Chapter 10

Roselyn's POV

He's all grown up now, into a dashing young man. I doubted that I was ready for this yet, to meet him again in my life. I sure wasn't prepared for a day like it, and I am lost of words and reaction to give.

“Is that really you, Miss Roselyn?” He asked, gasping with shock as he covered his mouth with his hands, staring wide-eyed at me.

“Are you implying Its my ghost then?” I asked, sounding as casual as I could.

“Here, can I have my suitcase now? Never could I have thought of all the people in the world I would mistakenly switch my bag with. It's got to be you!” I commented, pulling my suitcase from him.

“Allow me to formally greet you, Miss Roselyn. Seeing you today have greatly made my day and though you're displeased with me being the one you mistakenly switched your bag with, I'm glad that I was the one. Else I wouldn't have been granted this great privilege of getting to see you again, and maybe for life” He expressed, a smile dancing on his face.

“It seems what happened five years ago hasn't taught you enough lessons, Ivan. Because why would you be so happy to see me when it ought to be your prayer never to cross paths with me again, huh?” I asked, finding it challenging to understand the kind of human being he is.

“No way, Miss Roselyn. I wanted to at least know how you've been faring, and how life has been for you!” He answered, causing me to let out a smirk at him.

“How are you still the same, Ivan? Back then and now, you still haven't changed one bit?” I probed, giving him a once-over.

“And so are you, Miss Roselyn. You're still the same bright and unwavering teacher I've always known, only that you've become a lot prettier now!” He expressed and jeez, I almost lost it.

“Wait a minute, Ivan, did you just flirt with me?” I inquired, my eyes widening at him.

“Oh my, I'm sorry if my compliment came off that way. However, I'm merely stating the obvious” He answered, and I just couldn't believe my ears.

“It’s actually okay, but you know what? I can't do this. So here, I'll just take my bag and leave. And I hope you do the same, not like it's my business if you don't anyway.” I said, dropping his suitcase and quickly picking up mine to leave but what he said next caused a hedge of my footsteps.

“Are you truly not at all curious about me, Miss Roselyn? How has it been for me all these years, and what have I become now?”

“Well, even if you aren’t, I am. I want to know how you’ve been able to manage through the scandal and every damn thing about you. You left the town—are you back now?” he asked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, reflecting both longing and unresolved pain as they fixed on me.

Seeing him that way reminded me of when I first met him, where the whole thing started. It was from there he started developing feelings for me.

***Flash back to Ivan's High school days***

“Tap that student beside you on the head. I mean, why is he sleeping when class is going on here?” I had asked a student, by name, Harper who was sitting beside him in the class back then.

“What is it?” He had asked, his gaze focused on the girl who had woken him up from sleep as Harper quickly gestured at him towards me. Upon seeing me, he mellowed down a little, but not without letting out a heavy sigh at me probably for disrupting his beautiful sleep.

“Why were you sleeping in my class? Is the topic that boring that has caused you to fall asleep?” I had asked.

“You could say that!” He answered as reluctantly as, strengthening his uniform in front of me.

“Have you no manners or what, mister? Do you want some detention after class today?”

“I'm not afraid of being in detention, Miss Roselyn, however, I do not think there is need for the honorific you just used on me!” He answered, causing me to gasp in both shock and frustration at him, the whole class bursting into laughter.

“May I know what's funny about the craziness of your classmate?” I had asked them, but that only made them laugh more.

“It's of no use, Miss Roselyn” One of them finally spoke up. “That's how Ivan behaves. He never listens to any teacher or pays attention to classes, but he always comes first place. I guess he was born that way”.

“Which way?” I questioned.

“Being naturally intelligent” The student who spoke up finished.

“Oh, so that was it? The reason he is like this?” From that day onwards, I began monitoring him and his activities in school. I was always in his space, and gave him a hard time because I wanted him to learn and to know that being brilliant is more than just passing exams. It needs to flow from the inside to the outward.

Since he was so intelligent, I went beyond setting the questions at his level, giving only him a much harder question in literature which was the subject I was taking them on, and that semester, he came down from being first place, his morale, and the image he's built over the years, went down the drain.

“How could you, Miss Roselyn? I know you did this on purpose! It was only your subject I found difficult this semester, so what the heck did you do? I'm sure you had me answer a different question, just to make sure I fail it” He came into my office one morning, lamenting at me.

“Is that so? But I thought you were a natural? So why is it that as a natural, you still failed those questions. Does that not tell you that despite being naturally intelligent, there are still many things you don't know about and that only calls for more studying?”

“Ever heard of this saying; let he that thinks he stands, take heed lest he falls?”

From that day onwards, he never slept during my classes again, paying and making contributions in class, he also began frequenting my office after school for ex

tra lessons in literature, his feeling for me sparkling up.