I AM HAPPY THAT I MET YOU

CHAPTER 2

As soon as they entered the class they were welcomed by the hustle and bustle of the first day. The class was almost filled, thankfully the last row was empty, as they walked up to the last row everyone silently peered at the 5 of them or presumably they were looking more at Dylan.
As they sat down Dylan became aware of the eyes on him. Though he was accustomed to people staring at him, today he felt odd.
“Why are they looking at us this way?” he slowly whispered to Cathy who was sitting right next to him.
Cathy leaned into him
“They are not looking at us Dylan, they are looking at you” she whispered back.
“That is what it is, it feels weird I don’t understand why people keep staring at me all the time ,and today it feels more offending than any other day”
“For instance, you are DYLAN STEVE MARK and today you look like shit, after gulping down a load of alcohol and getting into a freaked fight last night, probably you should have expected this” Cathy said with a  tinge of taunt in her words.
Dylan convulsed his head getting annoyed and lied down on the table in front of him.
“Hey guys” Mattie shouted leaning on their bench.
Pain was surging all over his body and he was having a hell of a hangover from yesterdays getting drunk episode. Along with that hearing Mattie’s piercing voice made him more frustrated and Dylan looked up getting piqued.
Mattie’s eyes were twinkling with happiness, seeing them.
“Hey……Mattie” Ellen said just to return the gesture. But this encouraged Mattie to take the conversation forward. She looked at Dylan.
“Ho Dylan did you get into a fight last night? You look bruised” she said with a sad face. Dylan looked with a curt expression on his face, not again he didn’t want to deal with this shit again he thought. Cathy nudged him warning him to behave.
Dylan sneered.
“Yeah……I….”
“Whatever” Mattie cut him midsentence
“Guys did you hear a new girl transferred here from Royal Art College London. I heard she is really beautiful.” Mattie said getting all excited.
Mattie was the gossip dumpster of Columbia university. She had all gossips rolled up in her sleeve and god only knows where she gets these info’s from. Sometimes she annoys the hell out of people. But today was not one of those days, as they were really interested to know about this new girl, or probably just the others were interested to hear about the new girl, Dylan was just thankful that today he was not who Mattie was focused on, so perhaps it was okay to handle a little bit of her annoying behavior today.
“Which year is she by the way?” Kelvin asked prying for more information about the new girl, who’s definitely going to be his new hook up for the week.
“Senior year” Mattie said pulling a brooding face.
Dylan was surprised, now his full attention was on the subject of conversation.
“Why the hell would she transfer from Royal Art Academy which is literally the best art academy in the world to Columbia University that too in the senior year?” Dylan asked astonished.
“I really don’t know. But if you are dying to know the reason of her transfer probably you could ask her, you know as she is sharing the literature class with us so it won’t be difficult ” Mattie said giggling
“She is taking the literature class with us……..I really think I am lucky this year” Kelvin said his face pulling into a broad smile.
Kelvin didn’t change even a bit, Dylan thought.
Before anyone else could speak up Mr. Antony had entered the class.
“Good morning students I really hope all of you know me, so I guess I don’t need an introduction, I will be taking the literature session for you this year” he said with his British accent protruding to the fullest.
Dylan was stunned seeing Mr. Antony because Last year he had gotten into a fight in the campus which led him to be a bad grace student in Mr. Antony’s books, who was their literature professor that time. Having him this year too was a disaster which Dylan was not equipped to handle yet. Then his gaze fell on Cathy who was looking ahead with her book and pen already in her hands (for such a studious student like her there was nothing to be surprised about her eagerness to study, Cathy loved studying and moreover she loved Literature). He also deemed at his other friends to check if any of them were shocked like him, to see Mr. Antony as their professor again, but none of them looked either shocked or surprised. He poked Cathy who looked at him questioningly.
“I really should have guessed that he would be the one teaching us this year. Everything about this day is telling me to scarper as soon as I can” Dylan said whispering hopelessly.
Cathy smiled at him
“Grandmom” she whispered and blinked at him. Dylan looked forward and tried hard to keep his face devoid of the miserable feeling forming inside him at the mention of his grandmother.
