Before Me, Him

Chapter 58

     Lunch hour passes and I head off with John to the university campus in his car. We are supposed to meet with Emily and the rest of the crew there since it is now Wednesday and they all had classes in the morning.

     - How are you feeling? – John questions me as his eyes were gazing at the road.

     - I'm alright. – I state with a welcoming tone in order to calm John's, uneasy heart. It was only natural that he was worried about me and my well-being but for now, I'm doing fine and I want to reassure him of that.

     We arrive at the campus around two in the afternoon and are greeted by Philip who was waiting at the front gate. As usual, he was wearing a shirt however today his choice was a soft baby blue alongside some dark blue trousers. I leave the car as John goes to search for a place to park it.

     - Hey June. Had a good rest? – Philip asks me when I approach him and I nod in response. – Isn't John coming?

     - He'll meet with us after parking the car. – I state as we head inside the university.

     I look around and see that it was still all the same however, this time, it wasn't empty. The campus was filled with students and they were extremely bright. The majority of the girls were all dressed up and so were the guys. I was literally out of place among all these sparkly and shiny humans. "It's not like I give a damn anyway" I think to myself as I looked to the eyes gathering on me.

     - Why is everyone so well dressed? – I question Philip as we approach the secretary. He frowns his eyebrows in confusion before answering me.

     - What do you mean by "well dressed"? They look normal to me.

     I understand now, I guess the normality here is dressing accordingly I suppose. The brief time I was in Hollum's university there were all types of people so there was not this type of homogeneous environment. Honestly, it doesn't bug me that much however I don't like this type of vibe, it makes me stand out way more than what I want. 

     I also know that Vella is a place with a lot of wealthy people with several businesses connected to sea life and agriculture so I assume that might have something to do with this. Actually, now that I am thinking even further into this subject I can recall that Emily told me that this is one of the best universities in the country with several excellent degrees and teachers. I let out a sigh. 

Will I be able to blend in?

     As my eyes were wandering around I can see a guy looking at me with his extremely curly hair but I couldn't see his facial features since his hair was covering everything up. "Haven't I seen him before?" I questioned.

     - We're here. Go take a paper so we can know how many people are missing for your turn. – says Philip waking me up from my dreamy illusions. I nod and reach for the small paper that dictated my number. – Well that should take around thirty minutes for you to be called.

     - Really? That much? – I stated, unpleased with the situation.

     - Sadly that's how it is. There's nothing we can do but wait.

     - I see. We should go find Emily. Do you know where she is?

     - Probably in the factory. I think she was busy finishing an assignment.

     - The factory? – I question as I frown my eyebrows. - What is a "factory"?

     - On this campus, we have several factories for each degree. I assume Emily's is currently in the Design Factory finishing some clothes. – Philip answers me as we both start walking out the door heading towards the factory. I was confused but didn't question him further because I think I, somehow, understood what he meant. – Also I've been meaning to tell you something.

     The mood turns quiet as I waited for his continuation however he kept quiet until I looked at him with curious eyes.

     - I'm glad you're back. I missed you. – he states as he pushes his hair backward and smiles at me. For a glimpse of a second, my heart pounds heavily and then returns back to normal. What the hell?

     Now, this was awkward. I had no idea what to reply to him. Maybe "thanks" could work, maybe "I see, thank you" might work too. I'm not the brightest of minds in retrieving people's feelings. Heck, I'm not good at anything that has to do with human emotions.

     - I'm back. – I end up saying as I smile softly. To be honest, that was the best of the options of what to say. It is not cheesy and it doesn't make me look like a cocky girl so it's a win-win situation.

     In a blink of an eye, we reach the factory and I see Emily, wearing a beautiful pink dress with some pink sandals matching it. Once our eyes meet she runs to my arms screaming my name. "June!" she yells.

     - Hi Em. How are you? – I ask her kindly as she grabs my arm and pushes me to her desk. It was a very large table filled with several different pieces of cloths and threads, all of them pink. "How am I not surprised?" I laugh to myself.

     - Look at the dress I'm making! – she says as she grabs a mannequin with a beautiful pink dress stitched by hand. The dress was dark pink and it was very long, almost reaching the floor. No matter how you looked at it, you would associate its design with the victorian age. Her lips painted a smile from ear to ear as she was waiting impatiently to be praised.

     - It's amazing Emily! I didn't know you were good at this sort of thing. – I say astonished. I truly didn't know about this side of hers. For me, it is most definitely a surprise.

     - There's a lot you don't know about me. – Emily replies mimicking the usual mysterious main heroin in the majority of the romance movies. I have to admit though, that "weirdly cute girl that tries to be though" vibe doesn't suit her at all.

     I take a chance to look around and to travel from one desk to another. The room was filled with several dresses, each one more beautiful than the other. There were several girls working on their desks but the whole facility looked empty since the majority of the students were, most likely, on their lunch break.

     - I never asked you Emily but what is your degree? – I question her as she sits down to start sewing again.

     - Fashion design! – she looks at Philip and then smiles. – Do you know what Philip's taking? He's finishing his master's degree in English Literature. I don't know how he can do it though, I used to fall asleep in those boring classes.

     - When are you not asleep Aurora? – Philip says while chuckling. Emily gets up and they start having a friendly argument about princesses and the movie "Sleeping Beauty".

     I decided to go explore a little bit and leave those two alone until they are done. As I was walking around in the hallways of the main building I hear a voice coming from behind me and I suddenly turn to see the curly-haired guy standing there.