Chapter Five

Eileen watched her son sadly before she walked out onto the balcony to join him but she didn't speak.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I... I didn't mean to yell. I'm just..." He sighed. 

"I know." Eileen placed her hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to go on a vacation for a few weeks? The jet is just there, sitting in the private hangar."

It was tempting to just go away for a few weeks and let the sea wash away his troubles but he couldn't and didn't know why.

"I have a test tomorrow." Ethan said. "Maybe a couple others during this week."

"Okay." She said. "So, I watched a very interesting video clip today." She smiled. 

"You don't look mad." He raised a brow.

Eileen sighed then chuckled. "Darina's a handful so I don't expect you or anyone to put up with her for a long period of time. It's been what... 16 years?"

"Yeah." He winced. For him, it was like a millennium and he was glad to be finally rid of her. He felt like she'd been suffocating him and now he could breathe fresh air again.

"So you're searching for Mrs Right, huh?" Eileen teased.

Ethan shrugged. "Probably would never find her." He muttered.

"I'm here for you if you want to talk, you know that right?" She asked him. "I know it's always been you and your dad but I'm here now."

"Sure Mom." He nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Eileen kissed his cheek. "Will you have dinner?"

"I'm full." He shook his head.

"Okay honey. Good night."

"Good night Mom." 

Eileen walked back into his room and straight to his door and let herself out.

Ethan sighed. He'd never had this dream before, it was always the fighting scene and he wondered what it meant. Did it mean that he was finally getting closer to meeting his better half? He hoped so.

**********

The next day

If Ethan had seen Darina from a distance as she waited for him in the parking lot at school, he'd have reversed so fast that he'd have broken the record for the best drifter in the world but it wasn't until he got close that he saw her and cursed under his breath.

Darina waved and moved away as Ethan made a reverse and pulled up to a stop next to her car. She waited rather patiently for him to get out of the car before she went around to throw her arms around his neck and planted a sloppy lip gloss infested kiss on his mouth.

"Hey! It's too early for this." He pushed her away gently and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I've told you to stop using strawberry lip gloss!"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She said. "What crawled up your billionaire ass, my love?"

Ethan glared at her. "I do not have time to exchange words with you Darina." He pressed the lock button on his key fob and the car beeped. "What do you want?"

Darina smiled when she realized that she'd finally gotten his attention. "I'm glad you asked." She smiled. "This Saturday is February 14 and it's also our seventeenth year anniversary."

"So?" He asked in a bored voice. "What do I do with that information?"

Darina looked stumped. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you going around in circles Dar? We're broken up, remember? What's my business with Valentine's day?" He demanded.

"Ethan..."

"I'm late for class. Have you seen Harry or George?"

"No. Can we discuss this later please?" She pleaded, grabbing his arm as he made to leave. "I can't be the only one in the world who wouldn't have a date."

Ethan glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and shook his head. "Your name is supposed to be Regina. It means drama queen." He yanked his arm from her. "Meet me in front of the architectural department by twelve. If I don't see you, I'm gone."

"I'll be there." She quickly said.

Ethan stalked off quickly before she would delay him with another nonsense talk again. He met his friends waiting for him on the steps of the business administration building and jogged up the steps to meet them.

They shook hands and side hugged then his friends launched into a tale of what happened yesterday concerning him and Darina.

"Let's leave yesterday as yesterday and talk about today." Ethan told them. He looked pointedly at Harry. "Where's Saira's notebook?"

"Ah geez, I thought it was all a joke yesterday." Harry protested.

"So you didn't bring it." Ethan said. "I'm going to treat your fuck up Harry."

"I brought it!" Harry exclaimed and picked up his bag at his feet, opened the front zip and brought out a blue spiral bind book. "I already typed it up on my laptop before my dog ate it so I printed everything."

"You typed it?" Ethan raised a skeptical brow. "Your maid wears your shoes for you Harry."

"Har har." Harry rolled his eyes. "I paid someone to type it for me the same day she gave it to me but I forgot to return it."

Ethan clapped Harry on the back and took the spiral bind book from him. "You did good son." He remarked. "You guys coming?"

"Now?" They asked.

"We have a few minutes before professor Peters arrives." Ethan told them.

"You've never been interested in going to class." George said. "What has changed?"

"When you're ready, you know where to find me." Ethan said and left.

"Something's up with this guy." Harry muttered. "It has to do with Saira."

"She's not his type." George said.

"She could start to be his type if he's not careful." Harry said.

"Nah. Ethan is too wild for a girl like Saira Anderson. Even from a distance, you can see how soft her skin is." George remarked. "I'd like to have it pressed against mine." He sighed dreamily.

"Do you think she and that Daniel guy would have done it?" Harry inquired. 

"I doubt it." George snickered. "He'd be too scared to ask her."

Harry laughed. "That's right."

"Let's go in though before that man will come and lock us out." George made his way up and into the building and Harry followed.

Ethan walked into the lecture room, searched for Saira and immediately found her sitting a few rows ahead with her head down, probably reading. Her jet black hair was like a homing pigeon so he made his way down the aisle and stopped when he got to her.

Saira felt someone standing beside her and looked up. Her heart raced in her chest when her hazel eyes locked onto Ethan's gray eyes.

"Hi." Ethan greeted. "I believe we haven't met before. I'm Ethan. Ethan Delnoi." He extended his hand to her.

"Um... Nice to meet you Ethan. I'm Saira. Saira Anderson." She shook his hand and felt a tingle run up her arms from her fingers. This made her frown and withdraw her hand. It had never happened to her before, not even when she first met Daniel.

Ethan flexed his fingers subtly and dropped his hand to his side. That was strange but interesting. He knew there was something about this Jewish girl and he was going to find out what it was.

"Do you need something from me?" She asked when he didn't leave or say anything.

The professor chose that time to walk in through the first entrance and ordered everyone to settle down.

"Can I sit with you?" Ethan asked.

"Sure." She moved her bag to the floor and shifted for him to sit.

"Thanks." He slipped in beside her. The space was a little tight due to his long legs so he moved around uncomfortably trying to find a better space for his legs and he bumped his leg with her in the process and felt the same electric shock go through him.

"Woah." She muttered. "What was that? Do you have a taser on you?"

"You felt it too?"

"Yeah. Hard not to." She said.

"I want all your bags, books and whatnot under your seats please. Cheating is prohibited and whoever is caught will suffer the consequences." Prof Peters called out.

Students did as he said knowing he meant every word he was saying and only their pens laid vertical on their tables.

Prof Peters shuffled some papers then dropped some on one table and shared the rest the same way.

"Everyone has gotten a test paper?" He questioned.

"Yes sir." They replied. 

"Good. You have forty minutes to answer all five questions. I want no side talking, whispering of any sort. A pin drops, I want to hear it." He told them. "Your time starts now."

Ethan looked back and was relieved when he saw his friends seated at the back. He'd thought they wouldn't bother taking the test but he was glad he didn't have to help them out of their mess this time.