It was few more days before the gala and everyone is so anxious to hone their performance to perfection. All were exhausted and pressured that they kept on practicing longer hours, they were no exception even Dmitri and Einne.
David always visited on Einne's building and he kept rejected or ignored. She was too preoccupied to cater him that she just escaped when he arrived. She also excused to miss every lunch and dinner meeting with both families to dissolve her thoughts of their engagement. Only Dmitri was her confidant and she permitted to either annoy her or throw harsh and cold comments with her. There live sessions too garnered attention to music industries that most of the agencies tried to send them invitations and deals. Most of them were sent to Einne but she pays no heed with it. She had no back up plans of becoming an artist but rather stay alive and out of trouble from the original plot of this novel. She tried to avoid the female lead as possible knowing she will trap her again with her pitiful looks and feign acts of either falling or slapping scenes. But today, she seems unlucky, they were meeting in the midst of the hall and Carmen intentionally stop her tracks.What should she had in mind now? She asked herself knowing she's done chasing the male lead.
Carmen motioned towards her and she also stepped backwards.
"Hi," she greeted as if they were long lost besties
Einne just casually smile in response, she was about to get passed ahead of her but she spoke.
"Don't you supposed to hate me?"
She stopped and looked at her quizzically.
"I don't know who are you referring to, Ms. Tan."
She is already through with all the dramatic monologues and dialogues and prayed for freedom from it.
"I thought you hate me because you thought I steal Mr. David Young from you. I'm sorry." she started to weep miserably that most students spot them suspected her for making her in that mess.
Here we go again, award-winning victim. Observing her while wiping her tears makes her the bad guy again. She predicted another teacher to slap her again, she presumed and rolled her eyes. Walk out is the best medicine as she was attempting to do so.
"Miss Lin!" she already predicted this scene. She looked whoever it is and started to hate herself to get an outstanding slap. She just closed her eyes and accepted to received them as usual. Yet, she was pulled away before she get hit.
"Professor Lee, I didn't know that you had the authority to slap any students without explanation. It seems that habit needs to be fixed." there is anger in his tone as he shoot daggers at the professor who was about to hit Einne.
"Can't you see that..."
"I can see how she looks fine to me. There are no bruises on her face or fracture on her frame. You are too bias Professor Lee and you." his anger reaches Carmen as he looks at her in the eye.
"It seems it is your habit to cry in the middle of conversation as if you were traumatised or oppressed. Why looking depressing Ms. Tan? I believe Coreen didn't do anything at all."
Einne stood in silence while looking at Dmitri defended her. She was touched with his actions that she was beyond relief.
" I admired you for being good professor in your work but I hate that prying character without basis and solid proof. You can check the CCTV camera later. Don't force me to submit an appeal of dismissal in the board of directors. Excuse us." he lead Einne away from the gossiping crowd. She glanced Carmen and her former professor once more.
They were walking in circles until they arrived in a children's park nearby in the campus. Both of them sits on a swing with silence. Only metals scraping from the friction and the swing as they tried to move it back and forth.
"Thank you." she uttered and looked at him. It was a first in her life be it in reality to be defended like that. She seems someone's important person and couldn't ask for more.
"I kept it for a while that I thought I was all alone until there was you Dmitri. It means so much to me."
"I happened to be there, don't be flattered. I hate stupid accusations and why weren't you defending yourself? Are you masochist?" a scold that sounds gentle was knew and she liked it.
"Na, I was just stunned. I was confident that a knight in shining shimmering armor would save a distressed damsel like me and it became reality. Thank you Mr. Knight."
she winked at him and his expression became sour.
"I don't understand why you kept holding that jerk that caused all of this. You seems enjoying to be his miserable fiancée. How amusing."
"Fiancée? Na, he will soon change his mind. Why would I stick around knowing he has Carmen? I'm not that martyr you know. Men are too unreliable to invest affection. They were too foolish not to notice who truly loved them with all of their hearts. They don't deserve an ounce of my affection. "
" Including me?" he shifted his gaze at her with a serious look. Their is an anticipation in his eyes that is incomprehensible to her.
"Should I excluded you from those types of men?" a glint of jeer seen in her eyes. She is starting again.
"Don't lump me with those kind of men. If it were me," looking at her earnestly. Both of their hearts throbbed indifferently while exchanging stares of warmth and comfort. "I would treasure her and pamper her with all her heart's content."
"I know you do." she mumbled to herself. She was too flustered to hear his voice.
"Whoever that woman must be very lucky Dmitri."
Silence diffused between them while looking at each other with hidden words unable to say. Only the empty playground heard their beating hearts while sun sets dramatically drawing another uncertainties and possibilities.