Flora decided not to mention this new almost-encounter to Thalia Mirabel after she had seen Charles that evening. She used the excuse of doing her assignment to stay in the library a few more nights to confirm her hunch. As per what the other girl had said, it was confirmed that Charles came to the library at that time every night without missing a single day.
Another thing that Flora noticed was that he always sat on the library's second floor. That seat he chose was a vantage point, and he could see who came into the library and left. He also had a clear view of the whole library.
Almost by a mutual understanding, that seat was always vacant when he came in. Flora could also see that the number of females increased in that library at that time. They were all dressed up and kept throwing glances at the man. There were those that passed by his seat several times, bumped into him, and threw suggestive glances, but this man only had eyes for the door and someone who was not there.
Flora realised that for the two hours that he stayed in their library, he never studied or even made any attempt to. What he did what to keep his eyes trained on the entrance and exit and the whole place as if he was looking for someone by scanning the steady stream of students. Of course, Flora knew without a doubt whom he was looking for, her best friend, Thalia Mirabel. 'But that was some crazy dedication,' she thought.
After the fifth night, Flora made up her mind to bring the 'estranged' would-be lovers together. After all, if she, Flora, did not, who would? She sat and pondered how to do that … and then jumped up in excitement after she got her 'plan' in her thoughts.
The next day, when the two girls were ready to leave the library at their usual time, Flora put her small plan into action, "Let's stay for a bit," Flora pleaded,
"What is up with you today? Thalia Mirabel inquired, "Aren't you the person who is always in a hurry to leave? Did just spending a few hours over the past few days to complete your assignment grow your love for the library?" Thalia Mirabel teased in askance.
"I know that you submitted your assignment today, so what's going on?"
"You'll see in just a while. Trust me and wait a bit, okay?" Flora rubbed her hands together in front of her in a persuasive manner. Thalia Mirabel groaned and replied,
"It had better be good because I am going to miss one episode of my series just for whatever you have planned for me to see …."
Thalia Mirabel sometimes found it hard to say 'no' to Flora when she acted like that.
"You are the best friend ever! I promise that it'll just take about half an hour and not more than that." Flora gave Thalia Mirabel a coquettish hug and hoped that this was not the day he bailed out on her. That action made the latter shake her head in apparent humour.
***
On the other side of the university campus and in the Management Faculty, that same evening, their last lecture for the day had ended, and the students streamed out of the lecture hall in groups or at least two. The only singular person was Charles, who seemed to be in a hurry somewhere, as usual.
As he passed a small group of five students, one called out to him,
"Hey Charles, are you coming with us?" the tallest among them asked him, but before he could turn the invitation down, as he usually did, another replied, "Leave him alone; why do you always ask to be turned down? Isn't it a bother to be always doing this? He is probably going in search of his mystery girl,"
By now, the few people around him had found this out, as he had described her to some of them in his efforts to find her.
They all burst out laughing as he was right! That is precisely what Charles was on his way to do. He spent every waking moment, apart from those spent on lectures and studies, looking for the black-haired girl.
For someone who had told his mother that he would be making real-life connections on the university campus and with his faculty to help him in the company's future management, he had made no attempt as such, and his mother would succumb to a severe headache if she found out. But Charles wasn't the one to spill the beans, so who would?
He just shrugged with a sheepish smile in response to what the two guys had said.
"Does this mystery girl even exist?" one pitched in,
"Are you sure she got the admission? I mean, you met her when she was touring the campus! She could have gained admission somewhere else. Isn't it a bit reckless on your part to save yourself for the unknown when there are many girls around you who would literally die for you?"
Charles looked them in the eyes and replied, "That's their problem, not mine. My 'girlfriend' is worth every single second I spend looking for her!"
'His girlfriend? Was the guy nuts? He was yet even to find this mystery girl, and he already thought that she would agree to go out with him… how funny that sounded,'
The 'friends' watched his ridiculousness in amazement as he retreated from them toward his now most frequented faculty, Fashion and Decor Institute!
When Charles walked into the library that evening, his eyes landed on the prize he had so much been looking for. The two girls sat just adjacent to the place he usually occupied. It looked like they were about to leave, though, as they had started gathering their books.
The dark blond one gave him a weird smile that made him a little uncomfortable, "Did she already know that I would be here? But that is impossible," he asked himself quietly. Without wasting any more time, he almost ran up to them, and he dragged 'his girlfriend' close, hugging her tightly. "Hey! Long-time no see." He whispered against her ears.
*********
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