5. Project Partner

6. Project Partner

<< . Riley. >>

I hide in a corner at the library for the rest of my day. I am usually not this timid, but after recent freakout and flashback incidents; I have been a little on edge.

I’ll be fine in a few days. I need to distract myself.

I am sitting in a padded booth, immersed in my book, when I hear someone whisper-shout, “Why were your clothes on the bed?” My head turns.

Is that Ashley? My traitor project partner.

I get up and walk out to see Natalie is sitting in the booth next to mine. Ashley is standing in front of her. The Library is huge. I hadn’t realized Natalie was sitting so close to me.

“Seriously? you couldn't wait until evening to talk about it?“ Natalie says with a haughty expression.

“I am sick and tired of you!“

Ashley, or Ash, as we call her, is Natalie’s roommate. Right now, she is reprimanding Natalie for not maintaining her standards of their dorm room. Natalie has told me many times that Ash is A First-Class-Bitch.

She is usually nice to me. Will I get to see her bitchiness if I confront her about the project?

“Stop being my mother, Ashley.” Natalie says indifferently.

She shakes her head and says, “I wish I could have a better roommate.”

Natalie ignores her and keeps her focus on her book. I grab my bag and walk towards them.

“Hey Ash, I wonder why you quit the group without informing me?”

She rolls her eyes.

“Oh, come on! Don’t go crying now… like your friend here!” she spats at me but looks at Natalie.

I gape at her.

‘I swear to God If I ever see Ashley crying I will take a video and post it on I*******m,’ Ira had once told Natalie.

I am suddenly amused remembering the comment.

“It’s a freaking library. could you just shut your mouth and fuck off Ash!” Natalie tells her coldly. I look at Natalie’s face and see it’s swollen.

Don’t tell me she has been crying too.

“We need to talk when you are in a better mood,” I tell Ash as she walks away.

I take a seat next to Natalie and ask her, “Want to talk?”

She sighs and stuffs her books into her bag. “Let’s sit somewhere else. Everyone is glaring at us.”

I look around. “Yeah.. They are probably disappointed that the impending Cat-fight didn’t happen.” I say and Natalie laughs so loud everyone looks at us again. I giggle as we walk out of the library.

Fall is here, and it’s chilly today. We sit under a tree and I ask her, “Is everything alright?”

She sighs and dismisses me. “Same old… I don’t wanna talk about it… What about you?”

“Ashley has abandoned me in the middle of the project and they have paired me with Jonas.”

Natalie tries to remember. She has heard enough stories from me and Ira to know most of the names.

“Oh… You mean that Rich dude who is doing us a favor by attending this college?”

“Yeah… and apparently, he decided to do me a favor by joining my project.”

She chuckles, then takes a pause to think.

“He could be useful. I mean, you could become good friends. He can be a damn good connection.”

I roll my eyes.

“This is what everyone thinks. And this is why he takes advantage of everyone. I don’t know why he is even bothering to attend college if he has a job secured at his company.”

“Job?” Natalie snorts. “He would be a damn owner!” She takes a pause, then adds, “He probably already is.”

We laugh. It’s nice to sit in the park with an icy breeze brushing off our hair.

“But seriously Riley. Just do the damn project with him. In business, every connection counts. Who knows? He could just remember you, after ten or fifteen years later and could just be helpful when you least expect him to be.. Never burn a bridge... My dad always tells me.”

I nod at her, and she chuckles, looking at someone.

“Talk of the Devil,” she drawls, and I follow her gaze to spot Jonas walking towards us.

“Shoot!”

I hope he doesn’t ask why I walked away from the class.

He comes near us and sits next to us, uninvited. I give him a sheepish smile, and Natalie cocks her brow at him.

“Mind if I join you, Girls?“

Natalie nods and asks, ”Care to introduce yourself, Mr. Playboy?”

He chuckles.

“Jonas Josef and you are?”

“Natalie Relish.”

He squints his eyes at her, then tilts his head. “You… are the girl who cracked the Governor’s Cyber Challenge“

She grins. “You mean to say that I cracked it in record time?“

He laughs.

“Yes! Of course. That was impressive.“

“Thanks! Let me know if you guys need a hacker someday.”

He laughs louder and my eyes pop out.

“Straight to the point!”

She shrugs. “Being polite never helped nobody.“ Then she glances at her watch and declares, “I have a lecture in five minutes. I should get going. Enjoy your study session guys. Don’t pull each other’s hair.”

“Oh, I won’t. But I don’t mind Riley pulling my hair,” He says and my face goes hot.

Was there an innuendo, or I just imagined it? I pull out my laptop to distract myself.

“We should decide what to keep after seeing each other's progress.”

He frowns. “Project was assigned barely last week. You already started working on it?”

I sigh. “Yes. I had seven days to work on it. Are you saying you don’t touch your work until…”

“Until it’s due in a week or two,” he provides helpfully.

I sigh miserably and ask him. “You work with your uncle after college hours. I cannot imagine you being this careless there.. Or are you?”

“I get tired Riley!” He complains and lies on the grass next to me.

No wonder he is painfully handsome. Sharp jawline, slightly curly hairs. Perfect thick brows and eyelashes dense enough to make a girl jealous. I tear my eyes away from his face and perfect muscular body to focus on my laptop.

“And I am attending college because my family is fuckin orthodox. They won’t hand down their company to a college dropout.”

My lips twitch to form a smile. I am tempted to mock him a little. But I remember Natalie’s comment.

‘Don’t burn a bridge‘

I keep my face straight and tell him, “I am busy and tired too, but I have little choice. You have to help me, Jonas.”

“Sure I will,” he says with his eyes closed. “Let’s decide where we will do our study sessions.”

I frown. “What do you mean, where? We can study anywhere on the campus. At the park or library.” I say, dumbfounded.

He grimaces and I roll my eyes.

“What? Is it too low of your standards to attend the library?” I sneer at him.

“I want to get comfortable!” he exclaims. “Let’s go to my apartment.”

“No!” I shake my head.

“Your room?“

“Nope!“

There is no way in hell I will get into his room. Or take him to mine. Everyone will talk. Any time a girl spends even ten minutes of private time with him, it becomes a big gossip the next day.

He frowns. “I don’t bite Riley.”

“Just No. Library is fine.”

“Okay, Miss Smarty pants, how will we manage our schedules? I have to go to the office after college and after dinner and everything—” By everything I guess he means fuckin his daily quota of girls. “---I am usually free at 10 at night and the college library closes at 11.”

I say in a resigned voice. “I guess I should ask for a new partner… It won’t work out.”

“Are you sure? I could help you out with some real-time data from Josef corporation for our project.”

I gape at him

“Just imagine how impressed our professor would be?”

“But… Where will we analyze the so-called data?“

He sighs and thinks for a while.

“How about you come to the office with me… until our project is done?“

My eyes widen.

“Will I get to meet Mikolaj Josef?“ I blare out and see his lips twitch.

“What!“ I say, embarrassed. “He is a kind of legend.”

“Sure,“ he says.

And just like that. I am sold.