Jane went to school after a night of sleepless nights. Dark circles should have been visible under her eyes had she not covered them with make up.
She was still wearing her big eye glasses which covered most of her face. She let her hair lose as they danced with the wind.
She was wearing her baggy pants, white printed shirt and white slip on shoes.
While she was on the way, she was still thinking about what happened to her last night.
Something inside her had been stirred up after she read that last message he sent to her.
She had been up all night pondering what was happening to her.
"He must have casted a spell on me. Or something." She mumbled.
She could not think of any explanation at all!
Actually, the feeling was very very familiar to her. Because she had felt this feeling before. However, she didn't want to name it.
Naming it was like admitting to herself that she was feeling this towards Edric. She's afraid to name and recognize this kind of feeling.
And she hated it. The harder she tried to stay away from him, the more she was being drawn unto him.
The situation was even worse now that they're married.
She really thought she had her feelings and emotions under check. However it seems like she was wrong.
Maybe a big part of her still longed for love and being loved that when she found this chance to be loved again by him, she was subconsciously going into that direction rather than actually avoiding it.
She was like a moth flying nearer the lamp even if she knew it might burn her, but she still flew nearer.
But no! She better not let this feeling to consume her. She didn't want to become a victim of her own emotion again.
This marriage was only for one year so she must not let this feeling to flourish before it's too late.
She had not completely known Edric. He was really mysterious for her.
Yes. They had the same face with her ex-husband but personality wise, she could not read him.
Personality wise, compared to George, Edric was darker but at the same time, he was trying to get close to her.
He was also mysterious because they had this weird connection at the same time he could freeze time. And she felt he had more things hidden under his sleeves.
Meanwhile George had been indifferent to her when they're alone yet playing the concern and loving husband card when everyone's watching ever since they got married.
He only toned it down when they had their baby inside her but treated her the worst when she lost their child. He didn't even care and mistreat her even with their royal servants watching.
While with Edric, he seemed to be sincere. No pretending. Mrs. Shaw did tell her that her husband had problems in expressing himself.
But despite all that, it's only in Edric that she felt comfortable. Very comfortable. And for some reason, she's scared by it. It scared her to the bone.
Her biggest problem was he could read what was on her mind.
Which was considered cheating on his part.
She didn't want to give him the idea that slowly, he somehow affected her.
'What should I do?' She asked herself.
The best way was to avoid him, right?
She was so caught with her own thoughts that she hadn't even realize Jake was already in front of her flicking his fingers near her face to get her attention.
"Jane!"
"Oh, Jake!" She yelled as she was suddenly startled by him.
"What's wrong? I haven't seen you for three weeks and now, you're like this. What happened?" Jake was worried because this was the first time he had seen Jane spacing out while walking on the hallway.
And at the same time, he could not reach her phone over those three weeks that he hadn't seen her. And that genuinely worried him.
If not for Director Lopez's update about her, he would surely fly to Jane's hometown and check on her.
She didn't even realize that all eyes were on her. Especially when he called her name.
"Oh! Nothing."
"Are you sure? You seemed to be spacing out right there."
Jane gave a smile, "I'm really fine."
They both continued walking on the hallway before they would separate ways at the end of it.
"Okay. Well. If I may add, you also look different."
"Oh? How different?" Even Jane was startled by his remarks.
"Just different." Jake could not pin point it either.
"Nah. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you."
Though her appearance had not changed since the last time.
"Oh! Have to go. Still have a class. How about let's have lunch together?"
"Sure. But please make sure this time nothing awkward will happen." Jane didn't even think about her schedule and she immediately said yes.
She knew she was at least vacant on lunch time.
But what about Edric?
She could not dare to face him. Not when she's like this. Not when her mind was in a mess.
He could easily read what was running inside her mind in a glance.
Thus she decided to go to the library and wait for her class there instead of going to Edric's office.
But first, she dropped by and visited her professors to ask them if she had missed big time during the last week's missed lectures.
She visited them one by one and she heaved a great sigh of relief when they said she had nothing to worry about.
She was thankful that she didn't have a class with Edric today.
Maybe tomorrow, she could face him. But not now.
She was successful in avoiding Edric's presence that morning.
Lunch time came and Jake brought her to eat outside the cafeteria. He brought her near the garden area where there were concrete benches and the shade of the mango tree protected them from the harsh afternoon sunlight while they were eating their respective lunch.
Jane was laughing with Jake's jokes when on her peripheral vision, she saw Edric staring at them.
He was holding a lunch box with him and seemed to be walking towards them.
However, she saw him turning back and left in a hurry. She didn't know if her eyes were playing some tricks on her.
But she thought she saw him looking mad while looking at them.
Jake realized that she was no longer interested and so he tried to look at where she was looking at but there was nothing when he did.
Thus he frowned and asked her, "Jane, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Jake." She then flashed a smile before she continued, "We better hurry. I still have a class at one."
"Oh okay!"
But before she could even focus her attention back to the food, Jane's phone rang.
She gulped when she saw Edric's name on the screen.
The phone remained ringing that it also caught Jake's attention.
"Aren't you going to answer it Jane?"
"Oh, sorry! Excuse me. I just have to answer this."
"Sure. No problem."
Jake thought it must be an urgent call since the caller kept her phone ringing.
Jane got up and walked in a distance before she took the call.
"Hello?"
"What took you so long to answer?" Edric immediately asked her on the other line.
"Ahm."
"Come to my office, immediately. I'll give you two minutes to do that."
'What?!'
Covering a long distance in two minutes was impossible to do when walking.
She had to run to reach there. But she had no choice though.
She had no idea why but she felt something bad about this should she fail to go there on the designated time.
So she hurriedly ran towards Jake who was frowning while looking at her.
"Jane, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Jake. I forgot that I still have something else to do." She said while packing her lunch box in a hurry.
"Slow down! You have already eaten most of your lunch."
"I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Jake watched as Jane ran away from him.
He felt that something was wrong the moment she received that call.
Jane ignored his concern as she ran down the hallway going to the administrative/faculty building.
She didn't mind the fact that her stomach was starting to hurt due to running.
Jane was so focused on being there on time that she didn't realize someone had stuck his/her foot to block her.
Their attempt was successful because she tripped.
They were expecting to see her diving on the floor and laugh on her embarrassing situation yet it didn't happen.
For some reason, she had regained her balance and didn't fall on the ground.
Jane just shrugged everything that had happened as her main goal was to reach there on time.
She was already late but she tried her best to still go there.
She was heavily panting and she was covered with sweat all over her body.
She then knocked on the door but before it was opened, she ran to the nearest bin and puke there.
She felt really sick after running when she had just eaten and had a full stomach.
Even athletes would never train after having their meal.
She ignored the disgusted glares of the passersby and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She looked at the door which was slightly opened and slowly walked towards it.
When she entered, she saw Edric sitting on his chair looking at her with his expressionless and handsome face.
"You are late."
***