Maybe it's the providence
of the universe
It just had to be that...
The first week of classes was hectic. Samantha was even dozing. Her classes today start after 10 a.m. Lucky her. The previous evening, the 8th - the floor had a little midnight feast for the recent dorm additions. The seniors cooked, and everybody sat close and chatted with the firsties, getting to know them better.
You went to bed at 11 pm, but you didn't sleep effectively with all the persisting nightmares. You dreamt of "him," the paparazzi, the judging eyes, and your mom's deep disappointment.
You instantly hop out of bed and get into your shared bathroom. You love clean surfaces and hate clutter around an area. You took a quick shower and blow-dried your hair smoothly. Your eyes looked distressed, and your presence was a little concerned. You can't throw off the thought that something unnatural is about to transpire. Your whole body assumes someone runs over your grave.
You looked at your pale arms and saw some goosebumps. Your eyes widen, and you wonder why you are not that nervous or anxious, like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, to start your graduate studies.
You grabbed the cute backpack your brother Bryant bought you for graduation when he and his soulmate went to London. He got it from a designer shop in Harrods. It's a cute leather bag with a small plushier toy.
You want to work hard and maybe get an intern job at Electronic Arts or Sony. You'll apply after your midterms. You'll never work hols (holiday) seasons in hotels anymore. You've learned a harrowing lesson.
Going into the kitchen, you made yourself a flat white and put the coffee machine on for Samantha. You grab a little breakfast bowl and fill it with one block of Weetbix and milk. You decided to go and sit in the lounge with the telly on your favourite breakfast show.Your morning schedule was packed with Design classes, software programming, and the setup of the sports hall...You met with some classmates at the academic building, where everyone lounged, studied, or relaxed between classes.
You and two of your "programming "classmates went with your laptops and worked on a few assignments. You were placed in a team.
Melissa and Janice. Nice girls. They live on floor 10.
Melissa has been a foreigner from the USA since her initial year. She is highly sassy, very popular, and charming. One of the baddest gamers here at uni. She even joined a professional gaming crew that played and won various tournaments. She is branded as a Tarnished. She embraced her status and had many dating experiences.
She always has a boo on the arm, and nobody could understand your aversion to men after only one heartbreak. They want you to get on the dating wagon before your tarnished status is ruined, but you decline. Love is no longer on the cards for you.You got yourself a good spot. This little student block was filled. You and the two girls sat at a table before the expansive windows.
Janice is a cute blonde who doesn't talk much. But she is ingenious in coding and robotics. She ever a professor's aid. With a victorious laugh, Janice said, "
"We've cracked it! Gotta shoot Mr. Salzman an email pronto."
'Make sure our student numbers are correct. Here, take mine." You hand her your student cards to make sure They're correct.
Melissa sighed, ""Geez! I'm absolutely knackered at the moment, mate!" She called out, and a few students showed her the stink eye. You snicker when she sheepishly apologizes.
"You started cracking on those internships yet, mate?"Janice looks at you with interest.
"Nah, not really mate. I reckon I'll kick off looking or applying by late April."you stated while browsing online stores for cute shoes and pouches. You love buying online—lots of deals from designer stores.
Melissa giggled, "Yeah, I let my mum know that if I land a solid gig or a paid internship at Sony, I'm outta there. She warned me if I pull that move, I'll be calling a bridge my home sweet home."
""Your mum's a real ripper; wish I had one like her. Mine's a proper military mum, all about orders and directions." Janice pulls a face.
You smile at the two best friends; you miss Samantha. She's not here but at designing classes for two periods.
She and Brendon had again a considerable argument but made up five minutes later. He bought her a whole bouquet of her favourite flowers. It was delivered in her class in front of all the astonished students and professors. She placed it in their apartment.
You received a notification from Samantha.
"Whereabouts are ya?"
At the academic hall. South corridor.
"Who're you hangin' with?"
"Melissa and Janice, mate. I was smashing out an assignment for Salzman. You swinging by?"
""Sweet, I'm on me way... I'll chuck in some bevvies and nibbles for ya."
"Thanks, you're a star. Where Brendon? "
"Ah, poor bloke had a gut bug and stayed home with his mum looking after him. I'll swing by after classes."
You told the girls about your convo with Sam.
"That's rough, mate... hoping he bounces back real quick." Melissa coos.
Janice was browsing on her laptop until she found an article on BTS at the Grammy's.
"Holy Dooley!!!Check 'em out, they look mint. Taehyung's rocking teal hair, and Jimin's got magenta locks – unreal!" She shouts excitedly as she spins her laptop for you and Melissa to look better.
Your eyes widen at "your stud muffin.". He was extra friendly with RM. Jimin laughed at the other guys who appeared and awkwardly stood with them.
