My Room Transfer request was finally approved and I moved to Reem's dorm. To be honest, I didn't really expect it to get approved, it was my first year and I didn't have quite a good reason. However, it was such a relief when I heard the news. I was feeling quite lonely, my roommate didn't even show up. It had been fun living with my best friend though, her sleeping pattern was apparently still the very same. If I hadn't waken her up every single morning, she would have probably missed a dozen of classes. I wondered how she made it through the whole thing last year.
I entered the lecture hall — which was clearly empty. Did it lack some enthusiasm or was I the one to be too excited? I strolled to the nearest bench seat and took a place on it. Leave it to an introvert like me to make friends. I shook my head at the thought and diverted my attention to the windows to seek some sunlight. It was then when I noticed a dark-haired guy, wearing a button-up shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He seemed to be stuffing his laptop into the backpack as a soft frown crept up his face. He must have been the last to leave the previous lecture, I didn't even think he noticed my presence around here.
I flickered my eyes to the other side, not wanting to come off as a creep who stares at people from afar. I heard the sound of feet stomping on the floor as he made his way towards the entrance, I let my eyes dart in his direction only to receive a tight-lipped smile that emphasized his adorable dimples. Isn't he cute?
The students started flooding in, filling out the seats that were deserted not a moment ago. I stole a glance from my wristwatch and sighed. The professor should be here any minute now.
"Does anyone know whose notebook is this? Someone left it here." I tilted my head to the source of the voice. Some guy with brown hair was staring around, seemingly looking for the owner. Could it be his?
I could be wrong but he was the last to leave and none of the students spoke. I didn't want to rush so I waited a moment for someone to make a move but it was in vain.
The guy shrugged and placed it back on the surface. I hurried towards him and asked. "Can I have it? I think I know who it belongs to."
"Sure. Go ahead." I grabbed the notebook and rushed outside of the hall. There was a small chance I could find the guy since it's been quite a few minutes since he left but there was no harm in trying. I let my eyes roam the area, hunting for the guy with dark hair and cute dimples. I walked a few steps to the front only to find him leaning against a wall and talking to someone. Is it just me or have I been getting lucky recently?
I stabilized my breathing before heading towards him and handing him the notebook. "Hi, sorry to interrupt but I think this one belongs to you."
His eyes darted to the notebook for a second before searching mine again. "Oh— might have left it in the hall." He then let out a barely-audible chuckle. "Bad day. Thanks a lot."
I brushed it off. "Don't worry about it, you're welcome."
"Pretty girl just saved your ass, Jacky." His friend pipped up, a full-blown grin on his face. He had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. He looked at me. "He can't live without his books and shit." Not going to lie, it was hard not to laugh.
Jacky shot him a warning glare. "Shut your mouth." He then extended his arm to me for a handshake, his expression was a little softer now though. "Jacob, it's nice to meet you."
I returned the gesture. "I'm Hazel, same here." Momentarily, I looked over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of the professor entering the hall. "Excuse me, I gotta a class to attend. See you, guys later I guess."
"Sure, see you later," Jacob nodded.
"See ya, pretty girl."
I gave my head a slight shake and sauntered to the hall. What's with the nickname? The blonde guy was something.
● ● ●
"So where are we going again?" I asked.
Reem blotted her lips against a kleenex, removing a layer of red lipstick to make it look more natural. "I told you somewhere nice, Hazey." Purposefully, she referred to Emma.
I chuckled and fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Well, since we dressed comfy means we're not going to any of those parties of yours."
"Smartypants. I'm taking you somewhere new." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and reached out for my wrist. "Let's go!"
I mean, I was all for surprises and stuff but Reem was utterly discreet about it. I wondered if she had a secret nightlife no one knew about. The thought was pretty amusing though.
"Here we are," said Reem. I let my eyes absorb the raucous youths, blinding lights, and a pack of motorcycles. "Cool, right?"
"A little eerie too." Probably because the whole scene was new to me. I had never been to a place like this before.
She chuckled. "Don't worry, bestie. This racing track is completely safe. All the bikers here don't do it for money, just plain fun. Most of them are St. George's students though. Besides if it wasn't safe, Vincent wouldn't bring me here."
"Did someone mention me?" I heard Vincent's voice from behind and twirled around. A pair of leather gloves shrouded his hands as he held a helmet.
"There he is, my hero." Reem wrapped her arms around his neck and tiptoed to kiss him. He let out a proud chuckle and kissed her back. "I brought a special guest."
Vincent then shot me a smile. "Glad you came Hazel, you're gonna have plenty of fun."
I laughed. "Are you sure?"
A grin crept up his face. Not a cocky one though, more like a spontaneous one. "Absolutely. A year ago, Reem was kinda hesitant about it now she doesn't miss a race. It's nothing like how it seems."
"Agreed." Reem caressed his chest.
