After that looking out for that figure became a daily job. Either he studied in a different department in my college or lived around here. Not once did I think that it was just a coincidence.
Once could have been luck. Twice meant there was a logical reason behind it.
And just by chance, both my deductions were true.
I studied Literature in B University. My college was one of the sought after colleges all over the country, but not for my course but for Business and Computer Science. Thus, all year round my college's environment and mood all depended either on the stock market or on gaming leagues. Everyone around us talked only about numbers, be it binary or normal numerical. The only ones relatively closer to our artistic scope of vision were the gamers. But unfortunately they only came out occasionally from their dens to supplement nutrition to their body or talk 10 steps out of the college to get to the nearest cyber café to continue playing.
Except the Business and the Computer Science department, the Chemistry department had been successful in making a little of their presence felt. All the other departments were only allowed to obediently go to class and study, forget college activities.
Chief was my first ever friend in college. She is also my only friend from the same department. I had sat beside her on my first day by chance and she turned to me and she said, "Did you sit beside me by chance or are you my fan?"
I had honestly no idea if she was famous but she looked so hopeful and she put so much emphasis on the word fan that I had no way of refuting her and crushing her hopes. Anyway, I was a liar.
"Beautiful lady, you're prettier in real life."
Words are the most amazing weapons to its wielder. I had implied that she was beautiful and that I had seen her before somewhere, without actually saying it. Chief happily chirped away with me that day and two weeks later she sent me a link to a popular web novel's new chapter that started with "Dedicated to my new little friend, Rain."
Oh so she's a writer.
Since then, I became part of her writing community. I basically did the editing work for her and helped her through numerous writers' blocks and dead ends.
Recently Chief and I had many assignment submissions and had to be around college from early morning to late into the evening as we vigorously made last minute efforts to complete everything and make editions. Hacker, our friend from the computer science department had been handed over the job of bringing us lunch and snacks on time. But time proved that we should have kept no hopes from him.
After starving for 2 hours with no sign of Hacker coming, Chief and I left the library together to buy lunch from the convenience store outside college. When we got to the front gates of the college my eyes automatically went to the left where I had seen that man stand at night.
He wasn't there. I don't know why I expected him to be but I did. It's been 4 days since I saw him at the café and then had that weird dream at night. I didn't understand this growing obsession and liking I had towards a stranger that seemed to appear and disappear compulsively but I decided not to question it. Anyway it wasn't like it was bad feeling. I liked having something to look forward to everyday.
I was lost in my thoughts and wasn't really paying attention to the right side of the road while I was crossing. Suddenly there was a commotion. It was a mess and I don't really remember anything. It was all at once, suddenly my whole world was a blur of sepia, viridian and asphalt gray. Sounds suddenly seeped into my ears, all a huge cacophony of tires screeching, car honks, soda bottle opening, laughing, screaming, crying and whispers of leaves rustling somewhere in between. It was all a blur.
And the next second I was staring at two pools of black water. He'd pulled me back from the ensuing traffic as a car almost sped up to hit me. His hand held my right wrist painfully tight and he silently stared at me as I calmed down and made sense of the whole situation.
He saved me.
My life.
"Thank you," my voice was hoarse and I was breathing heavily. I don't know if it was because I almost died or it was because he saved me.
'Thank you' was my first words to him.
He looked at me for a second more then let my wrist go.
"Pay attention."
His voice was cold and slow. And he turned around and walked away, leaving me standing with aching wrists.
"That was Ling Bingchen. He's a senior. His mom is a Finance professor in our college and his dad is a businessman. I think he lives around here. He went to Japan for an exchange program last year and just came back. I heard he's very strange and doesn't talk a lot," Chief told me later as she munched on a bag of chips.
He's cold. He's like ice. But the place he'd touched me on my wrists burned.