Thankfully, it was morning. I had barely slept last night as my mind replayed images of Nicholas.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling; I was annoyed at how much space his voice occupied in my head.
I grabbed my phone on the left side of my bed and scrolled through my unread messages. All three of them had texted me last night: Kylie, Mike and Nicholas.
Kylie had texted and asked how the library thingy went. She insisted it was a date, and that I had to spill everything. Afterwards, she wished me a goodnight.
Mike had also texted and said he'd love to drive me to school today, despite the fact that I owned a car. Then he added, "I hope you'd sleep well, goodnight!"
On the other hand, Nicholas sent a blunt text, "See you tomorrow." I scoffed, wondering where he got his audacity from. I was irritated, but also curious.
Why couldn't he just say "goodnight" like every other person?
Mom knocked on my door, cheerful as always.
"You look really tired, Selena," she said, as she walked up to me.
"That's probably because I always stay up late to study," I lied, yawning softly.
Mom eyed me half-amused, as if in disbelief.
"Here's scrambled eggs, and fried plantain. Eat all of it, else you'd stay home today," she warned, as she placed a plate on my bed. I only nodded; I was too Nigerian to miss my breakfast.
After Mom left, I ate my meal in silence, yet my mind wandered off to Nicholas again.
When I finished, I got up from my bed, rearranged my bedding, and stacked the plates on my bedside counter. Mom would help me do the dishes today as I didn't have the time.
As I got dressed for class, I studied my reflection in my mirror.
No, I wasn't thinking about him. I wasn't.
I let out a sigh before grabbing my car keys. I hoped today treated me nicer than yesterday did.
Outside, Mike was already by the gate, leaning against his car, his usual smile in place.
"I told you I'd be your chauffeur today," Mike called out, which made me roll my eyes.
"You really need a hobby, Mike." I teased, with a smile on my face.
"You're my hobby, Selena," he teased back. I felt flustered.
I refused the ride, but Mike insisted. "At least, let me trail behind you. I'd pretend to be your security," he said, and I chuckled.
Did he ever take 'no' for an answer?
"Fine, I'd drive my car and you can trail behind with yours. Just as you asked for," I said, and he nodded.
As I drove, I kept catching glimpses of Mike's car from my rearview mirror.
Was he really going to trail behind me? Ridiculous.
At the college parking lot, I parked my car and stepped out. Kylie rushed toward me, beaming with a smile. She always waited for me at the parking lot; it was our usual place to meet before we went for classes.
"Has library boy texted yet? Spill!" Kylie said, with a grin.
"It's too early for this, Kylie," I groaned.
"Come on, tell me!" she insisted.
"We worked. That's it." I said, my voice, firm and final.
As if the Heavens had sent him to save me from her, Mike appeared.
"Selena, maybe I didn't tell you earlier. You look beautiful as always," he said, and I smiled.
Kylie eyed the both of us suspiciously.
"You two are flirting more than usual," she teased.
Suddenly, I felt heat in my cheeks. "No, we aren't," I lied.
"Let me walk you to class, Selen," Mike pleaded.
When did we get to nickname basis?
I couldn't refuse him, so I only nodded. Kylie rolled her eyes, perhaps out of irritation. She was literally tired of the both of us.
As we walked into the building, I spotted Nicholas across the hallway. As usual, his head was down, earbuds in, and his expression... unreadable.
He tilted his head up, and our eyes met for a second. His gaze drifted briefly to Mike beside me, and then back to me.
I felt my stomach tie up in twists.
Why did it feel like he was always watching?
"Here we are, Freshman," Mike said, just as we reached my lecture hall.
"Thanks for the company. Next time, yeah?" I shot back, which made him smile.
"Most definitely, see you around." he said with a grin.
"Hello! I'm still here," Kylie called out, and I laughed.
Most times I forgot she was next to me, I really couldn't blame her.
"You can go now," I said, shooing Mike away.
"Sure, bye." he said finally, and I nodded.
As usual, we had class. Kylie and I jotted down key words from the lecturer, which we'd use as a guide for forming our notes.
Just as the lecturer rounded up, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it from the table, and slid over the screen.
Nicholas had sent a message.
"Meet me at the library in 5 minutes."
Was that all? He didn't even ask how I was. Rude.
"Nicholas, huh?" Kylie teased.
"Who else? Of course. He wants me to meet with him in the library in 5 minutes," I answered.
"What then are you waiting for? Get going! Text me what's up later," Kylie said, shooing me away.
Later at the library, Nicholas was already seated.
As usual.
"You're late," he said, flatly.
Rude, rude.
"Good morning to you too, Nicholas," I said, my voice filled with sarcasm.
Still annoyed, I took my seat. He didn't smile; even his eyes remained cold.
I rolled my eyes, still irritated by his rudeness.
As we began the session, I couldn't help but ask, "Are you always this moody, or is it just with me?"
He looked up. His eyes studied me, making me feel quite uneasy.
"Depends. Are you always this distracting?"
I blinked, caught off guard. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it.
He didn't want a conversation, very well then.
We resumed working. I watched as Nicholas took notes with intense focus. He was surfing the internet for useful literary works, which could aid my research.
Although initially he had decided that, I did all the work, while he gave reviews. So, with his reviews, I could edit parts of the research which weren't necessary, and also re-polish my grammatical constructions, and punctuation.
However, all of a sudden, he insisted on making research with me. Alone. And of course, in the library.
He was just too difficult to understand.
Although I tried to concentrate, I found myself staring at the curve of his jaw, the rhythm of his pen tapping...
Get a grip, Selena.
In an attempt to break the silence, I asked a question about certain literary references.
To my surprise, Nicholas explained each term with unusual calm.
The surging tension ceased to exist for a few minutes.
Just then, Mike appeared at the library.
Good gracious, this man was everywhere!
"I was searching for a certain book, you both carry on," Mike explained. I smiled at him, and nodded.
I watched as he walked between different shelves of books, obviously confused.
He couldn't even lie to save himself. This library was specifically for the English and literature department. What could a political science student need here?
"You seem to have a lot of visitors," Nicholas said, dryly.
"It's not what you think," I said, and glared at him.
"I never said I was thinking anything," he fired back.
What was his deal today?
After I asked him a few other questions, to which he answered, we finally wrapped up the session.
As I got up to leave, Nicholas cleared his throat.
Now what?!
"You shouldn't let him wait for you next time." He said finally.
This made me turn to face him. "Excuse me?"
"The guy outside. You know who."
I remained mute; I wasn't going to reply. I shook my head "no", and walked off.
If I had stayed there any longer, I'd have said something I'd regret. My patience had worn off completely.
Why did he even care? I could do whatever I wanted. He had no right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do. Absolutely no right.
Outside, Mike leaned against my car, with a grin. It was as if he had waited for me.
As if? Of course he had waited for me.
"Library boy seemed tense. Did I interrupt something?" he asked.
"No. Only your sense of boundaries." I fired back, and unlocked the door.
Mike noticed my expression, so he softened his tone.
"Hey, I'm just looking out for you. Okay?"
I ignored him. I was angry, but not at him.
Back in my car, I sat for a long time before starting the engine.
My phone buzzed, and for the second time today, it was a text from Nicholas.
"Next time, come alone."
I exhaled sharply.
Who did he think he was?
But still, I didn't delete the text.