It rained heavily after they finished picking all the red strawberries. Louise escaped the downpour towards the student cafeteria and drank the warm lemon tea provided by the caretaker.
‘Thank goodness.’
She was grateful they managed to pick the strawberries before the rain. The caretaker washed the strawberries and placed Louise’s share in a small basket while she hungrily swallowed down a meat and vegetable sandwich into her work-starved stomach. There was no time to eat slowly. She had to make it on time for Professor Hewitt’s class, and he wasn’t lenient to latecomers.
She didn’t have an umbrella, but luckily Simon was well-prepared with one and kindly escorted her to the lecture hall. Because of their height difference Simon’s shoulders ended up getting terribly soaked.
“I’m sorry.”
Louise frowned sympathetically as they entered the corridor.
“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
They stopped in front of the classroom door.
“Work hard.”
Of course, he didn’t forget to leave her warm encouragement.
“You too, Simon. Thank you very much for today. “
“You’re welcome.”
He left with only those curt words. Louise hurried into the lecture hall. She was tired from the physical labor early in the morning and the warm food she had put in her stomach. No, not tired, sleepy. Louise sat by the window and yawned. She wanted to rest for a while, so she lay down her head on the table and felt the cool desk warm up under her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment, then soon fell asleep.
“Louise?”
She could feel someone shaking her shoulder. She cracked open one eye and saw the president looking down at her.
I’m tired, don’t touch me, she wanted to say, but she was too exhausted to even move her mouth.
The heaviest eyelid in the world slid down.
*
*
*
What was going on? Concerned, Ian sat next to Louise and looked at her lying on the table. Her hair was damp and her clothes were covered in mud. Did she fall? Was she hurt? He looked at her hands and legs but couldn’t find any injuries. What else could it be?
As his worry grew, her breathing gradually eased. He could her see back comfortably rising up and down as if she were sound asleep. She looked half-wet.
“…You’ll catch a cold like this.”
He sighed and took out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and squeezed some moisture out of her hair. The thin handkerchief was quickly saturated with water.
“Louise.”
He called out again carefully.
“…Louise?”
She could get in trouble if she didn’t wake up soon. Professor Hewitt was never late for class. But in her deep sleep Louise did not move an inch. Was she sick? Ian swept aside some of her hair and felt her cool cheek. He didn’t think she had a fever, but it still wasn’t safe for her temperature to go down like this.
His hand was still on her cheek. When Louise finds out about this she’s going to cry and say, “Who allowed you to touch me whenever you wanted?” His hands were warm though, and it would be of some help. As time went by he could feel her cool skin slowly returning to its normal temperature and he finally removed his hand. It would be embarrassing if Louise woke up and saw him.
Louise’s lips drew into a soft smile. He had told her yesterday that that kind of defenseless look was unfair. He ruffled her wet hair as her chin was tucked in her arm.
When Louise awoke, there was silence everywhere.
‘Why is it quiet?’
It couldn’t be. She had come to class, it couldn’t be quiet around here! Louise jumped up from her seat in terror. There were no professors or students in sight. What was going on here? She closed her eyes for several seconds.
“Class is over.”
A reply came from nearby. Ian. Louise looked back at him with a tearful expression.
“…Did I ever wake up?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“What did the professor say?”
“Prepare for the lowest grades.”
“What?!”
“I’m kidding. The professor didn’t say much. Maybe he was flustered.”
Professor Hewitt was a dignified professor without exception. He probably never had a student that so proudly slept in class.
“I’ll have to go and apologize later.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“How was class anyway?”
“It was hard. He talked about the test a lot.”
“Oh…”
Come to think of it, there was an upcoming test. She couldn’t fall asleep in class just before an important time.
“And you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. What are you doing here?”
“I may have been waiting for you to wake up.”
“I’m sorry.”
She must have caused him some anxiety for no real reason.
“It’s nothing. It’s alright for me to worry about an old friend.”
“I’m glad you said so.”
“Anyway.”
Ian sat back and looked straight at Louise.
“What happened to you?”
He had been waiting around after class just so he could ask her that question?
“Oh, right.”
Louise’s face brightened, a contrast to her messy appearance.
“I was going to give you this!”
Louise picked up the basket she had put down on the floor and placed it on the desk. She pulled away the cloth covering to reveal bright red, shining strawberries. Ian looked between the basket and Louise in amazement. She picked them in this rainy weather?
“Oh, we picked the strawberries right before it rained,”
Louise added with a wave of her hand as if she read his face.
“I’ll be happy if you shared it with someone you like. I’ll be even happier if you find out that it tastes different from cucumbers.”
This was…
What should he say?
Ian felt a stab of worry. Of course, it was standard practice to say thank you when you get a gift, but seeing her like this with a smiling face with dirty clothes and hair…
He gave a small sigh. He had to say something.
“Thank you.”
Louise beamed at his reply.
“And as you say, I’ll share it with someone I like.”
“Good luck.”
“I’d better get going.”
He picked up the basket of strawberries and stood up from his seat first.
“Do you have class?”
“No. I’m going to give the strawberries to someone I like.”
“Ah…”
Louise nodded her head.
“So get up. The both of us should hurry.”
“What? Me?”
“Who else is here?”
“Do I have to go with you?”
“You’re asking the obvious, come on.”
Ian, cute strawberry basket in hand, stepped out into the hallway with Louise behind him. Of course she had to continue protesting.
“Hey, do I really need to follow you? I have to go to the dormitory and–”
“It’s okay. It won’t take long. They’re right there.”
Stella?
Louise looked to where Ian pointed, but she could not see her beautiful red hair.
Instead, there were two familiar faces. Claire and Dean. Ian quickly walked up to them then plucked a strawberry from the basket and stuffed it into Dean’s mouth.
“I like you, Dean.”
“…Are you crazy, President?”
“I can’t help it, it’s that kind of a strawberry. It’s what Louise told me to do.”
Ian took out another strawberry and put it into Claire’s mouth.
“I like you, Claire.”
“What an honor for my family. I received a confession from Ian Audmonial.”
“I can’t help it, it’s that kind of a strawberry. It’s what Louise told me to do.”
Ian repeated the same excuse.
“I should thank the strawberries and Louise for the honor.”
“Enjoy it with relish.”
“…President?”
Louise tugged on his collar from behind him.
“What? I’m eating strawberries with the people I like.”
He mumbled as he pushed three strawberries into his mouth. He began handing out strawberries to any students that passed by.
“I can’t help it, it’s that kind of a strawberry. It’s what Louise told me to do.”
Louise stood behind Ian and watched him greeting the students, laughing, and praising the sweetness of the strawberries. Then she realized. Ian wasn’t lying when he said he liked everyone. He really liked Dean and Claire and the students who took the same class. What Louise had said earlier wasn’t so nice. The supply of strawberries quickly dwindled, leaving only one.
“There’s only one left, “
Louise murmured regretfully. If she knew that everyone would enjoy them so much, she would’ve have gotten more.
“Yes.”
Ian picked up the last strawberry and looked at Louise.
