You're Just a Student, Professor!

6. Splitting the Bill

"I'll take a rootbear, and plate of pesto pasta."

"Um, I'll take the three cheese pizza."

"I'll take a virgin mojito and a lasagna. Also, because it's jk's birthday, let me order a dessert for all of us. Naina?"

Naina's trance is broken hearing Pari's voice who is waiting for her approval. As if it would make any difference.

"Of course, order anything that you like. It's on... me." She gives her a tight smile though before the girl can proceed with the order, a mostly unfamiliar and definitely univited voice cuts in between. The latter solely being the opinion of Naina's friends.

"Wait, did you say you will pay for all, why?" Paras asks, his confused gaze flitting from Naina's hesistant to Pari's sharp glare.

"It's someone else's birthday? And if he doesn’t want to pay for all, why can't we pay our individual shares?

His furrowed brows refuse to stray from Naina's face who feels like a cornered animal. She gives him a nervous laugh. "That's - that's no big deal, Paras. I like paying for my friends."

She nurmurs and gives Paras a smile which comes out more as a grimace, the three of her friends however, are quick to defend themselves.

"Hey, you, when will you learn to stay in your limits? You are here only because Naina has invited you."

"Exactly. You don't fit in this group. We are old friends. We've been doing this since our high school. Naina has no complaints regarding this, right, Naina?" Jaskirat asks, his strong gaze juxtaposed with a smile on his face that for the first time seems almost intimidating to her.

She nods, discreetly swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yes, we've been doing this since - since a long time. I don't have any problem."

She says with her gaze fixed on the glass of water on the table, not wanting to see the disappointment swimming in the eyes of her new friend who might - no - who would definitely think of her as a weakling and a pushover. Maybe cause she is one.

However, it hurts her even more when the guy in question just stands up, picks up his belongings and rushes out of the restaurant, not even looking back once, while her beloved friends laugh like nothing has happened and go on to order few of the most expensive desserts on the menu.

She pays for it all with a smile on her face, internally loathing herself.

*

Naina stays sitting as her friends say goodbye to her, asking if she'd like them to drop her somewhere. She smiles, shaking their head, showing them the keys of her car seeing which they laugh, and the air fills with the echoes of "Of course, you have the car" "You're so lucky, must feel nice bring rich," and "now I don't feel guilty anymore, haha."

Her smile falls apart as soon they turn their backs towards her, her fist clenching the keys in her hand. She tries to ignore the gaze of the person sitting two tables away. Because honestly, the last thing she wants right now is to see disappointment in another pair of eyes.

And yet finding him directly in her line of sight, does avert her gaze to his table. From her peripheral, she sees as he intently talks with the person sitting across him. It's a lady, that person, who could be his girlfriend or his sister.  But what's surprising his that bright smile on his face that he throws in the direction of that lady, unlike all the taunting smirks he's been giving her all this time.

It certainly looks that he had charmed his way into the lady's heart. She is laughing and he is smiling with eyes crinkling at the corner.

A self depricating smile quirks up Naina's lips. So even he can be civil, and he can be happy. Why is she the only one who is sad and alone.

She lets her head falls on the table in disappointment.

A few thousands never bothered her father. He never asked her about it. Then why would she let that money get in the way of her making friends. Even if she lives a frugal life, she doubts that would make her father respect her. He wants a prodigy and she... is just Naina.

Naina's internal debate gets interuppted with a knock on her table. Surprised, her head immediately snaps up, responding to the sound. And she doesn't know who she was expecting, but it was definitely not him.

"Paras?" she squeaks, lifting herself and sitting properly.  He gives her a smile and takes a seat across her, holding her gaze. She can't complete the task for too long though, because involuntarily, her gaze travels to the table across hers, meeting with the other person's gaze who seems to be already looking at her this time, head nodding as he listens to the woman talking to him, yet his gaze fixed on her table.

She looks away though, not pondering upon the fact for too long and averts all her attention to Paras.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. "Didn't you go back?"

Paras gives her a sheepish smile. "I did. But just because I don't like your friends doesn't mean I should ditch you too. I was waiting for them to go." He says and takes a seat across her.

She huffs out a humorless chuckle. "Friends... Right, thanks for coming back I guess, even though I couldn't be of much help to you in front of them."

Self depreciation. It's become a habit for her now. No one, no one in this world believes in her and neither does she.

"Hey, don't say that --" she cuts off Paras as he begins consoling her with false words.

If she doesn't like harsh reality, she definitely isn't a fan of sweet lies.

"Why is it suddenly so cold. Did you bring it with you and your cold words." Naina comments, successfully changing the topic, rubbing her hands on her sleeveless arms while the guy snorts.

"I am just honest. Brutally so. And sorry in advance, but I don't have any jacket to lend to you. This is all I have." He chuckles, piching the front of his t-shirt from his index finger and thumb and she makes a face.

"I don't expect you to. Chivalry is dead anyway." She comments offhandedly.

"Is that so? Wait, let me just strip myself off this shirt and walk around the restaurant half naked. Would that be enough chivalry for you?" He says, imitating stripping off his shirt to which she yelps, leaning over the table to take his hand away from his shirt.

"Idiot." She laughs, shaking her head, an easy smile growing on his face as well.

It's nice she thinks, being on the recieving end of someone's smile.

She definitely doesn't picture another smile getting thrown her way. She doesn't.

"What will you have? The bill is on-" Naina pauses after seeing the look the boy gives her, simultaneously her prior words ringing in her head.

She smiles. "Let's split it."