Soon Mr. Antony spoke up. “We have a new student, Jennifer who will be joining our literature class, she transferred from royal art academy London.” He turned towards the door.
“Jennifer please come in”
There were whisperings all around the class, all eyes were turned towards the door, anticipation shooting up. Jennifer opened the door and entered, heels of her Marilyn Monroe Shoes clacking the ground. Everyone gasped seeing her.
“Shit she is more than just beautiful.” Kelvin said not taking his eyes of her even for a second.
“She is really beautiful right?” Cathy asked looking at Dylan. Dylan shrugged.
“Oh come on Dylan you can agree that she is beautiful. Cathy is not going to kill you” Kelvin said promptly smiling.
“I don’t know Kelvin, maybe she is”. Dylan said eyeing Jennifer.
Ellen elbowed Kelvin
“Wipe off your drool Kelvin” she said grinning. Kelvin smiled being embarrassed.
Dylan felt Jennifer’s eyes wandering around the class, ending up her leering straight at him. He felt her hazel colored eyes thrusting him, making him feel uncomfortable .He felt jenny intriguing, there was something in her that was nagging Dylan, specially her eyes. There was no denying of the fact that she was different and at the same time she felt so familiar to him. Not only Kelvin’s, everyone’s eyes were gazing at her, all those who were never interested in Mr. Antony’s class was so silently induced in his class now because of Jennifer.
When Mr. Antony finished introducing her, she walked to the first bench where there was a vacant seat and sat down, all the guys and girls in the bench tried to indulge her in conversations but all she did was smile at them, and then smoothly ignored them. She glanced back once, accidently catching Dylan’s eye, she immediately looked forward and he kept his eyes lingering on her a few seconds more, skepticism taking over him. ‘Weird’ he thought.
The class went vaguely for everyone, there were continuous murmurings about Jennifer throughout the class which probably Mr. Antony took no notice of. As soon as the class ended jenny got up and left, leaving Kelvin to fume in disappointment of not being able to talk to her.
“I should have talked to her. Shit……, what do you think about me visiting the art building. I will act as if it was a mere coincidence” Kelvin asked appealingly.
“That wouldn’t be a good idea Kelvin. What would a business management student possibly be doing in the art building” mike said quizzically
“Why wouldn’t that be a good idea?”
“Because she doesn’t seem to be so stupid to get tackled that easily by your diffusing charm Kelvin” Cathy said thoughtfully.
“I really want to ask her to out before any other rogue do that first.” Kelvin said sullenly
Dylan looked at Kelvin horrified.
“You want to date her Kelvin? Did I hear that wrong?” Dylan said mockingly
“Off course I want to date her. Look at her man she is everything a guy wants.”
Dylan Laughed shaking his head with disbelieve.
“Then good luck with that Kelvin. I really think you will be done with her soon.”Dylan said.
They stood up to go to their next class in their schedule.
The day ended too soon…
Dylan was in the parking lot near his bike getting ready to go, the others had left before him as he had some chores to do in the office in connection with his registration. He was starting his biking when he saw Jennifer getting into a black Rolls Royce sweptail car which verily shocked him, seeing her, at once, did give him the idea that she was rich but she was this rich was news to him.
As he reached home, the first and the only thing he did was plunge into his bed, he was really exhausted beyond words. He tried really hard to sleep but he couldn’t ensnare the sleep which had been playing hide and seek with him literally the whole week. Today the reason sleep was far beyond his hold was not any normal thoughts he always had, but it was because of Jennifer. There was something ticking off about her, but he knew thinking a lot about her won’t help him, so he tried to focus on sleep instead, about an hour of tossing and turning on the bed he finally fell into a deep sleep.
Dylan woke up with a start when his phone rang, he sleepily attended the call.
“Hi….” Dylan said groggily.
“Were you sleeping Dylan?”
Dylan sat up on the bed leaning on the headboard slat
“Yes Kelvin I was sleeping and thank you for disrupting my sleep. Now will you tell me why the hell you called me out of the blue?”
