Anastasiia Deniz Mitchell "Don’t Fall in Love with an Aquarius: Saint Petersburg. Volume 2"

So, my overall result was one hundred and seventy-six. Out ofВ two hundred. Amazing!

I turned out the last in the list, though. There were outstanding students with a better score. I was grateful to the University I was admitted anyway! The last one isn’t the worst one!

It was a great celebration for us all. For me especially. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it!

The only question was… whether I should tell Emre about that or not. Well, maybe, not yet. As soon as he finds out the news, he might start avoiding me there, for whatever reason.

Why did I think like that? I didn’t actually know! Perhaps, something unconscious was telling me that.

However eager to text the man I was, I couldn’t do that. It was now the middle of August. I had a dilemma: to text or not to text.

Oh, my weak willpower! IВ chose the first option!

Me: Emre! I’ve thought I should work on myself a lot. I’m really selfish. What shall I do?

Emre: Well, I think you’re a nice person. So nice that you can sometimes do stupid things.

My God! I didn’t think he’d say exactly that!

Me: Emre, how’re you? I’m really happy to hear this! Emre…

Emre: What,В Azi?

He had called me… Azi! After everything, after all… A weird man. A strange one. But the one whom I love most of all.

Me: Emre, first of all, I want to apologize. For everything I’ve done and said.

Emre: Azi, why? You… you’re so pure in your heart! No need. Why?

Was it Emre?

A couple of months before, he had been saying the opposite…

Frankly speaking, IВ understood very little. Emre was now praising me, whereas before he had been blamingВ me!

Or, maybe, he had always thought like that, and he had just hidden it from me for an unknown reason…

Me: Emre, thank you very much! How’re you?

Emre: Not bad, not bad. How’re you, Azi? Have they called you? Have they accepted you for the job?

Me: No, they haven’t. But I’m nonetheless happy.

Emre: Azi, what’re you doing?

Me: Err… Nothing special. Just sitting in the park. What about you?

Emre: I’m at home. The weather here’s burning, so I decided to go nowhere but sit in my room.

Me: I can see now. Emre, I wanted to apologize. For everything. I’m sorry.

Emre: Azi, you don’t have to…

Me: I’ve been selfish, Emre. An egoïst.

Emre: Oh, Azi, please, don’t say it. You’re a lovely person. And you perfectly know that. Do you know how many selfish people I’ve met?

Me: I don’t know, Emre…

Emre: A million billion of such people. So, Azi, you’re a very pure person. The purest person ever that I know. You’re not selfish. Not an egoïst. Okay?

Me: Okay.

Emre: You see now. So, how’re you, Azi?

Strange it all was. It seemed like the episodes ofВ our quarrelling had been put out ofВ his mind forever. Like it had never happened.

Me: I’m fine, thank you, Emre! Happy to hear you’re all right too!

1В SeptemberВ 2021

My first class… Called “Communication Aspects in Linguistics’. New theory. New seminars. Everything was new to me. Not to mention the groupmates and the teaching faculty.

And, ofВ course, new impressions.

7В SeptemberВ 2021

As soon as IВ entered the University, aВ guy called Nadeem appeared on myВ way.

“What year in LETI? What department?”

And many more questions.

Nadeem was Indian. AВ big aquiline nose, glasses, aВ crazy look.

I didn’t like the guy. Because he knew Emre. They studied in the same year, but different departments. Emre studied robotics, his enemy being a future programmer. In other words, a would-be hacker…

10В SeptemberВ 2021

“Would you like to meet?” That was Nadeem’s offer.

“Why should I?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I hardly even know you…”

“It doesn’t matter. Any man needs a woman at hand.”

Indeed, indeed…

“I’ve got a lot to do,” I said.

“Me too, my darling,” the crazy man smiled. “So, what about a cup of coffee in the evening?”

Was he kidding, or what?

IВ turned round and left.

“Think of my offer, my darling!” Nadeem called after me.

I didn’t even look back. Why should I…?

13В SeptemberВ 2021

“My darling, will you help me with my Russian homework? I speak Russian slowly. But now, I have you. You can help me.”

Interesting, interesting…

They had got to write an essay on why they had arrived to Russia. Was it so complicated to write out the reasons? For instance, Russia is a beautiful country. Or, well, you’d like to try some new experience. Another one could be that Russian technical education can be recognized all over the world. What’s more… Well, couldn’t they think what to compose themselves?

Lazy guys… Or maybe they just were making sure such a stupid woman wouldn’t skip a chance to hook in such a talented man who had come to Russia from abroad.

23В SeptemberВ 2021

I desired to meet Emre. But where and how…?

What IВ needed toВ do was toВ have aВ look at his schedule and the exact department the man wasВ in.

Robotics.

Nevertheless, there were a dozen groups in the department. Which one was Emre’s…?

After aВ thorough research, IВ finally found what his probable group number was and scrolled through his schedule. Now, it was time toВ weigh roughly what day there would be corresponding breaks when IВ had the highest probability toВ come across Emre.

The followingВ day!

24В SeptemberВ 2021

I wasn’t ready for that. To be closer, I was, but…

What would Emre’s reaction be? Would he be happy to see me? Or, maybe, not?

I had a gut feeling that it’d be twofold: at first, Emre would be so glad. But then… I had no explanation for that. Would he be angry if he saw me? Perhaps, the reason for that wouldn’t concern me directly: it was something else. What exactly it was I didn’t really know. I hoped I’d find it out soon.

“I’ll definitely learn the ropes,” I decided for myself.

After the class, IВ had aВ break. So, IВ went straight toВ the door behind which Emre was supposed toВ have aВ lecture. IВ stood byВ there and tried toВ listen what the teacher was speaking about.

Some stuff inВ robotics, let me guess. Maybe.

IВ looked through the doorhole. Would IВ be able toВ make EmreВ out?

There heВ was!

Oh, my goodness!

He looked the same as IВ had imagined him to. Black curly hair, big brown eyes. And the style he had had before. Black jeans. AВ blue jumper.