My Professor's Secret Obsession

Onda's Return After a Trip

ACIR HILLS

Never did I think of the day that I will cross paths with Zaijian ever again.

For the past three years, I’ve come to the conclusion that we will never see each other in this lifetime after our breakup. Therefore, seeing him in the flesh was indescribable. It was a surreal feeling.

I knew for a fact that he wanted to pursue his master’s program in Computer Science, but never did I imagine that he would be teaching students. Well, I think it does make sense because he was a part of a tutor program back in St. Mary Academy, and that was how I met him.

Judging by his appearance alone, he grew up to be a successful person in the profession that he had always dreamed of.

Meanwhile, I feel like my life is on the brink of failure. My grades weren’t as good back when I was in high school. I haven’t been joining a lot of extra-curricular activities or organizations in the university because I was too focused on partying and having fun with friends. Now that I’m in senior, I felt like my whole college was nothing but a disappointment.

I wasted too much time justifying the mere fact that I grew up in a strict and perfectionist household, that the second I moved out for college, I was like a rabid animal unleashed into a new world I wasn’t familiar with.

Back then, Zaijian used to be so close to reach, but now, it felt like we were a million stars away from each other despite having him in a close proximity after three years.

“Hello, Acir?! I’ve been calling you for the third time?”

Onda’s voice resonated through the empty living room, ripping me away from my thoughts. I was mindlessly staring at my laptop with countless uninvited thoughts running through my mind that I lost track of time. She was supposed to be home by yesterday, but then sent me a message that she was extending her trip.

Turning the lights on, I squinted my eyes for the sudden glare the lights flashed at my face.

She stood on the entranceway of the apartment’s door. Onda was holding a paper bag, and dragging her luggage with the other. Apart from that there was a huge backpack latched on her back that seemed like it was a hiking bag. Nevertheless, she didn’t look like she was having a hard time carrying it. With her average height, it did look like the stuff she had was heavy for her thin figure. Her long, wavy brown hair was tied in a bun, as her curtain bangs were tucked behind on both ears. Onda has a pale complexion, emphasizing her hazel colored eyes. She was wearing a black asymmetrical halter collar top partnered with a black wide leg pants, and a long beige trench coat over the fit. All of these from a branded designer shop that she frequented.

“You’ve arrived? How long have you been standing there?” I said as soon as my sight refocused, and closed my work in progress coding project that I didn’t even touch as soon as I got home, then opened a browser.

“No ‘I missed you, Onda. I can’t live without you?’ Is that what our friendship has come to?” she threw her backpack on the floor with a thud, and left her luggage by the door. Then she trotted closer, sitting on the sofa across where I sat.

Onda and I have been roommates in this apartment ever since I was freshman, when I moved out of my parent’s house. She was also studying at Newford University at that time, but was studying a different degree. Now, Onda had graduated last June, and is just enjoying her time being unemployed.

“You’ve been away for three days, and you’ve been texting me non-stop and updating me like a clingy girlfriend to her boyfriend. It didn’t even feel like you weren’t here. Now, you’re acting like you’ve been gone for a year.”

She bursted out into a huge fit of laughter because of what I said. Her laugh sounded like a dolphin squeal–piercing through the ears, but very contagious.

For the first time in three days, this apartment felt alive. When Onda was away, I was either stuck in my room–staring at the white ceiling, or hanging here at the sofa in the living room doing some coding stuff. I never bothered turning on the television, or putting on some loud music. It was literally just deafening silence and the low humming of machines and appliances that can be heard of.

But now, having Onda here, it brought a smile to my face.

“You know what I miss? Your freakingly contagious laugh,” I remarked, laughing out loud.

She ended up laughing for more than a minute because of what I said. Though, I figured she was just acting like a total fool because she might’ve seen the state I was in when she entered the apartment.

As soon as she was done throwing a fit of laughter, she raised the paperbag that she was still holding. Only then did I notice what she had.

