Love Loudly

EVA. I love love. I don't know how else to explain it. I love watching couples smile at each other. I love the little giggles they try to hide. I love the way some people look at each other as if the rest of the world has suddenly disappeared. Maybe I'm too obsessed with love. Or maybe I've just always been fascinated by it. Every morning on my way to college, I see them. There's a couple sitting in the garden, sharing something on their phone and laughing like they've just discovered the funniest thing in the world. On the other side, another couple is making a t****k, taking approximately fifty-seven takes because apparently one video isn't enough. And then there's an old couple who exercise together every morning. The husband is a grey-haired man with a face full of wrinkles. He always runs ahead of his wife and then turns around with the most annoying smile. "You still can't beat me in running after all these years, huh, darling?" His wife, whose hair is now mostly white and grey, always rolls her eyes. "Running is not my thing," she grumbles before continuing after him. I see them almost every day. And every day, they make me smile. Which is ironic because I'm usually running too. Just not because I enjoy running. I'm running because I'm late. Again. My college isn't even that far from my house. I could easily get there in fifteen minutes if I actually left on time. But somehow, I always find a reason not to. Maybe I spend too much time doing my makeup. Maybe I change my outfit five times because I can't decide which one looks better. Or maybe I'm just incapable of understanding the concept of time. Whatever the reason, I'm always late. Today, however, I wasn't running late. Today was different. Today was the beginning of my second year. And apparently, we were getting a few new students in our morning sessions. Students at our college could choose between morning and evening classes. And if they ever wanted to switch, the admission and management team could arrange it. So, naturally, I was excited. New faces meant new possibilities. Maybe new friends. I desperately wanted that. My first year had been horrible. I spent most of it sitting alone in the corner of the last bench. Alone. So alone that sometimes I felt like I had become part of the classroom furniture. People looked at me like I was a zombie. It wasn't because I wasn't friendly. I tried. I really did. I made a few friends in the beginning, but somehow, rumours always seemed to find their way back to me. Eventually, the friends I had made stopped wanting me around. After a while, I stopped trying. There were days when I genuinely hated coming to college. But that was last year. This was a new year. A new semester. A new beginning. I stood outside the classroom for a moment, took a breath and whispered to myself, "Eva, don't worry. This year is going to be good. Trust me." Then I walked inside. There were already two unfamiliar faces. One girl. One guy. They seemed to know each other because they were talking quietly near the front of the classroom. I took my usual seat. Alone. Again. But this time, I didn't mind. Not yet. A few minutes later, the professor walked in with the new students. The girl ended up being seated beside me because every other desk was already occupied. I looked at her. She looked at me. Then she smiled. "Hi, I'm Sera. I moved from the evening classes to morning." Her eyes were bright, and there was something naturally charming about her. I wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Hi, Sera. I'm Eva. Welcome to our classroom." She smiled wider. "Nice to meet you, Eva." And just like that, I had someone sitting beside me. For the first time in a very long time. The first lecture began. We whispered to each other whenever the professor turned toward the board. Sera told me about the professors she had in the evening session, and I immediately started giving her my unofficial guide to surviving our college. "That professor gives surprise quizzes." "Seriously?" "Unfortunately." "And him?" "Never, ever forget your assignments." She laughed. "Okay, you're basically my college survival guide." I smiled. "You're welcome." By the time the lecture ended, I had already forgotten that we had only met that morning. Then lunch break arrived. Sera suddenly turned toward me. "Let's go for lunch." I blinked. "With me?" She looked confused. "Yes... with you." "Oh." I don't know why that surprised me. I normally went to the cafeteria alone. Money was another thing. I didn't exactly have unlimited cash to spend on lunch every day. Sometimes I'd save the money from two days just so I could afford one proper meal. My favourite? Potato wedges. Cheap. Simple. Perfect. During my first year, I had lunch with a few people sometimes, but they always seemed to have money to spare. They could order whatever they wanted. I couldn't. Maybe that was part of the reason I never