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I never thought I'd run into him again, especially not in college. But there he was, sitting in the canteen, looking directly at me with a hint of recognition. My heart raced as I tried to process the situation.
AhhhHHHHH! I wanted to scream, but my voice was trapped in my head. Situations like this were tougher than fighting someone twice my size.
Just then, I heard my friends' concerned voices. "I think she's lost it," one of them said. "Yeah, we should send her for a mental health checkup."
That's when I realized I was still sitting in the canteen with Charlotte and Viktor, staring at the book-swapper, who must have thought I was a creep. My friends were planning to send me for a mental health evaluation!
I rolled my eyes and earned another head smack from Charlotte. "You really have lost it, or are you pretending you can't hear us?" she asked.
I fake-coughed and lied, "I was just thinking about the massive homework Mr. Butch assigned us. It's due in two weeks."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You're really on my nerves lately."
Viktor chimed in, "Mine too."
We both playfully slapped Viktor's head, trying to diffuse the tension.
Just then, I heard a chuckle from across the room. I knew exactly who it was. I looked up, and the book-swapper smiled at me before exiting the canteen. I could have asked him about my book, but this place was crowded, and I didn't want to risk him embarrassing me in front of everyone. I mean, what if he wasn't the gentleman he appeared to be? I'd kill him... just kidding... sort of.
But it wasn't just about the book. It was about me being a little nasty while reading and writing my thoughts. I wanted a total stranger to read them, that's all. Yeah, I know, weird.
I refocused on my friends, and we dove into catching up on gossip and news we'd missed as a trio. Viktor, the not-so-Russian (he's actually here for studies), matched vibes with Charlotte instantly in our Business Analytics class. I met Viktor through Charlotte, and we became an unstoppable trio. He usually celebrates all occasions with us, except Christmas, when he visits his family. Recently, his mom's health issues took him back home. We've had the pleasure of video calls with her - she's an amazing lady!
Too much to catch up on, but hey, that's just our trio's drama, right?
"Let's head to the next class, and then we'll hit the football match," Charlotte suggested.
"Done!" Viktor and I chimed in unison.
2 hours later... "Let's hurry up, I want to see the match!" Charlotte screamed in my ear.
"You don't want to see the football match, but the footballers," I teased her playfully.
"So what? Everyone has different things to check out at a game, mine is watching the players," she replied with a laugh.
