6. Even in this life?
1067 Words
Enya's Point of View
I wished I had enrolled in Queen's, not Western. But now it was too late for that.
I walked to the university the next morning with a heavy heart. No matter how much I wanted to avoid meeting Raphael, there was no way I could. He was my peer mentor, and it was inevitable. Besides, if I tried too hard to avoid him, it would look suspicious, and that was the last thing I wanted.
Lectures officially begin next week. This week was filled with orientation activities, seminars meant to help us "smoothly transition" into college life.
The first lecture was given by a senior professor from the faculty. He spoke about study habits, the importance of balancing freedom with responsibility, and how to make the most of the freely available campus resources. It was the usual generic advice. Everyone around me was taking notes or nodding with interest. But me? My mind kept drifting. I'd already lived this once before, and the information was nothing new.
When it finally ended, we were given some time to ourselves, either to sit around and get to know each other or to explore the campus. Rose and I decided to stay with the group. Laughter and introductions filled the air, and for a moment, my mood even lightened. I smiled freely, but only for that moment.
That's when my phone buzzed. A message from Raphael.
Raphael: Enya, please send a message in the group chat informing everyone that we are meeting in Student Room 4 this evening at 5 PM. Sandy and I have some information to share.
I frowned at my phone. He was already in the group chat. I'd added both him and Sandy last night. If he wanted to inform everyone, he could have done it himself. Why did he ask me to add him to the group otherwise? And yet… he chose to DM me.
Letting out a sigh, I replied politely.
Me: Sure. I'll send the message :)
Yeah, with a smiley face. Just to show him I wasn't bothered that he messaged me privately.
"Why the gloomy face?" Rose nudged me.
"Mmm… nothing. Raphael just messaged me about a meeting at 5 PM. I was wondering how long it'll last," I said while typing the announcement in the group chat.
"You know," Rose lowered her voice, teasing, "you shouldn't look gloomy when he messages you. The other girls would jump with excitement if it were them."
"Then they should've become the representative," I replied coldly. "So they'd get messages from him as much as they want."
It was the same in my past life; everyone was crazy about Raphael. Even a glance, even a single word from him, and they acted as if they'd been given the whole world. I used to get angry at them. Now I only pitied them. They saw only his otherworldly handsomeness. No one could see the evil in his heart.
"By the way…" Rose leaned closer. "Did he tell you anything about going out for a drink?"
"What? What do you mean?" I was shocked. Why would Raphael ask me that?
"I heard there's a tradition, peer mentors take their groups out on the second day for a drink. A casual bonding thing. Didn't he say anything?"
Ah. Something like that. My heartbeat slowed. "No. He didn't say anything."
"Maybe they'll tell us during the evening meeting. It would be fun to go out with everyone!" Rose's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Fun?
My stomach dropped.
Seeing Raphael in the evening meeting was already enough to give me a headache. Now, the thought of going out and sitting in a bar with him? No. That was unbearable.
The last time Raphael and I ended up in the same bar…
That night, I did the craziest thing of my life. Something that haunted me again and again in my past life. Even though it could never happen now, the memory was enough to make me reluctant to set foot in a bar with him again.
I was already trying to think of excuses, maybe a terrible headache, perhaps a stomachache, when something happened that pushed all those thoughts from my mind.
Evening arrived, and the second orientation lecture began. I sat down, ready for another boring talk. But when I saw the man who walked up to the podium, my blood froze.
Noah.
Noah Watson.
I almost screamed.
It couldn't be. But it was.
His handsome face. His calm voice as he greeted the students. It was exactly as I remembered from my past life. He had been one of my professors. More than that, he had been my academic advisor, guiding me through university life. He had always been caring. Sometimes too caring. There were moments when I felt his concern for me went beyond professionalism. Moments that made me uneasy.
But still, he was one of the few people who actually cared about me, for whatever reason. He was also the only one who tried to stop me when I fled from Raphael and Lyla on that fated day. He had wanted to make me listen to him; he wanted to talk some sense into me, but there were too many students around, and I was already too far gone.
But he had never been here. Noah Watson belonged to Queen's University. Not Western.
So what was he doing here now?
Why were people who should have been at Queen's suddenly appearing at Western? Not just one, but two of them. Well, three if you include me too.
What cruel joke was fate playing on me? I wanted to laugh at myself.
If Raphael's presence felt like chains I couldn't break, Noah's sudden arrival felt like the lock snapping shut.
Right then, Rose nudged my shoulder.
"Huh?" I looked at her blankly.
"Welcome back to the real world, Ms."
Noah's deep, mature voice rose from the podium, laced with the same familiar teasing. He used to talk to me in that tone when I lost focus in his lectures.
My cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"Some of us have already introduced ourselves. Care to introduce yourself, too?" he asked with a faint smile. "Because, like it or not, you're stuck with me. I'm your academic advisor."
Even in this life?
Would you be able to stop me from my own craziness this time, Professor?
- Writer
