13

Two weeks later they decided to meet up and Dariya asked him to meet inside her college. She asked him to come near the botanical garden. For an unknown reason, Dariya dolled up that morning wearing an off-shoulder frilling dress in pastel pink and wore matching wedges. She put her hair free and put on makeup lightly.

After lunch break, Dariya bunked her class and bought some junk food and drink from the vending machine and walked towards the botanical garden. Her hideout, the one place people visited less during the afternoons. To her surprise, Lu Han was already there. He was sitting under the tree, leaning back, dozing off. 'what's this? Did he come to sleep here? Didn't he sleep at night' she wondered and walked silently trying not to wake him up. She kept the bag and the food down and leaned closer to him observing his sleeping face. His brows and the perfect hairline, which would make any hairstyle look good on him. The mixture of almond and amorous eyes with his perfect nose and round full lips. His face seems to be in a very perfect proportion. He seemed to have become more stylish, dressing cool with his perfect body ratio with long legs and broad shoulders, muscles and perfect arms. 'Wah, he has totally turned into a man in five years of time. He must be working out well.' she thought. 'what the hell am I doing' she realized in the middle of observing him. She tried to get up silently but he caught her hands and pulled her close. She felt embarrassed. She understood he wasn't sleeping. Smiling, he opened his eyes saying "you still use the same perfume."

"what are you doing here early.?" She asked struggling to get up, taking her hands of his chest. He helped her up and then she sat next to him.

"I had nothing much to do." He shrugged and said.

She handed him the food and drinks. "eat" she told him.

"what were you doing?" smiling, he asked her to tease.

"I was wondering why you look so funny." She mocked him back still feeling embarrassed.

"Congrats" he wished her.

"Why?" she asked wondering.

"Tomorrow onwards your items would be put in display in the art museum and the gallery." He informed.

"They began moving?" she asked him.

"I just came here after helping them move." Dariya was happy, excited and in a bliss. She felt satisfied and enjoyed listening to him.

"What did you study? What do you plan to do here?" she asked him things after sometime she didn't know about him for the past years. She had so much questions to ask him but didn't want to embarrass herself.

"I'm a programmer. I worked for a gaming company." he said.

"What?" a profession Dariya didn't have expected him to have. "You make games?" she was surprised. She always pictured him as a guy who would teach or open the pottery place like his mother. But gaming was unexpected.

"Yes." He nodded seeing her shocking face. "wow you look pretty right now." He teased her.

"Oh shut up." She hit him on his arms.

"I Made quite some money for past one year. And I invested it in real estate. I thought I would develop mom's business and do my gaming thing on the side. That's why I came back." He detailed his plans to her. "I can make games and sell them or release them on my own.

"Wow. I thought you would have become some thug." She made fun of him just like the old days. "Don't touch me" she said in warning before he lifted his arms to tickle her.

"Why? Do you feel the same electric current.?" She got up soon and kicked him on his legs.

"Electric current, my foot." She said and picked up her bag. "Seriously I thought maybe you would have turned into a writer, or professor or have a job like to do with business." She continued.

"Yo. A surprise isn't it. You boyfriend is back with a super cool job to support you and our three babies in the future."

"Am not having three babies with you, wait who said you are my boyfriend?" she said. "you want to die?" She said and hit him again for saying those. He got up and Dariya showed him around the campus for sometime. She showed him the cafeteria had some coffee and took another trip around the garden. He was holding two books pretending to be a student as they walked around. Finally, they walked to her art department. It looked cool compared to the other with sculptures and painting and different structures made up. They went towards her classroom. The classroom was empty. "Oh, it must have been a free hour." She said.

She showed him everything she had painted taking it from her shelf. He went through everything carefully asking doubts. He was expe her to do some business major and instead she had chosen liberal arts. It was equally surprising to him. He sat there, gazing at her as she exclaimed wondering what all had happened while he was away.

"You have one more hour left right?" he asked looking at his watch.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"I will leave then." He stood up and said. he handed her the books back and took his leave. She bid farewell and sat in the classroom smiling.