheeks, and I curse myself in my mind for reacting this way.

“Anya,” he murmurs. He places his thumb on my chin and makes me look up. I inhale sharply when I look at the softness in his expression. “Look at me when you’re talking.” Oh my God! Can he stop with this? I want to shout at him, but I am too enchanted to even speak.

“I just want you to know, Anya—” He starts, but I pull back again. This time, I do not break eye contact.

I chuckle painfully. “It was just a mistake. We are two grown adults. We can put this past us, captain.” I stare at him. His hand still hanging close to my face, he slowly takes it away as he clenches his jaw.

“Right?” I ask. My breath quickens. He opens his mouth and closes it. He looks at something in the background. I turn around to find my friends carefully looking at us. They are playing detectives.

“Right,” he whispers gruffly. He clenches his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“Right,” I repeat, feeling dejected.

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