"Now its your turn" Arichit elbowed Ross to choose the chit.
"Where is Mayra?" Siza asked after seeing her nowhere around.
"She won't be coming back for now" Eric smirked, looking at the spilled drink.
"It spilled on May?" her eyes bugged out, as she looked at him.
He shrugged his shoulders and looked away.
Squinting her eyes, she paused and said "Can I borrow your jacket?"
He smiled thinly "I'm sorry but I've no intention of helping her."
"So I'm right!" She placed her hands on the table and turned to him, "Come on now, your senior has asked for a favor from you"
"Ask me for anything, not this" Eric replied.
"Not even if I let you borrow my visiting card" she pouted, "Arichit is of no use when it comes to lying, I'm sure you know that."
Eric sighed and took off his jacket, "This is the biggest favour I've done so far."
"Thats how you build your network my boy." Siza smiled and left.
"I can't do it." Ross sat on his chair and grumbled.
"If you can't throw it on someone then act like it spilled unintentionally" Arichit kicked his chair.
"But its rude" Ross hold on to the table to not fall. 'What an irony!' Eric thought as he was trying to hold back his laughter.
"What? Ross hasn't completed his task yet" Siza said after coming back, "Ross you better drink this now" Arichit took the tonic and passed him.
"Eric you are next" he pushed him forward.
"He has to kiss someone" Siza whooped after peeking at Eric's chit.
Ross looked at him with puppy eyes, "Can't we just exchange our tasks?"
"Sorry senior" Eric said with a beaming face, Ross looked along his line of sight, "I see! Somebody is ready to make a pass at you."
Arichit sighed placing his hands on their shoulders, "Here I thought she is intrested in me."
Eric guzzled his drink and ordered a drink for that girl.
"He's making a move already" Arichit chuckled.
"I want to give it one last try" Ross stood up placing the tonic aside.
"Come on, its my turn" Eric pulled him back without leaving that girl's eyes.
"I know you are excited" Ross took a drink and patted his shoulder, "But I can't let you finish your task before me" and headed forward.
"Hey thats Mayra right" Arichit said pointing at a girl standing at the doorway in an oversized leather jacket.
Eric glanced at her, "Gross! she is looking funny" he snickered.
"What? Ross is going over there!" Siza laughed while saying, "No! She can't take it again."
Eric stood up promptly, 'Wait! Thats my brand new jacket!'
May saw him startled and took a step back as he paced up to her, leaving his drink behind, 'It took my months' savings to have it...I won't let this stupid challenge ruin it'
He stopped right in front of her, and in a deadpan tone he said, "Come with me."
May seemed flustered, "Why should I? I won't" clenching her fists, she walked past him.
He found Ross aproaching her as he ran after her and grabbed her hand.
"I said come with me" he said dragging her towards the doorway.
"I said I won't" she pulled her hand back and paused. If only he was not bounded by the game's rules, he stood still, eyes bored into her, trying to make her understand the situation, but she was unflinched.
"What happened?" Ross asked stepping closer to May.
'What should I do?' Eric alarmingly looked at the drink in his hand and then at May, seeing her all smiles he realized how hopeless the situation has become. He pulled her close before she could turn around, 'For the sake of Schott NYC!' and kissed her lips.
May pushed him right away and slapped his face, "How dare you?" she said pressing her lips, looking dreadfully fierce.
Ross rushed in between, "Hey it was just a challenge" holding May's arm.
Her brows soften a little as she took in the situation, but unable to calm down, she left.
But Eric was frozen for a second, it felt like she was about to kill him.
They didn't talk about it later, not in the party, not even after that.
Three weeks have already passed.
"May are you serious? You'll ditch concert just for Prof. Swan's lecture" Sophie said, leaning on Reha's car, outside the dorm.
"No!" May folded her hands and said, "I don't want to sneak out of the campus for a night-out, that too on a weekday."
"Come on, nobody's gotta know" Reha put her arm around May and said, "I've even got a visiting card from a senior. There won't be any trouble, don't be a chicken now."
"I don't find it worth taking a risk." May patted her arm and said, "By the way, I'm getting late for the lecture."
"I won't drop you." Reha got inside the car and signed Sophie to hurry in.
"I didn't ask you to" May said sticking her tongue out and left.
Prof. Swan is one of the most renowned professors of Halmer, his books and articles get published all the time. But he has a queer personality and hates disturbance in his class. Everyone knows 'You should never be on Prof. Swan's hit-list, once you are in, you can forget about your days of peace and freedom in the college.'
