Eila woke up to the sound of the knocking at the door, and she blinked twice. Then she slowly got out of bed, walked to the door, and opened the door.
Her roommate Mina looked as though she was about to break her head. "You have been sleeping for over 5 hours now, are you pregnant?" She was being sarcastic and angry, but her question was enough to get
Eila panicking again.
Ever since she returned after that wild night with Dylan, she had been afraid of so many things. She had even gone to the extent of collecting pills from Joyce to make sure she didn't get pregnant.
She clearly remembered how Joyce and Mina had mocked her when she came back, but no matter how they pestered her, she dared not tell them that the unfortunate man she had slept with (in Joyce's words) was none other than Dylan Logan.
She was sure that even if she had told them, they wouldn't believe her, and not only that, but she was sure it would land her into a bigger problem, especially when she found out that Mina now had a huge crush on Dylan. She had been practically stalking him everywhere, wanting to be noticed by him by all means, and that unsettled her deep inside.
After she saw him today in the hallway, she knew that she was in big trouble, especially after she was sure he met her gaze. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of her life, like a scene from a horror movie.
Eila turned to look out of her window and saw that it was already evening. Even though it wasn't exactly dark yet, she knew it would soon be dark, indicating that she had been sleeping for a long time.
Eila was horrified, she had never slept this long before, and she had even missed her shift in the process. What was wrong with her? She didn't even remember when she fell asleep.
Mina rolled her eyes at her reaction and said, "Dress up, we are going out for dinner. Don't keep us waiting." And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving Eila in her dilemma.
Eila was a bit shocked, but who was she to turn down an offer for free dinner? She rushed back into her room and rumbled through her wardrobe looking for something to wear, but all the clothes were the same. She finally picked out a grey hoodie and baggy black pants.
That was what most of her clothes were made up of, but even if she knew her roommates would not exactly be happy with her dressing, there was nothing else she could do.
This was going to be a break from the expired food she normally bought at a cheaper rate from her workplace. It helped her save money which she usually needed. Her two sisters Perrie and Dora were relying on her, and she had to assist them. It was her duty to take care of them, especially after her dad was convicted of a robbery that led to the death of an 11-year-old boy.
The matter had been devastating for the family, but they knew they had to bear it. They had managed to bear the pains and all, but none of them had noticed how far off their mother was until she found out that her mom was doing drugs.
Her mom had spent most of her life at rehab, but when she got better, she had sworn not to return to drugs, after her father's conviction, they started finding a series of drugs in her room.
Eila would have loved to send her mom back to rehab, instead of yelling at her in rage, but there was no money. As it stood with them, they hardly had enough to feed.
Eila strolled out of her room, to see Mina and Joyce waiting for her. They both looked at her at the same time, but strangely they didn't make any nasty comments like they would have.
They took Mina's car, and all through the ride, Eila was lost in her fears, thoughts, and self-blame.
They arrived at an eatery near campus. Eila knew the place too well because of how flocked it was with its students. She looked at the environment, wondering if she could get weekend jobs here at this place. It was not that close to campus, but if they would pay well, then she was more than willing to try it out. She made a mental note to come back alone later and ask about it.
Just as they settled into one of the tables ready to receive their order, Joyce suddenly said in a low voice reserved for only Mina alone to hear, but Eila heard it too.
"I told you he will be here at this time. You see I was right." She said with a happy smile.
Mina beamed in happiness. "Come on, I must talk to him today. It seems he is looking at us." She said and Joyce turned immediately to look.
Eila couldn't resist the urge to look towards the direction they were nudging, but when she saw who it was, she froze on the spot.
Leaning casually on a counter was Dylan, and he was staring straight at...… her.
Eila felt her whole body go instantly numb. She immediately turned away, her hands shaking from fear. She began to think deeply.
'If he made any comment about that night, she would have to deny him straight on.' Again, she was sure there was no way he would recognize her, right?
That night she had dressed differently, she had looked so much like Mina, but now she was like her original self, a complete contrast from how she was, so he shouldn't be able to recognize her.
Eila consoled herself, telling herself that there was no way he was looking at her. She might have gotten it wrong.
"Hey, let's go talk to him," Joyce suggested, and Eila's eyes widened.
She quickly turned back to her lap, she had nothing to look at, but her chipped fingers suddenly seemed like the most interesting thing to look at. There was no way they wanted her to come along too, and for that she was grateful.
But when Mina and Joyce stood up, they frowned at her as though she had done something wrong.
"Aren't you coming?"
It was supposed to be a question, but the way Joyce asked it with that much anger, made Eila realize that she really had no choice in that.
Eila froze for a moment, but then realizing there was no way out, she slowly got out of her seat, faking a smile as she said. "I am coming."
But she didn't move quickly, she gently followed them, maintaining her pace behind them. Her heart was thudding with every step she took as though she was walking straight into a trap.
