23

Tahti could not believe what they had done right after. But she had plenty to remind her. His warm arms around her for one, her naked body around his for two.

This is crazy. She said to herself. But, it was so good.

He pulled her closer with a satisfied sigh.

"I want to keep sleeping like this."

"Me too." She whispered back and raised her head to look at him. "What do you think about us skipping school for today?"

He smiled, a peculiar one that sent hairs standing at the back of her neck and raised his hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear before he dipped his lips to peck her on the forehead.

"I want to keep seeing you. What about you?"

Her heart sank into her stomach as she lowered her head. So that was it. He had slept with her, but was not going too ask her out.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Should we meet up often?"

So he was asking if she wanted to meet up and sleep with him sometimes without being in a relationship.

She sighed softly. "I'm not sure."

"Think about it and tell me later..." He whispered and turned to pick up his phone on the side stool. The time read 9:56 a.m

"I should get ready for school." He said and pulled away from her to get out of bed. She tried not to wear her heart on her face as she clutched to the bedspread across her chest as he looked up to see the jacket he had given her the day she'd had her period.

"Is that mine?" He asked, on narrowing his eyes to get a better look.

"Yes. I washed it. You can have it back."

"It's fine. You can have it or just throw it away." He replied and rose to head for the bathroom before she raised her hands to her face, wondering how their relationship would be from then on.

It would have been better if it had happened when she was drunk. At least, she could have used that as an excuse.

April kept sighing as she stabbed her burger with her fork that morning, wondering how she was going to face Derek after the previous night's incident.

She had gotten wasted at the after party and when Derek had offered to take her home, she had drunkenly said she wanted to go to his place. He had objected to it and April didn't remember how she had managed to force him to take her to his place.

There, one thing had led the another and they had started touching each other and...

She clenched her teeth in her jaw as she stabbed her burger again with a groan. She should probably throw herself off a bridge.

She raised her head to see Chris and Jasmine walking past the QSR where she was in and she frowned on noticing they were holding hands. What was it with them? They seemed to have gotten closer after that night at Tahti's. And it was only a couple of minutes after eight. Could they have...

She clamped her teeth hard down in her jaw again. Why was she oversensitive after she had just spent a night with Derek?

Whatever, she shrugged. She would deal with the situation later. She only needed the strength to eat first, then she would consider her next line of action right after.

Derek suddenly materialized from behind her and she nearly choked on the burger she'd just put into her mouth as he slid into the seat opposite her. What was he doing there? What was she going through do? She wasn't ready to face him yet.

"You left early." He said, stiffly.

"Um...Yeah. I was terribly drunk so I had to get the drug for hangover." She swallowed as she avoided his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah." She lied, bitterly.

"We need to talk." He said and she turned to him. "About yesterday..."

She was quick to interrupt him. "I guess I have alcohol dementia, as I don't remember a thing that what happened yesterday. So..."

"It was a mistake?" He asked, with an arched brow and she paused to consider what he had said. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to sleep with him, so she guess she could call it that.

"Yeah...Honestly, we both made a mistake while drunk, right?...So there's nothing to change between us. Don't you think?" She asked, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal.

"It wasn't a mistake for me." He replied and her heart jumped into her stomach.

"What?"

"And things won't be the same for me, either

So I don't think I can pretend it didn't happen."

April bit her lower lip. Things were only getting worse by the minute and she raked her hand through her hair with a sigh. "What if you can't?"

"I don't think I can stay friends with you now." He said and she chuckled.

"Then what?" She asked and the smile on her lips suddenly faded. "You don't mean..."

"Be my girlfriend."

April groaned as she slapped her forehead, unable to believe what was happening. "You want to date me because we slept together once? Don't you think you're overreacting?...Do you even like me?" She asked and waited for his response.

Fortunately, he didn't reply.

"See, you can't answer that. Plus, I don't want to date within such a small department. Rumors will spread so quickly and trust me, it's going to be really irritating."

There was a sad expression on his face, one she hadn't seen before. "Alright. I understand how you feel, so I'll take care of my own feelings." He said, puzzling her with his response as he rose, before he turned to head out.

Take care of his feelings? What did he mean by that?

"What do you mean?...Derek." She called but he didn't turn to shoot a glance at her.

"Darn it, I must have lost my mind." She muttered as she turned back to her meal, wondering why it had to be him.

Herley sighed as he raised his head from his pillowed arms, wearing his disheartened look on his face.

