CHAPTER 10: My partner, I mean.... project partner

The afternoon sunlight reflected weakly through the thick clouds, a small light reflecting the entrance to the sports club. Nate, Kim, and Mike pushed through the heavy glass doors. When they stepped inside, everyone could smell that usual scent of polished wood and the smell of sweat. The sounds of squeaking sneakers, murmurs, and the bouncing of basketballs echoed from the whole hall.

A tall, handsome, young, athletic guy in a club jacket walked towards them and welcomed them with a warm smile spreading across his face. "Hey, man! I'm Jason, the final-year president of the sports club," he said, extending his hand.

Nate returned the strong handshake with a gentle smile, glancing around. "Hi, Jason, I'm Nate, and these are my friends, Mike and Kim. We noticed on the student organisation board outside that we are interested in joining the basketball club."

Jason's smile widened. "Great! You guys are always welcome, "he said, watching them all.

"Before joining, you must fill out these entry forms, and we'll inform you by the end of the week." He grabbed a few forms from the nearby desk.

"Thank you," Kim said.

"If you have any questions in that form, don't hesitate to ask me," he said while he waved, greeting another student entering the hall.

Mike unzipped his bag, took a pen from it, and glanced towards the hall where players were spiking a volleyball over the net. "Nice and huge place," he muttered, a flash of excitement already stirring within him.

"Yeah…" Nate and Kim agreed while watching outside.

Mike glanced at his form, a slight frown on his face. He wondered aloud, "Are you all going to fill in your original guardian's phone number or just put down random numbers?"

Kim, eyes narrowed, replied, "Honestly, I just wrote down the first random number that came to mind!"

Nate raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Hey, dude," he said, "you should fill in your parents' number instead! If something serious happens and you're in trouble, that random number isn't going to help!"

Kim nodded, "Yeah... so don't cheat on them because one day you are going to cheat with your hands."

While they filled out the forms, another group of students entered the hall, tossing a basketball casually between them, the sound of the ball bouncing echoing in the empty hall. Nate's gaze moved upward towards the ball-bouncing area, and he noticed Aaron. He was lean and muscular, with broad shoulders and a confident, genuine smile across his face, and he chatted easily with his friends.

"Are you guys finished filling the forms?" Jason asked, interrupting Nate's observation.

"Yeah, we're done," they replied, handing him the forms.

Jason glanced at them. "Okay, thank you. We'll let you know by message or call," he said, joining the other students, including Aaron.

Kim turned to Nate. "Okay, Nate, I must run to my business math lecture." He grabbed his bag and hurried off.

Nate and Mike nodded, each heading toward their respective lectures.

Nate walked towards his lecture hall, thinking, What is Evangeline currently doing? Why didn't she approach me? Maybe she will. In the meantime, I need to submit my files to the BDN company.

Evangeline tapped her pen against her table and glanced around the hall. Everyone was busy with projects; some were already ready for dates, some were on dates, and her friend was engrossed with his partner. But she still didn't know where her partner had gone, still searching for him. Where the fuck has he gone? God doesn't have a 0.1% grace on me, she thought. Everyone's paired up, laughing, actually working... and I'm stuck with a no-show. She rested her chin on her hand, glancing at her watch and the other students.

Finally, after an eternity of scrolling through reels, Nate walked in casually. He didn't even glance at anyone, just sat down in the chair opposite her. She checked her watch. Three o'clock. Shit. This wasn't going to work, even though he had no idea an innocent girl was waiting for him. He was going to pay for that.

Zoey came upstairs, watching her single. "Hey, Eve, what happened? Are you still here? Where's Nate?"

Luna, holding a laptop, added, "He's right there. Why don't you ask him yourself, instead of just sitting here watching him?"

Evangeline took a deep breath, looking up. "Me... watching him... I've waited for him for, like, two hours; now he shows up. What am I supposed to do?"

Zoey's voice, laced with teasing, asked, "Oh, I see... I thought you were scared of asking him."

"Who... me? Are you scared of him? Uh... What do you think of me?" Evangeline retorted and flipped her hair back.

Luna mocked, mimicking Evangeline's earlier expression. "We've all seen that look when you read his name." She laughed.

Evangeline bit her lip, a flash of doubt crossing her face. "I'm not scared," she called out. "I waited for him... It's his mistake not to show up. He'll pay for this," she muttered, a forced smile tugging at her lips.

"We are eagerly waiting for it. Who is going to pay for whom? Is that right, Zoey?" Luna replied.

Zoey nodded her head. "Yeah... go and approach him. Okay, go ahead, now! He's packing his bag. Go... go...!"

Eve took a deep breath before taking another step, trying to calm the panic-struck beating of her heart, and wondered why I said he was just a man. Even I can't tell them the truth. "Okay, let's watch me," she said, finally overcoming her nervousness.

Eve stood confidently at her desk. She grabbed her bag as she walked slyly towards the door. Her heart pounded when she watched Nate exit the classroom. Sensing her uncertainty, Joe poked her gently.

The final bell rang, signifying the end of university. She said her goodbyes by waving her hands to Joe and Lilly.

Outside the hallway, cold air blew everywhere. Evangeline watched both directions of the hallway, which side he was going, and followed Nate as he exited the north side lecture hall, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Nate, wait!" she called out from a few meters' distance between them, but he walked fast, pretending not to hear her. She shouted after him, her voice echoing down the hallway. "Nate!"

No response

Nate walked straight ahead, his expression unchanging. The murmur of voices followed him down the hallway, heads turning, eyes watching him. He gave no reaction, but he noticed that his gaze was fixed straight, his shoulders remained relaxed, his pace was even, and a subtle air of detachment radiated from him.

"Nate, wait!" She shouted again, but he continued, still acting as if he couldn't hear her.

Everyone in the hallway paused to watch her when she shouted his name loudly.

After realising everyone's eyes were on both, he finally paused, rolled his eyes upwards as annoying, and turned to face her, his countenance unreadable. "What?" His voice was deep and gentle.

He took a couple of steps closer, making her feel small. Evangeline's attention briefly shifted from his muscular chest to his belt before darting away. "OMG, his body, fragrance, it's annoying. "Focus, Eve. Focus.... What will he think..." she thought, flustered.

Nate stepped closer than before and leaned, his breath warm against her ear. His eyes lit up with a teasing spark." "Enjoying the view?" he murmured in a husky tone.

A nervousness erupted in Evangeline's stomach. She stepped back, her words tripping over one another, and she couldn't even look him in the eyes directly now. "Yes... I mean..." She shook her head. "No... I am your partner."

"Wait....What?" Nate lifted an eyebrow, visibly surprised.

Under her breath, Evangeline mumbled; she swallowed her saliva. What the fuck happened to me? She thought, "I… I mean, I'm your business communication partner."

She was bemused for a while before responding with a casual shrug.

Nate studied her expression from top to bottom, his gaze cool and unreadable. A smirk formed at the corner of his lips. "Okay, so what?"