cinq

By the time Rebekah got back to her dorm, Elise was pacing the short length of the room, speaking animatedly to someone on her phone. One hand was placed on her hip and the other one was gripping the phone tightly as she pressed it against her ear.

"Are you sure you saw him head to class this morning?" she hissed. "Are you very sure?"

Rebekah dropped her bag by her desk and kicked off her shoes, watching Elise with mild curiosity.

"What do you mean 'you're not sure now'? Do you need a knock over the head to remember? No, I don't... I know you... You know what, Danny," Elise snapped, "You're no fucking help at all. I'll find Seb myself." She tapped her phone screen with more force than was necessary and flung her phone onto her bed, groaning in frustration.

"Elise...? Is everything alright?" Rebekah felt as if she was walking on eggshells. She would never have guessed that her roommate had such a temper.

"Everything..." Elise took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Everything's alright. Sort of. I mean, it'll be. It'll all be fine when I find my brother."

"Sebastian?"

"Yeah, him."

"He's fine. I just dropped him off back at his room."

Elis whirled around so quickly that her glasses almost slid off her nose. Pushing them up rapidly, she refocused on her roommate whose face was rapidly turning red.

"You were with Seb?"

Rebekah could feel how hot her face was becoming. "Yeah, I mean, we went for coffee and we were talking and we lost track of time."

"So you were with him the whole time? Since this morning?"

Rebekah nodded and that was when Elise finally let out a long sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God." She took off her glasses and rubbed her face vigorously before pushing them back onto her face. "Oh, thank God," she repeated again. "Nothing's happened to him. He's safe." After several moments, she raised an eyebrow questioningly at her roommate. "What were you doing having coffee with my brother?"

"We ran into each other on the way to class this morning and one thing led to another and we ended up talking."

Elise smiled and wriggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. "He must like you if he spent an entire day with you."

Rebekah shrugged and busied herself with opening her dresser for some clean clothes. She wasn't going to jump to conclusions after the first day. She wasn't so naïve to think that any correct assumptions could be made from just one meeting.

"You have no idea how glad I am that he's better now," Elise said, her mood turning from light-hearted to sober in a matter of seconds. "During the first couple of months after he became blind, he didn't act anything like the Seb that we knew. He shut everyone out and it was hard. But he's better now and I thank God for it every day." There was so much pain and grief in her blue eyes as she spoke that it was hard to ignore. Rebekah took out a clean set of clothes and set it on her bed.

"He told me that it'd been some kind of accident?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I know it wasn't my fault but I feel like it is. I'd been there; I should've made him stop. If he doesn't recover his sight, I'm not sure I'll ever forgive myself." She let out a shaky breath. "Our parents were against letting Seb coming to university so far from home but Seb... he just wants to feel independent again, you know? I promised my parents that I'd take care of him while we're here." She shook her head. "I promised that nothing would happen to him."

And that was when Rebekah understood why Elise had been freaking out earlier. Her anger and frustration had been borne out of fear and anxiety for her brother's safety and wellbeing. Rebekah felt her heart swell at the evident concern that Elise had for her brother.

"If you guys go for another talk, could you just give me a heads-up next time? Or at least tell him to charge his bloody phone?" Elise had a wry grin. "Just so I don't give myself a mini heart-attack when he goes missing."

Rebekah laughed. "Will do." She picked up her clothes and towel and headed towards the door.

"Wait," Elise said quickly. When Rebekah stopped moving and turned around, she saw the earnest look on her roommate's face before she spoke. "Don't hurt him, alright? He may act all tough, but I know him better. Underneath all his bravado and corny jokes is someone who still cries when he watches The Lion King."

Rebekah hesitated before responding in a lighter tone, "In all fairness, The Lion King was pretty sad."

Elise laughed. "I knew there was a reason that I liked you." Elise retrieved her phone from off her bed. "Now bugger off and take your shower. I'll head over to the dining hall with you when you come back."

*

The next few days passed like a whirlwind. After skipping the first day, Rebekah was forced to catch up with any work she had missed. It turned out that Professor McIntyre really was a bitch about punctuality and attendance and punished any students who cut class by making an example out of them in the next lesson. Rebekah was forced to sit at the front of the room and was called upon to answer all the questions the professor posed. When she couldn't answer, he always had a sarcastic comment waiting to sling at her as an insult.

