The Student, page 2
‘I’m British, I was born here. Mum’s Thai but Dad’s Welsh, he’s from Cardiff.’
Harry gritted his teeth, rubbing the back of his neck, admonishing himself for his stupidity. ‘No, no, I didn’t mean anything like that. You said you were new to the area. I just wondered what brought you to Carmarthen, that’s all. Your accent doesn’t sound local. I didn’t mean to imply…’
She looked at him, weighing him up, trying to read his thoughts as he squirmed in his chair. ‘I’d stop digging if I were you. I know exactly what you meant. You don’t need to explain yourself.’
Harry’s face reddened. ‘Yeah, sorry, I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me sometimes.’
‘If you give me a chance, I’ll teach you how to relax.’
‘That would be nice.’
‘So why the tears when I first saw you? What was that about?’
Harry averted his eyes to the wall as his second song began playing on the jukebox. Why choose a ballad? A love song! What the hell was I thinking? ‘I’d had some bad news.’
She frowned, made her eyes sad, pressed her lips together. ‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What sort of bad news? I hope you don’t mind me asking.’
Harry lowered his head. ‘Oh, I, err, I don’t really want to talk about it.’
Achara lifted her glass to her mouth and sipped. Buying time to think. She noted his vulnerability, his apparent emotional fragility, and decided now was precisely the right time to drive home her advantage. To flutter her eyelids, to flatter him, to reel him in. ‘Was it something to do with a girl?’
Harry blushed crimson. ‘What makes you think that?’
She studied his face and knew she was winning. ‘You’re young, you’re quite good looking, it just seems the most obvious explanation. I bet you get a lot of female attention. I’m right, aren’t I?’
It was far from true, but he decided to go with it. ‘Um, yeah, yeah, I guess so, but not usually from anyone as nice as you.’
She laughed. He was so predictable, so transparent. ‘So, was it a girl who made you cry?’
Harry briefly considered lying, but he decided against it at the last second. Instead, he chose his words with care, hoping he wouldn’t blow it, determining a measure of honesty was his best policy. It seemed good to start as he meant to go on. ‘Oh, she’s just a girl I thought I loved. She’s met someone new. They’re going travelling together. He’s the future, and I’m the past. Now that I think about it, I don’t think she was the right person for me at all… how about you? Are you in a relationship?’
She looked deep into his eyes, shaking her head to left and right, ever so slowly, ever so gracefully. ‘No, there’s no one. I’ve been waiting to meet the right man.’
Harry moved to the very edge of his seat, resting his elbows on the table, telling himself something could come of their meeting. That he may have won the relationship lottery. ‘Do you mean someone like me?’
She smiled without parting her lips. She had him, hook, line and sinker. ‘I believe in fate, in the mysteries of the universe. I believe we were destined to meet.’
He pulled his head back. ‘Really?’
Achara nodded assuredly. ‘Oh, yes, all that’s gone before was leading us to this precise moment in time. God’s looking down on us both and smiling right now. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. Everything’s just as it should be. As it was meant to be. Can you feel it, Harry? Because I can. It’s in the air. Love is all around.’
Harry’s breathing deepened, his heart rate increasing as he pictured her naked. What the hell could he say to that? ‘Shall I put some more music on the jukebox? I think I’ve got one last fifty pence coin here somewhere.’
She pushed her glass aside, tilting her head at a slight angle. ‘Are you changing the subject, my new friend?’
Harry opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again, momentarily lost for words as she rose to her feet, every movement of her body a work of art.
‘Were you going to say something?’
‘I was just thinking you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before.’ Achara smiled. ‘Different in a good way?’
‘Oh, yes, definitely in a good way!’
‘Come on, up you get. I’m feeling peckish all of a sudden.’
Harry’s face fell. ‘I’m completely skint.’
‘That’s not a problem, it’s my treat.’
‘Are you sure?’
She reached down, taking his hand in hers, lifting him to his feet. ‘I offered, didn’t I?’
