In Between The Stars

The Beginning

Two parts coffee and three parts heaven. That's exactly what Nick smells like. I know this because I've spent a good part of the last one year just inhaling the intoxicating aura of Nicholas D'Souza.
In my defence, tuition at nine in the night isn't exactly an exciting concept for an eighteen year old.

As proof to my above statement, Nick slowly turns in his seat in front of me and, with the most jaded look I've ever seen on his enigmatic face, he says, "Please tell me he's speaking in Spanish or something. 'Cos I don't understand a word of what he's saying..."

I simply chuckle because I'm way too jittery to speak coherently. He grins back, strands of dark brown hair falling into his brilliant blue eyes. I've known him for five years now and each time I see him, even at a distance, I fling into a stuttering idiot mode.

But mercifully, he turns back before I start choking on my own breath. The biology class ends an eternity later. As I'm shoving all my modules into my bag, Nick, who I've never really seen with more than two books in his hands at a time, ruffles my hair and asks, " You're coming tomorrow right?"

"Where?" I ask, like the jackass I am. Where else? To the North Pole so that I can meet Santa Clause?

"Here. Are you attending the classes tomorrow?" He asks, cocking his head to one side and running a hand through his hair. My eyes widen and I feel the heat rushing up to my cheeks.

"Yes." I utter sheepishly.

"Cool. I can borrow your notes then.. " He says, and a smile comes to play on his perfect lips.

" You? You won't.... Tomorrow come? I mean, come tomorrow? " I stutter out all the jumbled words and bite my lip to shut myself up before all hell breaks loose.

" No... I have a party to attend.. It's the weekend right.. " He explains in the tone that people usually reserve for a nine year old or a slow person.

"Oh of course..." I mutter.

He frowns briefly before the charming smile returns to light up his face. "Okay then... I'll see you on Monday. Ciao." He says and after patting my arm, he leaves.

I hold onto the chair by me for support because my knees are suddenly as wobbly as jelly.

***
I'm walking back home from the God- forsaken tuition with my nose deeply buried in a book. The roads are always empty by now and I'm not as alert as I should be. Maybe that's why I miss the red stick figure of a man at the signal. I step onto the road before hearing a loud screech of brakes and the foul smell of burning tyres hits my nose.

"You choose only my car to get crushed under?! " A robust man wearing a green shirt that has a sketch of a large black wolf on the chest and a red bandanna around his head bellows from behind the wheel of an SUV that would have turned me into a doormat had it not been for his amazing reflexes.

I give him an apologetic glance and quickly step back onto the footpath. I look both ways before crossing the road the next time.

I am almost home and am fiddling with my cellphone when I see him for the first time. He's leaning against the lamp post in front of Mrs Ahluwlia's house. Mrs Ahluwlia, by the way, is an old widow who lives across the road from our place.

He is wearing a long, tattered black coat and black jeans that looks way too ripped to be trendy and big black boots. From across the road all I can see is that he looks too weary and thin and his hair is a huge dark mess on the top of his head.

He seems to be too absorbed in something written on his hand and then suddenly, as if sensing something, he looks up, right at me. And for some reason unbeknownst to me, I flinch and cold fingers smoothly brush up my spine.

I watch him frown and then wave to me unsurely. I involuntarily wave back before something colossal and sturdy falls on the top of my head and moments later I'm on
my back, the cold tar pressing up against my naked calves.

The last thing my semi conscious brain registers before I shut my eyes are two lovely azure eyes gazing down at me with concern.