This Love

CHAPTER 8

Trying to forget about the awkward conversation with Rian was easy enough when I got a call from my university in frankfurt.

Apparently, the abstract that had been submitted by my colleagues had been rejected by the conference monitoring head. I had stayed with them through the editing of the research paper when I was in Germany so I thought they would successfully do the abstract themselves. Now I have to work from here, re doing the abstract as well as the project presentation poster.

I am now sitting at Inaya's apartment balcony with my laptop in hand typing away in frustration. It's 7 pm and my friends all are out for another round of shopping. I stayed back to finish this mess up. 

Soon I get a call from the professors and I internally wish for it to decline on its own. Maybe they called me accidentally, right? But after a few rings, I opened the zoom call and in appeared the department professors and some of my colleagues. I now wanted to kill them all.

One thing is that if I don't finish this procedure by today and tomorrow morning, my plan to go to the beach along with them for the video shoot would be in vain. Beach, is something I cannot miss for the world.

"Just a second." I say to my laptop and settle myself on the dinner table, switching on my video.

My professors straight up start harassing us. They don't wait for any explanation or apology from our side.

I hear the door click and expect Inaya to come in after their shopping. But in comes, Rian in his casual hoodie and shorts.

"I'm sorry, Prof George. I'll correct it by tomorrow morning." I say, sighing deeply at the mistakes of the people who are also shamelessly sitting in the video call not even caring to explain themselves.

Rian smirks a little, as he takes a few steps towards me. I raise my hand to tell him to stop. Can't he see me that I'm in a call?

"What is it, Vanhi?" One of the professors ask, I couldn't notice whom since all I can see is Rian who won't stop walking towards me.

"Uh, nothing. Just- it's. It's my cat." I stutter and I mentally kick myself for such a pathetic excuse.

Rian's face now beams playfully as he starts to claw his hands cutely which makes me laugh stupidly. Then I realize I'm in a call, and I turn to the screen . They all look at me warily.

"Vanhi, make sure to send in the report. I want to see what stupidity you wrote there that it got rejected right in the first phase." Prof George says, certainly annoyed.

"I'll send you the report by today, sir."
I sigh again, adding one more to the list of things to get done today.

"Show us the cat, Vanhi." Emily talks for the first time in the call. I just smile sheepishly. No way.

"Do they wish to see me?" Rian asks loud enough so that his voice travels right to Germany.

"She has a guy over!" Emily says and starts laughing.

I don't look for the faces of the professors. This is bad. I immediately hang up the call, and text them later that I was having network issues.

"What was that, Rian? Can't you see that I was in an important call?" I ask, my expression both of anger and worry. I still have a lot of things to complete just in a few hours. It's already suffocating even thinking about it.

Most of my luggage is at my parent's and I suddenly remember that I have to go there to pick it up since it has some important files in it. I'll have to check over it, I'm sure I can find what went wrong in the draft.

"I'm sorry. You just looked so anxious. I thought I would lighten you up a bit." He takes a seat next to me at the table.

"What's wrong?" He asks me worried.