By the time the three-hour lecture was over, Rebekah couldn't wait to slink out of her seat and run out of the classroom, but just as she reached the door, Professor's McIntyre's voice stopped her short.

"Ms Lee, where are you off to in such a rush?"

She felt her heart drop to her shoes. She'd been so close. So close.

"Professor McIntyre, I am so sorry that I skipped your class. I promise- I promise it'll never happen again."

"I know it won't." Professor McIntyre smiled and Rebekah found a shiver running down her spine. His grey eyes glinted as he gestured to a spray bottle and cloth sitting on his desk. "But I'm not quite done with you yet. You may leave after you've wiped down every chair and table in this room."

Once the meaning of his words had sunk in, their injustice had Rebekah fuming. She found herself stammering the beginnings of a protest but shut up when all her professor did in response was raise an eyebrow challengingly. She took a quick look out the door but neither Elise nor Sebastian were in sight. Sighing in resignation, she dropped her bag.

Grabbing the cloth, she went to work, only too aware of her professor's hawk-like gaze following her every move. By the time she was finished, the sun was already beginning to set. Autumn was already starting to set in, making itself comfortable as summer faded into the oblivion.

"Can I go now?" Rebekah placed the two items on the table in front of Professor McIntyre. He looked up from a pile of papers, surveying the polished desks in front of him. What he saw seemed to satisfy him and he gave a curt nod.

"You may leave," he said shortly, not bothering to look at her. "I'll see you in class on Monday. Don't be late."

Relief flooded through Rebekah's body. She didn't need to be told twice; she grabbed her bag and half-ran half-walked out the door. The corridors were empty and silent as Rebekah hurried towards the exit. When she finally emerged into the orange light of a setting sun, she was startled by the sight of three people leaning against the marble pillars of the building.

"Elise? Sebastian? What're you guys doing here?" Rebekah noticed the dark-haired individual with olive skin standing near Sebastian and waved shyly. She had no idea who he was, but it felt rude not to acknowledge his presence.

"Waiting for you. C'mon. I want pizza. My treat." Elise looped her arm around Rebekah's. "Why the heck were you in there for so long? I'm so fucking hungry right now."

"You waited for me? Why?" Rebekah coughed, realizing how rude she must have just sounded. "I mean, thank you... but honestly, you really shouldn't have." Rebekah felt her brow furrow in concern.

"Tell that to my idiot other half over there," Elise gestured to Sebastian who was using his walking stick to slowly make his way over to them. "He insisted that we wait for you. I suggested buying pizza and then coming back and waiting for you, but Danny sided with him so I was outvoted." Elise shrugged. "I think he just needs to man up and ask you out."

"Who needs to ask me out? Danny?" Rebekah was confused. "Wait. Who's Danny?"

Elise just shook her head. "Not Danny, Beck. Ah, never mind. I'm sure you'll figure it out in due time." Elise steered Rebekah in the direction of the parking lot. "Danny's Seb's roommate, by the way. They've been best friends since forever. He's the guy standing next to Seb right now."

"Oh." Rebekah's eyes darted straight back to the tall individual. When he noticed her looking, he smiled and waved before whispering something to Sebastian. Sebastian responded by swinging his free hand and hitting his chest, causing Danny to laugh. When they reached the girls, Danny held out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Danny. I'm glad we've finally had the chance to meet. I've heard so much about you."

Rebekah took his hand and shook it. His grip was firm but gentle at the same time. "Rebekah. Pleased to meet you, Danny."

"Sweet. Now that introductions are over, I reckon that we should all hurry up and get to the car so that we can get pizza. Priorities, people. We need to get them straight," Elise announced. "Pizza is bae." The last words were barely out of her mouth before Elise sprung forward, speed-walking away. Rebekah watched her go, feeling a sense of déjà vu. It felt like the first day of university all over again.

"Don't worry. I got her." Danny smiled knowingly. He had straight white teeth that looked like an advertisement for a toothpaste brand. "Rebekah, could you help Seb? I'm gonna go and try to slow that crazy girl down."

"I-" Rebekah barely got the syllable out before Danny cut her off.

"Sweet. You're an angel." He was already taking off after Elise before he had completed his sentence. As his footsteps faded away, Rebekah turned to Sebastian.

