3.0 If You Appear in front of Me Again...

Everyday, Eloise tried her best to stop thinking about Nikolai and also the moments they had together but she would unconsciously recall those memories causing her to have an internal turmoil. During her dinner with Katherine on a Friday night, she finally exploded when she slammed the spoon on the table. It was so loud the whole restaurant could hear her. "Eloise Washington, what is wrong with you?" asked Katherine who was genuinely surprised to the point she almost choked on her food. "Katherine , I think I am doomed," replied Eloise . "What do you mean? Did you do something wrong?" asked Katherine , curious and worried for Eloise who had been acting weird all week. "Tell me. A promise must be kept, right?" she asked. Katherine nodded and replied "A promise is a promise… why are you asking this?" Eloise started to pull on her hair causing Katherine to grab the former as to calm her down.

"Are you possessed or something?" asked Katherine after calming Eloise down. "If you keep acting like this, I will send you to the hospital," she added. Eloise grabbed Katherine 's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye as she said "I think I am bewitched." There was a moment of silence before Katherine broke out in laughter. "I think you are crazy. I will get you an appointment for a psychiatrist," said Katherine as a joke. However, the joke was ineffective and she started to feel as if Eloise was really serious with her words. "You are being serious?" asked Katherine . "The barley thief…" said Eloise after much contemplation. "What did he do? What could he possibly do?" asked Katherine . "He…saved me," replied Eloise . This was not the answer Katherine was expecting. "Saved you?" asked Katherine , confused.

After Eloise explained the whole story, Katherine slammed her glass of cider on the table, once again shocking everyone in the restaurant. "Eloise Washington! You are in love!" shouted Katherine , announcing to the whole world. Clearly, they were too loud so the waiter had to walk over and asked them to remain calm. "Eloise , you are not bewitched, you are in love! L-O-V-E!" said Katherine with her voice lowered but still filled with excitement. "Are you sure?" asked Eloise who was doubting this feeling. "Girl, it is totally understandable since you have been single your whole life. I, Katherine Williams, have had many relationship with countless of handsome boys. I know well enough what 'love' is," explained Katherine who was reassuring Eloise of her doubts. "So, who is he? Is he good looking?" asked Katherine , prying into Eloise 's business. "He is from the music department. I don't know what year he is in though. He said his name is Nikolai Gunther," replied Eloise .

When Katherine heard the name 'Nikolai Gunther', she spit the cider she was drinking. Her reaction was totally world-class. "Nikolai Gunther?" she asked again, doubting her hearing. "Yes, Nikolai Gunther," replied Eloise , clueless. "Eloise Washington! He is a Greek God! He is the most popular boy of the freshman year!" explained Katherine who was shocked Eloise did not know about him. "Is that so?" asked Eloise since she had no idea he was this famous. "Nikolai Gunther is voted as the god of Harvard University. It was posted all over the homepage," Katherine added. "But then, you do live under a rock so I guess this is no surprise," she said after letting out a sigh. "So…he is popular?" asked Eloise again. "I will hit you with this bottle if you weren't my friend," said Katherine who was on the verge of exploding with rage. "If he is this popular, he probably has a girlfriend," said Eloise who sounded disappointed. "Only one way to find out," said Katherine who had a cheeky smile.

Eloise found herself in front of the music faculty building once again. This time, she wasn't alone since Katherine tagged along. "Is this your plan? To trespass?" asked Eloise who was embarrassed for her friend. "I didn't say anything about trespassing. We are just 'entering'," replied Katherine who boldly walked inside. "Katherine Williams! Come back!" said Eloise who chased after her. Inside, Katherine was strolling around hoping to bump into Nikolai coincidentally. Eloise on the other hand was not feeling so confident. Their appearance also caused quite a commotion since the goddess was in the music faculty building. Many boys they passed by in the hallway were literally star-stunned upon seeing Eloise . "Katherine , I think we should leave," said Eloise who was unwilling to cooperate with this plan. "I am not leaving until we meet the person who bewitched you," said Katherine , determined to meet Nikolai .

At the corner, Katherine accidentally bumped into someone. It was Casey , the best friend of Nikolai . Beside him stood Nikolai , the person they were seeking for. Eloise immediately hid behind Katherine since she was scared to face Nikolai who did warn her not to show up at his faculty. "Aren't you the goddess who waited for Nikolai the other day?" asked Casey who noticed Eloise . "And you are?" asked Katherine who blocked Casey from looking at Eloise . "I'm Casey Harrington. And you? I believe you are not from here," he replied. "Katherine Williams, fashion faculty. I am not here for you. I am here for your friend, Nikolai Gunther," replied Katherine . It was another embarrassing moment for Eloise since she just tagged along. To be honest, she even tried to stop Katherine from being so rash. However, it was of no use to deny since it was not to her favor.

"You, come with me," said Nikolai signaling Eloise to follow him. When Katherine tried to follow them, she was stopped by Casey . "He clearly didn't call for you," said Casey with a smirk. Hence, Katherine was unable to tag along. With a regretful feeling, Eloise followed Nikolai into a piano room. He locked the door making her feel uneasy. "Um, the thing is, I tried to stop her…she is a little hot-headed so she is just being rash. I really didn't mean to come back here again," Eloise tried to explain the situation. She realized he was being really quiet so she turned around and immediately bumped into his chest. Her face blushed and she moved backwards. Eloise was starting to lose her cool since she didn't expect to be so close to him. "Um, I am sorry for coming here again. If we have caused you any problem, I am really sorry. If there is anything I can do…" said Eloise who avoided looking at him.

Nikolai grabbed her chin and tilted her head upwards making their eyes meet. "Why are you not looking at me?" he asked. Eloise felt a sudden chill in her spine as his voice sounded cold and he also looked slightly scary. "There are only two reasons why you don't look at me. One, you hate me to the point that looking at me will kill you. Two, you like me," said Nikolai calmly as he looked her straight in the eye. Eloise could feel her heart racing like crazy but she knew it was not the right response she should be having in that situation. Nikolai releases his grip and turned around as he said "I think it is the later since you keep coming for me." Eloise was embarrassed but she could not deny it either since she did not know what her emotions meant. All she could do was look down in silence. "I can tell from a mile away that you are a newcomer in this game of love. But, you do peak my interest, especially those eyes of yours. I'm saying this for your own good - If you appear in front of me again, I will eat you…" said Nikolai before he walked out.

Moments later, Katherine came running into the room and found Eloise on the floor. She seemed as if her soul had been sucked out of her body. Katherine helped Eloise get back on her feet and they left. That night, Eloise was spacing out as she was working part-time. Her boss, the owner of the petite France café, Hank Graham noticed she was not in her best condition so he decided to let her back early. "You are not fit to work tonight. Just look at you. I haven't seen you so depressed ever since you started working here last summer," said Hank . "How do you know what love feels like?" asked Eloise out of the blue. "Love? Well, it is a feeling that you cannot easily describe," he replied. Then he added "Are you having love problems?" She forced a smile as she replied "No, I was just thinking about it." Hank untied her apron and said "Go home for now. There aren't that many customers anyway. I can close up on my own."