She muttered a silent prayer, begging God to come to her aid. She felt there was no way she was coming out of this without as much as a scratch.
"Hi Dylan, Fancy seeing you here." Mina's voice rang out with all its sweetness like its tail as soon as they got to Dylan.
Eila refused to look up for fear that he would see her face and remember her so she kept her head down.
"Hello girls, how are you all doing?" Dylan sounded enthusiastic, and that alone was enough to make Mina happy.
Eila was so sure that her roommate was blushing from the attention she was receiving. She wanted to steal a peek, but she knew that would probably be the worst thing to do.
Mina giggled slightly, "We are alright. My name is Mina, and this is my friend Joyce, and our roommate Eila." She introduced them sharply.
Eila bit her lip, taking note of how she had placed her in the level of her roommate, reminding her once more that she was nothing to the girls, at least nothing more than an inconvenient leach. It wasn't the first time, so she pretended as though she didn't hear that, forcing herself not to dwell on it.
"Eila." He suddenly said as though he was reciting her name, and this caused her to look up.
Again, his greyish-blue eyes were looking directly at her, as though reminding her of all the things she wanted so hard to forget. Eila bit her lower lip nervously and looked away.
"What does Eila mean?" He suddenly asked just before Mina could speak, drawing all attention to her again.
By this time, Eila was wishing she hadn't come in the first place, that way she wouldn't be caught in this awkward situation. She could feel Mina's eyes throwing daggers at her, and she shut her eyes tightly.
This was not good. Can't he stop trying to cause trouble and leave her out of this?
When he realized that she wasn't going to respond, he continued conversing with Mina.
She leaned in then and whispered to Joyce, "Joyce, I am not feeling too well. I will be back at our table."
She said and turned to leave. She wasn't really expecting any response from Joyce, and the silence she got from Joyce was enough to tell her that she was no longer needed.
She got back to the table and sat down before letting out a sigh of relief. They were still discussing, and she tried her best not to look at them as she waited for them painfully.
Suddenly, a thought came to her sharply, 'But what if Dylan told Mina that he slept with her or did something to get her suspicious?' Then her whole life will be as good as over.
Someone called out her name suddenly, and she turned instantly. Standing right beside her was a surprised-looking Skyler, and Eila's eyes widened in surprise. Could this night get any better?
Eila wanted to disappear but still, she remained seated there, masking her face with the weirdest smile she could muster at that point.
"Skyler, what a pleasant surprise." She said without blinking, trying so hard to sound and look as though she was genuinely excited to see him. But the reverse was the case, her heart was pounding so hard, and her fingers were shaking under the table where she had hidden them from view. She was incredibly nervous.
Skyler, not noticing her discomfort, smiled. "I was sure it was you from a distance. Back to your normal life, I see." He said in a matter-of-fact tone, and Eila blushed slightly.
She searched her head fiercely for an excuse, but nothing came on.
"What happened at that party, when I came back you were gone. I did see your roommates, but none of them knew where you were. Did you get home safely, were you drunk?" He asked urgently as he invited himself to sit on a seat near Eila.
Eila felt her cheek burn from embarrassment as she looked back to the table. Her heart rate is increasing drastically.
"I got home alright." She said simply, biting her lower lip nervously. She didn't elaborate further, even though she knew well that Sky's silence meant that he was curious to know more.
Seeing that she wasn't willing to talk more, Skyler gave out a small awkward laugh and then shrugged.
"Since you are alright, that's all that matters, right?"
At the other end of the restaurant, Dylan looked as though he was about to strangle someone. He watched unhappily as Skyler chatted effortlessly with Eila, and yet when he had tried talking to her, she had met him with silence.
He couldn't describe the feelings he had deep in his heart, it felt so raw and strange. No, it was not anger, and clearly not irritation. It was something scarier than that, it seemed so much like jealousy. His hold on the counter surface tightened, but none of the girls with him seemed to notice this change in his mood. His eyes unconsciously followed every one of Eila's moves.
'What was wrong with him?' He wondered in irritation. He was never one to become jealous or possessive of a woman, especially not when that person was half-dressed as a man. But still, he couldn't look away.
Mina, who was oblivious to what was happening was still trying her best to get his attention for good. She looked beautiful and her makeup was on point as always, but he could hardly see her.
But her mood was clearly untouchable as she beamed with smiles. "Why don't you come sit with us, Dylan?" she suddenly offered eagerly, her voice dripping with excitement, but just when she expected Dylan to turn down her offer, he shrugged.
This was his chance, staying so far away and watching her chat away with another man was enough to drive him crazy and he hated it whenever he was not in control.
Dylan barely spared her a glance as he responded casually. "Sure, no problem," he said smoothly, but his gaze remained locked on Eila.