Chapter 3 Our Stars Aligning.

IF I HAD KNOWN

I shouldn't have asked for his name, looked him in the eyes and smiled.

It is him. He is the cause of everything. My situation today, he is the cause, but I can't entirely blame him because I am also culpable.

It is both our faults.

|STILL ON THAT DAY.|

"Are you meant to be in this class?" I asked again because the male figure didn't seem to mind me. "Excuse me, I'm talking to you."

The figure turned around and my breath seized, my heart increased it's pace and for some seconds I was speechless as I just stared at the figure ahead of me.

It was a tall guy– 6'5 at least. He was thin but yet he looked ripped, cladded in a simple tee-shirt and joggers, he dressed like he was forced out of bed. He even came empty-handed, no books nor pen. Handsome? His face was perfectly sculpted, like God had created him on a Sunday, and his eyes, from where I stood - at least eleven feet away from him - it was glistening, and he wasn't even in the sun, from what I could observe then, his eye orbs were a deeper shade of brown in color. And his skin was perfectly toned. He was chocolate in complexion, so at that moment he looked like a cold chocolate - sweaty and beautiful - and I had to admit he looked too handsome to be real, but he was real. He was beautiful.

Oh my God Tiwa, you have to really stop admiring people_ I scolded myself once I'd remembered that I had to compose myself since I was the assistant lecturer.

"Are you in this class?" My voice failed me as I asked, because I was doubting if he was meant to be in that class. I mean he wasn't even holding a bag, no books nor a pen.

He didn't answer. Rather, his gaze was on me, and for some reason I felt intimidated by his eyes. Those eyes. Stupid, I know, but his aura did command respect and fear at the same time.

"And you're?" Just when I thought he wouldn't respond, he asked me that question, his gaze never leaving me. And his voice, it wasn't husky, it wasn't deep baritone, neither was it feminine. It was rich. Soothing to the ear.

I tried not to be intimidated by his eyes and even though I was, I tried as much as possible not to show it, so I plastered a huge smile on my face and replied to his question. "I'm your new assistant mathematics lecturer, Miss Tiwa Alade," I responded to him. "And you are?"

Once again, he hesitated. "Denola Doyle." He answered, and he didn't even wait for my response before he went over to the back of the class to have his seat. Away from the rest of the class. He didn't even greet anyone as he just sat, brought out his phone and placed it on the table in front of him.

For some reasons the class was quiet, seemingly due to reasons that weren't obvious to me.

"So back to the topic." I said. The smile I had plastered on never leaving my face.

"Ma'am," it was that same lady. The one who contested the fact that they'd done calculus before. I smiled and nodded in response to her, telling her to 'carry on'. "You haven't taken the attendance."

Honestly, I totally forgot that I was meant to take the attendance first before I started class, but thankfully to that lady, I was reminded.

"Thank you." I appreciated it. She sat down back unto her seat with the same bored demeanor that everyone in the class carried.

After taking the attendance, I started with the topic of the day - which was implicit derivatives.

The class wasn't interactive as I had envisioned. The class was really quiet as I taught. I even felt like the problem was from me, I also couldn't help but ask myself if I was boring them.

After using up the time allocated to me for that period – an hour of walking on tenterhooks, I wasn't even given the honors of walking out of the class before most of them stormed out of the class, leaving a dried throated, nervous and perturbed me alone in the class, well, I wasn't entirely alone. The lady, the one who told me about calculus and attendance. Yes she. She was in class with me, arranging some stuff into her bag. Then she looked up, as if she could feel someone watching her. She locked eyes with me and immediately I smiled and waved at her, but she didn't reciprocate it. Instead, she had that same bored look on her face. And just when I was about to look away and concentrate on packing my stuff, so that I could leave the class, she smiled. At me. She also waved at me.

She stood up, backing her bag. I thought she was about to leave the class, but I was wrong. She came towards me with that smile still present on her face.

"Hey," she greeted me and I smiled and replied back with a 'hello'. "I'm sorry, I don't know which to use. Should I use honorifics for you or just casual talk?"

"Oh please, anything you're comfortable with." I told her, and she just released a soft laugh.

"Sorry if this might be rude, but you look too young to be a lecturer, like too young," she had said, stressing on this too. Honestly I didn't actually find anything rude in what she'd said to me, instead I took it as 'You are young and making it'. "How old are you? Sorry if that might sound rude, I am just curious. I'm twenty three by the way."

"It's no problem," I actually didn't have any problem telling people my age, although some did. "I'm twenty-three also."

"Wow, we're age-mates," I nodded whilst I looked at her bewildered expression. "Hope we can be friends by the way?"

I actually loved making friends, it was one of the best things I loved growing up because I was someone most people didn't like to befriend, reasons unknown to me. So, when she asked if we could be friends, I was elated and happy, so you can already guess what my answer was.

