[ Previously - Matt, Prince and Dan reach the canteen. ]
Our table was not that far from the entry so I could see the scene unfold in front of my eyes. Matt was the most handsome of the three. All the girls were following him wherever he went. Flare had told us, he hadn't dated a single girl and was an introverted guy. There was more to his character than people knew (I presumed). Prince and Dan lost their limelight when Matt was around, but they seemed too close to bother about other people's points of view.
Matt caught my attention and waved at me. This was rather an awkward moment for me (we hardly knew each other). I smiled back hastily and turned towards Linda. The girls crowding near Matt (including Flare and Betty) saw that he waved at me. Gosh! I felt sweaty at the thought of - what will happen next? I didn't want to ruin my friendships due to a boy drama.
The boys sat at a round table opposite ours. Betty and Flare returned to their seats rather confused.
I took in a deep breath, while they completed their lunch. "Why did he wave at you ?" Flare tossed the question at me. "I don't know, " I whispered in an innocent tone. "Are you two close?" Betty said adding more rivalry among the two of us. Before I could explain anything - we heard the boys speak (we could faintly hear what they were talking about).
"Who did you wave to Matt ? " asked Dan (surprised). "Oh ya she's Grace, it's her freshmen year. I saw her dancing in the auditorium and was amazed by her moves, " Matt answered (in a gentlemen tone). "She looks your type, " said Prince elbowing Matt. "Stop it, let's just focus on the food, " Matt said (putting a halt to the conversation).
Flare was now fuming (ready to attack me). Helpless to answer questions whose answers I didn't know; I took my lunchbox quickly and went outside for some fresh air. Matt saw me leave in haste and so he followed me to the outside. I kept thinking why do I need to justify things which are not in my control. I found myself sitting in the corridor staircase of the ground floor; staring at the clouds and admiring them. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes trying to listen to the chirping of birds.
"Hey, are you alright ? " asked Matt who appeared out of the blue. "Yes I'm fine, thank you! " I answered tiredly. "Why did you step outside? " Matt slowly asked. "Umm, it's because of your conversation with Dan. My roommate Flare heard it. She mistook our relationship. She is basically into you and I didn't want to be involved in boy drama," I said blurting everything out. "Hey, hey, hey it's okay calm down. I'm sorry if I dragged you into a situation you never wanted to deal with. But Grace being your senior I would advise you that such things might occur quite often," he said. "Quite often?" I affirmed. "This will not be our only meeting, right? So you don't keep explaining people around you, instead be loyal to people close to you," he said smiling. There was a sparkle in his eyes when he said those words. "Those are deep words," I said praising him. "That's because I'm philosophical and also hear country music like that of Taylor Swift, "he said jovially. "Me too! That's great" I said, excited to find a person who had a similar liking.
We both were giggling and smiling. Little did we know people were noticing us together. We stayed aloof of the world as we continued our conversation. He said that he was a third-year student in the Commerce Department and singing was his passion. I had never spoken so much to a stranger; it felt different but a "Nice" different. I felt happy meeting this new person. It was as if he was different around me. Only I knew the real Matt - how calm and decent he was. He wasn't shy or introverted with me. He was filled with positivity.
"Would you like to introduce your roommates to mine? " I asked. "Yes sure, let's head to the canteen before it's closed, "he answered quickly. I moved ahead of Matt when suddenly I found my hand held back. It was Matt. I stared at him for while until he spoke. "I was wondering if I could add you on Whatsapp? I can share the co-curricular details. I'm the student in charge of the activities here! " Matt asked shyly(rubbing his neck). "Yeah sure, I would love to participate in dance-related ones, "I answered(gently letting go of my hand). His unexpected gesture made me nervous. He gave an awkward smile and then scanned my WhatsApp QR code. I saved his number as - "The Philosopher ". He saved mine as - "The Dancer ". We both chuckled looking at each other's phones. It wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
We walked towards our tables and brought our roommates face to face and introduced each other. There were mixed feelings.
Flare was trying to flirt with Matt, Dan had already started his conversation with Betty and Prince had his eyes on Linda. Matt had a different personality when he was with more people. He was cold and hardly cared about the people around him (excluding his roomies). When he was with me he was more open, a bit shy and a good listener. That's what I liked about him compared to other boys I guess. Prince was a bit showy in appearance, he wore a stylish outfit even in the canteen (which made a want to laugh). He invited Linda to see his swimming skills in the pool afterwards. She happily agreed.
We all wanted a fresh start; maybe this is where we get to know new people and create a network (at least that was what I was thinking). Dan on the other hand was an aesthetic guru and was deeply into art. He invariably spoke directly or indirectly about the same subject, which probably interested only Betty. These three had mastered different skills and brought laurels and trophies for the university, that's why they were the most respected seniors.
It was soon time to go back. We all waved our new friends goodbye and left to our respective dorms.