felt like I belonged. Not that my family was poor. We weren't. But the environment around me was different. A lot of the people here came from wealthy families. And sometimes, I felt like everyone could tell that I didn't. Still, I smiled at Sera. "Yeah. Why not?" We headed downstairs to the cafeteria. When we reached the counter, Sera looked at the menu and then turned toward me. "I love the potato wedges here." I stared at her. "You do?" "Yes!" I smiled. Finally. Someone who understood. We both ordered potato wedges and found a table. I took my first bite. Oh God. I had missed this. "This is so good," I mumbled. Sera laughed. "What?" "I mean the food." I took another bite. "I love this. I've even asked them for the recipe before, but they never gave it to me." "Maybe it's a secret recipe." "I think they're scared I'll open a potato-wedges restaurant and steal their customers." Sera laughed so loudly that people at the next table looked over. For once, I didn't care. After lunch, we decided to take a little walk around campus before our next lecture. We ended up near the basketball court. That's when I saw him. The other new student. I still didn't know his name. But I noticed him. He was tall. Maybe six feet or a little more. Brown skin. Black hair. Glasses. And arms that made it fairly obvious he spent more time working out than I spent deciding what to wear. I looked at him from a distance. Just for a second. Then another. Okay. Maybe three seconds. But before I could stop myself, he started walking toward us. Toward me. My eyes widened. I immediately looked away. Please don't look at me. Please don't— "Hey, Sera." His voice. Oh. His voice was soft. Almost unfairly soft. Sera turned around. "Oh, hey! We were just walking around." Then she looked at me. "Eva, this is Christian. He also moved to the morning session. We talked a little earlier." Christian looked directly at me. "Hey, Eva." I looked up. He smiled. "I'm Christian. Christian Ray. Nice to meet you." For some reason, my brain stopped working. Completely. "Likewise." That was it. One word. Brilliant, Eva. Absolutely brilliant. Before the silence could become any more embarrassing, I turned toward Sera. "Our next lecture starts in a few minutes. We should go." Sera nodded. "Okay. Christian, let's go." I didn't know if they were friends. I didn't know if they had known each other before. I didn't know if they were something more. And I definitely wasn't going to ask. So I kept quiet. As we walked back toward the classroom, Sera and Christian started laughing about something. I couldn't hear what they were talking about. I didn't know why I cared. I told myself I didn't. It was just curiosity. That's all. Our next lecture began. And thankfully, it was the last one. Until our professor walked in and dropped a bomb. "Starting today, we'll be changing the seating arrangement." The entire class groaned. "No one will be sitting in the same seat anymore. You'll be rotated regularly." I looked at Sera. She looked at me. "Oh no," she whispered. Our new seats were in the middle row. Four people to a desk. I looked at the first person. Jack. Of course. Jack and I were close. At least, that's what everyone thought. There had been rumours that we were dating because Jack could never stop flirting with me. The funny thing? He flirted with almost every girl in the class. I had never been interested in him that way. I liked him as a friend. And, okay, maybe I liked the fact that he helped me with assignments and occasionally let me copy his work. But he did that for everyone. So no, I wasn't special. And Jack was definitely not my type. I moved my bag onto the new desk. Then I looked at the fourth seat. My stomach dropped. Christian. Oh. Great. Just great. The professor continued explaining the new seating arrangement while I stared at the desk in front of me. I could feel someone sitting down beside me. I didn't look. I didn't need to. I already knew who it was. And suddenly, the first day of my new year didn't feel quite as ordinary anymore. When the final bell rang, everyone began packing their bags. I quickly shoved my books into mine. I was almost at the door when Sera called out. "Eva!" I turned. "Yeah?" "Do you want to go somewhere for coffee?" Coffee? With friends? I wasn't used to that. I hesitated. "I... actually have some work at home." It wasn't completely a lie. "I need to help my mom in the kitchen." Sera nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow?" I smiled. "Yeah. Tomorrow." And then I left. I walked home alone. Just like I had done almost every day of my first year. Except this time, something felt different. Maybe it was Sera. Maybe it was the new year. Maybe it was the fact that, for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel invisible. Or maybe... It was a certain boy named Christian Ray. I shook my head. No. Definitely not. At least, that's what I told myself.