"Sure, yes we can." I replied and she stretched out her hand to me and I grabbed it. We shook hands together. Also, she couldn't stop smiling, I even questioned if she was the same lady whose countenance in class screamed 'boredom'.

The lady right in front of me looked really different. She was about my height; though a little bit taller, she was fair in complexion, thick at the right places and I also noticed the birth of mark on her nose, well, it was huge and really black, standing out from the rest of her fair skin, so surely I was bound to notice it.

"I'll see you around, Miss Tiwa," she took her hand off mine, breaking the handshake, then she began to walk away, moving backwards as she waved at me and I waved back, then I remembered that I didn't get her name but before I could ask her about her name she said; "Yes, I forgot to say my name. My bad. I'm Sharon, but you can call me Shar."

"Alright Shar. . . See you around then." I bade her goodbye, she turned around and hopped out of the class, leaving me all by myself.

Immediately, I packed up all my books and kept some into my bag, holding some in my hands. I walked out of the class and started my walk to professor Felix block, so I would be able to collect the timetable and all other necessary stuff that I'd be needing for my classes. I also couldn't help but still admire the surroundings as I walked, feeling happy about the new life that I was about to start for myself.

The walk to professor Felix's office wasn't as long as I'd walked in the morning when I went over to my first class with him. I knocked gently on the door and was told to enter. I did.

"Hello sir." I greeted the professor who was standing by the dispenser, drinking water from a disposable white cup.

"Hey Tiwa," he responded, dropping the cup back onto the top of the dispenser, then he used his right hand to clean his mouth. "You are just on time, I was about to go out."

"Lucky me I guess," I smiled, walking towards him until I got to the front of his desk. "Sir, I am here for the time table."

He nodded in response, went to his table and opened a drawer which was in it. He brought out some papers and handed it over to me and I wasted no time in collecting them, adding it to the study guides which I already held in my hand. "Sir, do I need to return the study guide?" I had to ask, because I was unsure.

"Oh, no you don't," he had responded, and I nodded before he went on. "It's yours now, since you'd mostly be taking the students now."

"Alright, sir." I'd told him. I thought he'd say that I could be going, but he didn't. Instead, he told me to sit and I solely complied with it, putting all the stuff in my hand on his table whilst my bag stayed on my thighs.

"So how was your first day?" He asked as he sat down on his chair.

"Not bad sir."

"Don't worry Tiwa, in no time the student's will warm up to you."

"I'm hopeful, sir." He smiled and nodded. "I'll excuse myself now sir, If that's okay with you."

"No problem, you're even done for the day, also I'm about to go out," he told me. "And about where you'll be staying, there's an office down the hall on the third floor, ask for professor Lola, and she'll direct you to the office reserved for you. . .but I'll advise you to do that Tomorrow morning anyways."

"Thank you so much sir for everything, I really appreciate all that you're doing for me," I couldn't help but thank the old man, because he really did help me a lot. "I'm really grateful sir, and sure I'll see professor Lola Tomorrow morning."

He smiled. "Oh Tiwa, honestly you deserve more than this, but I'm sure once you've done your master degree, you'll be going places around this world because you're a rare gem, a golden one for that matter. Your brain, ability and zeal is out of this world, in case no one has ever told you, you're a unique species."

His words melted me and almost brought tears to my eyes. As if getting accolades from him in class wasn't enough, he also praised me.

"Thanks so so so much, sir." He just waved it off and dismissed me.

I walked outside his office with my bag in my hands and sighed. The day wasn't that bad like I'd expected it could have turned out to be, so I couldn't help but look forward to the next day.

I walked out of the campus and immediately stopped a taxi. There wasn't traffic at all, the road was really free, so I got home earlier than I expected. My mum's call came in whilst I was about to get down from the taxi.

"Good afternoon mum." I greeted.

"How are you and how was work, my gem?" My mum asked me over the phone.

"Fine ma." I replied as I knocked on the door and in no time Sewa opened the door for me. I waved my hand to her and she smiled at me. I walked hastily into my room, dropped my bag on the floor, took off my shoes, then fell to the bed.

"So how's Jide ma'am?" I asked my mum, closing my eyes because of how exhausted I was.

"That's good for nothing brother, well he's in his room, reading for his third JAMB." she answered, not failing to use sarcasm

"Alright mum, take it easy," I opened my eyes, and a faint smile found its way to my face. "I want to relax mum, so I will call you later."

"You better call me later." Then she hung up.

Some few minutes later as I laid on my bed lazily, Sewa Walked into my room and dropped on my bed.

"Are you tired?" She asked, placing her legs on my body as she laid.

"Seriously?" I used my hands to push her legs away but she kept it back and I just left her."You're asking a very obvious question, of course I'm tired and please remove your legs from my body."

"Okay, sorry," She still didn't remove her legs from mine. "How was work?"

"Fine!" I replied, forcing my eyes not to close, because at least I needed to have my bath before I could take a nap.

"Are the students nice?" She asked.

"I can't say yet."