When Nila’s question, “Are you busy?” received a “yes” in response, she felt as if she had slapped herself on the face, and John was equally frustrated with himself. The very transformation he underwent, all his efforts—to get her attention—had seemingly gone to waste! Their friends sighed deeply, sat down on the staircase with their heads in their hands, as if giving up on hope. From the corner of his eye, John noticed Ryan gesturing with folded hands, pleading with him to retract his response. Meanwhile, Nila, who had never approached anyone like this before, felt her pride deeply hurt after putting herself out there due to Sara’s dare. Nevertheless, the clever Nila quickly composed herself, masking her emotions. She decided to make an effort to ease the tension with John, as the challenge was to hold a conversation with him for ten minutes, following the “smell, smile, and scan” rule.
The story wasn’t going to stall here. Nila began devising a strategy to proceed. She decided to start with “smell.” From afar, Sara observed Nila’s every move carefully. To prove to Sara that she could complete the “smell” part of the challenge, Nila took a step closer to John. The enchanting fragrance of Tom Ford’s “Myrrh Mystere” cologne emanating from John had already captivated her senses. It sparked a magnetic pull toward him. Suddenly, Nila felt an intense resentment toward Sara. She knew this was her weakness. No matter how unattractive or unappealing someone might be, a good fragrance was enough to win Nila over. To her, nothing in the world was more powerful than a delightful scent. Why had she agreed to this “smell” challenge? Of course, she had no idea back then that John’s choice of cologne would be so irresistible! Composing herself again, Nila decided to take the conversation forward.
Nila: Who’s the appointment with? A friend or a girlfriend? (She laughed as she asked.)
John: I don’t have a girlfriend right now, but if you’re interested, I wouldn’t mind!
Nila, who was teasing to keep the conversation light and complete the ten minutes, suddenly felt embarrassed. Offering herself to someone like that was beyond anything she could imagine doing.
John: No response, huh?
Nila: Let’s go outside and talk instead.
John: I’m not a snake, you know. Even if you sit in my car and talk, I won’t bite.
Nila: I don’t sit in strangers’ cars.
John: I just said sit in the car, not drive away!
Though John said this in a serious tone, his friends sitting nearby overheard and burst into mischief-laden whistles, making double entendres of his statement. Meanwhile, Sara, observing the scene from afar, began to grow increasingly anxious as three minutes of the challenge ticked by. She feared her thousand dollars were slipping away!
Nila: Didn’t you say you had work with a friend?
John: I did! But I’d much rather skip that and spend the day getting lost with a beauty like you. What do you say?
Nila: No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just thinking, maybe we could sit on the stairs outside and discuss today’s lecture. I wasn’t prepared at all today, but I saw you came prepared. Since the professor gave us work on this topic, I thought I’d get some better understanding by discussing it with you.
John: Alright, but we could sit in the library too. Though it would be more fun in my car—I’ve got a reader installed in there. We can instruct it to read out the material, pause to discuss, and take notes in between.
This seemed like a reasonable suggestion to Nila. She followed John to his car. With great respect, John opened the car door for her, and once she was seated, he sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. The campus was immediately abuzz with chatter and commotion! Sara began shouting, trying to convince everyone that Nila was not like other girls, that she would return soon. She wouldn’t do anything others might. But who listened? Jealous girls sneered, saying, “What’s the difference now? Miss High-and-Mighty, who never set foot on the ground, has fallen for John’s looks and money! Shame!”
Sara began feeling guilty. Nila returned thirty minutes later—not in a disheveled or upset state, but composed and cheerful.
Sara: So, how did it go? What happened? How far did things go? Everything?
Nila: Easy, friend, easy. Take a breath. I’ll answer one by one. Calm down.
Sara: Tell me! What did he do to you? When he kissed you, did it feel gross?
Nila: Do you only ever think about sex? Nothing of that sort happened!
Sara: Nothing? Are you trying to tell me we walk with our hands and eat with our feet? You’ll say it, and I’ll believe it? We’ve known John since primary school; you’ve only known him for a year. There hasn’t been a single day when John has taken a girl in his car, and nothing has happened between them.
Nila: Nothing happened with me. Even when he had the chance, on an empty road, he didn’t even try to hold my hand.
Sara: How am I supposed to believe that? It’s impossible!
Nila: We talked about Taylor Swift and pop culture. I didn’t even realize how the time passed! In the end, he suggested we meet in the library after lunch to work on the assignment instead of leaving it for later. So here I am.
Sara: Are you seriously okay? Do you expect me to believe what you’re saying?
Sara placed her hand on Nila’s forehead, wondering if she had a fever and was babbling incoherently in delirium.
Nila: Alright, friend! I’ve won. I sat in John’s car for thirty minutes. He parked a little further in a quiet spot. We turned to face each other and had a discussion. So, smell, smile, and scan—all complete!
Meanwhile, their conversation had attracted a growing crowd of curious onlookers. No one really believed Nila, and the jealous girls sneered, saying, “Oh, John the saint! Nila’s just faking it! Half an hour in the car, and now she’s spinning fairy tales!” Hearing this, Nila remained composed and simply glanced once at Angelie.
Sara began to feel guilty. Although she didn’t express it, Nila could sense Sara’s unease. Taking a deep breath, Nila turned to Angelie and said, “If everything I said is true, and after lunch John goes to the library with me to study and nothing else happens, then what will you do?”
Angelie: Then fish will fly in the sky, and birds will live in the depths of the sea. (She smirked sarcastically.)
Nila: Alright, let’s bet. If I lose, I’ll give you a thousand dollars. But if you lose, you’ll give me twelve hundred. Deal?
Angelie: Not just twelve hundred, I’ll give you fifteen hundred! A beautiful girl like you sitting with John for thirty minutes alone, and he doesn’t touch, kiss, or anything? That wouldn’t be John! If you have the guts, prove it. But leave your cash or card with Abraham before heading to the library. Whoever wins or loses, tonight we’ll use that money for dinner.
Nila: You can do dinner or tomorrow’s breakfast for all I care, but that’s only if you win. If I win, I’m taking my fifteen hundred and leaving.
Angelie: Dream on, dreamer! Go ahead. John’s been our childhood friend. I know him inside out.
Scarborough, Canada
