"Hey, miss iceberg," Koushik leaned towards Olivia's ear and whispered.
"Hm?" Given how close their heads were, if she turned towards him, their faces would've collided so Olivia hummed without turning towards Koushik.
"Aye, you responded. So you accept that you're an iceberg huh?" Koushik flashed a cheeky grin and nudged her.
Olivia only stared at him, her face displaying the message what do you want?
Afraid that she might ignore him if teased too much Koushik dove into the topic he had been meaning to ask for quite some days.
"Hey, um... I've asked you many times before and I'm sorry that I'm still pestering you about this but... um... do you have any news about my friend who I said was going to transfer here? Ankita Dey?" Koushik asked, scrupling.
Hearing no response for quite some time he peeked at Olivia's face which was as impassive as always.
"You're still waiting?" Olivia slightly tilted her head to the side and looked at his face which instantly became radiant with determination hearing her question.
"Of course I am. I told her that I'd wait. What kind of a friend am I if I break my promise to the person I call my friend? I might seem impatient but it's just my eagerness to see her." Koushik answered.
"Four months," Olivia said.
Koushik frowned trying to understand what she meant. After some thought his eyes widened as he came to decipher her words.
"So what? It's just a few months. I still have some years before graduation. So I can afford to wait. Who knows, her parents might be having some trouble after moving and thus her admission is being delayed?" Koushik said resolutely.
Olivia stared at his face some more and went back to reading her novel.
"Hey, I answered your question but what about mine? You're cheating. I asked you first so I should also get my answer first right?" Koushik put his head on Olivia's Board and tried to look at her face from under the book.
Olivia did not respond and kept reading. Or rather she looked like it, when only she knew, that she was simply moving her eyeballs and turning the pages. Her face was expressionless but her heart was conflicted.
'Fck this! Why does it have to be so complicated? Argh! Seriously? Like what even does that clumsy girl have? What sht have I gotten myself into!' Olivia cursed in her heart.
When Koushik did not get a response from her even after some poking and nudging he went back to his work, resigned.
'Is she angry with me? Does she think I'm a nuisance? Of course, she would. I've been bothering her about this for so long.' Koushik cried in his heart.
He peeked again out of the corner of her eyes only to find Olivia fully focused on her book. He sighed and started taking notes. Throughout the class he kept glancing at her every now and then but did not see her show any interest in speaking to him. It was not like she was talking on other days but he could not help but feel jittery thinking his pestering might have annoyed her.
During lunch break, he made another attempt to talk to her. When Olivia was about to get out of her seat Koushik blocked her path with his hands outstretched. Olivia shot him a questioning gaze.
After fidgeting under her gaze he finally spoke, stammering "I... I'm sorry, I made you angry. I didn't mean to bother you so much. I was just missing my friend terribly so, knowing you could tell if there was any new admission I unintentionally harrassed you. Of course, you don't have any obligation to report to me but I... was just too eager to receive her news of admission. Again, I'm really sorry."
When nothing but silence followed his explanation, Koushik timidly raised his head and looked at Olivia who was still giving him a blank look. He was about to panic that his apology was not proper when she spoke.
"Angry?" Olivia tilted her head, confused.
"Um... yeah?" Koushik was also confused by her reaction.
Olivia pointed at her nose and raised her brow as if asking are you talking about me?
"Yes. Aren't you angry at me for bothering you over my personal matter?" Koushik nodded.
Olivia paused for a second and shook her head slowly.
"Wait, you're not?" Koushik asked trying to confirm if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Olivia shook her head again.
"Then... why were you ignoring me?" Koushik was puzzled.
"Absent-minded. Personal issues." Olivia corrected him and explained herself with one word.
"Oh." Koushik breathed a big sigh of relief.
"You're not angry at me then. Good thing you're not. I got so worried. But still, I'm sorry for bugging you." Koushik's smile was mixed with relief and apology.
Olivia shrugged.
"Then would you like to join me for lunch? I'll introduce my bandmates to you. Apart from the girl was telling you about, they are my two best friends or you can say, brother. They treat me like their younger brother." Koushik extended his hand with a soft smile.
Olivia glanced at his hand and clicked her tongue mentally 'Tch, does he know my weakness? Is he trying to entice me with his pretty hand?'
Her eyes roamed over his long, slim fingers, profound joints, perfectly trimmed nails, slender palm... heck, even his palm lines seemed beautiful to her. To her utter annoyance, he even wriggled his hand a little, a gesture meant to invite her but she felt like he was trying to lure her into following him by making that beautiful wave of his hand.