My Bride from Another World

Chapter 2: My First love and First Fall.

"You don't belong here what are you doing here!?" His high voice made me scared.

"Alright, that's enough no need to read anymore! Let's get out of here Beatrice."

Leaving behind the tent, we got in Beatrice’s car. Beatrice said softly, unlike her usual hype voice, “Catina, you were right, maybe we should have not gone, and it was kinda upsetting. Well a waste of money”.

“It’s okay, Beatrice, you know... We sometimes need to take a chill pill every once in a while”. I gave her a reassuring smile. Looking out of the window at the pitch-black canopy of sky.

.

. 

Catina 

“And I win!”

“Screw you!”

“I dare you to.”

“Oh! Just shut up.”

“I’ll try it.”

“Thank you.”

“You are not very much welcome.”

“For goodness sake, Mia. Will you stop now? We need to work.”

“Work? You mean run errands for that fat ass.”

“You know he is always on a leash around my neck and if I fail to finish before tomorrow, you’re so dead.”

Catina was trying to be serious, but with Mia here she could never do that, the girl was too much of a comedian. Mia glanced at her with raised eyebrows.

“Oh please, you’ll fail and I’ll be dead, did you hit your pretty big head somewhere? What’s the logic in that yah?”

“Mia pleases it is serious. You know how a big demon he is if I don’t get this grading of two junior years done, he will make me transfer and I don’t ever wish for that to happen and for the record, my head isn’t big, you Olaf.”

(*Olaf from frozen*)

“Oh yeah, just don’t start with your grandma lectures now, look here he comes the demon himself,” Mia says playfully as we continue to resume our work together side by side in the teachers' room, getting materials ready for another teacher's class.

University was boring, as usual; the Assistant teacher's work was boring too as usual. The first thing that occurred when I arrived here was receiving the grading papers that were glancing towards me and Mia as usual; she was already looking at my way.

I read the first paper and as usual, it was like trying to understand how this Picasso tried to do scribble art on his literature paper. I wait for Mia at our usual spot well it seems like “usual” is my favourite word today for the day!

After a while in the hallway,

“Hey, babe! Did the grading go? How was it?”

"My lawyer has stated that I don’t have to answer that question." Mia threw her head back and laughed like a horse.

"Come on! Today is the last day for the summmer~ vacation~ just a bit over time won't hurt."

"Seriously, who laughs like that?"

 'Mia!"  

A few students turned to only look at us weirdly.

I looked down at the floor, pondering ′What is the use if I have to do errand work I might as well just get another job what do I do?'

I heard a voice say, 'To inspire the young minds of the youth and they may one day grow up and become the face of tomorrow.' Only if Betty was there to hear me right now-'

“That was not what I was expecting from you, Catie. Just until yesterday, you were dreaming to be a teacher and now y- .... Hey look there, your dream guy and well, everybody’s dream guy.” Mia sighed dreamily looking behind me. Silence consumed the hallway, well of course only for me in my mind.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The one only one who had the power of making my heart escalate, 'Ethan Parker' himself. I couldn’t tell Mia that I was his temporary assistant. Why? Well, duh, all the female staff and the student would throw (imaginary) daggers at me.

I turned around and glanced at him, there he stood with his friend. Luca was known as the flirty teacher in our school, he is just like Ethan, the popular guy though Ethan Parker was not a flirt.

Everybody stepped aside giving them a path, they were the most handsome professors in the whole school. I stared at Ethan’s perfectly sculpted body built.

Ethan Parker is mixed; he has a pair of amber eyes from his father and dark black hair from his Asian mother. That is what the rumour said. When he took over as a Professor of this university, his age and identity have attracted countless criticisms. However, in just four years, he fully demonstrated his researcher work and teaching talent. And effectively established his irreplaceable status in the teaching sector as well as archaeology researcher.

I have seen him work on the site he can amaze people by telling the history of the artefacts before the scientific proofs are ready and even can tell the approximate worth of it.

He is strict towards his work but it’s okay cause at the end I get treated to see him a bit closer and to even learn.

 How did I start to like him? Well, it’s a bit embarrassing if I think now but…

That fat a*s my senior teacher didn't appreciate my work and made me redo it even if I had to do overtime one day he stopped by to the staff room. It was Ethan's Promotion party, I was so excited to go, but when I just got up from my seat senior teacher came in giving me all his work.

When I told him that I had to leave, he said, that he never heard an assistant teacher leave the office early. I started to cry silently and started to work again. For some reason, Ethan had come to the office. Seeing me cry, he just silently sat beside me.

