Ro-Ena’s eyes were widened by the intensity of her interest in the book she was reading. A sudden sound of the ringing of a bell that was connected underneath the door of the coffee shop where she was seated comfortably at wasn’t even enough of a cause to invade her attentiveness to the words in front of her as her heart beat a little bit faster after she read each word on the book she held tightly with both her hands. Her coffee she had ordered had gone cold as her muffins went into a stale-state from being exposed in the air of the place.

“Hi,” a voice finally interrupted her concentration. She quickly looked up to find a tall, blonde guy standing in front of her holding a cup of coffee. “Is there anyone sitting here?” he asked politely while pointing to the cushioned lounge chair across from her.

“Uh…no,” she quickly said and returned to her book.

“What are you reading?” he asked curiously

“A book,” Ro-Ena replied not taking her eyes off her book.

“It must be a pretty good book if you’re that engorge by it,” the guy chuckled while flapping a packet of sugar for his coffee and pulling out a newspaper from under the coffee table that was laid between him and Ro-Ena.

“Yeah it is interesting, so if you don’t mind I’d like to continue reading my book without having to make forced pleasant conversation with you,” she snapped then pasting a dry smile on her face. Their eyes met. The sudden irritation that was stirring deep inside Ro-Ena unexpectedly vanished as she found herself trapped in his eyes. She felt hypnotized by it. It was as if their eyes had met before and time had been told that it was time for them to meet once more.

“Fine,” he said while leaning back on his chair and opening up the newspaper covering his face.

“Fine,” Ro-Ena replied low enough for him to not hear. She sat on her chair somewhat feeling bewildered at the sudden feeling that had begun to stir within her. “Do I know him?” she asked herself. “I guess if I know him he would know me and he doesn’t seem to know me so I guess I don’t know him.” Even in her own thoughts she worded her reasoning in a confusing manner as she got even more perplexed by the situation she suddenly found herself in. Shaking off her current sensation, she returned on reading her book, but the attention was gone. Her consumption on the book was no longer there.

She closed the book while letting out a disappointed sigh. She wanted to know what was happening to the major character in the book but how can she when her attentiveness on each word on the book had dissipated. “This is your fault, you know!” she uttered out while frowning her brows to show her aggravation.

The guy that hid his face behind the newspaper moved the piece aside from his face and looked at Ro-Ena, “I beg your pardon?”

“I lost my concentration. I choose to blame you!”

“How is your inability to grasp on to your own concentration my fault?” he cleared his throat while folding the newspaper into the same form he had found it in and placed it on top of the coffee table in front of him beside his own cup of coffee, then leaned back on his chair, arms crossed.

“I don’t know, it just is!” she rolled her eyes, as inside she felt idiotic. She wanted to quickly grab all her things and run out of there as she felt embarrassed of her sad attempt of trying to give out a good reason. Mission: failed!

“Well that’s valid!” he chuckled while leaning over to bring his face closer to hers, this time taking hold of his coffee cup and taking a sip from it. “My name is Nick by the way, we’re in a few classes together”

Ro-Ena gave him one stroke of nod with her head; a smile was not present on her face. An interest was also lacking.

“You know, this is the part where you say, ‘nice to meet you Nick, my name is…’ while filling in the appropriate blank,” he advised.

“Okay, nice to meet you, Nick. My name is really none of your business!”

“’None of your business,’ well I can’t say I’ve ever heard that name before!” he smiled at her throwing her back her own sarcasm. “So, none of your business, are you always this friendly?” he smirked.

“Oh wait, I remember you now! Aren’t you that piece of shit I had scraped off my shoes this morning with a stick on my way to school?” she smiled, content with her comeback.

Nick remained immobile while squinting his eyes at her. “Was I supposed to be hurt by that?”

“Has anyone ever told you, you should never answer a question with a question?”

“I have two things to say to that! First, your question was more like a rhetoric question not really needing an answer by yours truly. Second: don’t you find it ironic that your statement on lecturing me of supposedly answering a question with a question also ended with a question mark, thus making it, oh I don’t know, a question as well?”

Ro-Ena was left speechless as she wandered her eyes from side to side, trying to come up with any sort of defense she can throw back at her new acquaintance. Nothing. “I’m not going to have this pointless argument with you!”

Nick nodded his head, “You had all that time to think and that was all you can come up with?”

“Where you sent up here by the devil himself to make my life even more miserable?”

“How did you guess?” he grinned at her.

“You’re impossible! I’m leaving!” Ro-Ena said frustratingly while getting up and began gathering her stuff.

“No one’s stopping you! Door is right there!” he replied while pointing to the door that was a few feet away from where he was situated.

“I am!” she uttered. “Wait a second! I was here first, why should I leave? I was having a perfectly nice, quiet and relaxing time until you came rolling along! You should be the one leaving, not me!”

“Are you asking me to leave?”

“YES!” she said whole placing her arms on both side of her waist, showing off her annoyance through her body language. “Do let the door hit you hard on your ass on your way out!”

“Last I checked this was still a free country where I’m liable to sit in any coffee houses of my liking and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee. Now unless you’re a part of the government system of this country and in your hand, you hold an amended writing of the law of that freedom, I ain’t going anywhere!”

“Fine!” Ro-Ena gritted her teeth while flopping herself back down on the chair she was seated at before and taking out her book once more, deciding to give it another chance to cool her nerve down from the fury it had been ignited into by Nick.

Nick also remained in his seat, watching her every movement; every shift of the muscles on her face that was used to form an expression, and each inhale and exhale she made that was evident by the movement of her chest.

“Stop watching me,” Ro-Ena uttered not bothering to look up.

“You know I was just trying to be nice to you at first, you started getting all bitchy so technically, TECHNICALLY, it isn’t my fault that right now in your head you’re envisioning strangling me to death as your blood boils inside of you!”

Ro-Ena closed her book while letting out one deep sigh then slowly looking up to meet eyes again with Nick. Her angered expression was replaced by a more somber look. She didn’t want to admit it but he was right. He was nice to her at the beginning and she blew him off. “I’m sorry,” she whispered so lowly that he hardly heard it.

“What?” he said while leaning closer to her.

“I said I’m sorry, all right?” her eyes widened.

“Now see, I knew you were capable of being a nice person!” he smiled at her.

His smile seemed contagious and before she could help herself, she also plastered a smile on her face as the two conversed with each other in a more civilized manner. Sarcasm erupted every now and then but for the most part, the two of them enjoyed each other’s company.