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“That was a good one. I had fun.” His tone was super casual.
“A close one, too, from what I saw.” She had seen many a matches between her family members.
He chuckled. “I had to give the guy some hope he had a chance.”
She smiled at his sheer overconfidence. “You are not cocky at all.”
Rana let out a laugh. “You’re calling me a cocky ass. Never heard that before.”
“Maybe because people don’t want to hurt your feelings,” she teased.
His eyes danced at her like he was amused by the taunt. “Yup, I’m known to be very sensitive around campus.”
She was enjoying what was starting to be a friendly banter. “I should watch what I say. I’m known to be a bully.”
He laughed, the sound of it topping the loud music playing in the background. “You sound like fun.”
It was hard not to blush, and the tension was growing between them by the microsecond despite the casual setting. She needed a switch topic, and her eyes fell again on the braided thread tied around his upper arm. “What’s the story behind the armlet?”
His eyes fell lower. “Oh, this old thing.” He stopped walking to look at it a moment longer. “It’s a long story.”
“Looks cool,” she said with a small smile and looked around at the venue. “Super cool like the party you are hosting.”
“Thank you! That I am… very cool.” He chuckled and added, “Cool enough for you to go out with me?”
Nami was stumped and elated at the same time. She had no words in response as the mega conflict arose. Her mind reminded her he was the distraction she needed to avoid while every other part of her wanted to jump with joy and say yes to the invitation to go on a date.
“I… I’m here…” her voice trailed off as she figured out a good way to say no. He was indeed the distraction she didn’t need.
He fell silent as if sensing the turmoil, and as the intensity of the moment grew, instead of looking away, she held his gaze. She could tell even he was having a reaction to their eyes clashing.
She looked away moments later only to realize her breath was coming fast. The way her body commanded her to say yes to the handsome guy, she felt weak in her knees. Her heart thudded, and her senses were hypervigilant as she managed to smile at him.
A familiar sizzle passed through her as she looked up into his eyes. “I’m here as an exchange student and want to make sure I get the full Simha experience. I—”
“I technically am the Simha experience,” he said with a smug look on his face.
She bit back a smile at his persistence. “That you are.”
“Awesome! Tomorrow at the lighthouse. I’ll pick you up from your housing unit.” She couldn’t believe he shared her excitement.
Wow, the lighthouse.” Nami was intrigued by the building the first night she was at Simha, and here was an opportunity to check it out again. “Now, show me why my cousin thinks the Simha parties are sick!” She laughed.
“With pleasure!”
*****
It was Nami’s first day at Simha, and she was in disbelief as she moved from one class to another. It was as if she were in love with everyone and everything at the university. She was excited about getting a head start on the architecture project that was her ticket to extending another semester as an exchange student. She was riding the wave of bliss, and as the day wound down, she looked forward to going out with Rana.
Shortly before the agreed-upon time for Rana to pick her up, she left a note for her new roommate, Vasavi, and Ramya, letting them know by text she was out for dinner with Rana. It was something her mom had taught her to do every time she went out with someone new. Not that the guy was shady or anything, but she had gotten into the habit.
Vasavi responded almost immediately, making Nami smile.
Vasavi: Day 1 and going out with the Simha heartthrob. Enjoy.
The guy was hot and also super interesting. She was still curious about his armlet as she had only seen something like that worn by warriors during historic times. A few minutes before his expected arrival, Nami went down to her building’s main entrance. The baggy jeans paired with a black crop top was casual enough for the date, although not matched up fashionably as per Ramya’s standard but comfortable. Her cousin wasn’t around to stop her from committing fashion blunders.
Nami was taking pictures of the beautiful sunset when she heard the distant whirring. She kept looking in both directions, wondering what kind of car made that noise. But she didn’t remember seeing a lot of cars on campus, especially since very few people were allowed to bring their own vehicles.
