Retrouvailles

A Month Later

Dakota City, 1100 hours

If there was one thing he didn't want then it was him and Brenda aka Bri on the same team for the falls project, Fakhir didn't know why but from day one this girl seemed a little off to him. He could do it with anyone here but not her.

"Mr. Ahmed, any problem?" Mr. Joseph their language professor passed him a look and he relaxed the brows now curling together, a perfect display of his displeasure.

"No Sir, I mean...Professeur... it's all good." he lied and covered it with a smile.

"They had to submit the project in two weeks' time but seeing the partner he had got he knew it would take more than that; he was not sure of Miss Bri's coding skills and definitely not aware of her other-than-college etiquette seeing how she was never seen with anyone but her laptop.

What a coincidence to have a roommate who liked his solitude and now this project partner who was also like an enigma.

Fakhir kept thinking about these things when a message dropped in his inbox,

"wait after class, we'll discuss how to proceed...Bri"

He gazed at the message for a few seconds and then turned sidewise to the girl who seemed busy jotting down something from the screen on a notebook, as always sitting in the corner seat alone.

"Oh Annie, ye mai kahan fas gaya." (Oh Annie, where the hell did I get myself stuck into).

***

1600 hours

"I don't like doing group projects but now that we are here I want to confirm one thing - we'll be discussing about it only the hours we set, any problem or solution will only be discussed in these hours..got it." The tall girl with the brilliant blue eyes absolutely loved ordering and having it her way.

Fakhir had a strong urge to say "Yes Maam" just to irritate this girl who kept acting like a grown-up but instead, he nodded his head from across the table where her notebook and laptop screen displayed how she had thought about all of it, the things she would do and the things he was supposed to do (according to her).

"I have no problem with that, I just want to be done with it before dinner..." he said pulling the notebook towards himself.

"excuse me." she kept her palm on the notebook halting his movement. "we'll be discussing it before class, to be precise by 7 to 9."

And for the first time since he had come to the canteen and kept focusing on his coffee he looked up and looked at her and met her eyes.

"Morning..?" He waited for her to clarify, it definitely was not going to work as he was not a morning guy, his mornings started just before the mess started.

"Yes, I have the stuff to do in the evenings, I can do this in the mornings only," she replied and put away her arm and pushed the notebook to his side which he was no more interested in.

"yet you are here today..." he replied without missing a beat.

"just because we had to discuss it." her voice sounded resigned and he noticed the subtle movement that passed in those clear blue eyes. And they kept staring at his dark ones and at that moment she didn't seem like the strong-headed girl who kept to herself but a vulnerable young girl, him being a dropout for two years she definitely was younger than him and now he felt that. He could have kept observing her unknowingly if she had not broken the eye contact abruptly and he looked away, embarrassed to be caught in one such moment.