For a moment, Nina completely forgot where she was as she stared at the pairs of orbs belonging to the man that stood before her—face controlled, cold, and flat.
In the back of her mind, Nina was not quite sure if it was all because of the heat that she fainted with a while ago and woke up to his beautiful face, to be honest, but the way he looked at her made her question her own sanity. She feels a little bit lightheaded for some reason, but there is no way her mind has been supplying a stranger's face into her head, complete with a situation that involves blood—yet when she peeks at her surroundings, there is no blood or a falling motorbike.
Did the heat really get to her and cause her to experience severe delusions while she faints?
Nagarjuna's call to her name fully brings her consciousness back to her mind. She waves at him automatically before turning back to the man who has yet to give his name to her—to try once again to ask for the said name, only to catch something off from his handsome features.
Something in the other's face makes her raise an eyebrow.
The moment his eyes moved from her and up to Nagarjuna, something in his eyes shifted as if he wasn't really seeing anything. It feels as if the other's mind wanders away so far in a quick blink before returning to his skull and gaining control over his own body once more in a snap.
Why does it look like he just saw a ghost? Nina wonders. Does he know Juna?
That's scary. Nina mumbles to herself inside her head.
"What are you doing out here, Nina?" Nagarjuna asked as soon as he reached them.
Without looking away, Nina opens her lips to answer, "Oh, nothing, I was just—"
"Well, it seems you have your friend here," the stranger rudely cut in then, out of the blue, and seemed to be in a sudden rush, "I'll get going."
Maybe it was the way he talked, or perhaps his perfectly handsome sculptured face—Nina didn't know, but she just couldn't let the thought of not knowing the man's name or never seeing him again go. Does she suddenly feel clingy—is this her having a crush? At first sight? So unlike her, because even if the stranger was really handsome, it wasn't like he was the first attractive man she had ever crossed with.
There are a lot of handsome men in Nina's life, including Nagarjuna, and even if they're not attractive to her taste, they're usually very well-kept, making them shine. With many men like that in her life, having a crush on someone is impossible at first sight. She has to hear him make a speech about global warming or something before her brain tells her. 'oh, that's sexy,' and proceeds to have a crush on him.
But this man, this honey skin man in front of him, only speaks a few words and she just can't get him out of her space.
Crazy, that's what Nina thought inside her head as her hand moved on their own to hold the man back.
"Wait, your name? You haven't told me that."
The man seems tense now, despite the lack of expression on his face. Nina could feel it on his skin where her hand touched.
He avoids turning back slightly to face her as he answers, "It does not matter. We will never meet again, anyway."
**
Nagarjuna thinks no one ever treats Nina that rudely or even dismisses her attempt like that, especially strangers. But the man that just walks away from them without sparing any chance for his client to say anything doesn't even acknowledge her as much.
The way the other man stares at her is anything but rude, but his attitude shows how much he is not interested in her.
Nina must have seen that because she let him go now.
"Hey, you okay?" Nagarjuna says, trying to break the sudden silence in the air as Nina spare time to keep staring at the man's retreating. "What are you doing with a stranger? We have a whole procedure about this, Nina. You don't talk to strangers."
As if in a trance, Nina shakes her head and then turns back to Nagarjuna.
She doesn't look disappointed, angry, sad, or any expression Nagarjuna expects her to have after that direct rejection. He thought she would whine at this point and then start to tell him about how education is essential to shape someone's attitude, but no—instead, she looks at him with an earnest face and says, "Why is he looking at you like that?"
Nagarjuna blinks at that sudden question. He didn't prepare to hear that.
"Huh?"
Nina looks back to where the previous man walks away and sighs in a childish tone while muttering something about, 'oh, he is gone already.' Then proceeded to look back at Nagarjuna with a clearer curiosity on her face.
"Did you know him? Why is he looking at you like he's seen a ghost and hates it so much that he wishes to exorcise you back to hell?"
Nagarjuna facepalms at the statement he just heard from Nina in his head.
"What nonsense are you saying? I have had enough of seeing weird things today. I didn't need more from you. Come on, let's go home!" he said, then took a step first towards the parking lot.
"Hey! That was not nonsense! And what do you mean by enough weird things? What weird things? You saw how he looks at you, Juna! Now, tell me, if you know him, I would like—" Nina mumbles loudly at his tail as she follows him obediently to the car, but Nagarjuna can't focus enough to hear the rest.
His mind has been entirely distracted by the fact that, indeed, he saw how that man looked at him, and it left uncomfortable feelings in his gut. But today has been a bizarre day for him already, with the accident and that weird boy occurrence which still feels like a fever dream until this moment.
Nagarjuna has a lot to think of, but he is still on the job, so he can't be distracted. He needs to throw it at the back of his mind, at the very least, until his shift is over.