For some unknown reasons, Hera couldn't leave the stranger's proximity. She felt oddly compelled to stay there. It didn't feel right to leave him alone yet because she would come off as disrespecting. It seemed as if they're connected or related to each other somehow. She watched while Johnathan grabbed a tissue from the nearest table and wiped his overcoat, and Hera noticed, she'd spilt some of the ketchup on his suit.
"I'm sorry about your suit, Mr Johnathan. I completely ruined it. Wish I could help you somehow with it," she politely apologised and bit her lip, waiting for him to say something. He sensed the guilt coating her words and grinned before offering her a way to make it up to him.
"Actually, if you want to help me, you can give me this food," he said, gesturing to the plate she's holding. "I'm starving right now. It feels a bit awkward to go there and buy myself because the place is full of teenagers and also I'm an outsider and don't know if I'm allowed to eat here," he admitted with a sheepish smile.
.Hera looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
"Oh, don't worry, I'll pay you for this, and you can buy yourself another plate," the man offered immediately. Smiling, Hera agreed, and the man took out a fifty-pound note from his breast pocket and held it in front of her. Hera gasped, "My God! That's fifty pounds! Sorry, I don't have a change of that," she said, shifting her feet awkwardly.
Johnathan chuckled at her reply as if she said something ridiculous. "That's fine, dear Hera. Keep the change," he said in an amused voice, and Hera felt offended. She frowned.
'Is he giving me a tip? Or did he think I'm a beggar or something?'
His eyes widened a bit as he realised what Hera must've thought. "I'm sorry, Hera, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say was, you can keep the change as a token of blessings. Think that your uncle or an elder from your family is blessing you," he said, insisting her to accept the money. Reluctantly, Hera agreed and took the money.
Johnathan looked at Hera for a few seconds as if he was trying to memorise her face before he walked away with her food.
When Hera unfolded the fifty-pound note, she gasped in surprise. It had another note inside, but it was not England's currency. It was a two hundred Euro note.
'Euro! European Union currency.'
Hera looked for the man to return the money, only to see that he'd already walked out. He sat in a black, shiny car, and it vanished from her sight within the blink of an eye.
'He said it's a token of blessings, right? That means I can keep it.'
Sighing, Hera pocketed the money. She bought another plate for herself with her own money and walked back to her friends. She was enjoying her Vegetarian shepherd's pie.
"Huh-uh," Brittany nudged Hera's shoulder. "Here comes our mighty President," she said, catching her attention. Hera watched as Hunter and his friends walked towards the Luncheon Bar together, matching steps for steps like they're participating in a parade march. None of them had their bags and books.
Bianca had her blazer wrapped around her waist with its sleeves tied together on the front side. Her uniform skirt showed off her perfectly toned long legs as she walked, swinging her tiny waist and hip in a sexy way. She had her hair braided into a one-sided plait, and she smiled at something Eric said. Her porcelain skin was shining under the Sun.
Eric had his hand wrapped around Bianca's shoulders as two male best friends would do. His other hand was in his trouser pocket. He looked too good in his uniform without the blazer.
Danny and Evelyn were walking ahead of everyone. Her hair swept into the air as she walked. She just ran her fingers over them, and like magic, Evelyn's hair settled in place perfectly. Pink lipstick and pink blush enhanced the beauty of her Ivory skin. Danny walked casually, glancing everywhere, but not looking at anything or anyone in particular. He'd both his hands shoved in his pockets.
Michael and Samantha were walking together on Eric's left. Michael had held his blazer over his right shoulder with his thumb and forefinger, his other hand in the trouser pocket. Samantha walked like a Queen as if she was blessing the ground by just touching it with her feet.
Hunter was walking by Bianca's right side. Hera felt difficulty in swallowing her food suddenly, and she drank water to wash it down. Her eyes refused to move away from the pleasant sight. He looked too hot, even though he had that "faraway look" on his face. For reasons unknown to Hera, Hunter looked upset and distracted. Like his other friends, he had his hands shoved in his pockets as well.
Hera was in a daze for a few seconds as she watched them all walking with such similarities.
'Wow, what perfect coordination!'
Style, swag, and arrogance combined all at once. It looked like they were all walking on the ramp for some fashion show. They had so much in common, resembling in everything as though specially chosen to be in that one group.
All of them had blonde hair and blue eyes, but of course with slightly different shades. Hunter's friends were all typical New Yorkers. Whenever they come back from holidays, their sun-kissed, tan skin would turn into its original pale tone because of the chilly weather of London.
Hunter was the only odd one in that group with his charcoal black hair and purple eyes. His skin tone was also different from his friends. He took after his British grandmother's flawless fair skin, which would turn into dark pink whenever he laughs or gets angry.
'Such sinful good looks! What a waste. Not fair, dear God, not fair. Why were you so biased when you created them?'
Arrogance and dangerous aura poured out of their personalities and pooled around them, as the students in the food court watched those sex Gods with astonishment.
'Why do all the bad boys and bad girls are always blessed with good looks?'
"I hate blondes," Hera muttered with her stuffed mouth. None of her friends reacted, and suddenly silence graced her surroundings. Confused, Hera turned to look at her friends. They were all looking at her with similar expressions. They looked hurt as well as insulted, and Hera choked on her food when realisation dawned on her. All her friends were blondes as well, again with different shades.
"I meant to say, I hate Hunter and the team," Hera said, looking sheepishly at her friends and bit back a smile.
Hunter surprised her by not coming to her table to sit with her. He and his friends sat in the middle of the food court, away from Hera. Still, Hera could see Hunter as he sat facing her. That irritating harsh light hit her face once again. But she couldn't find the culprit. Every time she looked up, it disappeared. Accidentally, Hera's eyes landed on Hunter. He wasn't looking at her, his gaze fixed on something or someone to his left. Hera followed his eyes, and it ended on Noel's face.
Catching Hera's eyes, Noel grinned and lifted his hand, showing her the small mirror in his hand. The sunlight reflected directly on her face through the mirror. Noel was the culprit, and Hera's eyes shifted back to Hunter.
She could sense his anger.
'Oh, God! No, this is not good.'
Hera felt her heart racing as her eyes kept studying his every movement, watching him like a hawk. His friends discussed something among themselves before they left the table to buy their lunch while Samantha stayed back with Hunter. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the round wooden table. His hands unconsciously played with the paper tissue, making some patterns.
Samantha was blabbering something unaware of his sour mood. His posture, his behaviour seemed pretty natural for everyone. His deep purple eyes shone brightly in the warm sunlight, and his skin tone turned pinkish. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as he raked his fingers through his charcoal black hair, casually brushing the inside of his palm over it, smoothing the hairline. But Hera could see through him like a mirror. His demeanour looked anything but ordinary.
Hera knew, he was suppressing his anger, because she clearly saw, how his hand literally shook before it made contact with his hair and his jaw clenched while he ground his teeth.
'Don't I know how possessive he could get?'
Hera groaned as that irritating light reappeared on her face. Idiot Noel won't stop teasing her, adding more to her trouble. She watched through her squinted eyes as Hunter's lips pressed into a thin line. Crushing the tissue into a ball, he took a deep breath. He didn't even lift his head, but it's understood, he'd sensed the flash of light passing through his left side towards Hera's direction.
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