There was plenty of murmuring going on and it was blatantly obvious throughout the class, even to the subject of these murmurings. It wasn't a coincidence. There was a new boy in the class, though he was hardly a boy. In this class of 20-something, he was perhaps the oldest. But what was it about him that made him the center of attention?
Suddenly there was a creepy silence, the professor had arrived and he was quite late. His frustration was clear; it was written all over his face. Out of all the professors in the college, he was perhaps the most dreaded and feared.
Just then he turned his face and looked into his eyes and smiled, a boy whom he had never seen before but the professor knew exactly who he was.
The professor announced rather proudly, "Class, I'm sure you have met him by now but I would like you to meet Alex. He's come here all the way from London and is the newest top scorer of the university's entrance exam." The new student couldn't help but turn a blush shade.
The murmuring began once again, louder than before. Any doubt that had circled around the room this morning regarding his identity, to Alex's dismay, was gone. His cheeks were still pink displaying his shyness, something which the professor should have researched into while looking at Alex's records. But of course, high school reports don't tell these things, do they?
"Now, let us get back to the subject shall we?" The professor asked his class not knowing that the subject was no longer his to decide. How could it be? After all, it's not often that an English prodigy comes to India to study, no matter how prestigious the college is.
The professor started his lecture, trying his best to impart his wisdom to the young minds in front of him. Young minds which were full of questions. Sadly, none of them were related to the subject. The whispers, no matter how soft, made it clear to Alex that he was still the center of attention. Alex wasn't like other men of his age, he loathed attention.
"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Someone whispered from behind.
"Well, of course he does, look at him." Another voice replied.
You would think that this would make Alex feel good about himself but this made him as uncomfortable as a Llama in a flock of penguins. The fact that the reply regarding his personal life was dead-on accurate made him cringe. At this point it wouldn't have been a surprise if he would have started crying for her.
Alex thought he was no beauty contest winner but there was no doubt that he was as cute as you can get. The sheer innocence of his face made him stand out. His big blue eyes, almost angelic, made him irresistible. But at this point, Alex wished he was invisible.
Just then, the college bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Alex wasted no time in bolting out of the class. He walked up to a thick tree he saw earlier and sat down on the cool grass. He liked this spot because for one, it was quite far from the college campus but also because he found its features to be similar to the ones back home. And so, he sat down with his legs spread wide to provide maximum comfort and took out his little orange notebook. He liked scribbling random thoughts; it gave him a sense of sanity.
Just then, he heard some faint girlish chattering and it was getting louder by the minute. Alex felt a cold familiar sweat. He saw "it" coming. Approaching his comfort spot was a group of girls. There were three of them and Alex didn't recognize them all. They had to be students, after all no outsiders were allowed in or near the campus. Being unable to recognize them, Alex assumed they were undergrads of some other programme.
As the trio continued their stroll across the park, millions of thoughts raced across Alex's mind. Are they coming towards me? Maybe they are on their way to some other place. Why are they talking so softly? Have they noticed me? Perhaps now would be a good time to tell you that Alex had ADD.
Alex quickly calmed himself down, to avoid any potential embarrassment. He quickly glanced at the trio to determine where they were and accordingly adjust his position to get a camouflage. As he ran his eyes across the park and onto the girls, he caught the eyes of one of the girls. He saw her dark brown eyes looking straight into his. This was more than enough to send him spiraling down into a pit of fearful darkness, shades of pink rushed through his cheeks and he began breathing faster. The girls started giggling at the sight of him and the state he was in.
He saw the shoulders of one of them raise a little high with excitement and the trio separated. Two of them were soon out of sight leaving just one behind, the very one who caught Alex's eye. Slowly but surely, she started walking towards Alex, displaying signs of boldness. Alex was always fond of boldness in girls, but this was different for some reason.
"Hi", the girl said when she arrived. Alex suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He always had a knack for greeting people and knew at once that this conversation wouldn't be any different. His eyes twitched a little, rather cutely to the girl's pleasure. He smiled at her and with his big blue eyes looking at her he said "Hello."
"My name is Nikita"
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Alex."
"Why are you sitting here all alone?" the girl asked curiously
Alex hesitated a little; he didn't know what to say.
"I like this place" he said. He realized that it made little sense and then quickly reinforced his reply. "I don't have another class for an hour... didn't know what else to do."
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, it's a free country" Alex replied with a little smile
Nikita giggled at this. She put her bag down on the grass and helped herself down keeping a comfortable distance from Alex. "How long have you been here?" She asked
"Not too long. About a month."
