Love In Full Bloom

Chapter Eleven

MARIAM'S POV

Seyram arrived just before our first lectures and sat at the front, as always.

I sat beside Miguel, and it dawned on me that the group he mentioned was our Research Methodology group work when I checked our w******p group.

I had totally forgotten that we had a presentation scheduled for next Monday. Fortunately, the group had already created a w******p group and done some work.

Later, I discovered that Miguel and I had been chosen as group leaders, and we'd be presenting since the lecturer specified that only group leaders would present due to time constraints.

However, she expected every group member to contribute to the work.

I was puzzled about why they'd chosen me as a group leader, given my discomfort with being in the spotlight. And with Miguel joining me in the presentation, I worried it would be a disaster.

I had presented before, during our first year, first semester, but that time we were a group of ten, and everyone participated, so I was somewhat comfortable with them by my side. However, this time it's just Miguel and me, the two of us.

I wondered why they didn't choose Caldora, our group member who's confident and an excellent public speaker.

She even won a debate competition for our department during the Akwaaba week celebration. Her presence would've been a relief.

I really needed to tell them to choose Caldora, as I couldn't handle the presentation.

However, for now, I had to focus on lectures. We were in our second period, and lunch break would be soon.

I could feel Miguel's gaze on me occasionally, and I wondered what was bothering him.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him, struggling to focus on the lecture due to his behavior.

"Yeah," he said coolly, prompting me to give him a disbelieving look. He just shrugged it off.

"You've been looking at me like you want to say something," I said.

"I was not looking at you," he replied nonchalantly.

"You mean to say I'm blind?" I asked, trying to control my voice and anger. "That's not what I said," he paused, locking eyes with me, "And how did you know I'm looking at you if you're not looking at me?" he asked with a smirk.

"I wasn't looking at you, I could feel that you were," I told him, and before I could say more, a marker hit me on the forehead, making me hiss in pain. Laughter erupted in the hall. I turned to see the lecturer standing at the front, giving me a stern look. I rubbed my forehead and turned to Miguel, my anger intensifying as I saw him enjoying my misfortune. It multiplied tenfold – it was all his fault. Why didn't the lecturer see him talking?

"Let me catch anyone making noise again, and I'll throw something heavier next time," the lecturer warned before continuing.

The lecture ended 30 minutes later, and now it was lunch break.

Most of my colleagues had gone out, and Seyram was nowhere to be seen, making me wonder where she had gone.

We hadn't interacted much today.

I turned to Miguel, only to see him busy with his laptop and phone, seemingly engrossed in something important. Curiosity got the better of me, but I decided to mind my business and respect his privacy, considering we're not even friends.

I pulled out my phone and decided to check online for any important notifications from our group.

I had a message from the Research Methodology group – Miguel had sent it, informing us to meet after our last period before heading home.

I turned to him, wondering why he hadn't told me in person. What if I hadn't checked w******p? He was the one who suggested sitting together to discuss our work, but all I'd gotten from him were creepy looks all day.

He closed his laptop and turned to me with a questioning look.

"Why didn’t you tell me we’re meeting after class today?" I asked, trying to keep my annoyance in check.

"I sent the message to the group, so what’s the issue?" he replied, acting like it was obvious.

"But you could have told me in person," I pressed on. "What if I hadn’t checked online? I would have gone home without knowing."

"That wouldn’t have been my fault, would it?" he said, his tone laced with mockery. "Besides, what’s the point of having a phone if you always miss important messages?"

"That's none of your business," I told him indifferently.

"Okay, if you say so. And it'll also be none of my business if you miss something, so don't question me next time," he said with a serious expression.

I ignored him and continued scrolling through my phone. He got up and left without a word.

I didn't bother asking where he was going; I didn't care. He could stay gone for all I cared. He was so annoying and seemed bent on frustrating me today.