Lord of the Manor

~Nariya Patel~

A string of silence dominated the atmosphere as he plated the Biryani. Placing it in front of me, he sat upright. I kept my eyes glued to the plate, the delicacy hard to swallow. I peeked at him. One side of his cheek had turned purple and swollen, and I pondered what had happened in this half-hour interval. His calm demeanor had returned to normal, as if the whole incident had never occurred.

Determined, I steeled myself. If he wants to act in such a manner, it makes matters easy for me. After all, we were basically strangers. The past note exchanges made me feel closer to him, but all that got drained away by his cold demeanor. I will do the same. The last incident, I will knock it off as a... as an... um... I thought, actions of puberty. Yes, a natural reaction between two humans in such a debaucherous situation; it held no meaning. Yeah, like those meaningless hookups! Although the thought of such an improper act put in such an indecent way was not my comfort, still, sometimes people stray from the righteous path.

I peeked at him again; his stare directly at me made me quickly glance down, a blush creeping up my neck. Dang it, I'm inexperienced; therefore, my reactions are so open. Calm down, Nari, I begged my heart, but to no avail. As if sensing my disdain, he coughed, bringing my attention to him.

"Your exams are coming up," he started, bringing a serious topic to the table. "When is the first one?"

I glanced up, only for my head to propel down. No, I can't make eye contact with him right now. "Um... it's at the start..." My eyes widened as I watched him upright my chin, facing him properly with the back of a butter knife. "Next week..." I finished as his grey eyes bore into my hazel ones.

"Look at me when you talk," he commanded. "In fact, look at anyone you are talking to. If you look elsewhere, you look meek, an easy target."

Those last words triggered something deep within; it resonated with my spirit somehow as the fierce glare in my eyes returned. Satisfied, the side of his lips twitched as he removed his knife. He continued, "What subjects do you have? Second-year business, right?"

Looking at him was not an easy task; this man unconsciously emanated an aura of intimidation. But I was not going to back down. "Yes, this semester I just have five: International Relations, Corporate Law, Tableau, Sustainability, and Business Statistics."

"Hmm..." he took a bite, and after chewing properly, he continued, "Will you be finished with your studies within the time limit? I understand if you need medical assistance, and I can talk to the dean for the same. If you want, you can give them after you are fully healed."

Chewing my lip, I thought for a bit. Extra time would be nice as the meds have had a tranquilizing effect on my brain. However, I didn't enjoy the idea of being late compared to others. Just a thought I couldn't entertain after my mother's last earnings went into this; I could be nothing less than perfect. I looked up, meeting his eyes with confidence.

"I don't like that idea. I believe Doctor Jeon has mentioned that my hand will heal soon, and I could write on my own. And about the studies, I have already done with my coursework, so I just need revision." The last part was very much true. When you are juggling with many situations and the knock of uncertainty just a step away, it pushes one to be prepared for planned future events in advance. I studied most things the same day they were taught, between coming back from my job to bedtime.

A proud smile bloomed on his lips. "Good girl," he said.

A melancholy burst in my pounding heart, a pink flush fluttered as I felt I was on cloud nine in a jiffy. My lips parted, but I soon pushed myself down from the invitations of heaven and just nodded in response.

"Also," he added, "I will be coming to drop and pick you up after exams. In your condition, your leg would take way longer than before, thanks to a roundabout."

I bit my lips, he awaited my affirmation. I started, "Yes... ok... si...." I squinted, a sudden thought that maybe that would not have been a right denomination to address him. Calling his name was... well, way out of the question. The last thing I wanted was to familiarize myself with him. "Mis..." I tried again only to scratch it away.

Coughing, he helped me. "You know it'll be fine if you call me Alex..."

'No way!' my brain snapped as I cut him off, pushing the chair back in the process. "Lord of the manor!"

His eyes widened in shock, processing what had just happened. Taking advantage of his state, I added in a hurry, "Goodbye!," and rushed towards my room. Behind me, his chuckle erupted in the empty hall. I slid down my door embracement, a sprout of embarrassment in my heart.

"This year wouldn't be easy, I reckon."