May tip-toed in the class and took the near-most seat she saw.
'Thank goodness, he didn't notice' May took out the notes and looked around.
"Oh!!" May gasped, Eric was sitting beside her. She averted her gaze the moment their eyes locked and slowly slided away from him.
He didn't react for some time but then moving closer he whispered, "Aren't you forgetting about something?"
May ignored his words and tilted a little away from him..
"How ungrateful!" he pursed his lips and uttered, "Don't you know how to repay someone's kindness?"
May sighed, glancing at him she said "Don't you know how to apologize?" and moved to the edge of the seat.
"Who should apologize?" he moved closer again.
May raised her brow and said, "Who you ask!"
"It was just a challenge and you slapped me!" he hissed.
"If it wasn't for the challenge, you would've been accused of sexual harrassment by now" She stated in a low voice.
"Aren't you overreacting over your first kiss?" he snapped, she turned to look at him, "Overreacting! Those who feel no guilt after kissing someone without their consent dare to say..."
"Class is adjourned." Prof. announced picking up his phone and said, "Both of you see me in my office right now."
He asked them to sit while pouring himself coffee.
"Do you want this?" he raised his cup and said, "Forget it."
"So who is going to start?" he said sipping coffee.
They didn't said anything.
It was somewhat similar to their high school times, they both had mentally prepared themselves for the next half an hour lecture.
"Tell me, What was so important that you couldn't wait for my class to be over?" he leaned back on his chair and said, "You are free to discuss now."
"We are sorry, it won't happen again" they chanted together like an old habit.
He came forward, placing his cup aside, he rested his chin on the palm and said, "I wonder what you were arguing about, when you are this harmonious."
After a few minutes of silence he stood up saying, "I think you'll take time" He took a book from his shelf and said, "Well then I'll continue my work."
"Sir We.." he waved his hand before they can apologise again, "You are sorry, I got it."
He sat on a couch, "But you can't leave without explaning" he continued, looking at his watch he said, "and if you won't say anything till college hours over, then you have to come back tomorrow morning and sit here till you decide to explain everything to me."
May signed Eric to say something but he denied.
'It was your fault' she mouthed to him.
"I want my jacket back." Eric said out loud. May looked to him in confusion, 'I haven't returned it?' she remembered how she flung that jacket in a pile of clothes.
Prof. smiled and looked at him, "That isn't the reason of argument, is it?"
"It is. She is not giving it back!" Eric replied with utmost honesty.
Prof. crossed his legs and demanded, "Why?"
Eric twitched his brows and said, "Maybe because I'm the first person she.."
"Slapped" May quickly cut in, "I've never slapped anyone before, but he was rude to the point that I had to slap him."
Eric was flabbergasted as she crossed her fingers and kept on explaining.
"Then are you going to keep it?" Prof. said.
"Ofcourse not! Why would I keep something like that?" she waved her hand in denial, "It was too weird"
"Weird! Do you know the latest trend?" Eric mocked her.
"Did you just said latest? 'cause it gives off a 90's vibe in every sense" she replied smiling scornfully at him.
Eric shook his head and said, "I must never have helped you."
"Very well" Prof. shrugged, "Now that I know the depth of your argument, which was ofcourse important than my trivial lecture."
"Sorry sir.."
"Don't be" Prof. interrupted, locking his fingers he added, "Not only that, you took 30 minutes to speak."
He paused for a while, "What to do when two people fight in front of you?" his eyes sparkled as he said, "Prepare a detailed argument on this. We'll discuss it tomorrow." He smiled and asked them to leave.
"Why were you late for today's practice?" Arichit sat near Eric on the football ground and asked.
"Don't ask." He passed him bottle and said, "I think I'm on Prof. Swan's hit-list now."
"What?" Arichit choked on water, "It hasn't been a month since you joined."
Eric sighed looking at the sky.
"He doesn't picks on frosh usually, but looks like you attract too much attention" he quipped.
"Like I want to. Its all 'cause of May" Eric mumbled.
"Mayra! What happened with her?" He lay down on the ground and asked.
"She said it was sexual harrassment." Eric hurled the bottle, "and she wasn't even joking when she said that."
Arichit sat again, "Woah" and started laughing.
"She doesn't even know what I missed 'cause of that." He furrowed.
Arichit chortled and slapped his arm, " Then why you kissed her, even when you had another girl in mind"
"You don't need to know that." Eric paused, "But seriously who reacts over first kiss like this?" he complained annoyingly.
