The Most Unlikely Love

Chapter 4: The Hoodie and Sparks

"And then suddenly, you meet that one person that makes you forget yesterday and dream about tomorrow."

Unwilling to be caught in the the throng of students  about to descend on the school for enrollment, Monique made sure she was there early. The registrar's counter was still closed, but she was relieved nonetheless that she was first in line. There was really no urgency. She has after all, already hired someone to run her eatery, as she focuses on getting her degree. She just wanted the day to be productive and efficient, thus the early start. As she was waiting, Monique leaned on the balustrade, taking in the sight before her. They said that from that vantage point, you get treated to the best panoramic view of the state-of-the-art campus. Northridge University is the best school not only in the country, but in Asia. It can easily rival even the best Ivy League schools in the world. Over the years, it has churned some of the best talents and superstars in various fields, arts and sciences alike. The best however, comes at a hefty price. Matriculation was steep. That's why it was no wonder that hundreds upon hundreds of students from all over, jockey for one of only thirty scholarship grants every year. It was the school for the best, the brightest and the wealthiest. And now, still to her utter disbelief, she was one of them, after she was accepted into the scholarship program two months before. If not for the actual acceptance letter in her hand, she would probably still think it was a dream. She would never have thought she would make the cut, not even in a million years.

Monique was roused from her reverie, when something rammed into her and all her things, including her precious acceptance letter flew from her hands almost like confetti. She would have fallen headlong to the ground, had the culprit himself not been agile enough to hold on to her waist.

"What the—- are you blind?!" she lashed out on the person behind her.

The guy behind her held his palms together and bowed apologetically. "I am so sorry."

Because a line had already started to form, and there were more people around, Monique decided to just let it go and not cause a scene. Without replying, she bent down to retrieve her things. She was surprised when the guy stood close behind her, and held his hoodie against her bottom.

Monique hurriedly stood back up. "What the hell are you doing?!"

The guy held his palms out "Whoa, whoa, wait. Miss, you are wearing a skirt." he explained.

It took for a while for what the guy said to sink in. When she realized what it meant, she glowered at him.

"Are you some kind of perv—"

The guy cut her off. "How am I a pervert? I was actually trying to cover you up so that no one else would see what I did! Relax, Miss, I mean you no harm." He gave her a disarming smile.

Monique was stunned, as she took the sight of him in. No one should look that good. It's distracting. Tall. Muscles so well-defined you can almost see every line and curve through layers of clothing. Strong, manly hands and forearms, with a seemingly endless network of veins bulging out. Midnight black hair. Eyebrows so symmetrical, they almost look like they were drawn. Gray eyes that turn green at a certain light. Aquiline nose, complementing his prominent cheekbones and chiseled jaw. Perfectly shaped red lips. Monique did not realize until it was too late that she had been staring at him. An inveterate blusher, Monique could feel the heat rise up her face, and her ears get warmer. She was desperate to hide her face from him, that she once again started thoughtlessly to bend down. The guy reached out to stop her.

"Let me." he offered. He gave his hoodie to Monique and picked up her things.

As he stood up with her everything in hand, the four girls behind them called out to him in unison. "Hi Rocky!"