“I wanted to talk to you” Kelvin said anxiously.
“Let me guess, about Jennifer?” Dylan said teasing Kelvin.
“Yeah well there is nothing else I can get my mind into. I need to be really quick in asking her out didn’t you see all those jerks gawking at her, assholes”
Dylan started laughing
“What is there so much to laugh about?” Kelvin asked his voice dripping with annoyance.
“You are talking as if you were not gawking at her” Dylan said
“Well I was exactly not gawking at her. I was mesmerized seeing her dude and that is different.” He said defending himself.
“Ok ok whatever. You are charming Kelvin you will get your luck on her don’t worry.”
Kelvin grinned.
“Now let me sleep peacefully. And don’t call me again.” Dylan said warning Kelvin and hanged up on the call before Kelvin could annoy him with anything else. Dylan dozed off real quickly this time.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The complete week was a dead end for Kelvin. He tried different plans and strategies (from waiting in the parking lot for hours to visiting the art building) to meet jenny in a coincident way and all of it failed drastically. And with each failed attempt he was being more resolved to try again. At first his friends teased him for trying so hard for a girl. But with his each effort they started taking him more seriously and finally they got the point that Kelvin was really into Jennifer and his motive was not just to hook up with her.
Friday they had literature and Kelvin was counting on the class to meet her.
On Friday they reached early for the class on Kelvin’s persistence. He waited till the arrival of Mr. Antony but still Jennifer didn’t come. Kelvin’s face fell, the others tried to encourage him but it was all in vain.
“I am really not attending this class. I am done” saying that Kelvin stood up to leave, Mr. Antony looked at Kelvin adjusting his glasses.  Kelvin was about to ask whether he could leave, When Jenny came running to the class. Seeing Jennifer a small smile spread his lips and his hopes rose high.
She took permission from Mr. Antony and entered the class, as soon as she got in her eyes fell on Kelvin who was standing and smiling like a moron. She then walked towards the first row and took a seat. Mr. Antony cleared his throat to acquire Kelvin’s notice, but Kelvin was so induced in admiring Jennifer that he didn’t hear it. Ellen nudged Kelvin hardly which bought his attention back to the class, Kelvin looked at Mr. Antony who was staring at Kelvin hankering for an explanation. Kelvin just shrugged and gave a sly smile and slouched on the chair.
Inside his head Kelvin was going through, all the different conversations he would have with Jennifer.
As soon as the class ended jenny took her bag and stood up to leave.
“Jennifer…” Kelvin clamoured her name loudly which made her stop short. Everyone looked at Kelvin including Mr. Antony, who shook his head and left the class like he was done with Kelvin’s tantrums for the day. Kelvin never felt this embarrassed in his life. He looked around uneasily. But as she smiled, his awkwardness digressed and instead he felt light headed. He walked towards her. As he reached her his heart was in his mouth.
“Hey….you are Jennifer right?” as soon as he said it he mentally kicked himself hard.
“Yeah well I am. Did you just shout my name without being sure about that?” she asked smiling.
“Uh…….I”
Jenny and Kelvin were standing near his bench so his friends could clearly hear what they were talking.
Ellen couldn’t control her laughter seeing Kelvin stuttering in front of Jennifer.
“Why is he behaving like a brainless idiot in front of her?” Ellen asked in between her laughter, which made the others laugh too.
After a bit of an awkward silence Kelvin spoke up.
“So how is college did you like it?” Kelvin asked somewhat regaining his voice.
“Oh yeah so far it’s really nice” She spoke up.
“Did you make any friends yet?”
“Oh no, I was really busy this week so didn’t get time to make any friends, but yeah I am really hoping to make friends soon” She said smiling
“Do you want to meet my friends” He asked each word spoken very carefully.
“Uhm………”
He pointed towards the 4 of his friends. She looked at them, which made Ellen wave at Jennifer, and Jennifer politely waved back. She also looked at Dylan who was sitting with his head hung low, all these things were enough for her to say yes. She walked with Kelvin towards them.

Hey guys hope you enjoyed it. I will post atleast one chapter every week. So stay tuned for the next chapter.