"And then there were two." He had a wry grin on his face. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a white shirt that looked like it had just been taken out of the dryer. "I'm pretty sure that those two have a thing for each other. They just don't know it yet."

"But if they don't know it, then how do you know?" Rebekah reached out and slowly wound her arm through his. Together, they made baby steps towards the car park.

"Beck, I might be blind, but I'm not that blind. It's so obvious. Even my mum and dad see it. They've been rooting for them to end up as a couple for awhile now."

"That's kind of adorable, I guess. They do look good together."

"Yeah." Sebastian reached up and ran a hand through his brown hair. As usual, a pair of sunglasses shaded his eyes. "And Danny's a good guy. It's just that the thought of my best friend and sister getting it on..." He shuddered.

Rebekah suppressed a grin, shaking her head.

"I almost forgot: are you thirsty? I bought a bottle of juice for you in case you were when you came out, but while we were waiting, I got thirsty and drank some. It's in my bag, if you'd like to have it."

Rebekah couldn't help but smile. "That's so thoughtful of you. Yeah, I'd like some. I finished all my water halfway through the lecture and I haven't drunk anything since."

"Just unzip the main compartment of my bag. It should be there."

Rebekah did as instructed and rifled through the contents of the bag before finding the small bottle. Around a quarter of the juice was missing and Rebekah just chuckled. Opening the top, she drank around half of the remaining contents before recapping it and placing into her own bag. Looping her arm through Sebastian's again, they moved off.

"Is it almost dark?" Sebastian asked suddenly.

Rebekah shook her head. "No, not really."

"Describe it to me."

"The sunset?"

"Yeah. Or anything else that you see right now."

Rebekah felt her heart tighten. She wasn't good with words; this felt more like an Elise thing. Elise should be the one describing the sunset to him, not her. She was going to screw this up.

"Don't think too much about it," Sebastian had a tiny chewed off smile on his face. "If you think too much about the words to use, it'll become too hard. Just remember: I'm blind. Anything you describe is going to be a thousand times better than what I can see."

Rebekah smiled. Of course Sebastian knew the perfect things to say to allay her nervousness. Feeling far calmer than she had felt a couple of seconds before, she let her eyes drink in her surroundings.

"The sunset- well, it's painting the sky in a blend of red and orange and a hint of yellow. The sun is beginning to melt behind the dark silhouettes of the hills and its rays, they look like they're causing long shadows to bleed into the grass. The buildings are bathed in a sort of... I don't know how to explain it... it's sort of an ethereal glow and they look as if they're caught in between reality and imagination."

When she'd finished speaking, she watched Sebastian's face nervously for any signs of emotion. Very slowly, he turned to her with a wide smile on his face.

"I saw that. In here." He tapped the side of his head. "Your descriptions were beautiful."

Rebekah felt a surge of pride rush through her veins.

"And so are you," Sebastian added.

Rebekah almost snorted at this, the rush of pride stopping cold in its tracks. She tried to say something in disagreement but ended up coughing when the words became stuck in her throat.

"Is that a cough of unbelief that I hear?" Sebastian was half-smiling in a teasing manner again.

"No, I was choking on something."

"I bet." He didn't sound convinced.

Rebekah took another sip of the juice, feeling her throat clear. "Seb, I have to be honest with you. One day, you're going to regain your sight and when you do, you're going to see so many girls far more beautiful than me."

Sebastian paused before responding. "I'm sure that you're right. But they won't matter because they aren't you."

Again, Rebekah opened her mouth to disagree but nothing came out. She decided that this wasn't the time to tell him about how she'd never been kissed before and how a romantic relationship scared her more than anything else.

Taking her silence as a good thing, Sebastian squeezed her arm slightly. "Hey, have you seen the new rose garden that the gardeners put in a couple of days ago?"

Rebekah smiled ruefully. "Unfortunately, no. Why?"

"Just wondering. I haven't seen it either." Sebastian was grinning.

Rebekah just shook her head, trying not to roll her eyes. "C'mon, Seb. We better hurry before Elise chews our heads off."

A/N Hello fellow Wattpadians!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I am currently buried under with an enormous workload from school but I will try my best to stick to the updating schedule.

Oh, and here's a cute gif of a puppy yawning; he/she perfectly sums up how I feel about Monday mornings.

Stay awesome and have an incredible day!

Percy