Felix's POV :
What was I even thinking?! I almost had the urge to kiss him just few minutes ago! That might have freaked him out! No wonder he didn't wait for me to treat his wounds. The wounds should have been my priority! Seriously Felix?! Get a grip on your emotions! Now isn't the time to indulge in such things. But how the hell am I going to resist him for the whole year?! Aargh! Why won't the members understand my situation?!
Beating myself in my mind, I reached the dining hall which was surprisingly a lot calmer than I anticipated. Getting into the waiting line, I scanned the whole hall, immediately recognising my alliances, Matthew, Connor, Julian, Simon Kaiser, even the elder seven members of The Knights were there.
Oh! That's why the hall is almost silent.
It seemed that few professors were also present in there. In the queue, there were few hushed comments from the female students, of course few uncomfortable stares too and I'm pretty much used to it by now unless someone try to approach me with harmful intentions. Getting my food from the counter, I scanned the whole area again to find an empty table which was in fact in the end of the hall and surprisingly only Simon was there, wholeheartedly focused on gobbling down his food. He is a medical student too and I understand how much struggling it can be when you've started hospital shifts, ignoring all the stares and gossips, I made my way to him.
Puting my plate on the table, I took the seat beside him and only then he noticed me, however his expressions weren't welcoming at all, he looked worried. Scanning the whole dining hall from his position, heaving a sigh, he muttered under his breath "welcome to the university, Lixie. How have you been?"
Just like him, I also scanned the hall, without meeting his eyes, I also replied with the same hushed tone "thank you Simon. I'm just fine. What about you? Still followed by your dad's spy?"
Still very much focused on his meal, giving a small smile, he replied "can't escape from the King himself, can I?! He is probably searching for the most accurate time to eliminate me again. And I'm warning you, this time you won't be shielding me from it! I've done enough harm to you."
That's it! How dare he thinks that saving him meant nothing to me?! He is my friend, a part of my second family!
"You know what if the Gyanlo incident ever happened again, I still would have been shielding you again and again. Even if I died that day I wouldn't step back and you don't have a say in that!"
With a soft smile I gazed at him to assure him, and he was almost on the verge of tears. If we weren't in the public place, I would have embraced him to console him, but we both knew that would have complicated matters with his situations.
Simon didn't do anything to deserve this devastating life, heck he wasn't even involved with us! If only he accidentally didn't discover his dad, King Kaiser's alliance with the Khirigans, he would have his normal unbothered life smoothly going on. Simply squeezing his free hand under the table I gave him a silent encouragement and with that he returned to his food and I finally started eating. My mind was more determined than ever to complete my mission, to get all of us out of this nightmare.
While I ate, I kept looking around the hall carefully, of course there were lots of stares, few were even glaring, few looked sympathetic? Why? I accidentally didn't annoy someone by my mere presence, right?
I tried my best to ignore them, until a certain someone caught my attention back to the counter line, he was none other than my long lost best friend, my lifelong crush, Nicholas Hammond. The events from our dorm room clarified one thing that he didn't recognise me at all, of course he wouldn't be able to, it had been ten years after all and I don't have any tiny bit similarity from my past look; not even the then dyed black hair, neither the annoying birthmark staining my left cheek.
I was beyond relieved to know that he didn't recognise me but at the same time it hurt me somewhere even it's a tiny bit still it bothered me. I couldn't take this feeling overpowering me, that would make all my hardworks go to nothing. I needed to get away from these feelings, from him, to keep him safe, and if I had to go against my character to do so, I would go without any single doubt.
It was Simon's voice that brought me back from my trance "how is your hand? Still not able to sword practicing I guess?"
Still keeping my eyes glued on my dormmate, I replied "I'm doing fine, Simon. Guess what I managed to control the sixth grade skills with it." I had a proud smirk on my face as I met his sparkling puppy eyes which were relieved and genuinely happy.
Without more words, we went back to our foods, but I knew he would have actually danced with me right now. Just as I thought my first night would go smoothly after this, Prince Christopher's horridly worried look caught my attention, as if he was desperately trying to warn me something, he was just one table infront of us, sitting beside Jeremy, but what it could be?! There, my eyes finally landed on my incoming threat, an outraged Nicholas was making his way towards us, no towards me?! He looked totally pissed, did my earlier behaviours were that infuriating? Of course! I had disturbed his personal space and even dared to tease him, he had the every right to be pissed off.
