The Bewitched Knights

Chapter 9

“Take a deep breath in,” she said and I obliged as I put my hand on my knees and looked to my front while I felt her touching my chest.

“Ace?”

Jung caming running into the room huffing as he looked at me and then at the doctor. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he literally threw his bag on a chair and cam forward to me as the doctor checked me using a stethoscope. “Breath out” the doctor told me and I did all the while looking at Jung who looked way too confused.

“Well, there seems nothing wrong, my dear,” the doctor who seemed to be in her late fifties chuckled as she patted my back and threw her stethoscope around her neck as she pussed her swivel chair towards her desk. “Then doctor, why do I have a raised heartbeat?” I asked confused as I put my hand on my chest and could feel the heart pounding vigorously.

“Raised heartbeat?“Jung looked baffled.

“Yours exams are on your head right? It’s probably Tachycardia. Exam stress,” the doctor said but that didn’t really assure me that I was alright. “Doctor do you think I should get my blood test or something?” I urged her to check more on me and she looked at me through her reading glasses and nodded. “Alright,” she told me and I took a sigh of relief. Probably my blood test would tell me something.

“But I would suggest you not to think so much. You look completely fine to me,” she said and I folded my arms over my chest and looked back at Jung who looked way too confused.

“You went to the doctor because your heartbeats were rising?” Jung asked as we walked to our hostel. “What if I have a heart disease?” I said and heard him sighing. “Ace, raised heartbeat doesn’t mean that you are going to have a heart disease. Look at the weather! It’s so hot! Probably because of the temperature,” he said and I looked up at the sky and truly the sun was throwing scorching heat. I felt thirsty just by looking at the sky and for some reason I thought maybe Jung was right. My heartbeats were raising because of the heat.

“So, how do I solve this one?” Veronica asked as she held a pencil in her hand and tapped on the book showing me a question. As, I had promised her, I was helping her with the studies. But I had never thought that when she said help then she would call me whenever I was free and spend the whole day with me, either in the library or in the canteen or in the lawn of the school building. I got it that she wanted help but she followed me everywhere and somehow she got my number from somewhere and called me the last night asking about her doubts. I was sitting in my balcony with the books in my hand and thankfully because of that she didn’t show up wandering alone, with her earphones plugged in her ear, in the night.

The familiar fragrance hitting my nose and my nostrils flared up, inhaling the damn intoxicating fragrance. She sat way too close for my liking as she concentrated on the book while I sat there like a fool feeling my heartbeats raising again.

"Breathe Ace, Just breathe!" I mumbled to remind myself and it seemed she heard it as she turned her head towards me. "You alright?" she asked and I nodded before dragging my chair away from hers in the library and clearing my throat, I took the pencil from her and solved the question for her in her notebook. "Here you go," I said as I kept the pencil down on the book. 

"Great! It's really easy this way," she nodded as she skimmed the notebook and before she could say anything, I made it my cue to leave. "Alright. I have to go now," I said I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder.

"Oh wait! Where are you going? I thought you are going to help me the other chapter too!" her eyes brimmed with confusion. "I have some work to finish. You should carry on with your studies and if you have any doubt or you need help in anything than just give me a call," I told her and walked around the table to leave.

"Wait, Ace!"

A gasp escaped my mouth as I looked back to find her holding my hand stopping me from leaving. "What are you doing?" I said as I jerked her hands away from me. She looked startled for a second but then again her face marred with confusion. "Relax," she exclaimed as I held the hand that she held a few second ago as if someone tried to rip it away.

"You left your phone. I was just handing you your phone," she showed me my phone and my eyes grew bigger for a second but then realising what I did and how I reacted, I cleared my throat and took the phone from her. "Oh! Thanks," I said but deep down felt embarrassed.

God! Why did you react that way?

Now what must she be thinking about you?

"Ace if everything okay?" I heard her voice and looked at her to find her already looking at me. Like always, she had her black long hair braided to a side and she was wearing an olive green sleeveless tops with sky blue jeans jeans. She looked really nice.

"Ace?" I was brought out of my thoughts as I she called my name and I shook my head and looked anywhere but her.

"Yeah! Yeah, everything's fine," I told her and turned to leave. "Call me if you need something," I said and walked away clutching the phone tight in my hand again feeling my heart beats rising more like pounding, much to my annoyance, causing me stress.