The Nostalgic Sin

Chapter 5: A New Acquaintance

The office, all of a sudden felt like a place that was shockingly suffocating to breathe in freely. On top of it, I was low on spirits, partially because I had presumed long ago that the cause for my cut-off on the first-semester fee was because of my dad's intricate desire to acquire a fee waiver, and I believed that he might have called up the institute management for making arrangements for me.

That seemed an adequate purpose for letting me off the fee, whatever the cause I was certainly delighted. As I shut the door behind me, rather silently,  I expected to encounter one figure, yet there were two. 

One was undeniably my new principal, with a sternness and disciplinary aura revolving around her. With amber-brown glasses perched on her short crooked nose, she sat there on a cerulean blue chair, and just a second ago I had heard her deep husky voice that screamed nothing but neutral temerity, one that gave thrills down my body. She had wrinkled dove-like eyes while she wore considerably heavy makeup on her face, making her appear more dazzling in the authoritarian sense.

 Although the woman might be in her 40s, yet, she appeared quite young to me as she was dressed completely in a very youthful attire. She had a simple white shirt loosely hanging over her skeleton-like stature, while her skinny calves were covered by black jeans. 

Her dressing taste was so like mine, imbued with nothing but unsophistication and a touch of pure cheekiness. Her short, deep brunette hair was pinned to the top of her head in such a tidy way that it certainly would never be visible if you looked at her straight ahead. Overall she had professional yet charismatic glamour. 

My eyes glided to the next person who was present in our midst, right before Ms Minevra's table which was scattered with a few pens and documents, a muscular man. 

Okay, I was being too offensive.

His personality was way more mesmerizing than a normal university guy usually has ever had. With arctic turquoise eyes that still oddly lingered on me, had streaks of blue which were quite unnoticeable. Blonde sleek curls fell gently on his broad forehead that was clear of all anxieties, the straight nose to the sharp jaw that stretched into a wide welcoming smile made my heart melt the very minute.

 His facial expression offered me a feeling that made me realize I was too respected. It evoked my sentiment of being extra gracious and courteous to this unfamiliar figure in front of me while displaying a professional disposition. It eased my presumption of encountering something bitter that I had derived from the bad omen just a while ago, yet things mostly do take sudden alternative roads. 

The interior of the office was very elegant and held a certain aura of a higher level of professionalism. 
The glass furniture present was all very sterile and gave the office a glamorous look, with a -capacious terrace present to view the green field and to hear the birds chirping sweetly.

After a few seconds I had taken to observe my surroundings, the man dressed in a white formal suit and black tie enquired of me in the most liberal way I had ever seen.

" 'Morning! You are Ms.Evelyn Grace? If I'm not mistaken?". His voice was surprisingly, perfect. With a British accent, he glanced expectantly upwards, anticipating my response. 

I, on the other hand, so bewitched by his intoxicatingly considerate nature, despite the principal glaring at us with her scorching glare, I stumbled on words for a few seconds and after regaining my original self, nodded politely and replied now looking at my principal," Yes, I'm Evelyn. The student from…"

I was taken aback as he once again spoke up, this time with clear interruption, yet what he said made me forget his sudden interlude. 

"St. Massachusetts School, Downtown Manhattan. We both know that Ms", he hesitated, hissing the word 'Ms' and beamed. " Evelyn, we are well aware of your performance and you have greatly impressed me with your academics in the recent year. Not even I had the blessing to pass with such an outstanding result, I'm in utter shock. Can you please take a seat? ". His tone was very benignant.

Suddenly, I  realised I hadn't even taken the seat that was left vacant for me. I clutched the chair's back, brought it back as decently as I could and sat, placing my bag on my lap to avoid the skin exposure that now felt a bit awkward to me.

I...had impressed him?

Surely, he had impressed me with his good etiquette! 

He was sitting right beside me, simulating an attitude which clearly depicted he was interested in knowing my opinion.
But unluckily a wave of sweltering heat mixed with a sense of nervousness hit me and I felt dazed, all this wasn't because of the climate but the trepidation that had taken me in its grasp again.

The trepidation of not having a behavior worthy of anything. Bad Omen, my brain kept on tormenting me cognitively. 

I plastered a pleased smile on my perplexed face, momentarily my cheeks could feel a burning sensation, as this was probably the first time someone of my age appreciated me that much, and he surely deserved it. "I'm deeply flattered by such words. May I know your name?" 

"Dimitri, Ms Evelyn. I'm a senior student here and have recently been chosen as the only nominee for the upcoming elections. I will be transferred the following year to Oxford for further courses and we have chosen you as our other candidate for the trip. If you are willing of course. But believe me, it's an incredible opportunity for you to excel in Literature, the subject you are passionate about. Right, Madame?". He raised another confirming question. 

She nodded without wasting a single second, "Yes, of course! I would love it if Eve could accompany you there. She's brilliant after all and her literature is no doubt very classy."  Shuffling through some papers, she mumbled, "Remarkable". I refocused my unsteady mind on the glass table only to discover that they were my EOY (End Of Term) results, where all the subject teachers' and student remarks were printed in black. 

"Well then, it's done. Evelyn and I will be leaving as her semester finishes. Thanks, Evelyn, for your precious time and your Madame. I'll take my leave now. Have a good day." He turned around, after picking up a bundle of paper from the table, to face me and said in a very respectful way, his eyes sparkling with nothing but impassive reverence, ''Looking forward to getting to know you better, Ms Evelyn". 

I nodded and beamed, although my insides were screaming in utter disbelief at how I was paid so much attention by a complete stranger? Who was he? And on top of it, why and how come he had all my personal information?

 He stood up to reveal his expensive ink-black boots and that he had an extremely tall height, well, as compared to mine. Stranger, yet seems so…perfect. I grimaced at the invading thought, and he somehow caught sight of it from the side of his eye and went his way, smirking for the first time and stroking his blonde hair to the left side, now with a bit of pretension. Did he know what I had been wondering about?

No, absolutely no. I'm going nuts.

After he exited the room, Ms Minevra and I had a brief discussion about my career and what were my academic priorities. She also confided in me the information that this year's bursary had been granted to me on the basis of excellent intellectual academic performance.

She was the opposite of what I had perceived her as— the most charming and considerate lady ever. She had provided me with additional documents to acquire further knowledge of this university plus the grand tour and we both were so very enthusiastic to enter the month of December, when my semester would end and I could go enjoy my life at Oxford, studying and exploring. Preparations were being taken care of by the higher institute's authorities and our principal was supervising it all.

Our voices died away after a quarter an hour and eventually, I bid her goodbye and scooted to my new compartment, for the first time feeling an ecstatic wave of nostalgia pulsating through my veins. It was such a prestigious honour to have qualified for such a mind-blowing achievement and I surely had to call up my dad.