"Shit! Felix, I forgot to warn you, actually this seat....." Simon started to clarify the situation but disaster happened at that very moment.
Jeremy might have felt stiff under the table as his legs were stretched outside of it, and in the fits of anger Nicholas did not notice them, his blazing eyes were fixed on me. His long, angry stomping of strides did falter when he realised that his legs hit something but it was too late and he tripped over Jeremy's leg, though he managed his fall by the support of our table, his food tray scattered all over the table, the floor and unfortunately the whole bowl of the hot soup poured over my right hand which was on my own tray.
Nicholas's POV:
I couldn't understand one thing when I saw my so humble roommate, occupying the one and only table, where I find solace while eating and moreover Simon was totally relaxed about that! That only person whom I consider as my most trusted friend actually ignored the worth of my peace. My irritation reached it's peak as my long strides almost became angry stomping, and my eyes failed to notice Jeremy's legs. When my legs finally realised it's fault, it was too late, I've already tripped and my food tray was already thrown into the air, scattering all over place and unfortunately the bowl of the hot soup poured over my roommate's right hand.
Eyes widened in shock and terror, I looked at my roommate, who had only let out a short hissing sound and surprisingly he had no teary eyes or scrunched eyebrows not even a slight discomfort. When my eyes darted to his hand, I couldn't contain my gasp from coming out as my hand automatically rose to my mouth; the skin had turned the worst shade of scarlet, bristles were already appearing, even in few places blood came out, dripping on his plate. Just how much endurance does he have?!
The whole dining hall first fell into pindrop silence, then started the low murmuring, I already could hear my heartbeat in my ears but that's not what is important right now. I tried to make words to apologise, but my voice miserably failed as it came out as above a whisper "I'm.....I'm really sorry. I didn't mean...."
"Enough! I don't want your apology!" Voice still eerily calm and cold, the wounded boy scoffed, then shoving me away from his front, he stormed out of the hall, immediately followed by Dr. Steven Kaiser, his first younger brother Tristan and Jeremy.
I was completely frozen in my place, still gazing at the door, rewinding everything over and over again. Yes I was pissed off, I didn't want him on the same table with me as I had never allowed anyone to sit with me and for the past year the whole university knew that fact.
Simon's voice got me out of my trance "Nick, you've made a mistake again. Felix is new here, he doesn't know your problems and I forgot to warn him. Still you didn't have to harm him like that, you know. He is a nice person, he'll understand your situation."
Felix?! His name is also Felix?! But he isn't anywhere near acquaintance with that boy, or is he?
However I ruined our first meeting to know that from himself. My emotions finally found its original bay which was unfortunately guilt, and Simon's words made it worse, without getting any response from me, he started to go out and I followed him, while trying to explain myself "Simon, look....I...I didn't mean to harm him, I just didn't watch out the...."
"That doesn't change the fact that you were already fuming to see him there. I've seen the look you had on your face Hammond! You could've just keep yourself collected then talk it through with him and I would've helped you in that. Felix didn't do anything wrong to deserve the pain. Aish! Why am I even talking bullshit with you?!!"
"So you won't try to take my side for once and let me get it through!" Yes I was definitely drowning in utter guilt, and the more Simon pointed out my mistakes the more my mind was becoming foggy with annoyance with myself and unintentionally my voice rose.
"Oh god! For heaven's sake, Nicholas! We'll talk about it later when I make sure that he is okay. He needs treatment right now!" With that being said, he stormed out towards the hospital lane, leaving me at the intersection with utter dispair.
Still contemplating on whether I should go to the hospital too and apologize or to just stand on my ground of anyhow reasoning that he deserved it, I paced back and forth, earning glares from the passerby students who just witnessed the whole disaster. They were muttering slang words to me, some were afraid to pass by me, few even intentionally bumped into me to push me to the edge of the row, my ears almost became numb by my inner thoughts shouting at me and outside noises.
Then a sudden jolt on my collar brought me back to present, only to face a dangerously outraged Matthew glaring at me with his blazing midnight eyes as his words came out through gritted teeth "YOU'LL DEFINITELY PAY FOR THIS HAMMOND! AND I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT."
