★ Seven ★

"Either she's extremely shy, or she's afraid of me... or she just doesn't want to befriend me at all," Gaius thought of her peculiar behavior as he stood in front of his locker, arranging it. Ophelia was just to his right and she bolted as soon as she could without a word.

She puzzled him. An entire week had gone by and she'd never once initiated a conversation. They met daily at the locker area after school and she seemed to hide behind the locker door everyday. Even when he did attempted conversation, she'd barely meet his eyes and she always seemed lost for words... like the coordination between her brain and her tongue had been disconnected.

And yet, she always appeared perfectly at ease with other classmates. Everyone was new to her, just like him, yet he seemed to trouble her badly somehow. It puzzled him. Eventually, he decided to let her be. He no longer initiated conversations. He went about his business. He let her have her peace. Or so he thought.

However, there were things he was oblivious to, like being oblivious to the fact that Ophelia eagerly anticipated speaking to him each day. She wanted to tell him, but opportunities eluded her. He was always in the company of someone else, often with his entire gang or with Korong. And Ophelia found it challenging to express herself with other people around; she believed it should be a conversation solely between her and Gaius.

It wasn't until the end of the second week that they had another chance encounter. The week had been busy with students required to join at least one school club. Club organizers had been busy campaigning for their own clubs, wrecking their brains to make their advertisements more creative. The football ground transformed into a carnival for three days, with clubs opening booths, raising flyers, flags, danced, sang, held short demos in hopes of attracting new members. Meanwhile, other students juggled options, contemplating their choices.

Gaius didn't have to face the dilemma of choosing. He had been a part of the Chess club for two consecutive years, and now he was actively involved in promoting it as a part of the core team. Ophelia had seen him hosting small tournaments at their booth, distributing sweets and prizes. Korong would add background music with his trumpet to make the games more entertaining.

Sir Surjit, who also served as the guide of the Chess club, had asked Gaius to go fetch some books for the young entrants. Long queues of boys and girls awaited outside the library, as it was the final day for students to register to their desired clubs

Past the wide library lobby, he ran into Ophelia in the first room on the left. They met among the shelves, finding her alone, seemingly looking for something out of the box to read.

He said, "Hi."

Catching her off guard in her quiet time, she looked up surprised. "Hi," she replied and turned, hardly making a sound on the polished oak floor as she moved, leisurely shifting through the books.

He retrieved three copies of Chess for Beginners from the shelf. Then he turned to go, only to be surprised to find her still there.

"Couldn't find anything interesting?" He asked, his tone hushed, accompanied by a small smile.

"Oh, I'm not looking for anything in particular. I'm just checking out... Killing time." She seemed a bit dazed but managed to reciprocate the smile.

Alright. He should go. There's nothing left to talk about. He thought but he found himself moving towards her.

"Do you speak Manipuri?" He asked again in English, as always. All of their limited conversations so far had consistently been in English. While Manipuri was theoretically the common language of the state, most tribals rarely spoke it, and when they did, it was often heavily accented and grammatically incorrect.

When Ophelia responded that she couldn't speak it but understood it quite well, he continued in English.

"Have you picked a club?"

"I picked Social Service."

"Wow. Nobody wants to be in Social Service because it's Social Service." He chuckled, and she joined in the laughter. "The world needs more people like you," he added.

"No." She blushed. "I just didn't know where else to be."

"I did invite you to my club," he smiled again and Ophelia found herself blushing again and a little out of words.

"I have no idea about Chess," she told him. "I only know the Queen is powerful."

"Well, that's a good start," Gaius smiled again and Ophelia thought she saw something twinkle in his eyes. He had the tenderness of a youth and the coolness of a man in his conduct. A child's smile and yet a man's aura.

She found herself admiring how well he spoke English. Every instance of English she had heard in real life, whether spoken by tribals or Meiteis (the valley people), carried unmistakable accents. But Gaius, well... He was just straight. That's what she thought. He spoke like he went and took it to the point. No curving and curling around. Smart and smooth. Of course, he didn't speak like an Englishman but like he owned it. He spoke like an Officer. That's what she thought.

"Are you going to be here for a while?"

"Yeah?" she didn't hear him.

"Are you planning to stay longer?" He asked, bringing her back to the present from her thoughts.

"Well... I wanted to look for some documentaries and biographies. I don't see them here."

"They're up on the next floor. Come. I'll show you."

Gaius led her out to the lobby, from where they followed the stairs that went up to the next floor, taking them to the wide balcony overlooking the grand lobby below. Books were stacked to the wall all the way up to the roof. Although this was supposed to be the school's library, meant exclusively for St. Peter's students, many research scholars from other institutions too often visited in search of resources they couldn't find elsewhere.

Gaius left her in a new room, in front of a wide shelf, and departed. Ophelia watched him exit the door, heat rising up her spine as she realized she'd missed the best chance of talking to him. Then, with a pluck of courage, she ran after him. Gaius was halfway down the stairs when he heard Ophelia call for him.

When he looked back up, she stood at the top of the stairs, looking red and flustered. He glanced around, checking if they had disrupted the peace of students reading nearby at the tables set near the balcony's railing. When none of them seemed bothered, he looked back at Ophelia.

"I have something to ask," she said.

Gaius went up the stairs. "Yeah?"

"Well," she grabbed the railing for support and looked up to the ceiling, not quite sure where to begin. Feeling her hands grow damp, she wiped her palms on her skirt and continued, "Well... when I was very small, like six years, I received a package on Christmas eve through a project called Warm Hands. It came from a certain Gaius Ronglo. He said he live in Bethel Village. . ."

Gaius stared up at her, stoked, scarcely believing what he was hearing. He could roll down the stairs backward right now, and he'd still end up on the floor, staring at her in wild shock.

"Holy shit," he breathed.

"I guess it's you? Gaius Ronglo from Bethel Village."

Gaius struggled to speak, staring into her eyes with wonderment. As a young boy, he'd dreamed of meeting at least one person who received his gifts. He had thought it would be very nice for them to share his toys and play together. That was the wish of a child. He had given up the idea a few years ago, and here it was, suddenly, out of the blue. His cherished childhood dream made true.

"That was a very long time ago?" He finally said, wide-eyed and excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Ophelia laughed from the top of the stairs, amused at his reaction. He seemed so cool most times; the sheer look of surprise on his face felt unreal.

"My God," he said again as he went back up the stairs. "My mother would love to meet you!"

"Gaius!" Boomed a loud voice from the lobby down below, startling them both and catching the attention of every person in the vicinity.

Gaius looked down, and he knew at once he'd be toast. Sir Surjit stood in the center of the wide hall below, hands to his hips.

"I asked you to get some books and here you are chatting up a girl. Having a nice time, aren't you?" Surjit taunted in Manipuri and the kids around burst laughing.

"Come down quick! The kids are waiting for you. What's the matter with you?"

Gaius scurried down the stairs, then jogged back up two steps at a time, told Ophelia, "I'll be back," and followed Surjit out of the door, kids laughing after him.

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