‘Yeah, I guess you did.’
‘Is there a veggie place here in town?’
‘Um, there is an Italian place my mum and dad used to take me to on special occasions back in the day. I don’t know how much vegetarian stuff they do, but it’s nice enough from what I remember.’
‘I’m a strict vegan. I don’t eat anything of animal origin. Can you think of anywhere else? That’s not going to be a problem, is it?’
Harry was an enthusiastic meat eater, his tastes more bacon roll than quinoa, but he was never going to admit it, not now, not to her. ‘No, no, not at all, I love vegetarian food, always have. I can’t get enough of the stuff.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘So, do you know of anywhere?’
Harry counted to three inside his head, trying to think about anything other than sex as they walked out into the sunshine. ‘There is a small vegetarian café in Merlin’s Lane. I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard good things. One of my mates mentioned it. He goes to an open mic night at the end of each month. I keep meaning to try it myself.’
Achara looked at him and smiled warmly. ‘Well, now’s your chance. Come on, you can lead the way.’
4
Achara looked around the atmospheric, lilac-painted café, its four walls hung with colourful paintings by talented local artists. The place had a bohemian feel she liked immediately. It would have been a pleasant place to spend an hour or two, eating, drinking and chatting with like-minded friends. But she had a job to do. She had to concentrate. She had to stay focussed. She was there for a purpose. She couldn’t let herself forget that even for a single second.
Not now that she seemed so very close to success.
Achara pointed towards a black, faux leather settee in one corner of the room close to the serving counter and smiled. ‘That looks comfortable. What do you think? How about there?’
Harry nodded and sat himself down, making room for his new companion, still not quite able to believe his luck. She seemed so way out of his league, a ten as opposed to his five, on a different level entirely. He picked up a green cardboard menu and handed it to her before perusing a second one himself.
Achara placed her menu back on the low table ‘Anything you fancy?’
‘I think I’ll just have the soup.’
She turned her head to face him. ‘I want you to choose whatever you like. It’s not expensive. My treat, remember? Don’t feel you have to go for the cheapest option on the menu. I wouldn’t want that. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.’
Harry screwed up his face. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, how many times do I have to say it? You can pay next time if that makes you feel better.’
He smiled from ear to ear, making no effort to hide his pleasure. ‘There’s going to be a next time?’
‘Yes, why not? We get on well enough. We seem to have a natural affinity. I’d like to come again, wouldn’t you?’
Harry nodded eagerly. ‘Yeah, absolutely, let’s make it happen.’
She touched his arm and lingered as a pretty young waitress with bright red hair and hoop earrings approached the table.
‘Are you ready to order, guys?’
Harry waited for Achara to choose first, and then said he’d have the same, feigning enthusiasm, focussing more on her than his desire for sustenance.
Achara grinned, reading him like a large print book. Things were going better than she could ever have hoped. The grooming process was proving easier by the minute. Just like the scenarios she’d acted out time and again in training. Men really were such predictable creatures. Precisely as she’d been told. Why did she ever doubt it? The boy seemed as malleable as warm clay. ‘So, are you going to tell me more about the girl who made you cry?’
Harry raised a hand to his face, shielding his eyes. ‘Um, I’d err, I’d rather forget about her, if that’s all right with you?’
She sat looking at him in quiet contemplation for a few seconds before speaking again. ‘That was exactly the right thing to say. You’re gaining wisdom, Harry. We all have to accept change. It’s a part of life’s rich journey. You’re on a different path now. Let her go with a light heart. It will be easier that way. Why fight it? It wasn’t meant to be.’
Harry massaged his gut with one hand, swallowing his sadness, putting on a brave face and thinking of a new future. ‘Yeah, sorry, I know all those tears were stupid. We were only going out together for a few months. But she was my first real girlfriend. Rejection can be hard to take. It knocked my ability to trust. I really thought we had a future.’
