When Ira woke up the next morning, Dawson was talking to someone over the phone. When he reached out for his own, he realized his friend had his.
"Who's it, Daws?" he tried hard to pick his head up.
"Arianne Daveson," he replied, smirking and walked out into the balcony again.
Ira sat up, trying to realize and when he did, Dawson came in again, still speaking on the phone,  "yes, Miss Daveson, Ira's awake. You wanna speak to him?"
"You never said you have a roommate," Arianne complained over the phone.
"Is that what he told you?" Ira asked, holding his head in his hand.
"No, he told me he's your boyfriend."
"He's in big trouble now."
She giggled. "No, don't do that to him."
"Okay, sorry."
"Sorry? What for?"
"No, nothing. I have this stupid habit of apologizing unnecessarily. Sorry about that as well."
"Okay."
"Well, I was going to call you...you know on Friday."
"Yeah, I know. I just called beforehand to know if the...the...outing is still on."
"Yes, I'm on for it. Are you not?"
"No, of course I am. Unless something else comes up, which I'm not expecting yet."
"Okay."
After a little while of embarrassed lull over the phone, Ira asked again, "do you not have college today?"
"Yes, I do. I don't have a class in the first period. So, I thought I could run late. I'll be going out in about ten minutes. I called yesterday actually, after 9:15. Nobody picked up."
"You called again in the morning?"
"No, Mr. Dawson called back."
"Oh, of course he did."
"Okay, so that's what I wanted to know."
"You must be needing to go out now, yeah?"
"Yup!"
"See you on Saturday then. When should I pick you up?"
"You'll pick me up?"
"Yeah, how else is that going to be a date then?"
"Okay...umm...you can pick me up by 10:00." She smiled shyly, even though no one was in front of her, and bit her lip.
"Okay."
Ira could not believe how nervous he felt all the while he was on the phone. He heaved a long sigh as he hung up and rested his head on the edge of his bed.
"Man, she's shy," Dawson came back into the room with aspirin and a glass of water, "I don't think she's American." "Shut up, Daws," Ira took the pills, "she's from Miami." "Holy fuck," his friend got excited again, "Miami beach girls are hot." "I told you, I'm not going to tell you if she's hot," Ira stood up and left.
"I think she is and I'll find out," Dawson shouted out, making him smile.
Arianne was sure she was not attracted towards Ira, not attracted in the American meaning of the word. She was just drawn to him, just because she found his company soothing and comfortable. And, it was odd cause she had met him just once. She knew she was looking forward to their date on Saturday.
When Saturday finally came, she started her period early in the morning. "Are you sure you can still go?" Theresa asked her when she informed. "I don't know," she pouted, "if the cramps start, I don't know how I'll be. You've a class today, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," her friend seemed worried. "Then, you must go," she said, "I'll be fine. And, if Ira arrives, I'll see what I have to do. Just tell the other girls to let him in when he comes."
Theresa left and after a couple of hours, Ira drove into the parking area of WSU. He was half an hour late. This was the first time he had come to the institution, and he knew nothing about where to go.
With reference to his memory from his conversation with Theresa the last night, he had to go further into the campus, cross the college buildings and go past  the laboratories, the canteen and some lodgings, before he found the sorority they stayed in.
He collected the bouquet of roses from the passenger seat and walked into the campus. He asked a few people about the sorority and was successfully sent to his correct destination. Because he had never seen a real sorority in his life, he had no idea what awaited him. He knocked on the main door and waited.
A blonde opened the door and raised an eyebrow at him. "Umm...good morning, miss," he greeted, "I'm Ira Armstrong, Theresa Thompson's cousin."
"Theresa went to college," she replied curtly.
"Yes, I know. I came here to visit Arianne, her roommate."
"Oh, come in."
She escorted him inside and he was immediately thrown into the girl life at an undergraduate women's club. Young, beautiful and sexy girls all over - blondes, brunettes, a couple redheads and ebonies all around, in either negligee or pajamas. But, any of them barely interested him beyond just the physical persuasion. He knew that was not all he needed; his mind had kept all bodily attractions askew and he no longer desired that beyond just a glance maybe. He now demanded a more meaningful and emotional attachment to somebody.
He looked back at the blonde and she said, "their room is upstairs. No. 206."
He was astounded that a stranger was so easily let in. As he treaded the stairs, he wondered if that was risky for a group of girls in negligee and pajamas. But then, they were a huge group...that too of girls...that too American....that too at WSU...that too undergraduate...
