10

"As you can see..." The person who was presenting was saying. "...sometimes a character looks directly at the camera. The audience watching would feel like they've locked eyes with the actor..."

Tahti quietly dropped her head against the chair, which was in front of her midway into the class. Her stomach churning had increased and it was then she realized, it was no just normal stomach ache.

"Wake up." She heard Demir whisper behind her and she quietly winced as she held on to her stomach.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Demir asked, on noticing her discomfort.

Why were bad hunches never wrong? She wondered silently on realising, the next minute what was really going on with her.

Her books fell off her laps, making a loud noise in the silent hall and she was forced to pull herself to sit up as almost everyone turned to see who had disrupted the presentation. Demir made to help her get it when she raised a hand to stop him.

"I'll get it."

"No, let me..." He was saying when she lowered her hand past him.

"No. I'm the one who dropped it. I'll get it." She said and bent to get it before dropping her head on the chair again.

Her luck for the day was rotten and a zit had popped up on her chin. It only meant one thing. It was that day of the month.

She reached to take out her phone before checking her chat with April and winced again when she realized April was yet to reply to her message to get her a pad.

She lifted her head to heave a sigh of relief when the assistant professor called for a short break and she prayed Demir would leave her side quickly. She needed to go to the restroom urgently.

"Demir, aren't you going for a drink?" One of his friends asked and she was looking forward to a positive answer.

"Go ahead first." His reply disappointed her as he turned to her. "Do you want to come?"

"I have to prepare for my presentation." She replied.

He looked surprised. "Oh, you're presenting today. I should really focus and clap really loud."

There was no sign of him leaving soon, she noticed. She didn't have a choice, she would just have to force him to then.

"You can leave."

"What?" He asked.

"Well, your friends are leaving. Go catch up with them." She told him and his expression suddenly turned sour, one she had never seen on his face before.

"Okay...But, you sometimes suddenly act cold to me." He said and rose to leave before she could say a word.

Michelle and Andre were busy, sorting out some documents in the office when the door opened and Chris materialized from behind it.

"Good afternoon."

"Hey." Andre smiled as Chris walked up to his table.

"I came for my package." He whispered.

"Oh, okay." Andre nodded before he bent to take out a wrapped package from under his desk, oblivious to Michelle watching the duo as she was going some files, before handing it to him.

"Thank you. I brought you dessert."

"You shouldn't have." He whispered.

"Take it." Chris said and he received it with a smile.

"I appreciate it."

"Are you kidding me?"Michelle asked and they veered to her. "Is this the post office or what?"

"The pudding was expensive so I could only get one...I'm really sorry. Bye." Chris said and scurried off, leaving them to their issues.

"Andre, receiving packages for the kids is going too far, don't you think?" She asked.

"It's nothing difficult. You know what it's like.

It's tough trying to receive packages without your parents finding out."

"The office is a huge mess, because of you. Should I tell the professor?"

There was a knock on the door and they both fell silent as Sol walked in.

"Hello." She greeted.

"Hey, Sol." Andre smiled as Michelle whirled her chair to face her.

"Have you still not decided on your school? The professor always asks me that." She asked and Sol shook her head as she dropped her phone on the table near her.

"No, I haven't yet."

"Our professor would obviously want you to go to an elite university, but you should choose the one you really want to go to."

"Alright.I will.Thanks." She said and walked over to the students sign out log.

"No problem. You can talk to me anytime." Andre smiled and Michelle slammed her own against the table.

"Is this a counseling room now?"

Sol's phone rang and she turned to look down at it. It was an unknown caller.

She picked her phone and was contemplating on whether to pick it or not when Andre asked.

"Did you order a package? It could be the delivery guy. Take the call."

"For God's sake." Michelle rolled her eyes and Sol answered the call.

"Hello."

"This is Ralph." The person at the other line said and she frowned, the name not sounding at all familiar.

"What? Who?"

"Oh. You asked me to call you. We met at the cafe."

Cafe? She wondered and her mind went back to the night she had bumped into a guy, spilling his drink all over his white shirt.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. If you tell me your back account number and price, I'll send you the money."

"Well...if you're free, could we meet up?" He asked.

"What? In person?" She asked and turned to look around. Andre still had. his hands around.

"Hang on" She said and turned to throw a slight now their way before leaving.

"He's obviously trying to hit on her." Andre said, once Sol has walked out.

"Would you ever stop being nosy?" She asked as she returned back to her work. "Love is in the air. How adorable."

Tahti walked out of the toilet, clutching on to her stomach and while the other arm was to help support her back.

"What a relief." She muttered as she walked to the washbasin in the bathroom. It was just the leukorrhea.

She turned on the faucet and lifted her head to look at her reflection in the mirror as she rinsed her hands and she frowned as she leaned closer to take a closer look at the zit on her chin.

"Gosh, what's this?" She wondered and dropped her hands to wash them again before her mind drifted back to Demir. What he had said back then was really bothering her.

"Okay. But, you sometimes suddenly act cold to me."

The break was over soon and she was forced to push the thoughts of Demir aside as she walked back to the hall as her presentation was next.

The projector turned on and Demir was just coming in as she turned to face the audience.

"Hello I'm Tahti Lee, a sculpture major student." She introduced before locking eyes with him.

His eyes still looked sad like they were when he had left and she watched him fetch his bag to return back to sit with his friends.

She swallowed hard as she veered to the projector. "Well...The film I'm presenting today is known as the first science fiction film..." Her voice trailed off and she gripped her fingers on the paper.

It was code red alert, which meant it was no longer the leukorrhea but it was for real that time.

"It's...a trip to the moon." She said.

She had to finish the presentation quickly and head home before anyone found out.

Having periods was normal and nothing to be ashamed of. But to her, periods were disasters as they only came when she had an important program, and disaster victims had to evacuate to a safe zone.

"Director George's Méliès was also a magician. He was praised for his filming methods. Most of all, at the time films were not much different from theater stages. The director made a unique mise-en-scene that was different from reality or theater stages by applying perspective,space, distortion..."

"Wait..." Someone interrupted and she lifted her head to see it was one of her professors.

"You're talking too fast. Slow down and speak clearly."

"Okay."

She summarized her presentation, faster than the others and not caring how many points she would get off before she hurried over to pick her bag and leave the the hall. That day had been a complete disaster.

She was running down the stairs, covering the back on her jeans with her bag as she went.

"Tahti."

Her bag dropped to the floor and she turned her back to the wall to face an approaching Demir, who looked worried. Could the day not get worse?

"Did I do something..." He was saying as he walked up to her and she avoided his gaze and held on tightly to the wall, hoping he would let her leave quickly.

She was surprised when he seemed to notice the problem and took off his shirt to wrap around her waist.

"What are you doing? Don't you have an evening class? You'll get cold later."

He smiled as his gaze met hers. "Should I take it back then?"

"But still, it could get in your..."

"It's fine."

She felt like crying. Of all people to help, why did it have to be him? And again, he was someone she was trying so hard to avoid.

"Will you tell anyone?" She lowered her head to ask. The scenario was already embarrassing enough.

She didn't know how she would coo if she heard others gossiping about it.He sighed as he raised his hands to her shoulders. "Is that what you think of me?... Then if you saw me suddenly getting an erection during class, will you tell the others?" He asked and she was forced to lift her head.

"That's different though."

He looked serious. "It's not the same, but would you?"

"Of course not."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then, I won't either." He replied and raised his hand to gently pat her hair, summoning

second thoughts to arise within her.

Would someone like him, who was just be nice and friendly towards her, really be considered frivolous?