Achara reached out, gripping his arm, simulating concern with accomplished ease. ‘Let her go, Harry. Let her memory fade. Her loss is my gain. There’s an affinity between us. Can you feel it? I don’t think it’s just me. There are better times ahead for both of us. This is day one of many. There are great things to come. Just you wait and see.’
He raised himself upright in his seat, more animated now, keen to lighten the mood. ‘Pinch me! This all seems like a dream. You’ve been so very kind, so understanding. It’s been a fantastic couple of hours. I can’t quite believe it’s happening.’
Achara leant towards him, kissing him gently on his stubbled cheek. ‘Oh, it’s real all right. Or, at least as real as anything is in this world. All of life is an illusion, a journey of the soul. Just accept it and enjoy the ride.’
Harry had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but he was never going to admit that, not to her, not now. He smiled his best smile, nodding enthusiastically as if he understood every single word. ‘Yeah, yeah, I get what you’re saying. I was thinking much the same thing myself. It makes absolute sense. I know exactly what you mean. Nothing happens by accident.’
Achara kissed his face again, more tenderly this time, mouth slightly open with a hint of passion, leaving a small damp patch of warm saliva on his skin.
She relaxed back in her seat, looking at him and only him, holding him in the palm of her hand. ‘Okay, that’s agreed. Let’s both forget about the past and focus on the future. Let’s live in the now. We’ll let change happen on both a physical and psychological level. Let my touch awaken your mind and body. Learn to do that, and you’ll have the best time of your life. That, I can promise you.’
Harry was shaken by the intensity of his feelings. His entire body felt more alive than ever before. It seemed love at first sight was real. He knew it because it was happening to him. ‘Yeah, let’s do exactly that. I’m beginning to think today’s the most important day of my life.’
‘Oh, it is, Harry, it is.’
He noticed that his hands were slightly clammy as the same attentive if unconventional waitress delivered two steaming bowls of aromatic vegetable curry to the table, followed by two tall glasses filled almost to the brim with almond milk banana shakes with cinnamon powder sprinkled on the top.
‘Is there anything else I can get you, guys?’
Achara shook her head, smiling warmly, speaking for both of them. ‘We’re good thanks. It all looks delicious. I’m glad we came.’
‘If there’s anything else you need, just give me a shout. I won’t be far away.’
Harry picked up his fork, moving his food around his bowl, allowing the rising vapour to warm his face as the waitress walked off with a sway of her hips. ‘Things like this just don’t happen to me. It still feels like a fantasy come true. What seemed like one of the worst days of my life is fast becoming one of the best.’
Achara’s eyes widened. ‘Only one of the best? I thought I was doing better than that.’
He grinned. ‘Okay, the best, definitely the best.’
‘All of life’s a dream, a creation of our mass consciousness. Don’t wake up, that’s the key. We create our own reality based on our thoughts and emotions. That’s how things work, karma, we get exactly what we deserve in this life. Just keep dreaming, think nice thoughts. There’s just energy and awareness, that’s it. Everything else is a delusion. A profoundly wise man taught me that. Don’t be one of life’s robots, get off the hamster wheel, open your mind and embrace life’s rich tapestry.’
Harry nodded once, still desperate to give the impression they were on the same wavelength. But they really couldn’t have been more different. He’d already realised that. He knew it full well. Had she not looked so gorgeous, so alluring, he suspected he’d have walked away long before now. That was the truth of it. But there was something about her. A beauty that drew him to her like a moth to the flame. The last thing he wanted was to spoil the mood. He searched his mind for something to say. Something meaningful, something profound, something to impress. ‘How are you liking the curry?’ He silently cursed his limitations. Oh, for fuck’s sake! Is that really the best you can do?
She laughed, contemplating his need for enlightenment. Thinking he had so much to learn. He was such a naive boy, such an innocent. The master would mould him in his image. ‘It’s lovely, thanks. What about you?’
