Chapter 4

“Hi! Good Morning,” I greeted him as he entered the dining area.

As usual, he still ignored me. He just passed me by and didn’t even close my eyes. He went straight to the kitchen to get Aunt Elisha the key to the new car that Dad had bought the other day. That's why Caleb is here on Saturday. He accompanied Dad to purchase the royal blue 2021 Jaguar XF that Caleb was going to use to pick me up. The car that Uncle Dante and I used was old, so Dad decided to buy a new one.

Dad left early so I had breakfast alone. Aunt Elisha didn't want to join me because she wasn't hungry yet.

I turned my back when I heard the kitchen door open. It spat out the cold and rugged Caleb. Their Maroon Engineering uniform is perfectly fitted for him. The cleanliness of her look that he was wearing. You wouldn't think he was a driver because of his good looks.

"Are you done?" he asked as he stopped in front of me and glanced at the food in front of me.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then, let's go."

Instead of following him, I just sat there. I looked behind him as I walked out of the dining area. He must have felt that I could not follow him, so before he left the door, he turned to me.

"What?" he asked. His forehead was furrowed again.

"Something is missing," I said.

"What?" he mouthed.

"The word baby." I smiled to tease him. “You remember? Let’s go, baby? ”

I was reminded of the day he pretended to be my boyfriend. He called me a baby that made my heart scream in so much happiness. Even though I knew he was just my fake boyfriend at that time, I still shivered. He called me baby with his husky voice. As in, it's hot to listen to!

I want him to repeat that line.

“Bri, it’s not the right time to annoy me. We will be late if you keep on teasing me,” he said irritably.

He is upset again. It's really hard to flirt with this Caleb!

I got up and before following him, I first took 2 slices of toasted bread. I grabbed my bag and followed him out of the house.

I ate the bread I took first while waiting for him to get the car out of the garage. This is the first day we will use Dad’s newly purchased car. Just the color of the car, it's so beautiful! The elegant look of its royal blue color.

The car stopped in front of me.

I quickly got into the front seat. I immediately smelled the fragrant smell inside it. Smell 4.5 million!

Caleb started the engine. We were also 5 minutes away from home when I felt thirsty because of the toasted bread I ate. I took my bottled water and drank it.

I noticed that Caleb turned to me so I immediately hid my water.

"There's dirt on your lips," he uttered.

"Huh?" I rubbed my lip.

I took the small mirror from my bag and looked at what he was referring to. There was even a little toasted bread there and a grain of water that I drank. Gosh, Bri! I mess up every time I'm eating! I felt shy because of my messy actions.

I looked for my handkerchief but couldn’t find it. I also looked at the tissue but there was no pouch I was putting inside my bag. Looks like I forgot to bring it.

"Here." He offers in his white handkerchief. "Use it."

I just looked at his handkerchief and still didn’t reach for it. "I do not want to."

"It's clean," he said.

That's not what I want to convey so I don't want to use his handkerchief. I know it’s clean and still fragrant. As for me, I believe in the saying that when you are given a handkerchief, the person who gave it will make you cry one day. I don’t want to be broken hearted with Caleb, as in no way!

I was surprised because he stopped the car on the side of the road.

"Why did we stop?" I asked him.

I did not wait for an answer from him but he removed his seatbelt and approached me. I could feel my heart beating faster. It was so quiet inside the car and I was afraid he might hear my heartbeat.

Caleb placed his right hand on the back of my chair and the other was holding a handkerchief. It brought it close to my face and dropped to my lips. He gently wiped my lower lip. I swallowed because he was so close to me to the point that I could smell the scent of his hair.

He also immediately took his eyes off the way he wiped my mouth. He reached for my hand and placed the handkerchief he had used there.

I was even more nervous with the saying I was thinking about earlier when he told me that it was his handkerchief. He handed me the handkerchief and I could do nothing but accept it. I used it again and it was embarrassing when I went back to him.

Maybe he won't really make me cry in the future. He's a good boy and I know he will take care of my heart. No heartbreaks, no tears.

We arrived at the University 10 minutes before my first subject. I never asked what time her class would start. I hurried into the classroom and pulled out a reviewer. We had quizzes in a row today and I had to pass.

I found Keziah in her seat and was busy reviewing like the rest of our classmates. When these are really quizzes, our diligence to study hard comes out. We are just afraid to have a line of 7 because we will definitely be rejected by the Accountancy course due to retention.

During the quiz, no other noise could be heard other than the sound of each student’s calculators. It’s stressful because you know they’re really solving.

"You take care of me, Lord," I said before continuing to answer the Accounting problems.

When the time was up and we had passed our papers, Keziah approached me. “Bri, what? That quiz makes us crazy, isn’t it?”

Why is she still asking me? She already knows my answer.

I remained seated and lifted both my hands to stretch them. I leaned forward to press my calculator even though I couldn't come up with the correct answer. I just kept pressing.

The questions were answered, I'm not sure if my answers are correct.

"The most easy to answer are the problems in the front, while the more difficult questions in the back. My brain is now drained!" said Keziah which caused my eyes to widen.