If it wasn't for Connor interfering, I would have been sliced into pieces "Matthew, let him go, Felix won't be happy to hear about this."
Huh?! The hell he means by that?!
It was another slightly deep voice that finally calmed the erupting volcano "Matt, please." There goes the supremacy of the darling Julian Hanson who actually appeared with a covered food tray, probably for Felix.
And just like magic, leaving me, Matthew stomped towards the hospital wing, Connor following on his heels, only Julian gave me a sympathetic nod and followed his accuintances. For a moment I wanted to follow them too, then Simom caught my hand, halting me on the spot.
"Where do you think you're going?" His eyes scrutinizing me minutely.
"To my room." Panicked, I tried to reply
as convincing as possible.
"Oh. Good, then go ahead. I'll be there in five minutes." And before I could ask anything, he sprinted towards the dining hall which was almost on it's closing time.
As I reached my room with a gloomy, disturbed mood, my eyes only sought to my personal happy pill, a painting of a boy around the age 11 or 12. The forever sunshine smile adorning his cute baby face, the birthmark, a heart-shaped, pink salmon patch on his left cheek starkly standing out as if the creator himself marking him as his special child and I was mesmerized in that charm which felt like forever until a knock grabbed my attention. When I opened the main door, Simon was there, waiting with a covered tray, and probably an annoyed face.
Placing the tray on the tea table in the middle of the common space, he huffed "wash your hands properly then please have your dinner . I'll get the med box from Felix's room."
"Wait! You have his room's key?!" Almost surprised I asked and he was already unlocking the door.
"Well, you're injured too and those bruises and cuts won't heal easily on their own. So I need to fix them." He didn't spare me a second glance as he entered the room and closed the door, I also went to the washroom to freshen up.
When I came back, Simon was already waiting for me, I finished my dinner pretty quickly and in peaceful silence, finally! But that didn't feel satisfying at all, my mind, my heart were in an utter uneasiness and I was lost in my inner thoughts yet again.
".....had been treated by brother himself, he'll be okay and also had dinner with the help of Hanson. Just to let you know if you are worrying about him." Again Simon's words made my heart return to ease. Worry? Is it possible for me to worry about someone whom I hardly know for just one hour and something?
"I'm not worried." Denying the accusation, I moved back to the previous topic and Simon started working on my wounds "you still didn't tell me why do you have his keys."
"Well, I did tell you that you needed treatment and since I needed to get your food too, it was impossible to carry the med box, so Felix let me use his one. There, it's done." Sticking a healing patch on my cheek, he closed the box.
As he headed to the other room again, I asked out "since when you and him are this close?"
The look on Simon's face confused me, he looked sad? Hurt? Remorseful? Exactly, but why? With a sad smile, he replied "since when a certain someone disappeared from my life for whole five years." Then he dashed to the room and slammed the door again.
Yup, he was definitely sad. Why won't he be? Afterall he was the only friend I had in my teenage growing years after my life drifted away from Felix and what did I do to him? I ghosted him completely after graduating from High school. But I had my reasons, I was too busy for searching The Knights's trail, they are the only hope now for me to find out my mom and Felix, whether they are alive or not. And unfortunately here in Escortia where I finally settled in with The Knights's members so closely, my family and friends came chasing me too. But I can't disclose this secret of me to him, at least not right now, he has got his two brothers involved in it, it won't be bearable for his unbothered stable life.
After lying on my bed, I got my hand sketchbook, flipping through the pages, I finally stopped on a drawing, my mom, the most beautiful woman, I've ever seen in my life.
"Mom, where are you? I want to see you with my eyes alive and safe. It's getting overwhelming for me, mom. Just give me a clue, I want to return to your embrace. Please mom, I miss you so much." Unrestrained tears rolled down my eyes as I whispered those words to her.
Hugging her portrait, I kept staring at the ceiling, the rolling river continued silently as I was aware of the fact that Simon hadn't left yet. Few more minutes later, the sound of a door opening then closing, immediately caught my attention and the closing of the main door indicated that Simon finally left. So my roommate isn't coming back to his room tonight, and I know very well that I won't be able to face him either, but tomorrow I will definitely apologize for my deeds. With that resolution my mind drifted off to sleep.