Harry lifted his glass to his mouth and took a generous gulp of the sweet liquid, oblivious to the thick milky residue it left above his top lip. ‘Yeah, it’s great, thanks. I really appreciate your generosity.’
She reached out, wiped his mouth with a delicate swipe of her finger, and then licked it clean. ‘You don’t need to keep thanking me. I’m enjoying your company, that’s payment enough. We’ve agreed you can pay next time. Let’s leave it at that.’
He crossed his legs as his penis began to swell. ‘The day started off feeling like a total disaster, and now I’m sitting here talking to you with a big grin on my face. It all seems too good to be true. Are you sure there’s not something you’re not telling me?’
Achara adopted a more serious persona, looking at him with unblinking eyes that seemed to reach out and touch his very soul. ‘You need to stop being so cynical. Good things happen to good people. Just accept it. The stars are aligned in your favour. Everything’s just as it should be. Exactly like I said before. Just like I told you.’
Harry shook his head, far from persuaded but still wanting to believe every word she said. There was music in her voice. Poetry in every sentence she uttered. He told himself he knew exactly what she wanted to hear. And he was going to say it without fear of contradiction. ‘It’s weird, I’ve only known you for a couple of hours, but I’ve never felt happier. It’s as if we’ve known each other for eternity.’
She smiled. It was almost time. She had him. Not long now, not long to go. ‘Eat your food before it gets cold. We can talk more later. We’ve got all the time in the world.’
They ate in virtual silence for the next five minutes or so, as Harry indulged erotic fantasies of future carnal delights, and Achara considered her next move in line with her training.
Her earlier anxieties had dissipated, and she was beginning to think she may not need to use the drug at all. ‘Use your feminine wiles to your advantage.’ That’s what her lead instructor had said more than once in that oh so insistent way of hers. ‘Play to your obvious strengths. If you’re targeting a man, flirt with him, flutter your eyelids, stick your boobs out and pout suggestively. Men are simple, so predictable, so easy to manipulate. You’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time at all.’ Achara had laughed at the time, doubting the sense of it all as she’d sat and listened in the classroom, but it was all beginning to make absolute sense now that she could witness the results for herself. She could hear the instructor’s voice in her head as if she were there now in the room. ‘You’re a pretty girl, Achara. Flatter his ego, and he’ll be putty in your hands.’ And it seemed the teacher had had it spot on. This poor boy was so desperate to please. So ready to forget his grief and move on to another relationship with a virtual stranger. Men were such limited creatures. Except for the master, of course. That went without saying. Poor Harry was like a puppy begging for his next treat. Driven by the hormone-fuelled desires of youth.
‘Do you fancy another banana shake, Harry?’
He shook his head with a smile, resting his hands on his lap. ‘No, I’m good thanks. Nice, though. I really like this place.’
Achara checked the wall clock to her right. It was too soon to leave. Another twenty minutes would be just about perfect. She had to time it exactly right. Nothing less was acceptable. Not if she was to impress her superiors and win favour. She met Harry’s tear-stained eyes and smiled warmly, revealing perfect white teeth that gleamed. ‘I’m going to order a peppermint tea to finish off our meal. It aids digestion. Why don’t you join me? You wouldn’t be sorry. It’s a lot better for you than the beer you seem to like so much.’
Harry grinned, shifting in his seat. ‘I’ve never tried it.’
Achara waved to the same attentive waitress. ‘Well, now’s your chance. You’re not in any rush, are you?’
Harry shook his head. ‘No, not in the slightest.’
‘Well, that settles it. I’ll order us a pot for two.’
Achara agitated the fresh mint for a full two minutes before pouring. ‘I think it’s time you told me a bit more about yourself.’
‘I’m just a student, like I said. I don’t know how much there is to tell.’
She tilted her head at a slight angle. ‘Oh, come on, don’t put yourself down. You must have lots of interesting facts to share.’
‘Such as?’
‘Well, you can tell me where you live for a start.’
