02 Hey roomie!

"So... you’re my roommate, huh?" I asked, my voice unusually soft and trembling. What the hell? He didn't reply. His dark, blank, lifeless black eyes just bore into my equally black ones. And let me tell you, they mega-scared me. I mean, I have black eyes, too! And they’re just eyes! But his look so blank and stoic and just — just purely terrifying.

I swallowed. Make conversation! I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants, thinking. Topic. Topic. Topic! "And what did you say your name was..?" my pathetic voice dragged. I inwardly facepalmed. Of course I knew his name. And he’d never introduced himself to me. So how could my stupid mouth ask him a question, as if he’d initiated the conversation? I facepalmed again. Why am I behaving like such a fool? Idiot Uthra. Idiot me.

I covered my face with both my hands and took a deep breath to regain... I don't know, my composure? I raised my head to see the guy looking at me, his head slightly tilted and… dare I say he looked mildly amused...?

I flashed him an awkward grin and my hands shot up and waved on their own. I groaned. I think I got hit on my head somewhere when I was a kid, or maybe my brain was just a little broken. First my mouth blurts something stupid on it's own, and now my hands. What the hell happened to coordination? I should go visit a neurologist first thing when I go home for a holiday.

And where will you get the money for that? Yeah, right.

I looked up again when I heard a chuckle. Or maybe a cough. Because Rohan's slightly amused eyes were back to their normal scary state. So yep, definitely a cough.

He took slow steps towards me.He wasn't hesitant. He wasn't bold. He wasn't lanky or stiff and uncomfortable. His steps were lazy. This guy was seriously intriguing me. He stopped when he was one foot away from me and I automatically took a step back. Aw, crap. I wasn't intimidated. I was not intimidated. Nope. Nah. Nada. I was zero percent intimidated. Yeah.

You tell that to yourself, a voice in my head said, exasperated, and I kicked it to a corner.

Rohan seemed surprised by my behavior. "Rohan," he said curtly as he stretched his hand out to me. I felt my heartbeat accelerate and my palms started sweating. I looked down at his outstretched hand and glanced at my sweaty palm. First time shaking hands with my mission's object and my hands are a sweaty mess. Great. I slowly stretched my hand and it was visibly shaking. I grasped his hand hesitantly but let me tell you, it looked and felt more like groping. Talk about embarrassing.

Okay. I accepted it. I was intimidated by this guy. And his height. And his blank, black eyes. And his too-large palms... which were so soft by the way. And firm. Confident. His hand felt so smooth. Not like a guy's palm. His long fingers were—

The hand was gone. I coughed, trying to hide my embarrassment. But my traitor eyes thought it would be an awesome idea to look up. My body was seriously lacking in the coordination department. Rohan's eyes were twinkling now as he looked down at me. Yet another reminder of how short I was at this school.

My heart was beating erratically and almost jumped out of my chest when I saw the twinkle in his eyes. Maybe my body was scared to see some emotion in his eyes rather than seeing no emotion at all.

I coughed again and let my eyes wander around the room, awkwardly waiting for him to step away, but still Rohan stayed just a foot away from me.

I glanced at him not so discreetly to find him already staring at me. He looked like he was... expecting something. And then it struck me. I didn't introduce myself. Not all students necessarily remember the new kid's name. "Uthra," I said, but only a gust of hushed air came out. I cleared my throat and took a deep calming breath. "Uthra."

"The kid who sits beside me in class, right?" he asked, his voice low. It was almost a whisper.

I nodded.

Without another word, he dumped his bag on the floor and walked past me to the bathroom. After a few seconds, I heard the door click and something in me seemed to snap. I slumped onto the floor, my knees feeling weak.

Now, what the actual hell was that?