105 Well-Concealed Secre

"What do you have to discuss?" Sebastian asked again. 

"Just doing my homework," I told him. I was not lying. Indeed, it was part of my homework, but the reason for it was entirely selfish. He hummed, even though he knew I wasn't completely truthful. He had been too understanding in the past few days and it was scaring me a little. The next couple of classes flew by and conversations with students took up most of my time. I barely got to see Sebastian. Therefore, I somehow didn't feel embarrassed any longer. 

Lunch break came and I called Professor Singh. "Evie, I am in the canteen. Come join me," he chirped. I could hear the distinct noise of students surrounding him. I made sure my purse was on me before going to the canteen nearest to us. 

He waved me over and pointed towards the empty seat. A group of first-year students sat on the table, surrounding Professor Singh and asking him questions about life. 

"Come. Sit down!" he beckoned. "What do you think is the meaning of life, Evie?" he asked, sounding amused. I grinned as I sat beside a wide-eyed freshman. 

"The answer is always 42," I winked. He burst into laughter but the others seemed bewildered. I didn't explain further, leaving it upon them to using their internet surfing skills to find out what I meant. 

"Kids, let me introduce you to the star of our department, Evie Marie Lewis." 

"Hello, I'm Dr. Butler's assistant. You probably know me from class." Actually, I had not seen these students in any of Sebastian's classes. They were either absent or hadn't taken his classes. Sebastian was notorious for being hard to please. 

She looked at the students and had to praise them for having good sense in not following the name only. It was a shame they couldn't study in Sebastian's class, though. He was an excellent teacher.

"The seniors told us that Dr. Butler is grumpy and doesn't score well... so we didn't take his class, Senior." The boy beside me snickered and spared glances towards me. 

"I am not a senior in your department. I am from the Department of Foreign Languages. No need to greet me," I said politely. I had put my coat behind me and leaned back into the chair. My phone was going off and I didn't need to look to see who it was. 

"How did you get a job working under Dr. Butler then?" Another student asked. I glanced at them and saw their complicated look. 

"What do you do, usually?" In front of the wide-eyed teenagers, I couldn't just keep quiet. 

"I heard you stole-" someone smacked the boy who had spoken. 

"I stole someone?" I asked, amused. "Who told you? His previous assistant?" I chuckled. 

"Uh, yes." The boy scratched his head. 

"He does have a tendency to latch onto juniors and fill their minds with rubbish. If only he used that time to learn more and do a good job," Professor Singh commented. I smiled at him in gratitude. "Didn't he interrogate you because you found the body of that homeless man in the deserted shopping mall?" he asked, chuckling. 

"He did. Did I ever thank you for serving as my alibi?" I asked. He shook his head. "I shall treat you to lunch, then," I offered. 

"Oh, we saw the tapes. Sebastian brought them to the department when the head asked why he was dropping that brat from the position of assistant. We had quite a laugh at how you turned the tables." He ran his hand over his newly grown beard. 

"Everyone knows I have a smart mouth then." The air was light but still awkward. The students finally got the hint and shuffled away, leaving the two of us alone. 

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked. I shrugged. 

"I need to talk to a friend and I don't know anyone apart from you. No-one sensible, that is."

"Well, I am glad you think that way!" he grinned. "Come on, spill." His voice became high pitched as he pretended to listen. 

I had to laugh. "So, I found out people like me."

"Duh," he responded. 

"Where did you learn that expression?"

"I might look like a brown-skinned uncle, but I carefully watch the students and picked up on their language. I'm hip, you see." Of course, he was. 

I pressed my lips together to hide the smile. "So, yes. People like me. This guy... uh... not taking any names... likes me and well, I am trying to figure out if I do." I sighed with relief having said it. 

"You need my opinion on if you like him or not?" He kept his sandwich down and straightened up. "I am great at girl-talk. I'll ask you some questions. You answer, okay?"

I shook my head. "No, no. I like him. I know this. I don't know the extent. That is where the problem lay. I impulsively kissed the guy because I wanted fast answers."

"And you hated kissing him but still like him?" he rushed to ask. 

I looked at Professor Singh and realized that he was a gossipy old man. Worse than those women you see in dramas. 

"No, I liked kissing him!" I exclaimed, a little too loudly. I could see some heads turn and I hung my head, hiding from the inspection. Professor Singh cleared his throat and a minute of silence ensued. 

"Okay, what is the problem, again? He confessed his feelings. You kissed him and you know you like him, too. So..." He motioned me to explain what the problem was. 

"I liked it and him. But I don't want a relationship with him," I told him. "It's embarrassing, okay? I did it on impulse and now I can't help but feel awkward around him."

"Do I know this guy?" he asked, his pitch becoming higher. 

"No!" I responded immediately. 

"Okay, so I know this guy," he confirmed much to my dissatisfaction. "Anyway, I don't need to know who he is. Must be a nice guy... You don't want a relationship at the moment. I understand. So, why don't you start something casual?" He blinked. 

"Casual? He's too nice and understanding. I couldn't possibly..." I trailed off, frustrated. 

"So, he'll understand that you're not ready for a relationship." He shrugged. 

"So simple?" I was confused. "No, you don't understand. It feels wrong to just take advantage of him."

He rolled his eyes. "Believe me, the guy won't mind if you take advantage of him. The first rule is to be transparent about your intentions. You're not ready for a relationship right now but you want to have a physical relationship with him. That's perfectly normal. Now, the next question would be, do you want a relationship in the future? If yes, do you see yourself with him or someone else? Make sure you have these boundaries and you will be fine."

Boundaries, there it was again. 

"And if he isn't up to the mark?"

"Well, I'm your friend. Not their. I can only be biased towards you. Now, if I knew this other guy..." he trailed off, insinuating. I shook my head. "Okay, I don't know him. Doesn't matter. Make full use of his shapely body and tell him you want to do dirty things to him."

"Are you sure you're a professor? Your words are too salacious," I commented with a hint of horror. I was effectively scandalized. 

"Wel, you've called me your friend, so I must do good on that and embarrass you in front of people. Children these days are bold. They pounce at chances, so you should follow the trends." I snickered as I watched him take another bite of the sandwich.

"Oh, if it doesn't work out, there is a guy I know who you would be a great match with." I raised my brow. 

I saw Sebastian standing at the entrance of the canteen and dropped my head. He had found me too quick. 

"I don't think I will be needing a match. For now."

"Never say never. He studied Economics and did an MBA. He's rich, too." He elbowed me and I didn't realize it until the man sat down beside me.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind," I said lightly. "What are you doing here?" I asked, turning to Sebastian. 

"We didn't make breakfast this morning. What am I supposed to eat?" he asked. I could see the hint of a pout on his lips and turned to see Professor Singh's expression.

His expression was blank and well-concealed. I knew that he had figured out who the guy in my story was. He avoided looking at Sebastian but failed miserably. 

"Harshit, why are you staring at me?" Sebastian asked, exasperated. 

"No, I just remembered how you threatened those students to not approach you and waste your time. It all makes sense now." He looked between us. So much for being inconspicuous. 

"Why didn't it make sense then?" Sebastian's words were laced with sarcasm. 

"You're right... why didn't it make sense then?" He took the last bite of his sandwich. 

"The post-doctoral studies didn't really help, did they?" Sebastian clucked his tongue. 

"Well, what can I do, Evie? It seems I am friends with him too." He laughed and laughed and I just hid my face in embarrassment. 

God, if friends were supposed to embarrass you at every turn, I wasn't sure if I wanted any.