The next day, I get ready for school, have breakfast, and grant my parents a farewell and wish them good luck on their day and receive the same from them in return, as well as from the maids and butlers. I can't get what my father said out of my head as I'm being driven to school by Edward in the limo. "Am I really no different than the others who bullied him for his looks..? Am I really just...using him..?" I frown at the thought of what my request might've made Jeshan think of me that first day he came to this school. What I think about more however, is what my request might've made Jeshan think of himself.
As the school comes into view, I think to myself, "I have to make this right... I have to apologize to Jeshan... I have to." As soon as the limo stops, I don't even wait for Edward to get out. I rush out of the limo with my bag in tow. Edward calls out to me, but I close the door before he can get much out. Thankfully he decides to just let me go and drives off.
I rush to Jeshan and I's meetup spot; the cherry blossom tree closest to the school entrance on the right when exiting, and there he is, waiting for me like always. He's always here before me, so I wonder if he's an early riser, or just gets here before me so he can "protect me" every second I'm at school. The latter thought makes my heart ache. Seeing him standing there like that makes me want to give him a big hug, but I contain myself, clearing my throat as I approach him. "J-Jeshan..?"
He looks at me as I speak and turns to face me completely as he sees me. "Good morning Sara. Ready to go to our lockers?"
"U-Um... I wish to speak to you first." I say in response.
He lightly tilts his head. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
I frown and look to the ground. "Jeshan...you do know that you do not have to do this, correct? I know that most people fear you because of your looks...and it may seem like I'm taking advantage of you for that... If you feel that I really am taking advantage of you...then you're more than welcome to stop doing this whenever you wish..." My heart aches a bit as I speak.
I'm expecting a blunt response and that I'll never interact with him again after this, but what Jeshan says next catches me off guard. "Have I been doing a bad job..? Do you not want me to be your bodyguard anymore?"
My eyes widen and my gaze shoots up from the ground to look into his eyes that look just a little bit sad. "Of course I want you to be my bodyguard! I-I just..." I avert my eyes. "I don't want you to think I'm like everyone else who sees you as a black fiend and nothing more..."
Jeshan responds immediately this time, clearly and concisely. "You don't treat me like they do."
I look at him once more. "E-Eh..?"
"If you treated me like everyone else, you wouldn't even talk to me. You look at me with kindness in your eyes instead of fear, you're always speaking to me softly instead of with disgust, and you're always doing nice things for me rather than just completely avoiding me." He looks right into my eyes as he speaks his next words. "I accepted your offer because I wanted to, not because I felt forced, nor because I felt like I was going to be used. If you were simply using me, you wouldn't feel the need to repay me or try and learn more about me, now would you?"
I stare back at him, stunned by his words. "I-I..." My heart feels warm and my face is most definitely flushed. I quickly look down again to hide my flustered state. "I-Is that...really how you feel?"
"Yes." He responds immediately once more. "You're a kind young woman, and yet you also feel used by everyone around you. That's why you asked me to do this, isn't it?" My eyes widen once more, and I don't respond. He's read me like a book in just a few short weeks, and yet I hardly know anything about him still. Jeshan is pretty amazing in all actuality. "Just like you want me to be more comfortable around you, I want you to experience the same from me. I want you to see me in a different light from your admirers here at school, and make you feel comfortable enough to talk about yourself more as well."
My heart flutters and I know he can see me blushing, but I can't look away this time. "W-Why..?"
"Because of everything I've already told you. You're different, and I want to show you that I'm different too. This is what I want, Sara." He never stops looking right at me as he speaks, nor does he stutter, his expression unchanging. The light in his eyes tells me he means every word he says, and it makes my heart melt.
Somehow, I manage to stay calm and composed. I stand up straight, take a deep breath, and give Jeshan the brightest smile I can muster. "Then...shall we go to our lockers, where you can continue to protect me?"
Jeshan nods and his intense expression reverts to its usual blankness. "Let's go, Sara."
As we're walking inside, another amazing idea slaps me right across the face. "If I watch how he acts in class, I can learn what subjects he likes and dislikes in school! I'm a genius!" And so, I use my interface to actually record Jeshan in the various places he sits in our classes so I can focus on class and learn about him at the same time. Despite that I told him he could always ask me for help, he has yet to ask me for any kind of help in any class. I don't know if that means he's smart or just being polite by trying not to bug me, but now I know it's not because he finds me to be like everyone else, so that makes me feel a huge sense of relief.
The day feels extremely long and I just want the school day to end so I can see how Jeshan looks while in class. At last, the final bell of the day rings and everyone rushes out of class, as do I in an elegant and composed fashion with Jeshan at my side. We go to our lockers, say our farewells, and I get into my limo, not even saying anything to Edward and just immediately looking through the recordings of Jeshan. However, throughout every single class, neither Jeshan's expression nor does his composure change at all. By the time I'm finished with them all, I'm in my room on my bed, and I scream into my pillow in frustration. "You have got to be kidding me!" I whine.