Together
This Is Why I Need You by Jesse Ruben
D IANA WAS ABOUT TO leave the dorm when the resident manager called out to her, asking for her to wait.
He came back a moment later, a small, beautifully wrapped parcel in his hands. He handed it over to her with a smile, and she took it gingerly, unable to think of any reason why she would be sent a present.
"This is really for me?" she asked doubtfully.
"No other gal here by the name of Diana Leventis," Lenny answered cheerfully, "so I'd have to say yes."
Since the package didn't come with any card, she asked, "Did you get a name?"
"Afraid not. Maybe you've got a secret admirer?"
Diana couldn't stop her cheeks from turning red. "I don't think so."
And the lady truly meant it , Lenny thought ruefully as Diana thanked him before turning away. Poor gal . That Esther Leventis woman must've been a real horror, to have made a pretty little swan like Diana think of herself as an ugly duckling.
A cautious but irrepressible form of optimism had infected Diana's senses by the time she made it out of the dorm, and unable to help it, she plopped down on the nearest bench and eagerly began unwrapping it.
Underneath the layers of foil wrapper and soft tissue was a box, and hope reluctantly gave way to confusion at what she was seeing.
An iPhone?
Granted, it was the latest model, but...an iPhone?
Maybe Damen needed to give her another phone for security reasons? It would be just like him if so, and she wouldn't be even surprised if this came with GPS tracking and whatnot.
She opened the box, and the first thing she saw was the sticky note posted on its screen.
The passcode is the date we first met.
And that was when she knew, her eyes stinging, her heart skipping a beat, and a euphoric burst of hope exploding inside of her with such force that she could barely breathe.
Her fingers shook as she turned the iPhone on, and her heart skipped another beat as she typed the numbers that corresponded with the clue. The lock screen blinked out, and the next thing she saw was the new message notification.
One click, and her heart started pounding.
Matthijs: In the event you need to contact me.
A helpless smile played over her lips.
Diana: Is that your way of saying you want to keep in touch?
Matthijs: No.
Diana: But you went as far as buying me an iPhone.
Matthijs: To ensure our means of communication remains secure and private.
Diana: Why can't you just lie and say you want to talk to me?
Matthijs: Because you'd never believe me even when I tell you the truth.
Diana: You're so serious.
Almost an entire minute passed, and there still wasn't anything from the professor, almost as if he were saying he would only deign to text her back if she had shared something worthwhile.
It rather reminded her of how Damen was, and she couldn't help smiling. This type of similarity with her brother, she would definitely welcome.
Diana: When I text you here, there's really no way anyone else would read our messages?
Matthijs: Given sufficient heads-up, not even if someone steals your phone.
Diana: In that case...I think I've got a crush on you, Professor de Graaf.
On the other side of town , the professor had just grabbed his car keys and was about to leave his place when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out, saw what she had texted, and threw the keys back on the console before heading back to the shower.
He had a boner to attend to, all thanks to his dark-haired troublemaker.
As for Diana, it wasn't until she was on her third class for the day when she noticed the New Message icon on her secret phone.
Matthijs: Fuck.
Diana went to her next class with a huge smile on her face, and her buoyant feelings, having spilled over to lunch, had her friends exchanging baffled looks.
"Are you alright?" Magnolia was frankly concerned. The last time she had seen Diana, the other girl had been crying her heart out. Fast forward to today, and Diana looked so blissfully happy she was in danger of floating off any second.
Diana couldn’t help feeling sheepish upon seeing Magnolia's frowning expression. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys the past few days."
Amine raised a brow. "And?"
"I'm, um, okay now?" Diana had to fight back a silly grin when she saw Magnolia looking ready to strangle her. "I'm really sorry for worrying you?" She saw Magnolia raise her hands threateningly and choked back a laugh. "I'm sorry, really sorry!" Diana clapped her hands together in a gesture of apology. "But that's all I can say."
"What do you mean that's all you can say?" Magnolia glared at her. "You owe us an explanation, Diana Leventis."
"I—-"
Amine shook her head, a look of wry expression on her face. "Don't bother, Mags." She made a vague circular gesture towards Diana's face. "Just look at her. It's all there."
Magnolia's blue eyes narrowed. The soft, bright light in her dark eyes, the brush of pale pink in her cheeks, and most of all, the lips that couldn't quite stop curving in a secret smile.
"You're in lust," Magnolia accused.
Amine, in the act of taking another sip of her hot soy milk, ended up sputtering instead. "Oh, for heaven's sake. She's in love ."
Magnolia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "One word: yuck. "
Diana swallowed back a laugh, and seeing that the two were about to launch into their usual bickering, quickly made a move to forestall this, saying firmly, "It's neither." Her friends' heads simultaneously snapped towards her direction, so fast that Diana found herself taken aback, and she said weakly, "I'm just happy ?"
They crossed their arms over their chests, both of them wearing I'm-still-waiting expressions on their lovely faces, and feeling obliged to elaborate, Diana said in a small voice, "There's a guy I like...and he likes me back."
One, two, three seconds passed, and then Magnolia and Amine burst into squeals and giggles, and Diana couldn't help giggling as well as the two engulfed her in big, warm hugs.
How did it start?
How do you know he likes you back?
Were you crying because you thought he didn't like you at first?
Did he hurt you? Did he grovel for you to take him back?
On and on the questions went that Diana had to throw her hands up in a pleading gesture. "I can't. It's just...I want to keep things private for now."
"Spoilsport," Magnolia grumbled.
But Amine was looking perturbed. "He's not married, is he?"
"What? No." Diana couldn't help send her friend a chiding look. "I'm not that kind of girl."
Amine's slender shoulders moved in a shrug. "You'd be surprised at what people could do for love."
"But...to commit adultery?"
"You really never know until you're in the situation yourself."
Diana wasn't sure she agreed with this, and even as lunch hour came to an end, she found herself still mulling it over.
How far could she go for love ?
She couldn't think of any ready answer to this, but then she suddenly found herself thinking of him, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was like having someone walk over her grave, and she couldn't help thinking, couldn't help worrying that for the professor, she could easily see herself doing (and had already done) crazy things for.
And to think...
She wasn't in love with him yet.