You kept your face blank and impassive, but the butterflies had a field day inside. It's the first time you've seen them on video after many months.
Melissa flushed, "They're absolute legends! Went to their gig two years back; mate, it was epic. Unreal. Check out my adorable Kookie."
Let me read the article:'The boys have arrived... Melissa starts to read in a deep voice, like the TV reporter.
"
BTS walked the Grammys red carpet, and as anticipated, they looked sharp and thrilled everyone they met!
The boys looked powerful in custom-made black suits; all members except J-Hope wore JayBaek Couture while J-Hope was in Kim Seo Ryong, both South Korean designers. They gave brief interviews with some new hair colours on display and dazzled the cameras with their presence.-"
You couldn't help but focus all your attention on him. He is so adorable. K-pop stars have rock-colored hair. Your heart is beating like a drum just at the sight of him, bringing back unwanted recollections that you somewhat forget... You speculate how things would've turned out between you if he'd known.
Just then, Samantha rushed in and plunked down with a package loaded with snacks.
"G'day mates, how's it goin'?"She cheekily acknowledged the three excited girls, but two were seemingly beyond themselves.
"Sweet! "You declare, facing back at your laptop.
You've had enough of watching the group constantly, which causes your heart to ache. Shivers again run up your spine. And you wondered if you'll be catching the change of seasonal flu.
""We're tuning in to see the blokes on the red carpet." Janice beams at her.
You look into the packet of snacks while the three girls gush over the handsome looks of the septet.
"What's your poison, mates? I've got root beer, Mountain Dew, Sprite, and Pepsi Max. Choose your weapon."You offered.
Melissa eyed the root beer, "I'll grab this one, cheers, mate."
"Sprite," Janice chose, and Samantha took out the Pepsi Max and smugly handed it to you. She knows it is your very favourite drink.
You saw four bags of Cheezes and Tumtums chocolate biscuits and macadamia nuts. You took out a packet and started eating some of the tasty Cheezes. It is tantalizing to the tongue.
You look at your schedule and see that all three of you are free from 11 am. You enjoyed a few minutes of fellowship with the girls until Janice and Melissa invited you to their dorm room. You decide to enjoy the last free hours with them. Samantha still has class.
You quickly pick up your technology and head to the exit doors. I am glad that your assignment has been submitted.
When you were outside, Samantha waved cheerfully at the three of you.
Samantha with delight"Catch ya later, Ruby! See you this arvo(afternoon)."
Janice laughed," See you pop around when you finish your classes."
She blew you some kisses and quickly ran to her 3D design class. You just shook your head at your crazy friend.
You, Janice, and Melissa head up to the apartment. Most of your 8-floor mates are in class. Janice lives on the 10th floor.
You were teasing Melissa about a dude in your classes who goes ga-ga for her. She grunts.
You got to their common area. Their hues are a combination of crimson, tan, and rich yellows.
A few of her dorm mates were busy working or lounging in the common room area; A first-year programming student was working on theories on the whiteboard.
Janice saw some of their friends," G'day mates... how you going?"?A guy and a blonde-haired girl looked up and smiled.
"G'day Jan, Mel. Adrian's giving me a hand with the laptop. Those new apps crashed, so he's reinstalling them. How were classes?" The girl's name is Ava, one of the 10-floor seniors.
The three of you plopped down on the plush sofas.
Melissa groans," Rough day, Ava, but thrilling... handed in a programming theory assignment this morning?"
Ava grinned, "Nice one!"
"G'day, Adrian... Hope Grace isn't catching you bunking in the dorm in the AM; our blokes' visitation starts at 4 pm." Melissa gave him a warning look, raising her eyebrows.
Janice chuckled, 'Adrian and Grace are cousins. I told her I needed to finish my assignment, and Adrian was the only one available to help. G'day Ruby... You're looking as stunning as ever!'
You snort, 'Yeah, Nah... I'm flat out.'"
Melissa and Janice offered you a stubby, a small bottle of beer. You decline. The last time you tasted beer was with your year 12 celebration, and you hated it and never tried it again.
Janice stood up, sipping her beer bottle, and said," Let's hit up our crib."
You and Melissa stood up and swung your back bags around your shoulders and floor after Janice to the glass doors leading to the dorm hallways.
You and Samantha's worst nightmare came out of the glass doors. She just gave you a disgusted look, which you ignored, and walked past you, bumping your shoulder harshly. You just shook your head. Immature.
Melissa frowned." What's the go with that, Sheila?"
"She's had it in for me since school. She was keen on my ex. She starts ribbing me about him ditching me for someone else whenever she spots me." You softly state. It still hurts when you think about your failed relationship, and you always think it was all your fault. Maybe you were not good enough. Perhaps you'll never be good enough for anyone to love.
