'New country, fresh surrounding, lovely environment. This is all I had imagined before coming to Europe. Then how the hell did I end up with this scary looking guy?! Uhg. '

Rosie D'Souza, a lovely sixteen years old girl who dreamt about going to abroad for higher studies. Rosie comes from an average middle class family. For her studying in Europe was same as touching the seventh sky. It all started when she saw an advertisement in the social media of how you can get a scholarship if you have above ninety five percent marks in your tenth grade marksheet. From that day she started studying like a zombie. And finally with a report card of ninety eight percent marks and some pretty eye bags with spectacles she got scholarship in Europe's top school - "The Juvelients". Not to mention the scene her parents and her elder sister made crying at the airport when she was leaving for Europe. The security guard had to literally drag them from there, that was a pretty second hand embarrassment for her.

" This is the new student who will be joining you all from today", said the class teacher, Miss Sofia.

Rosie stepped forward and introduced herself but the reaction from the students were quite cold. She was wearing a red rimmed spectacles which was hiding her big eyelashes. Her jeans was neat and clean without any ripped design. Her black mystic hair was tied up in a braid. From her appearance, she was looking pretty much like a nerd.

"Rosie, your seat is the fourth bench of the second column. You are supposed to share your seat with... Pitter Holland. " She patted her back and wished her good luck.

The first day she came Peter was absent. The second day too and it continued till the day their first term exams started. When Rosie entered the class that day, she was shocked as she saw a boy sitting on her bench where the seat of Peter was vacant for the past one month. 'It must be Peter. Well he can not possibly miss the exams like the other classes. Whatever, it's not like his presence or absence is going to affect me. ' As she came near her seat, she gasped, as she saw the boy from close. He was pretty tall . His shirt was unbuttoned till his chest and his sleeves were rolled up with his veins all visible. His dark hair which resembled the midnight sky came upto his eyes, hiding his forehead. He had a piercing on his left ear. There was a bandage on his left cheek. Overall he was like daydream dressed up like a nightmare.

She quickly sat on her place. ' Eeeh. Is he a delinquent? How scary. ' He glanced at her with eyes all narrowed up and mumbled "Tch."

Papers were given shortly after that. Rosie smoothly completed her paper while Peter slept the whole exam. It continued till the last exam. After the exams, Peter was again nowhere to be found and Rosie was once again left all alone on her bench. And then came the day for the results -

Sofia called out the name of Rosie and praised her, " Very nice Rosie. You have come first this time. Keep it up. " She handed out the marksheet to everyone except Peter. " Now, Peter can you please stand up. "

Peter stood up with a face which showed neither regret nor joy.

"Now tell me , should I even give you your marksheet or not? It's pretty much the same because you did not even bother to write a single word. Can not you even learn a single thing from your bench-mate? She stood first this time. Sorry to say but if you don't improve in the next terms then I am bound to contact your parents. "

He flinched as he heard her mentioning his parents.

He spoke out nervously, " You can not contact my parents. "

"Then you better improve your marks". After saying this she left the class.

After she left, he realised in how much trouble he was at that time. He turned at Rosie and started staring at her.

' Why is he staring at me? Aah Miss Rosie why did you have to compare me with him? He is so tall and I am so small. Geez, don't tell me he will beat me now like those boys whom he bit the other day in the corridor. '

He raised his eyebrows. ' She looks quite nervous like a scared rabbit. Does coming first make you anxious. ' He took a sigh and said, " You are Rosie right? "

His voice was so deep. It was like hearing an ASMR. ' How can someone's voice be this deep.' She blushed and replied in affirmative.

"You have to teach me. "

She flinched at his words. " What? " She was really confused at that time , if she should concentrate on his words or his voice.

He pulled back some of his hair strands back and said, " Be my tutor. You are pretty much good in studies. And do not think that I am asking you to do this for free. I will pay you well. "

She really wanted to decline but the offer was tempting. Living in Europe was expensive. The scholarship money was all used up in her studies so she had little much left for her own expenses. With the extra money from him she could afford all her other necessities. "Ok.. but I live in the dorm so I have to come to your place. Will it be okay?

"If it's okay with you then I have no problem. I live in the flat number 205 of Ectasy Apartment. "

The next day she went to his place for tutoring him.

' I said that I would teach him but why the hell is this guy half ***** and what are all these bruises? Oh my Gosh! Is there any possibility of returning now? Sob, sob. '

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To be continued ~

Rosie went to Peter's residence for the teaching thing. When she rang the calling bell , she was astonished to see Peter who was shirtless opening the door. She screamed at him asking why he was not wearing a proper dress. After screaming she saw some bruises all over his back. She then asked him the reason for his bruises. Peter just went inside the room and grabbed a shirt to wear. He did not bother himself to give her an appropriate answer. Rosie asked again for which Peter replied by saying her to mind her own business. There was nothing she could do, if he himself does not agree to tell the truth.

