3

He felt a blush begin to creep across his cheeks, and he desperately wished for a hole to open up beneath his shoes. He kept walking though until they reached his dorm. Cirler unlocked his door, opened it and walked inside. Cirler closed the door behind him and sat down on his bed, releasing his hand. Cirler couldn't believe he had just done that. How embarrassing, how awkward. Cirler sighed to himself and tried to calm down. He pulled his notebook out of his backpack, opened it up and started doodling on the page to try and keep his thoughts away. Cirler glanced up when he heard Cirler's phone buzz. Cirler checked his phone and smiled upon seeing the message Cirler received from Cirler.

Cirler: Good luck, I guess we won't see each other for a little while so I just wish you well on your trip to America. :) Xoxo Lina xxx

Cirler's smile fell instantly when he looked up and saw Cirler's roommate standing in his doorway staring at him. Cirler sighed as the young man entered the room and dropped his bag on the ground by Cirler's feet, not bothering to unpack. Cirler watched as Cirler's roommate picked up his backpack from the floor then sat down on the chair near Cirler's desk.

Cirler: Hey, um... thanks… For watching my stuff. I appreciate that. You don't have to stay and watch, I know the guys will be upset that I'm already gone, but please don't worry about it. My roommate won't mind. :) Xxxx Lina

The younger man rolled his eyes as Cirler spoke and he let out a loud sigh. Cirler couldn't figure this guy out. He couldn't understand why he was so rude and rude at him. Was he always this mean to everyone else? Or was it just Cirler that irked him?

His roommate stared at Cirler for a short amount of time without saying anything. Cirler stared back nervously as he waited for the guy to speak. Finally he spoke, "I'm guessing your name is Cirler? Well, I'm Tarek," the guy said as he held out his hand for Cirler to take. Cirler's shoulders tensed as he looked from Tarek's hand to the confused expression on his face. Cirler hesitated and eventually decided to shake his hand anyway.

Tarek: I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I wasn't trying to be mean. That wasn't cool of me. I'm sorry. But I have to know. Did you kiss someone else?

Cirler: Um… what? No, why would you ask that? You really need to relax. It's okay; it's nothing serious. I'm fine.

Tarek: Then how are you feeling? Is everything alright? Are you going to be okay to fly tomorrow night? Because if not I can talk to your boss if you need to rest. I'm sorry if I came across as disrespectful. I didn't mean to make assumptions.

Cirler: Calm down, I'll be fine. Everything will be fine. Trust me. Please don't stress yourself too much over it.

Tarek: You're an important piece on this project, Cirler. I have no idea how your boss thinks you should be treated. All I know is that you shouldn't put yourself at risk. If there's anyone I can call to talk to, then it's you. I want to help.

Cirler: Thank you but you really don't have to do that. I can handle it. Besides you aren't even supposed to know about what happened.

Tarek: Why is that, Cirler? I may only be your assistant, but my job isn't exactly above some company protocol. I have a few friends who work for companies like yours and they told me a few things. I think my understanding is that sometimes people are afraid of others knowing about their struggles. Especially since they usually have to carry these burdens alone. If they don't trust you it's probably best that you don't press them for details. So, please take this advice seriously. If there's anything else that I can do for you just let me know. Please. I want to do what I can for my classmates. If we both can help, that's what I want to do.

Cirler: Uh… thanks. Yeah, of course, I know what you mean. I promise I'll take care of myself. I will try. Don't worry. We're going to figure this out together.

Tarek: Really? That's great to hear.

Cirler: And hey. If you need to vent out about anything to anyone you can go straight to me. Even if you find yourself having trouble telling someone something you just found out. I'm not going anywhere.