Rhythm

4 The Irregular Heartbeat

"Confiscated!"

I snatched the perfume from my father's room and yelled as if announcing it to the whole world. Dad just furrowed his brows slightly but didn't say anything since he hardly ever used the perfume himself. You could tell from the fact that the bottle hadn't diminished at all since he bought it in Hong Kong two years ago.

My heart pounded as I looked at the dark blue bottle, reminiscing about the time I spent alone with Teach Renu. The moment when her cute face leaned in and our noses brushed against each other was still vivid in my mind, and I knew I wouldn't forget it easily. She must really like this scent, and I decided I'd wear it every day.

Davidoff Cool Water

And I did exactly that. The next day, I sprayed just the right amount before heading to school. On-an, my sarcastic buddy, sniffed the air and then bared her teeth.

"What mood are you in, spraying perfume? That's men's cologne."

"I'm in a good mood... Oh, wait a sec. Teach Renu!" I ran cheerfully towards the striking teacher who was heading to the flagpole area. As soon as I approached her, the slight irregularity in her heartbeat made my own heart swell even more.

"You're in a good mood today. Anything special?"

"No, not really."

I just wanted to say hi out of habit.

I just wanted to show off that I was wearing this perfume again... But, well, none of my reasons could be put into words, so I just made something up.

"Actually, I tried to solve some math problems last night but couldn't get them right. Could you help me with them?"

A faint smile adorned her pretty face, and her light brown eyes looked at me with a knowing kindness. She merely nodded.

"Sure."

"I feel bad for bothering you."

"Is this what feeling bad looks like?"

"..."

"You're adorable."

She said with affection, lightly patting my back.

"Go line up."

"Yes, ma'am."

I never liked coming to school. I never found it fun or exciting to see friends because I didn't like crowded places. They made me feel overwhelmed, having to hear about everyone's lives when I didn't really care.

But now I had a reason to come. I felt a bit sad that I was in my final year and wouldn't get to see her for long like the younger students would. So, I had to make the most of this time.

Since she taught math, I had to be bad at it to get close to her as often as possible.

But as everyone knew, she wasn't just popular with me. She was also admired by many male students and some teachers. Once, I overheard a young student teacher planning to drive her home, and I had to intervene by saying...

"Let's go home together."

I positioned myself at the math department on the second floor of Building 6 at four in the evening, offering to accompany her. Teach Renu always stayed late to finish some work. She looked at me with slight surprise.

"Is something wrong? I have a lot of work to finish, and it'll be quite late."

"It's okay. It's better to go home together. Lately, there's been a new apartment being built near my house, and walking past it feels a bit eerie. I'd feel safer with you. At least you can protect me."