"Stop right there, you crazy girl," the guy shouted, running behind her, trying to catch up with her.
"I am not crazy enough to stop," she yelled back, moving through the students milling around in the corridor.
"You are dead today," he shouted at her.
"You have to catch me first," she retorted, not stopping.
The twins, Liam and their gang ,as usual, were in the cafe enjoying their lunch when a lightning bolt passed in through the cafe door.
"Hide me, hide me," the girl screamed and dived under their table for cover.
"What in the... " Zian cursed looking at the girl curled up at his feet.
She looked up and Zian sucked in a breath as his gaze collided with the pitch black of hers.
"Emma?? What happened?? Why are you hiding??" Liam asked, frowning in confusion.
"Oh please Freddy bro. Don't give it away. I am hiding. Act as if I am not sitting here." Emma pleaded.
"We could. But I am not sure if Zi could." Zahir remarked, earning a glare from Zian.
"What I meant is, Zi doesn't like lying and pretending. So obviously, he can't lie and pretend that the very beautiful Emma is not sitting at his feet when she clearly is." Zahir said grinning.
"Shut up," Zian said, glaring at his brother.
The doorbell above the cafe door chimed again when the next person came running in and Emma clutched onto Zian's legs anxiously.
"Hey, crazy girl. I know you are here. Come out," he yelled looking around.
"Hey Alex. What's happening?" Zahir asked out loud, earning a pinch on his legs from Emma.
He hissed at that.
"Zi, she is wild," Zahir complained softly.
Alex walked towards them still panting and looking around.
"Looking for a fresher man, Zahir. Because of the crazy girl, my record book is in the staff room trash can now. I will have to re do the entire thing now."
Emma poked on Zian's thighs and he looked down.
She was breathing heavily after the marathon around the college.
"What??" He mouthed.
She curled her fist and pointed her thumb towards her mouth indicating that she is thirsty.
He took his glass of half drunk juice and stealthily passed it to her without anyone noticing.
"What did she do to your record??" Zian asked.
"I gave it to her to write, man. I had to submit it today and I gave her a week's time. And instead of writing the assignments she had written the love story of Klaus and Caroline" he said with a huff.
"Liar!! I wrote about Klaus and Camille, not Caroline," came the voice from under the table and Zian face palmed.
"You!! You are hiding in here. Come out weirdo." Alex yelled at her.
Emma came out from under the table, as it is no use hiding anymore.
"First tell them the truth. I wrote on Camille, not Caroline. I am different. Everyone is a Klaus Caroilne fan. I am a Klaus Camille fan. Haven't you seen The Originals? What chemistry?? It was not there between Klaus and Caroline. I don't understand why everyone likes them. JoMo in The Originals.. Hayee. You know after watching The Vampire Diaries, I became a die hard JoMo fan and downloaded Originals too. He is just.. "
"Shut up. Crazy girl. Do you have any idea what you have done? That professor is already a pain in the ass. Now he won't let me write the exam."
"You should have thought of that before giving your records to your juniors. That's very irresponsible of you. Lexy," she said cheekily and his nose flared in anger.
"You little.. " he tried to reach and grab her only to be blocked by Zian who stepped in front of her, shielding her from Alex's wrath.
"Don't you dare," Zian warned dangerously.
Alex looked stunned for a moment.
Zian is always the calm guy. He had never lost his temper. And the same guy is giving him the lasers.
"Uh-oh." Alex squirmed under Zian's gaze.
"Yes!! Don't you dare touch me. I am a black belt in ludo" Emma said, peeking over Zian's shoulder, standing on her tiptoes, holding onto Zian for support.
"Ludo??" Zahir asked, looking at her weirdly.
"Yes. It's a martial art. You don't know?" Emma asked him in confusion.
Zian rolled his eyes at the obviously stupid girl.
"It's judo, Emma. Not ludo."
"Haa haa. That's what I meant. It was this stupid auto correction that did the mistake." Emma defended, earning another eye roll.
"Yeah. You are the latest android model in the market." Zian said and Emma pouted.
"Alex," Zian turned around facing Alex.
"Write your record yourself. Don't bother her again, okay??"
"Yeah," Alex muttered and left, throwing a glare at Emma.
"He got scared, hearing my judo skills," Emma said flexing her biceps poking her imaginary muscles,
"You are trouble Emma. Trouble with a capital T," Zian said shaking his head,
"Your own trouble, Zi." Zahir whispered in his ears.
*****
After the class, Liam had gone to the twins' apartment until it's time for his date.
Going home is impossible.
His mother would be ready with a make up kit to get him ready for his first date.
He is not ready to take the risk.
He just picked a piece of paper on the living room table and saw it was a sketch.
A simple outline.
Of a horse.
Zian snatched it from him.
"Woah. What's it buddy??" Liam asked.
"Nothing. It's just a sketch."
"Why is everyone around me obsessed with horses," he muttered to himself, but Zian heard it.
"Who is obsessed with a horse??" He asked.
"No one," Liam muttered uncomfortably and his phone, which was kept on the tea table, binged at that moment.
M
That's how he had saved her number. M for Mirrie.
Zian raised an eyebrow at the secrecy and Liam gave him a nervous smile.
He opened the message.
'Where are you taking me??'
'Surprise sweetheart'
'How do I dress?? Formal??'
'Anything you are comfortable in!!'
There was a goofy smile on his face when he locked his phone and kept it in his pocket.
When he looked up, he saw Zian still looking at him.
"What??"
"Exactly!! What?? What's going on with you?? I have found you lost in your own thoughts for some days now. And I haven't seen you with your tongue down some chick's throat too for a while."
"There is someone," he muttered visibly uncomfortable talking about his feelings.
"Someone as in some M??"
A smile broke on his face.
"She is different," he said leaning against the couch looking at the ceiling.
"Okay. Who is she?? Why aren't we introduced to her yet??"
"She won't be comfortable, Zian. She likes to blend in. To stay out of the spotlight. I will introduce you to her when she is comfortable."
"If she likes to blend in, how did you find her??"
"Don't know. It just happened."
"Are you sure about this Liam?? Don't play with some innocent's feelings."
"I am not going to hurt her. I would die before doing that," he said vehemently.
"Okay!! Relax. So, the bad-boy has fallen in love." Zian said chuckling.
"Love?? Love is a big word .I sure do like her. She is special. And I want to explore these feelings. To see where it takes us. I have never felt like this before, Zian. It's all new and exciting."
"Well, work it out for yourself. And when she is comfortable, introduce her to us. Let us also see the girl who tamed the bad-boy Player."
"Don't tell Zahir now. He wouldn't wait. He would snoop around me to find out who she is. That would make her more uncomfortable. I don't want that."
"Sure lover boy. Anything for your M." Zian teased.