Rosie looked around. It was a large 2BHK flat. The walls were well painted and the furniture looked luxurious too. Overall, it was too much for only one person to live. They sat on the sofa that was present in the drawing room. When she started teaching him, she realised he was far left behind in his studies. His books seemed to be never touched before. If there was no monetary reason, she would have never agree to teach him in the first place.

In the middle of the studying, Peter asked her if she would like to have some coffee. Rosie replied in affirmative. She did not know that Peter will actually ask her to make coffee for both him and her. She was furious at him but still agreed and went to the kitchen. ' What the hell does he thinks of himself? This punk! ' , she muttered while making the coffee.

After few days, Peter started attending the school regularly . It was because of the continuos nagging of his tutor, Rosie. It was then he realised that she was always alone during the free time. Unlike other girls who swarmed together like bees gossiping about others, she was always stuck at her bench. In her ideal time she used to either read a book or stare at the far away trees from the window. He wanted to ask her why she was never socially active but somehow resisted himself by thinking that he never answered any of her questions so why she would bother to reply her. Apart from tutoring, there was no relation between them.

During the lunch break she used to sit alone near a window. Peter used to sit with Gracy and Jhonson. From a distance, he always used to keep an eye on her.

After a period of time it was finally the time of Term-1 exam. Suddenly, Peter saw that Rosie was no more sitting alone. There was always a blond boy name, Robin near him. Peter was happy that finally Rosie was no more alone. It always used to make him anxious seeing Rosie alone. But somehow Robin's presence made him more uncomfortable.

In the blink of eyes the exam was over. This time Peter did not spend the exam sleeping like a sloth. Rosie really taught him hard . And finally came the day of the results. Miss Sophia called him while handing over the marksheets. She praised him by saying that he really worked hard. Atleast he did not fail this time. He took a sigh of relief as that meant his parents would not be called by the teacher.

Later that day, Rosie came to his residence. He started complaining that the exams just finished and she should give him a small vacation from all these studying stuff. Head bowed down, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Peter was dumbstruck. He thought that his remark made her cry so he quickly made her come inside. He took her spectacles and gave her a handkerchief . He then sat beside her to comfort her but that made her cry out louder. She asked him what does friendship means. He was completely black out by this sudden question of hers. He narrowed his eyes at her and asked her the reason she was crying like that. She kept quiet. After sometime she asked if she could have some beer. While using the kitchen, she often used to found bottles of beer in the fridge, so she made this type of request. He did not know what was going on, but seeing her in that conditon , he could not refuse her. He gave her a bottle of beer and said that she could have only this bottle or else she might become wasted. She nodded her head and took some gulps from the glass, that he made for her.

He then asked her to tell the matter which was stinging her heart. She told him that the biggest kind of fear is being alone . When she was a child she was desperate to make friends. She did not want to remain lonely. She did everything she could to make some friends. They always bullied her and made her feel like a pushover. There was one instance, her so called friend snatched her hair clip forcefully and threw it from the window because she did not pick her fallen pen from the ground. They always used to make fake complains about her. Oneday she protested, which resulted her friends boycotting her. She used to walk around the school corridors aimlessly. Crying her lungs out, she wanted nothing but someone in whom she could confide her feelings. She just wanted a friend, was it something that far fetched for God to give her?

Peter pursed his lips. He was feeling guilty for not reaching out to her sooner. He too avoided her knowing that she was alone.

Rosie continued - For six months she was alone, enclosed in the four walls of her bedroom. The darkness was slowly eating her soul. She tried to make another friend, but she too left her after she used her in correcting her mathematics answer paper in which she failed drastically. She left her saying that she was a wh*re, and intermingling with her would also make like her. Her heart was broken into pieces. There was nowhere to go. That time, a girl took her hand and introduced her to her group of friends. At that she was like a deity to her. But that joy did not last for a long time as that girl also started circulating wrong rumours about her and the other people of that group did not support Rosie. She was not suprised anymore, she just blocked all the people from her life who treated her wrongly. She became disgusted with the human attachments. At that time she saw an advertisement about abroad studying. For her it was the perfect plan as she wanted to leave the place which gave her so much pain and trauma. Drenching herself completely in studies really helped her to forget her pain. One day, Robin approached her in the name of friendship. Once again the chapter of friendship was opened in her life. She did not want to suffer from pain anymore. But she knew thar it was impossible to conquer love with the fear of getting hurt. She raised her hand for friendship but that hand was a con too. Robin approached her only for the exams as he wanted to get good marks. After the exams and his need was over, he started avoiding her. When asked he told her that mingling with a nerd will taint his image.

After telling all these things she slowly felt asleep due to the all the liquor she took that time. ' Told you not to drink so much' muttered Peter . He covered her with a blanket and went to the balcony to smoke. He stared at the empty sky. His mind was full with her thoughts. He was kind of disturbed. His life was already a mess but he could not just leave her in that state. He called Gracie and asked her to meet her in a cafe after that day.

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To be continued ~