“What the F! Is there another set of questions at the back of that fvcking paper?” I shouted so loudly that my other classmates looked on.

Keziah nodded. "Yes. Why?"

I dropped my head on the armchair and cried, I let myself rant there. “Kez, I failed the quiz. I didn't see the questions at the back of the paper and needed to answer."

I spent the whole time on the questions on the front page. I thought that was the only question we're going to answer.

“What a stupid move, Bri! Sometimes you have to enlarge your eyes when answering quizzes. Don't imitate Reign whose eyes only widen when he sees handsome boys,” he whispered. She even mentioned one of our friends who is not here today.

Because it's Keziah, just look at her chill and the study doesn't seem to be serious but you'll be surprised by the result of her examination and quizzes because she can almost perfect it. I was annoyed because our instructor made her sit in the back. I can't copy her anymore. It's hard to work on your own! I need my best friend to be my partner in answering school work.

"And at least I'm not a scammer, unlike the others out there," I said to Keziah. "They will say that they did not supposedly review but the quizzes and exams are perfect."

She hit me softly. “That goes through prayer! Let me explain my prayer routine and teach you later. What do you think?”

I was still not in the mood that Keziah pulled out of the room. Because we were dismissed and I didn't want to leave in case the BSA students of the lower year are coming to use the classroom next.

“Oh? What happened there?” Reign's opening question when we arrived at the cafeteria.

I sat down next to her and picked up the fries she was eating. She has her food now. She didn't even wait for us.

“We failed in Intermediate Accounting. Bri just looked at the front page of the test paper, but not looking at the back. Yes, this girl didn't answer some questions.”

It looks like in 1 week I will again take the resentment given by my failure to a major subject of ours.

"Ah, that's okay," Reign said calmly. "I fell twice last semester, did I pretend to be a sad girl?"

She kicked me because I was about to go crazy because I laughed at what she said. I remember what happened to her last semester. She failed two major subjects but she just ignored it like it's not a big deal. The witch was still partying after learning that she had failed grades.

But this is her now, irregular student because she needs to retake the subject she dropped.

"Let's just go to Rocca later!" Reign said briskly.

"Yes, sure!" Keziah agreed. "You're just going to drink that fvcking failed score, Bri."

When we talk about going to Rocca, these two are alive. They don't really want to drink there, if not for the students from the other University. They are just hunting their crushes in that bar.

"What time?" I asked.

"9:00 PM?"

Too late. Uncle Dante was no longer there to deliver and pick me up at that time. I can't inform Dad because he will be angry. He didn’t know that I was going to a bar near the school. I'm just excusing that we're just going to do a group activity at Keziah's house.

"Will you take Caleb with you?" Keziah's suggestion.

I’m unlikely to include that one. When he takes me home, he will go home immediately.

After Keziah and Reign and I ate, I headed straight to the green home. It's five o'clock and Caleb's dismissal so for sure, he's waiting for me.

"Caleb!" I was a few steps away when I called his name.

He saw me and immediately stood up. He started walking to where he had parked the car earlier.

"Caleb?" I uttered his name again.

He didn't look at me. He just looks straight down the road. "What?"

"Are you going to do anything later?"

"Why?"

Yes or no are the only choices he can answer but he answered me with the same question.

“Do you want to go to Rocca?”

"That's a bar," he said.

Caleb is a fool. I probably know that bar! I have been there several times.

"No one will even take me there."

“Ask your Dad. Maybe he can drive you,” he said.

When I asked Dad, it was as if I had already reported myself to him.

"He didn't know that I'm going to Rocca. He will scold me.”

Dad was kind but he was strict with me when it came to those things that a normal student wants to try, especially partying and drinking alcohol. I will be really dead when he finds out.

"Then, don't go."

He was really easy to talk to.

“I want to let this stress out of my head. I failed my Accounting subject before, I just want to get rid of my resentment. ”

“That’s not a valid reason, Bri. Instead of drinking, just study the topics you fell for earlier.”

I’ll study that, of course. I will take back my academics, but not now! Maybe in the next life. Kidding!

I'm just bored. I only spent two hours in Rocca.

"I'll just commute later," I said emphatically.

After Caleb drove me, he went home right away.

I have no choice but to take a taxi later. Keziah can't pick me up because he'll just take a taxi and Reign, he doesn't need a car because his dorm is close to Rocca and he'll just walk to it.

I said goodbye to Dad and he agreed. Probably my reason was group activity again.

I wore my above the knee denim skirt and black top tube. I just let my long hair down to ward off the cold. I arranged myself before leaving the room.

I'm sure more than ten men will ask my name later. They will try to talk to me and flirt with me. I know their tactics now! They can't fool me.

When Dad entered his room, I went downstairs. He can't see what I'm wearing because he'll suspect me. Group activity but revealing clothes? I was really dead when he saw me.

I closed the door and was about to walk out of the gate when I stopped because I saw the new car Dad had bought parked in front of me.

I came here to see if anyone was inside. We don’t have another driver so it’s impossible for this car to get out of the garage.

I was in front of the front seat window when it suddenly opened.

My eyes widened when I saw Caleb inside.

"Let's go."