The Jinx

2

Before any more conversation could flow, the waiter who had spilled coffee on me, whose name I now recognized as Ronald as it was clearly mentioned on his name tag, came with a coffee tray towards us and heartily apologised again.

I assured him that it wasn't his fault that it all happened by mistake and he shouldn't say sorry for it. After a minute he set the tray he was carrying on our table.

"When did we even order?" I wondered.

"This is a compensation for my mistake, the latte of the day, on the house." He said and vanished.

Wow. Free.

We silently sipped our coffee for sometime and never felt the need to start any conversation at all. Only when we made a little bit of eye contact, did I feel the necessity of complementing the place and our drink.

It seemed as if the tranquility only bothered me, he never felt the need for continuing any small talk and never initiated any.

I conjectured that he wasn't rude but was very shy. He felt awkward as he sipped his coffee and it showed all on his face. He was though, a good hearted person and was decent enough to help a stranger like me. That was when I realized I never thanked him for it.

"Thank you." I said out of nowhere.

He looked confused.

"For helping me, otherwise I would have died in the cold."

"Oh," he said. "It was nothing." He said and smiled.

Just then my phone, from my school bag which was kept next to me rang. I searched hurriedly through my bag not wanting the call to end before I pick up. Before the very last ring I picked up.

"Hey girl," Lana said. "By any chance you think you have my history assignment? I can't find it anywhere and last time I saw it, we were completing it together."

"Hold on, lemme check." I said and fished around my bag. In an attempt to find the assignment file, I practically pulled all my other books out. In the end, I found it.

"Yep, it's with me." I said in the phone.

"Oh, thank God!" She sighed. "Please check page number 7 and tell me if its complete or not?"

"Um. . . Only one line is written, also page 8 and 9 are incomplete."

"Can you please come drop the file home before evening? I have to submit it tomorrow itself."

"Sure sure."

"Thanks." She said and I hung up.

I looked at him.

He was staring at me, I opened my mouth not knowing what to say, but he cut me midsentence.

"There is something in your hair." He said.

"What?" I asked touching my hair. "Where?" I said not feeling anything.

"Here," he said pointing to the left of his head. "There's something white."

My eyes widened in shock.

Snap! I was pretty sure he was talking about dandruff.

I quickly brushed my hands through my hair.

"Still there." He said and leaned forward towards me. He raised his hand and picked something white from my hair, thankfully it wasn't dandruff.

"What's this?" I wondered and looked above me.

Small flakes of the ceiling as minute as dandruff were falling on me. Abruptly, the part of the ceiling that was just above me shook. And then it was falling, I gasped and then my hands involuntarily picked my bag and held it over my head. A huge block of the ceiling fell on me, but I was saved by my bag.

"Shit!" I cursed.

But all my books were now scattered on the floor as my bag was open. I stood up to pick them, so did the boy.

Our hands nearly touched when we both reached out for the same book, his hands were warm, despite the cool weather and that sent a current of warmth through me.

We got up from the floor and I kept all my books in my bag. Suddenly he pulled me towards him, a huge peice of the ceiling fell where I was standing a second ago. Everyone stared gasping and screaming as they feared the ceiling was going to fall on them. All the workers of the café tried to calm everyone down.

But I wasn't paying attention at the commotion that was surrounding me, instead I was looking at the boy, I was staring at our closeness, as how his hands were tightly gripped on my arms, he hadn't let me free yet. I saw many things in his eyes, firstly I saw concern for me, then I saw the fear if I had got hurt and then I don't what I saw. But I saw something very familiar yet very strange. I saw an emotion I never saw before. I couldn't comprehend what I saw, not until later.

Everyone rushed towards the exit.

"Come fast." He said and took my bag and my hand and guided me out. Just as we were out, we heard more of the ceiling fall. Thankfully, everyone was out including the workers.

"Are you alright?" He asked the first thing we were safely out.

"Yes, you?" I questioned.

"Yes."

I smiled at him thankfully and again thanked him for everything. He again shook it off saying it was nothing.

My phone buzzed, it was Lana. I had to give her, her file.

"Guess I have to go," I said.

"I've to tell you something," He said and smiled internally. "Cynthia means the goddess of the moon."

I was too confused to get what he had said, even though it was so simple. He waved and walked in the opposite direction as I stood there wondering, how did he know my name?

I opened my mouth to yell, "What's your name?" But something hard hit me my face, a football. My head then hit the wall next to me and I slowly fell to the ground.