24. Outside the school gate...

Now, Thursday had rolled in as quickly as Wednesday did, and the hours were also going by. Erina and Roxy could say they had both gotten used to the intensive gazes.

Some eyes held contempt and disgust, while some others were filled with fear, and for the rest, they just didn't care. They didn't stare or point, they just went their way.

Both Erina and Roxanne were summoned to the Dean's office again. The detectives were there again, and more questions were asked, but both their answers were still the same.

They both had nothing to do with the assault on Gray and his friends. And since there really wasn't any evidence linking them to the crime in any form or manner, and they had strong alibis, they were covered.

"What do we have next?" Roxanne asks as they walked out of the lecture hall.

"EDU 302," Erina replies, but the look on Roxy's face made her laugh, "You don't know what course that is, do you?" She says, and Roxanne laughs too nodding a big YES.

"Economics of Education," Erina chuckles, holding onto her stomach as if it was going to fall if she laughed any harder. "How come you never remember the course codes?"

"Oh, that course. Let's skip it today." Roxy suggests.

"But we skipped it last week. We can't skip the class twice in a row." there was this motherly look on Erina's face. Like a mother scolding a naughty child.

"Oh come on, you know the pdf of today's lecture will still be sent to the online group, so we won't be missing anything."

She had the sweetest tongue, this girl. She could make you do things without you realizing it. "For now, let's just go get something to eat, something to drink, something to cover our system with sweetness," As she was talking, she was already pulling Erina in the opposite direction of the lecture room.

"But we really shouldn't skip class again," Erina says, turning her head to look at the road that led to the lecture room. But Roxy's pull was firm and cunning.

"Just today... Just today. I promise."

"But that's what you said last week." Erina reminds her, and Roxy makes a cute face, pushing her lower lips forward, popping her eyes out, and blinking her lashes.

"I promise, this is the last time," Roxy says, bringing her index finger in front of her face, indicating that Erina should give her just one more chance.

"Alright, fine." Erina gives up and willingly follows her.

"Why are you dragging me, where are we going?" says a girl being pulled by her friend to only gods knows where. "just follow me, you'll thank me later." Says the friend.

"Have you heard? There's a hot guy outside the school gate" Explained another girl to her click of friends.

"Come on, move quickly, if I miss this, I will never forgive you." Another set of girls ran past Erina and Roxy.

"Did you see that sweet ride? if only I didn't have class right now, I'd take a picture near that car." Some other girl told her friend.

"Tell me about it, I wouldn't mind getting hit by such a neat car."

"Can't a day go by without something happening in this school?" Roxy rolls her eyes as more and more people were moving in the same direction.

"I wonder what has happened this time," Erina agrees, and at that moment, her phone rang and she paused, releasing her palm from Roxy's so she could pull her phone out of her pocket.

As soon as she saw the caller, a sweet tingle ran through her spine, her cheeks flushed, and Roxy didn't need to check the phone to see who was calling. It was obvious because right now, there was only one person who could make her friend blush this much...

"Hello..." She almost whispers.

"Hm," he breathes calmly at the sound of her voice. "This voice." He whispers.

Her voice does something to him, he just doesn't know what, but some kind of fulfillment washes over him at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, White." Her smile grew even wider as he spoke, and her fingers were starting to pull and play with the hem of her sweater.

"Hey, I thought you'd be busy so I didn't want to call you." She says and she was oh, so adorable. But not to Roxy whose upper lip rose in scorn.

"Nah, I was the one who promised to call and forgot to." He counters.

"He's not even apologizing for not calling. He's just stating it!" Roxy whispers aloud, intending that he hears her words. Erina on the other hand did not even remember that her friend existed, she was in her own world already.

"So tell me, White, do you have any more classes today?"

"I did, but I'm going to skip it. Roxy wants us to have lunch together." She quickly explains, and she heard something like a hiss. Did he hiss because of what she said? She could only wonder.

"Ah, tsk... Too bad, I was hoping to cash in on that promise you made me." He tsks again, and his words made her head do some serious calculations.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, It's been a few years since I graduated from college, and I forgot how much attention one with looks like mine, can get in this place." Now, the maths she was solving in her head had more than additions and subtractions. She was solving some serious geometry in her head now.

" I _ I don't understand..."

"Okay, let me break it down for you. I'm standing outside a certain college gate, and I'm about to go blind from the unending flashlights coming from the phones of students who won't stop taking my pictures."

"You gotta be kidding me!!" Roxy takes the words right out of Erina's mouth as both their eyes flew wide open with realization.

And like lightning, Erina ran, and Roxy followed toward the school gate.

"Please tell me you're joking," she says into the phone as she reached the gate, but she didn't need a reply, she didn't need him to say anything to her, as she could see him right there, lazily sitting on the bonnet of his car, dressed in a black suit that glistened under the sun, giving a perfect accentuation to his body and face.

He waved the phone at her, and his smile was wide and genuine even if he wished to hide it. All heads turned to see who the man outside the school gate has been waiting for, and to say they were shocked would be an understatement because even the girl was beyond shocked.

And as he watched her slowly walk up to him with that awestruck look on her face, he couldn't help but think, "it was worth it."

"I_ I... Wha_ I mean_ How are you here? I thought you said the earliest you could return would be Friday?" She asks as she stood in front of him with the brightest smile she had, not even minding the curious, dumbstruck, and jealous eyes that watched them both.

And as he looked down at her face, he couldn't help it, his smile grew wider. "I couldn't bare being under a different sky for much longer. I Missed You." He confesses.

...

*Earlier that morning*

Ligo rose from the bed, looking at the empty couch where Reuel had slept. He looks out the window and saw that the sun was slowly starting to rise, he looks ahead and sees the front door open.

He sees Helfer lying in between some flowers. "You know what can wake a man up so early in the morning?" he asks the lizard.

*I would rather you refrain from talking to me* thought the lizard.

"Still as quiet as always, I see." Ligo chuckles as he slowly walks out the door. And there he saw Reuel, standing amidst the trees gazing out, as he stroked a bird in his hand, completely lost in his thoughts.

"You know, they say when a man wakes up early in the morning and gazes out, he's probably missing someone special." At the sound of his voice, the bird in Reuel's hands flew away, and he was jerked out of his thoughts.

"Good morning dad!" He says in response to his father's words. And goes ahead to fondle some flowers.

"You know, I'm glad you came to visit me and I'm definitely happy to have you around, but I don't mind, you can leave right now if you miss her so much." Ligo chuckles, but almost instantly zips his mouth close as Reuel glared at him like he could eat him.

"She's not special, and I don't miss her. Stop deluding yourself, dad. And I'm not going anywhere till Saturday or maybe tomorrow, but definitely not today."

Definitely not today, he said, but...

...

*Back to the present*

Here he is standing right in front of her, with a smile on his face as he looked down at her and thought to himself.

"How did I even get here??"

*

*

I want to say a huge thank you for surpassing fifty powerstones. This week we made it to 67 powerstones.

As promised, expect a bonus chapter later in the day.

Thank you all, and let's keep on trying to take this novel to the highest levels.