“Oh my god, Onda! Strawberry shortcake slice from Verawhon? What? But how?” I exclaimed, putting the laptop aside and scrambling out of my seat to grab the paperbag in her hands.

She has a massive smile etched on her face, clearly elated by my response. “I had to stop-over at Metro Global before coming back here. I remember last time we went there during summer, you were in love with it from the first bite. That was one of those rare moments that I see you being genuinely happy,” her voice wavered for a second before she continued. “I know I just have to get it for you, Aci.”

My lips immediately curled upwards hearing the nickname she made for me. Warmed by her words, I couldn’t help myself get a little bit teary-eyed.

For the two years that I spent with Onda living in this space, we have grown closer each passing day, even though we didn’t really click from the start. We bonded over burnt food, sleepless nights for exam weeks, laughing our asses over corny horror movies, and crying in each other’s arms whenever our life falls apart. This woman felt like she was a sister I never had from another mother. The second I saw her crying and trying to salvage an invented food recipe she wanted to cook, then still trying to eat it so her effort wouldn’t go to waste—I knew that I was going to like her.

“You didn’t have to, Oni,” I said, using the nickname I made for her. “This sh.it is expensive.” Fishing out for the slice, only then did I notice that she didn’t buy just one, but three slices! “Holy crap, Oni! You bought these much for me?!”

This strawberry shortcake slice was only available at Verawhon in Metro Global. Since Verawhon is a high-end restaurant and is located only there, it can’t be found in other restaurants. When we visited there last time, I tried buying the whole cake because I was so in love with it, but I was told by the waiter that they don’t even sell the whole cake, they just sell it in slices. We tried looking for something similar to it here in Vista Central, but no taste could even come close to how delicious this specific one is.

Onda knew that I was crestfallen when we couldn’t find any dupe near our place. Apart from that, Metro Global is a three hour plane ride from where we live. My family is rich, but I’m not dumb enough to fly a three hour long plane ride every week just for a slice of strawberry shortcake.

Her eyes also glimmered in tears as she chuckled. “One hundred fifty dollars for a slice of strawberry shortcake isn’t expensive just to make you happy, silly girl!”

“All of this is almost five hundred dollars! You are so insane for this.” I pulled her into a hug, “Alright, I admit it. I did miss you.”

“Slay, girl math,” she laughed. “Also, it took $450 just for you to say that you miss me?” Onda rolled her eyes, “Okay, I’ll take it,” she patted my head afterwards. “So, tell me. How was your first day of senior year?” she added, acting all motherly and all. “Oh! Hold on that thought, I forgot to send an email to a friend. Can I borrow your laptop? Mine’s dead as well as my phone.” Before I could even say yes, she was already heading for my laptop.

“Yeah, I guess?” she just ended up chuckling because she didn’t even wait for my reply in the first place.

Me, on the other hand, headed to the kitchen to get a spoon. I was too excited to eat the slice of strawberry shortcake, and was relieved by the delay of not telling her how my first day went.

As a part of my friendship with Onda, we would end up sharing how our day went with one another. We never really kept anything, and would just rant to each other. We always do that when she drives me to school, on the ride home, and before we go to sleep. She really does know everything about me.

Onda is the only person I trust enough to share all my secrets with.

I never really open up with anyone unlike when I’m with her.

“Acir fu.cking Hills!” She belted, causing me to jump, and almost dropping the slice of strawberry shortcake.

“Holy crap! You scared the sh.it out of me, Oni! I could’ve dropped the slice you bought for me!” I placed down the plate on the counter, steadying my heartbeat. “I mean you could’ve bought at least ten, I would’ve pitched in!”

She ignored my joke. “Why the f***k are you searching for your ex-boyfriend’s name on Face.book?” Her brows were furrowed, but I can see the anger slowly rising from her face. “Oh, screw that! You have tons of ex-boyfriend so I’m going to be specific. Why the f***k are you searching for Zaijian Hewson on Face.book?”

