The Perfect Hybrid

CHAPTER XVI

Ella

"It's nice to finally meet you."

Those words rang in my ears for a whole day. The moment he stepped into the room was the moment I felt something in me. There is something that keeps telling me that I know this guy yet I could not place his face anywhere. It's weird because I am sure that I have never met him. I know I would have remembered me with a face as beautiful as his. But that is irrelevant. I just feel like I know him because he is really familiar.

I was pulled out from my musings when I felt Skylar's presence going towards me.

"Hey, Ella!"

"Hi," I greeted back. "So, are you going to talk to me about what you said that was so important?"

"About that," she started which I knew right away would be mean that she'll raincheck on me. "I am going to have to postpone that talk. My grandmother called and she told me that she has to teach me something that is really important."

"Does that have anything to do with what you are supposed to tell me?" I asked.

She gave a half-smile and shrugged an answer.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She took my hands before forcing a smile.

"I promise that we're going to talk about everything that has happened and everything that I know." I frowned at that.

Everything she knows?

Does that mean she actually have the answers to all of this?

"But right now, it just has to wait and I have to run."

She must have felt my sudden curiosity as I felt the spike of tension in her because she immediately run off after giving me a quick hug, that of which is so unlike her.

The connection between us was really weird. I know that there was a connection because we would not have become friends for a long time if there wasn't. But it's different from before. It's as if it became apparent, stronger in a sense. Back then, I can read her because someone who knows her for as long as I do would notice the subtle differences in her face or gestures. Those subtle actions help me read her.

Now, it's as if I do not have to look for those subtleties. It was like there is this alert system in me that makes me feel a little bit of what she feels. Maybe it was not as strong as hers but it was still there as if to give me a heads up of what she's feeling.

That is one of the many things that kept me distracted at every class, not to mention the stares I kept on receiving from the students everywhere, forcing me to hang around the roof deck.

There are a lot of questions in my head that I just kept on pondering. Questions like: what the hell happened in the woods? What happened to me? Why have I been unconscious for nearly three weeks despite having or the lack thereof of any injuries that would result to that? Where is my grandmother now? Why did my parents not know that she paid a visit at the hospital? And why the hell does that new classmate of mine look eerily familiar yet I know I have never met him?

Ugh! And the list just keeps going on and on.

These questions were running in my mind, making me space out while walking that I literally ran into a wall.

"Hello, Mikaela."

A girly squeak came out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Okay, not a literal wall. But a wall of chest.

And just the guy in my last train of thoughts.

"Ezra! You scare me."

He smirked. He fucking smirked at that. "Come now, no need to be so shocked. It is just me, after all."

"No, it wasn't that. I'm sorry that I ran into you. I was in the middle of questioning everything that I did not see you there."

I honestly feel like my mind spawned you in front of me, somehow. But that will also do.

"There is nothing to apologize, Mikaela," he said without dropping that stupid smirk from his gorgeous face which is also irrelevant.

"Oh, so it's okay if people ran into you?"

Great! Now, I'm flirting?

"Figuratively or literally? You have to be specific with that question because I do love running into someone, figuratively speaking, Mikaela."

"Ella. You may call me Ella. Calling me Mikaela feels a little bit too formal," I said. "And yes, figuratively speaking, I too love running into people. Literally though, not so much."

"Of course, you would not," he said with a glint in his eyes. "With your stature, I must say that you are more than likely to fall on your bottom. Unless, of course, someone catches you first."

What did you just say?

"Did you just insult me?"

His eyes widened as if shocked but the playfulness was there. "No," he said simply yet his eyes and that irritating smirk tells a different story. "I apologize if you felt that way, Mikaela."

The way he says my name along with that infuriating smirk is starting to get on my nerves.

"I told you, you may call me Ella. Everyone else calls me that. You don't have to be so formal."

The arrogant smirk widened as he stared into my eyes. Those eyes that seemed to have some deep dark secret that almost made me weak in the kneed. Almost. And it made him look even more handsome. But that is completely irrelevant.

"As you can see, I am not everybody else, Mikaela."

"I can see that. And if I may add, I also felt that your eyes were on me the whole time we were in class."

"Are they?" he asked with veiled innocence.

"Yes, and it was really uncomfortable."

"Are you sure it was me? Because I saw that you have turned your head towards me multiple times yet our eyes never once met," he said as the smirk on his face never faltered. "But I did notice that a lot of the students were looking at you."

"I know you were looking at me. I―" I stopped talking when I realized what I was doing. I was literally pointing my finger at someone without even tangible proof.

When I saw that he seemed to be closing the distance between us, I took a step back and took back what I just said.

"I'm sorry if I seemed assertive to you. You're right. You weren't looking at me. My mind was just going wild with all that has been happening lately."

He took another step forward while I took another step back.

"We have only met today yet you have already apologized twice," he said stepping closer. "I am not someone who gets offended so easily, Mikaela."

He's still walking closer. Does this guy know personal space?

"Okay." I said, still trying to widen the distance between us as he took more steps closer to me.

"So, if I may ask, where are you heading before you 'ran' into me?"

"Home," I answered simply.

"Well then, if it would please you, I would like to escort you to your humble abode," he said with a slight bow.

Did I travelled back in time when it was usual for people to use words like that and bows like that?

"I'm sorry but I'm not comfortable with that idea. I just met you today and you are kind of still like a stranger to me."

"No worries. I have nothing but good intentions in my sleeves. However, I shall not force my presence upon someone who does not welcome it," he said with a light smile. "Goodbye, Mikaela."

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