He pressed his shirt as he stood outside the door, holding the bouquet firmly and when he was ready not to be shy anymore, he knocked. He waited for a while, hoping every moment that Arianne would unlock the door and pop her head out. But, there was no response for a long time.
He knocked again and again he waited, without getting any response. He grew impatient as he stood there, having knocked a dozen times, feeling hot for the summer and irritated for the time lag.
Finally he called Arianne at her phone. And, yet again, there was no response at all. He called twice but nobody picked up.
Irritated, he called Theresa. "Are you guys not home?" he asked as she picked up. "I'm not," she replied, "but Arin is." "Why isn't she opening the door?" he asked.
"Oh...umm...Ira," his sister urged him to listen to her, her voice shrinking to a worried-to-death version  "listen to me, Arianne started her periods in the morning. And...umm...I reckon she's having her cramps and believe me, I've seen her during her cramps. She can't sit, can't stand, can't walk or talk. I guess it's her cramps. You needa get into the room and if you can, help her a bit."
"Where are you? You're not in class, are you?"
"No, I'm done with one period and I'm going to the next class. Please, Ira, help that poor girl."
"How do I get into your room without her opening it?"
"Look beneath you. You see the carpet. Bend over and pick that up a bit. You'll get a duplicate key there."
"Okay, I'll call you later."
Theresa smiled hugely as she put the phone down. What she wanted done was being done and she did not even have to plan anything at all. Wow! She thought, walking through the fourth floor corridor of the college building. Ira and Arianne! Not that she wanted this since beginning but, seeing it happen did not piss her off. It made her feel good. Very very good!
When Ira unbolted the door and walked in, all the lights of the room were turned off and the blinds were drawn, so he thought he might need to strain his eyes to locate Arianne. But, a low and pained voice made his task easier, when he got called by her, "Ira? Is that you?"
"Arianne," he shut the door behind himself and placed the bouquet on an adjacent table. Arianne's bed was nearer to the window opposite to the door. As he found a switch and lit the tubelight on, he found her lying in her bed, almost crooked with pain, with a thin blanket wrapped around her.
"Hey," he moved swiftly to her and crouched beside the bed, "what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry I ruined your outing."
"C'mon, it's not your fault. Now, tell me, what's happening?"
"I'm having my monthly cramps and it's unbearable. "
"Don't you have some medicine for it? Some pain killer?"
"It's in my bag," she said, clutching at her tummy as another cramp rose and fell, in a harmonic motion.
Ira rose from his sitting position and looked around for her bag. As he noticed it on a chair, he also noticed a dress hanging around it, signifying that she was all ready to go out with him if she was well.
"Here," Ira handed her the tablet as she continued dealing with the pain and struggled to sit up and returned quickly to her lying posture as soon as the tablet was gulped.
"Thank you so much, Ira," Arianne thanked him as he came back to where he was sitting.
"What if I was not to come?"
"But you did."
"What if I was not?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, feeling the pain start to fade, "I think I'd have just tried to sleep, hoping that the pain would go."
"Does this happen every month?"
"Almost every month."
"It's unbearable, isn't it?"
"Excruciating!"
Ira stared at her as she covered a yawn. She was definitely very pretty, very peculiarly innocent,  he thought. They talked for a while, about where they were supposed to go. He tried his best to keep her distracted from the pain. The less she thought of it, the less she'd have to bear with it. And,  every time she stopped talking, she stopped for a massive yawn. The sedative, Ira guessed, made her feel sleepy.
"Mr. Dawson seemed very funny," Arianne tried hard to stay awake. She did not want to go to sleep. Not now that she was having such a good time with Ira.
"He is. He is the cool dude kind."
"What about you?"
"Am I cool?"
She nodded.
"Well," he raised his collar a bit, "you'll see."
She laughed.
"Are you cool?"
Arianne raised an eyebrow at him, "cool? I'm anti-cool. You'll see. I'm one of the most boring people on this planet."
He smiled at her as she yawned again, and placed his hand on her eyes, making her close them immediately. "Go to sleep, Arianne."
"What will you do?"
"I'll suit myself. You don't worry, just go to sleep.
"Okay," she said and closed her eyes. He looked at her for a while, and then stood up.
"Are you leaving?" he heard her call him back just as he rose.
"No, I'm not," he turned and smiled, "and, you go to sleep or I'll be the worst person on the planet."
"Why are you doing this, Ira?" she asked him, when he came back from the washroom.
"You're still not asleep?"
"Tell me and I'll go to sleep."
"Why am I doing what?"