My eyes grew wide as saucers as she showed me the screen. I darted next to her then grabbed my laptop. “Why are you prying, Oni?”

Onda grabbed the laptop back from my hands. “I wasn’t! The page was open in the browser when I had it. You left it out in the open—for everyone to see.” I could hear the annoyance in her voice.

I ran a hand over my face. I forgot that I did search for Zaijian’s account before I started pretending to do some programming work. I forgot to close the browser and now Onda has seen it.

She ran over to the kitchen counter and grabbed the strawberry shortcake she bought for me. I’m taking this cake back. You’re not able to eat this until you tell me why you were trying to look for his profile!”

From where I was standing, Onda looked like a possessed creature holding the plate in a dim kitchen area since the lights were off. If she wasn’t close to getting pissed right now, I would’ve laughed at her image. Although, I really don’t have the luxury to laugh given my situation.

“So how was the wedding trip at Velmont? How was Mr. and Mrs. Vauwler? You still haven’t told me anything,” I closed the laptop, and sat on the sofa, then patted the seat next to me. “Come here, tell me everything, Oni.”

Onda hissed at me. She literally hissed at me like a goddamn mad woman that she is. “Don’t remind me, and stop changing the freaking subject!”

“So something did happen?” I pointed out.

Usually, Onda would just start talking about how her day went without even a warning or without me asking. She would casually start telling me what happened to her on that day, and that’s when I’d end up sharing how my day went as well. But thinking about it now, she didn’t even mention anything about her trip.

“Acir! We can talk about that later!” She growled like a lunatic. “Why were you searching for your ex-boyfriend’s profile? Are you fu.cking high right now? How long have you been smoking? I know you drink beers, alcohol, and all that sh.it, but you’ve never done drugs. Did your bad influence friends pressured you into taking one, cause I swear to God if I find out that they—”

“Zaijian’s back.”

She stopped short, gawking at me like I said something absurd. “What do you mean he’s back? Where in Perth Province? Your hometown? Back where?”

“No Oni,” I heaved out a deep breath. “Zaijian is here in Vista Central.”

“Where the hell? You saw him when you were lurking around the city? You saw him at one of the parties you’ve attended? Where exactly in Vista Central, Acir? May I remind you that you can be specific. Oh my gosh, I'm freaking out right now,” she exclaimed as she waved the slice of strawberry shortcake in the air.

I suppress the urge to burst into laughter. I’m partly glad to see that she’s taking this more evidently awful than I was. Her reaction could’ve been mine earlier. Good thing I was able to keep my emotions in check. I don’t know if I would ever recover, imagining that her reaction might’ve been my reaction in front of Zaijian and my classmates.

“Answer me, Acir. Oh my gosh. You’re not even talking.”

“Hello? You asked a lot of questions. I don’t know what to answer first,” I replied, trying to tease her more.

“Where in Vista Central did you freaking see your ex-boyfriend?” She said through gritted teeth, growing annoyed by the second.

“In Newford University.”

Her forehead creased and her lips pursed. She placed the cake on the kitchen table. “Our school? But why?”

“He’s my new elective professor,” I cringed at my own response as I still couldn’t believe it. Even saying it loudly was something I never expected that I would say.

I’ve buried all of my thoughts of ever meeting Zaijian again six feet underground.

Ever so slowly, her mouth formed into a perfect ‘o’, while her eyes almost popped out of its socket. “Oh sh.it. Holy crap! This got to be a prank. You’ve got to be kidding me. Ha ha! Very funny, Acir! Now turn off the camera and tell me that is not true. You got me really good,” she mocked, and darted close to me then shook me by the shoulders.

“I wish it was.”

She looked like she was flushed with cold water, the color on her cheeks draining as she realized that I wasn’t lying. “You have to tell me everything—from the very start.”