For a fleeting moment, I found myself thinking about Ethan. Wasn't he into this kind of stuff too? How come he wasn't around?
Some sort of honking sound blasted through the speakers as Vincent stiffened. "That's my cue to go." He leaned down again and pecked Reem's cheek as she grinned at him. Widely. "You'd better beat their asses."
He then chuckled and walked away, heading to one of the bikes and hopped on it, putting on his helmet. "Let's go to the front line." Reem dragged me forward, pushing through the crowd. As soon as we reached the iron boardwalk, she held onto it. "It kinda gets crowded here so don't let go of the boardwalk, okay?" Then she pointed to the distance. "See, they go all the way to the back and then take a turn. The route is shaped in a circle so they arrive at where they started. It's a short distance race anyway so it wouldn't take long."
"Well, I'm impressed. You come here often, don't you?" I chuckled.
She tilted her head to the side. "Guilty as charged."
A green light flashed from above us as a sign for the bikers to take off. Our eyes were glued to Vincent as his bike roared into the distance, maneuvering its way in between the others bikes. "Go, baby!" Reem screamed at the top of her lungs, clapping her hands in excitement.
I wouldn't say I was feeling uneasy but the whole thing was sort of odd to me. I was the kind of girl to sit in a quiet place and read a book, the rush, the thrill, the danger — all of these terms were unusual to me. But they weren't necessarily bad, just different.
Reem had her eyes pinned into the distance, seemingly pretty focused. Vincent will probably be here any minute. I was starting to feel a little hot so I let go of the surface and reached out to pull my hair up into a ponytail. I hate the fact that I didn't bring a hairband. My nape was beginning to feel sweaty, I glided a hand over my chin and down my neck. The cheering got louder and the lights began to fade. I heard the roaring sound of the motorcycles prolonged a few meters away then I felt a heavy pressure on my shoulder as a surge in the crowd jolted me forward. I lost balance and was about to fall over the boardwalk when a pair of hands grabbed my waist and steadied me in place. "Careful." I could feel my back pressing against hard chest muscles and my heart skipped a beat. I recognized the voice.
I turned on my heel as a familiar pair of russet-brown eyes pierced into mine, rendering me speechless for a second. Though they were a shade darker now, I couldn't see the natural color. I was close enough to get a whiff of his woody scent— dark and wild. That's how he smelled. "You don't get your hands off the boardwalk, Hazel. Didn't Reem tell you the basics?"
"She actually did, it was my bad, I didn't listen to her."
"Does that mean you're a little stubborn?" Subtly, he raised his eyebrow.
I tilted my head to the side. "You could say that."
The corners of his lips stretched into a ghost of a smirk but it didn't reach his eyes. "I thought this wasn't your scene."
I shrugged. "It isn't so bad."
"Not dangerous anymore?"
"No, it still is but could be a source of fun too. At least, for everyone here." The honking sound blasted in the air again, Reem clutched my arm and shouted. "There he is! Vincent is the first to cross the finish line!" Then she noticed Ethan, he stared at his friend for a while, what seemed like a proud, loose smirk clouding his face. He didn't look surprised though. "Hi, you! Were you chilling in the back again?"
"You know I dislike the front line, Reem. Too fucking loud."
She laughed. "Oh, I know. Were you guys talking? I could't hear shit."
I laughed. "That's because you were shouting."
She stuck her tongue out a little and hurried to hug Vincent as he walked towards us. I smiled and twirled to Ethan. And then it hit me— I didn't ask the obvious question. "How come you didn't partake in the race though?"
"Why? Would you have cheered?" He let out a low chuckle.
"Maybe," I grinned, "not."
He feigned a pained expression. "Ouch. Am I not deserving of you screaming my name?"
I windened my eyes for a second and that seemed to fuel his amusement as he laughed. "Bikes used to be my thing back in teen years. Now, I'm more into cars."
Reem and Vincent sauntered towards us, side-hugging one another. Ethan pulled Vince into a bro-hug as they exchanged some race code only they understood. I rolled my eyes and I could swear Reem did the same.
Ethan seemed to exit the scene soon afterward. He gave Reem a slight pat on the back. "See you, Jordenne."
"Bye, Rivers." A grin crept up her face as she wiggled her eyebrows at me, causing me to furrow mine in confusion. What was that for?
Ethan's expression softened as he approached me, leaning down a bit. "And Hazel, next time you plan to come back, be a good girl and don't let go of that thing. We don't want you getting hurt now, do we?" I felt like his eyes were staring into my soul. He didn't really try to force the connection, there was just something about his eyes that seemed unreachable. He seemed unreachable.
But they were beautiful— almost like an ocean of sealed secrets. But they weren't cold neither drenched in blues. They emitted a blazing touch of browns — flames.
And I could swear, a part of me wanted to get burned.
☆ ☆ ☆
So... Thoughts?