"The guy Sol brought over last night...Was he her boyfriend?" He asked Jennie,who wasn't looking far from her usual herself that morning.

"I don't know."

"Jeez. You're the only one who would know, for Christ's sake.Who is he? Is it..." Herley continued saying and Jennie massaged her forehead with her fingers. Him bringing up of the previous night's incident again was getting on her nerves.

"Is her relationship with him a serious one?"

"Ask her yourself. Who Sol dates is none of my business, and why do you keep bringing that guy up?This is so annoying." She blurted, and the trio's jaw dropped in surprise.

"What happened? Did both of you fight?" Andre asked.

"Yeah. You didn't know about Sol leaving as an exchange student too."

Jennie bit her lip, on realising she wasn't the perfect hider when it came to her emotions. "We didn't fight. She didn't tell me about leaving the country either because that's just the extent of our relationship...I'm leaving." She said and picked up her bag.

She opened the door and was surprised to find Sol behind it, a disheartened expression on her face as she lowered the hand holding her favorite chips. There was no doubt in her mind that she must have heard every single word she had just said.

Well, it didn't matter. She told herself as she brushed past her, bumping shoulders with her.

"Jennie...Jennie, wait up." Sol called as she walked after her. Jennie quickened her steps on hearing Sol's voice behind her and Sol hurried over to grab her arm. "Let me talk to you."

Jennie scoffed as she turned to yank free her arm, for the first time.

"Fine, talk.What do you want to talk about first?

Going abroad? Or your new boyfriend? Everyone knew except me."

"I was going to tell you."

"Really? When were you going to tell me? The day before you left? The day before you got married?"

Sol frowned. "What's with you? You just said it's none of your business whoever I want to date. Why are you so upset?"

"Yeah, I don't. I'm just angry because you're leaving me out like this." She retorted.

"When did I leave you out?How did I leave you out?"

Jennie raked her fingers through her hair. "You've always done this. You have never told me important things about yourself, do you know that?"

"Important things like what?" Sol asked and she fell silent. This wasn't going the normal way it would whenever they had an argument. Normally, Sol would apologize, even if she was wrong and then that would be the end of their fight.

"I guess this really is the extent of our relationship." Sol said and she raised her eyes, her heart shattering into pieces on hearing those words, from the girl she considered to be her best friend.

She bit her lower lip again as she turned to head out of school and a saddened Sol squeezed the bag of chips she was holding.

Demir returned back to where she was seated under one of the school gazebos, from the vending machine, with two cans of colas and he passed her a can before having his seat.

"Thanks." She said as she popped the can open.

"What's your next class?"

"Human anatomy...I really dislike that course."

"You dislike human anatomy? Why?"

"It's so hard." He replied and she smiled. It was a well known fact that a lot of students from the Arts department had issues with the course.

"I got an A in that course."

He seemed surprised as he turned to her. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Then, help me study." He said and she looked at him.

"What will you do for me then?" She asked and he hesitated for a minute, looking like he was considering something.

Her heart started racing as he slowly leaned towards her and she almost forgot to breathe. "What should I do for you?"

He was so close, she thought but quickly pulled back to look round if someone had seen them. Fortunately, there had been no one around.

"Jeez..." She laughed nervously and recalled something she had forgotten to ask him about something important which she had been thinking of earlier. If they were really going to keep sleeping with each other, she had to clarify something important first.

"By the way...I, um...don't want anyone to know about us." It would be a serious disaster if news went round that they were sleeping together, and it would be worse as she was a final year student. She didn't want her name to be the talk of the school for a bad record when she was graduating.

He nodded, thoughtfully and she guessed he was also thinking the same way she was. "Alright."

"Okay." She said. The first issue had been addressed. "And...well...you don't...have any diseases or anything...do you?" She drawled, feeling a little embarrassed as she asked and on seeing the expression on his face. "Do you?"

He chuckled, a contagious one which sent her also laughing as she tried to cover up the embarrassment she felt in asking the question.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious."

"I don't, so don't worry."

"Okay."

"Do you have time later?" He asked, after a while and she turned back to him, after lowering her can.

"Yes, I have some time."

"No. Should we meet on Saturday?" He asked. "No, I guess you can't. You need to rest the next day, right?"

"No, it's totally fine." She quickly replied.

Though they weren't in a relationship, she had no intention of missing out on any opportunity she had to be with him.