Chapter 7

Eugene Ari Darian's POV

After the long event, we exchanged numbers. I was so nervous to ask for it, not wanting to seem too rude or forward like earlier but she took the hint and just gave it to me, it reduced my anxiety level a lot. It felt like my moves had no effect on her like they did other women and it was a mystery to me.

"So what do you do?"

"I'm a psychology lecturer. I once worked as a therapist but it didn't work out."

"What happened?"

"I-I-"

I paused in my step and she did too. She turned to take a look at me before walking again.

"It's a long story, one for another day." Though I knew the reason she was being silent was because of what happened the other day when I was extremely judgemental. I regretted it immediately but I couldn't possibly explain it to her or expect her to understand.

"Where do you live?" The inquisitive nature I never knew I had was coming out now and I feared it would freak her out.

"Why do you ask?" She eyed me with suspicion

"Is it wrong to know where a friend lives? I could visit and we could go out sometime."

Shrugging, she pointed towards the main entrance gate. "My apartment is a few miles from there. Less than a twenty-minute walk. I didn't want to stay too far from the school with the early morning rush and all that."

"Now that you mentioned it, I have to ask. Why are you here?"

A laugh left me. "I don't get you."

"I mean, you seem to be living comfortably if your house is anything to go by. And I'm pretty sure that isn't your only painting. You must have a lot more and I know the sales of those workers would pay a lot more than this school can." She paused, continuing in a minute. "So I ask again, why are you here?"

I guess she was a psychologist. I wasn't expecting anything less from her. I met with her scrutinizing gaze the moment we met in the exhibit and the way her eyes screened me was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was different from the way other women looked at me.

"I know nothing about art but I know you are not famous neither are you a starving artist."

"I would have been extremely disappointed if you didn't take note of it." I had a silly grin on my face

"I don't understand." She took two steps back

"This only means you've been studying me all day." A coy look was loose on my face. "You like me," I dropped the bomb and she turned all red

"Excuse me?!"

"You like me." My tone was completely calm

I walked closer to her but she stood her ground, not moving an inch. Her action or lack of action only made me smile and I inch even closer. She still wasn't moving and stared me dead in the eyes, daring me to try something stupid and I felt tempted.

"Irene, you should come to see-"

"Ohhhh." A couple of voices followed after the first

Irene hurriedly pushed me out of her line of sight. And as I watched from her side, a couple of girls had their hands over their mouth in shock or disbelief, I couldn't make out the emotion. They all froze for a couple of seconds and I just looked between them and Irene. She too was frozen on her feet. I didn't see what the big fuss was about.

"Irene!" One finally gasped, the air going through her lungs.

A few seconds later, "Irene!" The other three recited after the first.

"Irene!!" The four screamed before enveloping her in a hug and I quickly moved out of the way from the stamping group. The floor shook from their stomping feet.

"I'm happy for you. You move fast." The brunette eyed me in the middle of her statement.

"I mean, who would have thought you could move so fast. This deserves an award," another one of her friends in a black, backless, sequin dress.

"I'm shocked by your behavior young lady, who would have thought," the first lady spoke, leaving her statement to hang in the air

"I have no idea what you guys are trying to say but whatever it is, I'm very sure it's wrong."

"But we just saw you two about to," one lady who hadn't spoken before started but was cut off immediately by Irene

"Don't even say it, it wasn't what you guys are thinking. And besides, I just got out of a relationship. Not ready to jump into one right away." She tried whispering but my sensitive hearing caught all of it.

"Well, in my opinion, you should jump this guy. Who cares about your ex? He deserves to rot in h*ll for lying to you and about something so important." The last lady spoke up. She seemed to be the quiet one in the group and the least rebellious.

Irene groaned loudly and took a glance at me. She suddenly was embarrassed and shy. I could laugh out loud at the moment. She had crazy friends. They jumped to conclusions right away, coming up with crazy ideas.

I would have rescued her but I too was shocked by how crazy they were. I was about to say something when Irene beat me to it. "This is Eugene, he owns one of the artworks on exhibit and we just met a couple of minutes backs. He was explaining to me the concept of his work and the true meaning of art."

They all stared awkwardly at me before bursting out in fits of laughter. "So you are a nerd." She continued laughing and I knew I was right when I said they were crazy

"I never imagined a handsome guy like yourself would be so," her words hung loosely like she couldn't find the right adjective. "Nerdy!"

"His work must be that one we saw, with the little weird rocks, it's probably about a type of rock."

"This is an art room, not a science class." They were completing each other's words.

"He must be obsessed with them. It's a shame he's really fine though."

It was my turn to feel embarrassed. She lied so easily earlier, I would have fallen for it if I wasn't there the whole time. No one had ever laughed at me before, mostly because there was nothing to laugh at. This was new and I didn't like it. If this was what having friends were like, I didn't like it.

"Excuse me, ladies," my feet walked around them and I went back inside, the chattering crowd drowning their voices behind me.