Arranged

Chapter-29

Freshman year of college, two months in, that was when she had first noticed Rob leaning against one of the banisters, listening and nodding to some other fellow standing in front of him, whose face Kelly could not see. She could see his eyes glistening and his mouth rounded, as if controlling a yawn from escaping from its clutches. She snickered, a little too loud, which made both her friends – Allison and Carl – as well as him to look at her. While it should have made her feel embarrassed, Kelly looked from the two beside her to the one at the banister with his eyebrow raised and a tinge of annoyance marring his perfect countenance, and she laughed out loud – they already caught her snickering anyway!

Allison and Carl looked at her as if she had lost her last piece of sanity while his expression changed to that of being amused. The guy in front of him apparently had not noticed that his bored audience had switched their interest to elsewhere and he continued to speak until after his lone listener disappeared altogether. He turned around in surprise and shook his head when he noticed him walk towards a girl, whose cheeks had flushed and whose lips were pressed together, obviously in an effort to control her speech or something.

"It's considered rude to laugh at someone like that," Rob said in a low tone, his lips turned up on one end in a smirk. His walk was very casual, as was his attire that consisted of a loose T-shirt tucked randomly into a pair of worn-out blue jeans. His hair was long – long enough to hide his ears halfway, not long enough to make a ponytail.

Kelly did not miss a beat as she replied, "It's rude to not greet someone you just met. Besides, I saved you from a boring lecture back there. You should thank me."

Whatever he had expected in response, this was not it and the surprise of it showed on his face. It took a second longer for the surprise to break and for a grin to seep in instead. He held out his hand as he said, "Well said. I am Rob Debbing."

Kelly shook his outstretched hand and said, "It's been funny to meet you, Rob. I am Kelly Sloane."

"Kelly," he repeated and smiled, withdrawing his hand. He waved at her as he took several steps backwards and called out, "See you around then." With that, he wheeled around and jogged to the guy from before who was scowling at him now, his arms crossed across his chest. Rob laughed when he reached his side, threw an arm around his shoulder and playfully pulled him along with him down the stairs. That guy, as she would later come to know, was Max Michel, his best bud. This was before his tattoos had made an impression on him and his womanizing days had set in – a result of a heartbreak, indeed.

Kelly watched him until he disappeared from her view and then, with a goofy grin spread across her flushed face, she whirled on her heels to meet the sceptical looks of her friends. She looped her arm through Allison's and said, "Can you believe it? That guy was so freaking hot!"

Allison rolled her eyes, not at her comment because even she had to admit that Rob was quite handsome, but at the silly smile that had found residence on her friend's lips. However, she chose not to point it out at the moment and instead, said, "I know, right? Wow! If only Carl could be half as chiselled!"

"Hey!" Carl cried out, glaring at her who simply waved her hand in dismissal. Kelly tilted her head to look at him and stick out her tongue, to which he made a gesture of boxing her ears. True, he was not quite as good looking but he was not so bad either! He had nerdy glasses balanced on his nose, cropped hair combed back for most part and more muscles than a carved marble statue-like bone structure. Needless of that, it was Allison herself who had said she loved how he looked!

"Yeah. Your Carl is just cute," Kelly said and Carl scowled at her.

"Hey!" he repeated to no avail.