Janice snorts," She's a bit of a Tarnish herself, but the amount of guys she dates and can't lock down is staggering. Don't stress... She's always been a jealous cow."
You shrugged, "Fair enough... Alright then."
Melissa put in their dorm room passcode, and you went through it. After six doors, you reach their door. Janice opened, and you all went in.
They opt for a plain dorm apartment: a shared bedroom, a small open-plan kitchen, and a bathroom.
Melissa offered you to take off your shoes and sit on the bed, making yourself comfortable. The bedroom has dark green, white and black hues—quite beautiful. Last year, their dorm won first place. She took out a Mountain Dew soda and passed it on to you. Janice went to the bathroom to refresh.
Melissa jumped on the bed and sat next to you with her laptop. You thought she wanted to watch Netflix.
"Got any plans for a holiday job this year? I've already locked in a spot at one of the seafood joints down at the bay... can't wait to soak in all that tourist buzz," she gushed.
Janice emerged from the bathroom, snickering. "I reckon the system can sniff out all that dating frenzy. That's why most of us end up with 'late whispering' marks. Keep an eye out!"
"Whatever!" Melissa shrugged it off.
You grinned at the two mates.
"What's the plan now? Oh, I know. Let's catch the new episode of RUNBTS?" Janice suggested.
Omg, no!!! More Army antics. Can't you have a break from those superstars? Every time you look at him, strange things happen to you again. You will never tell anyone about your brief fling. It had a lasting impact on you. Never go there again. It's like fate is taunting you. Why, after two years, do your foundations get unnerved?
You just passed a fake smile while Melissa was busy with the laptop. They will connect it to their flatscreen so you can see it.
The girls were in stitches because of the group's funny actions during the games. Janice is mesmerized by RM and Suga's biases and bias wreckers. You can see how sparkling their eyes became.
Melissa likes Jungkook and Taehyung. She cannot stop gushing about their looks. She even said she is going to try getting an intern job in South Korea so that she can attend their Seoul concerts.
You only watched the adorableness of your "Stud Muffin" as he pulled off the sleeper earrings excellently. He looked better than a girl with those earrings and looks. He is so flexible doing that stunt. You were so amazed by Jimin's smooth, clear skin. Most ARMY will kill if they find out just how close you were with him.
They can only be satisfied with him on the stage at fan meets, where they can only touch gloved hands or be settled with cute, flirty smiles. But you, as a non-ArMY- ARMY, were fortunate to interact with him. You were so ignorant; you didn't even think he was part of the most celebrated boy band, which made you so interested in him.
You couldn't understand how the two of you fell in love so quickly, but it was not meant to be. You don't trust Tarnished's relationships due to what happened to your parents; he doesn't want to be tied down. He still wanted to enjoy the dating game, although he couldn't date. He was still 22 years old then.
His dating ban was lifted last year in October. According to the UNI ARMY, it was massive, but I don't remember you following any news about the group. You could hear how the girls went on about the BBMA, AMA'S, and all KOREAN AWARDS SHOWS. You were not interested in all of those things.
Relationships, no thank you. Your father had feet of clay; your boyfriend Greg, of five years, thought you were boring and not good enough; the fling with the superstar, Jimin, wanted you, but you didn't want to commit.
You were just there to make his stay in Syd. More memorable. And it was the most fantastic time for him. He fell in love for the very first time. Since then, you only heard now and then about his flings, never real girlfriends.
You wish to forget, but now you are nervous about the exposure. Two years ago, Bighit management could suppress a lot of media outlets, but you don't know if other tabloid newspapers have kept the information till now.
You just shook your head and paid attention to the girls' bantering.
"That's a fair bit of dosh, mate," Janice pointed out.
Melissa chuckled, "No worries, I'll snag myself a wealthy beau in SOUTH KOREA!!!"
"Good luck with that, yeah, Nah!" Janice replied, lifting her brows.
Melissa had ordered pizza from PIZZA HUT, and you all dig in. You just kept quiet as they gushed about the boys. They know by now that you are not an ARMY, and luckily, they never really forced you, like Samantha, to be one.
Samantha joined you a few minutes later, and you all had a relaxing time together until you returned to the 8th floor. You feel a little out of depth. Shivers are starting to creep around your spine. You don't know what is happening. Maybe you feel like getting a cold. Or maybe your body is reacting to the fact that you'll be exposed to an article one of these days, and your nerves are thin.
In your room...you were lying on your bed with closed eyes, thinking back to.. 24 May 2017, when you first laid eyes on each other.
A/N another update for the chimney stands. I hope you like it. Don't forget to vote and comment. Thank you for all the support.
Here is a little something while you wait for the next update.
Love you all.