CHAPTER 5: Something is off about him

Suddenly, a fragment of imagination flashed in her mind.  A cold, night. Streetlights cast long shadows. She saw a man in a black hoodie staring across the street near the streetlamp.

 She paused and looked back, glancing around nervously. No one here, please calm down Eve.... she thought, trying to calm her racing heart. But then, she saw him again, closer this time, his face still unclear by the hood. 

Who's he? Or is he following me, I am the one who standing in an empty street, she realized, She broke into a run, her footsteps pounding on the deserted empty street. Behind her, she heard footsteps, pounding closer now. 

'Without glancing back, Please... God, I have to reach my house, give me strength. Run, run... Eve run... ' she thought, her silent scream echoing in her mind, close behind her. The empty street stretched out before her.

She runs as much as she can, nearly falling, her breath coming in heavily. She finally got to her gate, her hands shaking like crazy as she tried to open it. After a struggle she opened finally,  she slammed it shut and leaned against it, trying to catch her breath.

After a brief pause, the area became silent,  she looked back, and no one was there.

Evangeline blinked her unmoved eyes, back to reality, the imagination faded in the air, replaced by the sound of trays and the murmur of conversations in the cafeteria. She pinched her leg sharply, It was just a memory, she told herself, but the fear remains.

She looked back to Aaron, forced a small smile, and sipped her juice absently. She then picked up her phone, fake absorption in its screen, though her mind questioned, was that him? or was I just overthinking?

Aaron noticed the shift in her sudden manner. He glanced behind her, his brows furrowing as he took in Nate. Who is he?  he thought, a hint of possessiveness rising within him. He smiled at Evangeline, a question in his eyes. "Everything alright?" he asked, his voice casual.

Evangeline nodded, still looking at her phone. "Yeah... Yeah, fine," she replied, her voice a little too high-pitched. She finally looked up at Aaron, forcing another smile. "Just catching up on reels," she lied smoothly.

Across the table, Zoey and Luna were focused on their own world, laughing about some inside joke. "Oh my god, you did what?" Luna cried, clutching her stomach.

"And then he said that...!" Zoey dissolved into giggles, unable to finish the sentence.

Evangeline tuned out their chatter, her mind still preoccupied with Nate. She glanced at him again, this time more wisely. He was talking to someone else now, a new guy with a friendly face. She quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring again, she sighed.

A hand then landed on Nate's shoulder, breaking his focus. "Hey, man."

"I'm Mike. Economic lecture hall.... we sit at the same bench..." Mike offered a friendly smile in front of him holding a plate.

Nate gave a brief nod. "Yeah... yeah, I remember"

"Is that seat taken?" Mike asked, glancing around the crowded cafeteria.

"No... please sit down" Nate replied.

"How was your day?" Mike asked, his smile widening.

Nate hesitated, then shrugged. "Um... Not bad... A lot of nosy around here, right?" Having a single friend doesn't change anything, he thought, his eyes remained fixed on Aaron.

Mike's eyebrows narrowed slightly. "Yeah.... sometimes, especially on Mondays?"

Nate nodded and watched them, his curiosity piqued. His gaze lingered on Aaron's easy smile and thoughts raced, at the way he leaned in closer to Evangeline. Was he a competitor or merely a friend of hers? Nate wondered. I'll find out later. Just then, a voice called out from a distance, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nate! Hey, Nate!"

The voice was faint but familiar. He turned to see Kim, his expression shifting to surprise. He didn't expect him here.

Kim? What the hell, he is doing here? Nate thought.

Mike, sitting nearby, asked, "Who's that? You guys know each other?"

Kim walked toward Nate and hugged him. "Hey man, long time no see! I can't believe that we end up at the same college?" Then he leaned in and whispered, "Don't go screwing anything up, okay?" with a smirk.

Nate managed a small smile. "Yeah, small world," he replied, keeping his tone cool.

"It's okay, Nate. I'm just asking. Well, good to see you here. We can catch up later." Kim turned to Mike. "Hey, I'm Kim Hyun Joong."

"I'm Mike, Nate's classmate. You guys are childhood friends, right?" Mike asked.

Kim nodded. "Yeah,  Nice to meet you, Mike."

Mike nodded with a gentle smile on his lips. "Well, we should probably head to class; lunch is almost over."

As they walked, Nate's thoughts raced. Kim isn't just a classmate; he's one of my father's guys and my friend too. Four years older, always watching… He glanced at Kim's youthful face. Korean genes, probably. Dad must have sent him. Typical.

Mike paused and glanced at both "Guys, I have Business Development class, see you tomorrow, bye" he waved his hand, and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Nate nodded, Kim grabbed Nate's hand, pulling him into the brightly lit washroom. The door clicked shut behind them, the sound echoing in the small, space.

"Nate, why are you staring like her?" Kim whispered, his voice tight. "If you make like that, she's going to hate you. Be casual, bro. Be cool. "

"I know we are here for the mission but we don't have to be so obvious about the mission." He adjusted his hair and shirt, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

Nate's jaw tightened. He looked away, a ton of annoyance in his eyes. I'm not a kid anymore, he thought, "I know, Kim," he said, his voice flat.

"Okay, cool. I know my presence is irritating you, but you don't have a choice," Kim replied.

Nate rolled his eyes. Easy for him to say. He pushed the thought away. He had a job to do. His father was counting on him. "I talked to my father," he said,  grabbing his bag and walking towards the door. I'm going to the Business Communication lecture hall."

"By the way, you look handsome and younger... And one thing is absent.... guess what.... your smile," Kim said playfully.

Nate's hand on the doorknob. He paused for a second, a smirk appearing on his lips, and then pushed it open without watching him.

The Business Communication lecture hall buzzed with the low murmur of chitchat Some students flipped pages through notebooks, others listened to music, and a few applied their makeup. The afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, casting long shadows over the window.

Evangeline moved swiftly around in her chair so she could check out Nate without being obvious. He was all hunched over his laptop, typing away like he was on some kind of speed typing mission.

"He looks focused," she thought. "Maybe he's just a regular student. Maybe I'm wrong about him." She took a glance at him and then returned to her notes, hoping Zoey wouldn't notice. But there was something off about him—the way he looked —that felt unsettling. She shook her head. "I'm being paranoid. I need to stop this."

Zoey nudged Evangeline with a playful smirk. "Ooh, "Someone's had their eye on the new kid, huh?" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Luna joined in, "Yeah, I thought he was 'just a random guy' this morning. What's up now?""

Evangeline rolled her eyes, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "I wasn't watching him,"  she argued "I was just... lost in thought or something"

Zoey and Luna exchanged knowing glances. "Something? Something involving dark hair, blue eyes, and a mysterious aura?" Luna asked, grinning.

Evangeline sighed, hand over forehead "Guys, seriously…"