"This....this coming inside even when you knew the date was redundant and then looking after me all this while and talking to me so I get distracted from the pain. Why?"
Ira pretended to heave a long sigh as his tall legs fetched him towards her bed again. He crouched back to how he sat for so long and running his fingers through the small locks of hair that fell on her face, said, "if you remember that you asked me this when you wake up, I'll tell you."
Arianne pouted and closed her eyes, murmuring, "I hate when men show that they're in charge," pretending to be mad at him.
Ira patted her head for a while and when he was sure she was asleep, he rose and left her side. He could not decide what to do. For as long as he stayed in the room, either pacing back and forth, or sitting on the other bed, his eyes roamed around and stopped only when he saw Arianne sleeping. And, he knew that that was not right.
Still, his heart ached to see someone so beautiful in front of him, yet not be able to touch them and tell them how delighted he was to have met them. His fondness towards her had characteristically increased since the morning. Every heart needed a stimulus maybe to reckon its growing philia to some object or personnel concerned, he thought. Maybe, the stimulus for him was the way he found to exhibit his care for her.
But, why did he care for her? He had not even known her enough to care for her. But, she was so innocent and the honesty that reflected from her eyes made her look even more beautiful than she was. And, lovable. Also, a bit vulnerable. Vulnerable to heart breaks, sadness and all the negativities the world has to tender. He wanted to know her more, know her better, know her deeply and he wanted to take care of her.
So young she was, even younger than his cousin, who so old as he was wouldn't want to take care of her?  Not like a brother of course, maybe as something else. And, something else could mean a lot of things. A simple friend, a supporter, a confidant, a guardian, a boyfriend, a lover, the better half...anything!
He took a tour of the small room, trying to keep himself busy and aloof from staring at her. The room had an attached washroom, of course. And, a couple of beds and a couple of tables made the room look even smaller. A dressing table rested just beside the washroom door, and adjacent to it was a small wardrobe on Theresa's side of the room. The room was a proper girl-room. All pink and tidy and clean and arranged. It took a lot of time, he thought, comparing the room with his whole apartment, which was in a mess since long.
As he put the bouquet on Arianne's table, he noticed that the wall in front of it had a few photos. Not framed, just stuck with duct tape. A few pictures referred to her family - her mother, father and probably a grandmother he thought and also he recalled the guy from the party, David, her best friend, the one he did not like much. Two pictures had another man in it, whom he could not fit as a family member. And, the rest of the pictures took his breath away again.
They were photography. Of small objects and abandoned wild flowers and a flight of birds and a dragonfly and a sunset scene. So fantastic and focused, having photography as a hobby himself, he could not but admire the skill of the person who clicked them.
Ira stayed in the room the entire morning, the whole afternoon and when the clock ticked five in the evening, he could not help but go out for a smoke.
Just the outside of the campus had flocks of students of WSU hanging around. The youth and the free spirit, though, never reminded him of his college days. He never liked them when he had them and he never remembered them after he left them. As he smoked, strolling in front of the college, he wondered where Theresa was.
Theresa was having a gala time with her boyfriend Simon, at Madison Park. She knew her cousin was with Arianne and was not going to come to office anyway. So no chance of crossing her path either. The two had walked around and had a good time, window shopping in the afternoon. And, when the Seattle summer felt hot to them, they decided to rest at the Park.
Ira found a flower shop around the corner and bought another bouquet of roses for Arianne. When he reached the sorority, getting to enter was tougher this time. A woman, seeming way older than the other girls opened the door and seeing a guy immediately tried sending him away. If Arianne had not arrived in time from upstairs to check what the brawl was all about, he would have been sent back home.
"Leonna," Arianne called the woman back, "Leonna! That's Ira, Theresa's cousin."
"Theresa's not home," the woman said, "why should I allow him in then?"
"He came to meet me."
The blonde girl who had previously let Ira in revealed, "he came in the morning. He was here all day."
"All day?"
Ira stood there, baffled, not knowing what to do, and as he looked up to see Arianne, he noticed similar expressions on her face. She seemed strangely unnerved, as if the situation was very intimidating. She did not seem to know what to do.
Finally, anyhow, she buckled up her courage and told Ira, "Could you wait outside a while? We can go for a walk maybe." "Okay," he replied and looked back at the older woman, trying to offend her just by his glance. But, she didn't seem to care anymore.
"It's five already," she said again, as Arianne walked out of the sorority with Ira, "you better be back by 7:30." "Okay," she nodded and left.