Then turned, picking me up by my wrist to his party. Ethan said that it was okay because he didn’t want me to be left alone in that state and just enjoy. Ethan will turn 26 this year. I wonder if he would remember that night he was with a person named Catina.

“He was a sweetheart back then, but if I was in your shoes then I would have hit him suggestively and ask him out. I’m sure he would have fallen for it.” Mia always likes to exaggerate. But that’s in her veins.

“No my dear Mia, it back when I just had started to work, and let’s not talk about him right now. You know I’m really stressed and I don’t know what lies I’ll feed to the senior teacher about the test papers.”

Mia had been an assistant teacher like me. And always supported me since day one.

“Hey, enough about that senior teacher Let’s go and grab something at the Burger King after school. What do you say? It’s been a while since we hang out together.”

Mia was right. I need to distract myself from the daily routine. 

“Sure, why not.”

A few hours later, the bell ranged. I scurried out of the office to meet Mia at the gate.

“So tell me more about your thoughts on him”.

“Him?”

“You know who I'm talking about” she smirked at me.

“Ethan Parker, I wish I can be parked with him for life.” I started to blush realizing what I had said

“Oh So~ Mrs. Parker is having naughty thoughts, huh?”

Mia continued to tease and make fun of me. She’s been doing since the past ten minutes. 

Mrs. Parker? It sounds lovely. But  I bet that old man’s prediction read ‘99% sure impossible to be his girlfriend. If there is still a 1%, chance with him I would still love to confess him but… Oh Man, I thought I had a chance, but all it was just a bluff!

My phone suddenly started beeping disturbing Mia’s laughter. I looked at the screen.

It was Beatrice, my Saviour. I excused myself from Mia’s embarrassing teasing.

“Hey Cat! I’m Hungary”

“Check the fridge”

 “I’m Russian to the kitchen”

“Is there any Turkey?”

“Yes, but there is Greece on it.”

“There is Norway we can eat that eww”

“Cat Finnish this I’m still Hungary”

“I was Havana good time :( okay, I will get something.”

As Catina walked into the supermarket, to get her stuff. As she stood in the queue to pay. On the corner of her eyes, she saw a necklace advertisement poster that read, ‘The moment of coexistence that will shine forever on you and me.’

I unconsciously touch my neck and my pocket to realize that the necklace was missing; I felt the blood from my face drain. Catina attempts to recollect where she had kept it.

 The last thing I did right after the airport was in the museum. I had felt something drop maybe it wasn’t my imagination because of jet lag but before meeting Beatrice. 'Could that be a necklace? ′ Catina checks her hand watch seeing there is still an hour left for the museum to get closed.

Since she ran out of time and only a few minutes left for the museum to close down. Somehow she convinces the guards to allow her in. 

As everyone was exiting and being the only one entering I felt skittish in the museum as it felt much bigger than I thought. My heart started to throb in chills as my sandals were clicking on the floor as I hastened.

I found the necklace near the painting of a dragon whose scales were midnight black colour; its eyes were like emerald Green. As I was rushing back out.

 The temperature had suddenly dropped I felt cold sweat and fear started to build in me as the museum lights started to shut down.

‘Thank god I found it!’

I went to the airport knowing well that Ethan must have left right after the lecture. I even apologized to Beatrice about her precious food.  How did I even almost lose a million worth of treasure?

After the airplane landed I quickly rushed to the site it was late evening by the time I reached.

‘I hope I'm not late…’

‘Huh? Why is there police’ before I entered the on-site office, I heard a conversation I wished I never did...

Police: “So is it possible that your assistant has stolen that necklace?”

The voice  which I could blindly trust, only said ‘yes’

He said yes without any hesitance I ran away without wanting anything else to hear.

My heart felt as if it was ripped I can’t believe he thought of me like that he didn’t even bother to ask me and then agree I wish I didn’t exist for him I felt my heartburn in tightness my breathing felt swallow I wanted to cry but couldn’t as I had to remain silent to avoid being heard. I wish I wouldn’t have had a crush on him why did this happen.

Catina fell low on the ground as her vision became blurry. Her heart felt like it is being cut by a knife. Is this what heartache is?

‘Why did he not bother to even call and ask me was I-… Am I so bad in his eyes that he couldn’t even trust me?’

I held the necklace close to me. Is it all because I was selfish and wished for him to like me. I’m I getting punished for it? Catina was unaware that her tears started to flow, silently and fell on the dragon's eyes. Still gripping the dragon necklace she cried. All she ever wanted was that he could trust her and that one day she could ask him out.

Cry stole my strength and I kneeled on the ground trying to get ahold of myself. My vision had become hazy, and my head started to have a splitting headache black dots appeared and I faded out.