Chapter 2 I'm Working On It

The little things matter. That's what my mum always told me when I ask questions on why I have to share something as little as a candy sweet with an unknown person. But that's not what I should be thinking about now, I should be concentrating in this class.

I'm still sitting next to Alpha and I've not heard a single thing the lecturer has said for the past forty five minutes. Instead of paying attention, I'm dwelling in the wonderful cologne of the beautiful creature beside me. Don't get me wrong , it's not like I'm obsessed with him or anything, you can just say I just can't help it at times. I don't even like like him.

The girl at the other side of him, dressed like a Goth girl, very cute by the way, has been trying everything possible to get his attention. She's laughing a bit too loud and hitting him every now and then while talking to her friends, Alpha, he seemed unfazed by it, this machine of a human is giving all the attention in this world to the lecturer in front of us.

I stop drawing little stickmen on my book and peer into his book, and lo and behold, alot had been written.

"How are you doing this?", I ask in a whisper and all he gives me is a smile. His pen rolls out of the table and falls onto the floor and we both reach down to pick it at the same time but he beats me to it.

"Thanks", he mutters and looks up at the lecturer. We hear a ding and I check my phone. Fortunately it's not mine, it's his.

He pulls out his phone from his bag.

My eyes go wide

"You're using iPhone?", I ask like an uncivil girl, I do this anytime I see one of my mates using something expensive, you know, something I can only dream to afford.

He nods

"Can I see,.. please?"

He hands it to me and faces the class like we had not just interacted.

The phone is weighty and big, too big for my hands , it has a black pouch. I remove the pouch out of curiosity while sneaking to look up at him in case he catches me, his attention is still fully on the lecturer. The phone is metal, I now see why it's so weighty, it also has a glass-like back.

"Which iPhone is this?", I question still weighing the phone in my palm

" iPhone 2", he replies with a smirk

I roll my eyes,

" Okay, iphone...", he drags and looks down at me,

" Seriously?"

" iPhone 7",

" Stoop!", I exclaim a little too loud then place my left hand on my mouth abruptly like it would stop the sound that already came out of my mouth, I look up to check if the lecturer had heard me.

"Common, what's it?", I feign annoyance

"it's iPhone 14 pro max"

My eyes go wide again, " iPhone 14?", I exclaim and the girl in front turns to look at me with irritation

"you're using iPhone 14?" I lower my voice.

He shrugs

"Wow, you're a scholar and a baller at the same time?, I'm jealous". I put his pouch back on his phone and hand it over to him then pull his note close to mine to copy from it.

After a while, I hear him chuckle and I look up to see him staring at something in his phone.

"What's that?"

He turns his phone towards me .

I see a picture of me and him, my black and white striped shirt and my brown braided hair is visible . His head is a little bent towards me with his dreads shielding his face while mine is bent towards my desk.

"Who is this?",

who is this person that is already playing matchmaker.

"It's Jasmine", he answers.

Oh the African beauty goddess

I look back and see her, about four rows behind me, she smiles at me and shows a love sign .

"She says we're cute", he says laughing, turning his phone to show me.

I laugh , "It can't be me but it can be you ". I go back to copying from his work.

***

Class ends and I start packing my books into my bag . They're just three lecture notes anyways. I quickly tuck all my books in my handbag and pull it onto my shoulder before dashing towards the door in anticipation to get to my hostel.

Outside , I'm met with those cold almond eyes , staring at me immediately I make my way through the classroom door. He smiles at me with his eyes ever so slightly then puts his focus back on the girl that has been speaking to him.

'I should be going ', I say to myself as I clutch my hand bag tighter between my arm and my waist.

Confusion pulls me to one spot. I bite my lip in nervousness then start moving towards him before I could even think against it.

"Okay, I'll send you the details", the girl says boldly, she tries to go in for a hug but Alpha pulls his hand out for a handshake too quickly that only him and her would have noticed, it doesn't go by me though.

She takes his hand with a smile and waves at me then leaves and I have myself still clutching my bag as I make my way closer to him. He smiles at me again, his mouth closed at both ridges, I don't smile back.

"It's the way you dashed out of the class for me", I laugh pulling strands of two braided hair away from my face behind my ears, "why did you leave so fast?

" I have a lot to do actually ", he answers, " and besides, what's the point of staying back after class, there's literally nothing to do ". I study him for a short while.

" Makes sense... but that doesn't explain the way at which you dashed out of the class".

I move back a little and he leans down on the rim of the balcony bars, half sitting on it. Even at this lower height, I could still not reach him but at least, it helps, I can see his eyes a little clearer now.

" I was packing my books and all of a sudden I turned and you were gone".

" I am the Flash", he murmurs and laughs at his own joke.

I scuffs, "that wasn't a really good one you know that?",

" It was actually",

" You're not very funny , to be honest. You've been trying but you're not",

" Sorry, ma", he raises his hands in surrender and goes back to folding his hands across his chest. I notice he's without his bag, but his headphones are still on his ears.

These headphones. This was the first time I was seeing something like this one. I've never really had a headphone but I was craved one but due to not having enough money I end up getting an earpiece. I love headphones and I hear they're very expensive.

"Where's you're bag?",

"Downstairs"

"How did you go downstairs and come upstairs so fast then ",

" Like I said _"

" You're the flash", I roll my eyes. He laughs again. A deep throaty sound that makes my heart skip, for some weird reasons. I knew talking to him will cause this because I've been seeing him in my class for the past three weeks , everyday, telling myself that I would rather not speak to him to prevent myself from getting tangled with anything love. But here I am, utterly confused at my weird behavior.

He raises himself from the bars and straightens up, towering over me again. " I should start going now"

" Okay", I fall behind him. I'll text Sophie and Peace once I get back to my hostel , I'm sure they would have left without me anyways.

We make it to the class where his bag is and he peaks it up and drapes it over one of his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll walk you to your cab then go to my hostel from there", I tell him and he nods.

We walk for about three minutes in silence and make it to a road beside my department that divides it firm the campus cab stop.

As mindless as I am, I get confused on the lane when a fast car comes towards me and I'm suddenly pulled into a hardened chest. "Watch it!"

"Sorry, I wasn't looking", I don't look at him. I just pull back and draw my bag onto my shoulders again. This damned thing keeps slipping off.

I follow him to the cab that is boarding and he turns to look at me, I stand there awkwardly, wondering why I had followed him in the first place.

Yeah, he allows me to sit with him and I was nice.

"So I'll see tomorrow then_", I start

"I'm not coming tomorrow"

" Why?", my eyebrows furrow at this , " we have classes tomorrow "

" Yeah I know, but I've got a meeting, I won't be able to make it".

" Ohh okay", I look down, " so you're a scholar, baller and business man at the same time then, nice one", I smile

" What?, no", he exclaims , " I'm just , I'll explain it to you next time"

So they'll be a next time, interesting.

" Okay then I should be going now, bye...", I turn to leave

"Hold on",

I turn back to face him," Hmm?"

" Remind me of your name again..?", he says or more so , asks , looking at me with those almond eyes.

" Rhoda", I say breathlessly, it feels so awkward, " I can't really remember telling you though"

" I heard Jasmin say it, it just slipped off my mind", " well, see you next week ", he pulls out his hand for a handshake and I unfold my arms and take it.

I feel sparks from where our hands meet and I look up at him immediately, wondering if he had felt thesame too but it doesn't look that way, he just smiles at me then pulls his hand away, driving it into his pocket. I wave then walk away, feeling like this might be our last encounter.

As for this weird feelings I'm starting to get, I'll work on it.

I sigh

"I'm working on it "