As they walked out of the campus, Ira handed her the bouquet. "Roses for you, beautiful lady," he said. "Oh, thank you," Arianne took it and inhaled the scent of the majestic flowers,  "I saw the ones on the table. Thank you. Can I be honest with you?" "Of course," he said, following her as she took a turn. "I don't like red roses," she said, pouting, making him stare at her pouted lips for a while before returning to what she said. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied, "where are we going?"
She shrugged, "I don't know. Do you have anywhere in mind?" He shrugged as well and they kept walking till they found a coffee shop, which according to Arianne served decent food.
"What did you eat the whole day?" she suddenly remembered asking this to him. "Nothing," he said, "and, neither did you. Oh, I forgot to ask you. How are you now?" "I'm fine now. The pain is gone. Well," she started, "what did you do all day?" "I was doing a bit of office work on my phone," he confessed, "checking mails and stuff. Oh well, I saw a few pictures on the wall."
"Of course you did."
"They were beautiful. Where did you get them from?"
"They are family photos."
"No, the other ones. You know, the dragonfly and the sunset and the birds."
"Oh, I clicked them."
"You did?"
"Yes, I did. Why do you doubt?"
"No, I mean they were beautiful. You've a talent."
"It's nothing. I've seen way better pictures than those. You should see my Dad's photos. He's the best."
"Maybe, but you aren't bad either."
"Stop praising me."
"Why? I'm praising your talent. Learn to take them."
"Get over it now. Talk about something else."
"About what?"
"Umm...well, you know what, I'm really sorry for today."
"Oh please, not again, Arianne. We've already talked about this, haven't we?"
"Can we go again, next weekend?"
"Next weekend? Is that the 18th and 19th?"
"Probably!"
"No way I can, I've a match."
"Match?"
"Yeah, a cricket match. I play for the Portland over-25s team."
She dilated her pupils. " Wow! You get paid for that?"
"Umm...no, not really."
"Why?"
"Well...umm...it's complicated. See, Dawson and I run a partnership of an organization that sets up certain huge programs, like a cricket or baseball match, or some charity function etc. So, this match is also one such that we're investing in. So, we get a huge amount of money for the tickets and stuff. So, we pay the team and the workers and some of the amount is donated for some cause, like, maybe an orphanage or some research or exhibition that needs funding and the rest that is there, which is very less is shared between the two of us."
"Okay, so this match has a lot of visitors?"
"Yeah!"
"You mean, so many people come to see you?  You're famous? I'm sitting with a fairly recognized cricketer and somebody can suddenly haul in, saying, 'oh my God, you're Ira Armstrong, I never miss your match,' and ask for your autograph and I'd have to bear with that. Is that what you're saying?"
Ira laughed out. "You're terribly cute."
"Tell me." She flushed.
"No, I don't play every match. Sometimes I'm just hosting. This is just the seventh match that I'll be playing. Also, I was away for a long time for my MBA. So, even if I had got famous,  people would have forgotten me."
She stared at him for a while and smiled. "My God! Hey, you can take me there. I mean...what if I want to buy a ticket?"
"You can."
"How much does it cost?"
"I'll get one for you."
"No, you won't. I'll buy one myself. And, maybe David would like to go too."
When they strolled back towards the college, Arianne had slowly slid her hand through his arm loop, making him hold it even firmly. The evening summer breeze felt soothing as it caressed their young faces. Arianne's hair, flowing with the wind, made her want to remove it once and Ira watched her with patience and she struggled with it.
He had something very handsome and manly in his way of dealing with her, Arianne concluded as she kept glancing back at him while walking. He had a charm, definitely, but it wasn't something that attracted everybody. Only a handful of people who were willing to know him. And, she was one of them.
"It hasn't rained in a while," she said, almost at the brink of the campus.
"Don't say that," he said, making a dreadful face, "or it may start right now." "You don't like rain?" she asked.  "No," he smiled as she stared at him with awe.
"Here," he handed her the duplicate key as she dragged her hand away in front of the sorority,  "the key." "Oh," she took it and turned to him as she stepped on the front porch, "Ira, thanks for the day. I enjoyed it." "I did too," he smiled adoringly at her as she finally came to the same height as him, courtesy to the additional height of the porch.
"Let me know about the tickets," Arianne said, ringing the bell. "I will," he said, as the door opened and as she stepped in and yet looked back once again to wave, he called out, "Arianne, I'm glad you don't remember," and left.
And, as she kept the second bouquet of roses on the table, she remembered what he was glad that she did not.