"How do you know it was her first kiss?" Arichit raised his brow.
"You don't need to know that too" Eric stood up, "I'll get going now." and left.
Ofcourse he knows it.
When she left the cafe that night, Aaron kept on complaining how she didn't let him touch her even once, 'That girl has no hormone of love. She doesn't care about anything. She can never trust anyone.' he said it again and again, audible enough for everyone to hear.
"It was so much fun last night, you missed it all" Reha chirped sitting on her bed.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it" May opened her wardrobe and said.
"I heard dormlady came to our room last night and you covered for us." Sophie said sitting beside Reha.
"I had an intuition so I asked Ruhi and Catherine to sleep here." May said searching through her closet, "You were lucky she didn't bother to remove their blankets."
"But why did she come yesterday?" Reha looked at Sophie, "She doesn't come on regular days."
May sighed opening her drawer and said, "Of someone who goes out of the dorm every hour, not leaving it for the whole day is obviously suspicious." she closed the drawer again without taking anything out.
"What are you searching for?" Reha asked in annoyance when May started to throw her clothes on the bed.
"A leather jacket." she pouted, "Have you seen one? A super tacky black jacket."
"Are you talking about that?" Reha pointed towards a jacket in her closet.
"Yes!" May rushed to it, "But why you have it?"
"Umm..I kindof liked it, so I tried it on last night." Reha bit her lips and said .
Putting it in a bag she said, "You wore something like this in a concert! Whats wrong with your sense of style?"
"You must have seen how we met those hot guys there." Sophie snickered.
"Come on, they complimented me (or this jacket)" Reha chuckled, "Anyway I'm going out with one of them today. He's hot, though not as hot as Eri.."
"This is Eric's jacket right?" Sophie placed her hand on Reha's mouth and asked May, "Are going to meet him?"
"Don't ask." May said peskily and walked to the door, "I'll tell you the details when I come back" she said seeing their curious faces.
When Reha first saw Eric in the parking lot she hastened to cafeteria to break the news, "Guys guess what?" she gasped out, "I saw a smoking hot guy in our department"
She paused to catch her breath and began, "He was wearing a leather jacket and the way he took off his helmet after getting off a Harley-Davidson bike. Man! he gives off a perfect badass vibe."
Sophie patted her head and tittered, "Your taste in guys has gone weird Reh."
Reha smirked, " Laugh all you want but its settled, he's all mine."
When they reached the class May saw Eric standing right in front of her. She walked past him while he avoided to look at her side.
Reha squeezed Sophie's hand and whispered, "Its him! Its him! I'm getting goosebumps already."
"I can't disagree. Whats with those long shaggy hairs!" Sophie muttered.
"That guy is Eric Wron. The jerk I told you about" May said while taking her seat, without meeting their eyes.
From then on his talk has became a taboo in front of May, Reha and Sophie had witnessed her tears filled with disgust after last party, so they remained quiet for the time being.
"Soph, I cannot find rubbers." Reha said searching her desk, "Help me now! I'm getting late for my date."
"Where did you keep it last night?" Sophie tried to find it in her handbag.
"I don't know!" Reha mumbled and sat down on a chair, "Maybe in that jacket!" she looked at her dismayingly.
"You are dead if May finds out about it" Sophie whistled waving her hand.
"Can I come in?" May opened the door and said.
"Will you stay out if I say no" a voice came from inside.
May ignored his words and walked in.
"Thought so" Eric muttered and kept on playing the game on phone.
'Prof. must be in some meeting' she thought as she sat on a chair next to him.
"Here" she passed a bag to him, "Your jacket."
He looked up and took the bag, "I thought I'll never have it back" he drew out his jacket to check while saying, "Have you borrowed it to someone else?"
"Bo...rro...w!" May stammered, "What do you mean? Who will wear something obsolete like this?" She crossed her fingers and looked away before he can break her lie.
He sniffed the jacket while saying, "This isn't your perfume."
May looked at him astonishingly, "My perfume!" she snatched the jacket and said, "Are you a pervert?"
He was pulling his jacket back when something dropped down from its pocket.
Eric bowed down to take it but May kicked it away saying, "It must be mine, I'll take it."
She handed him the jacket and stood up but, "Yes I'll see you soon" Prof. opened the door while talking on his phone.
Eric shoved past her and stood straight, placing his foot on it.
"What is your problem?" May hissed standing near him as she nodded to greet the professor.
"Do you want me to move my foot?" Eric murmured, "Afterall this condom must be yours."