The next day, Maya and Delia went to university together. It was already the middle of their first week as students, and they knew that the assignments for the semester projects were about to be distributed.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am your Anatomy professor. Let me explain how things will work. We will have both lectures and laboratory sessions together. Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, but do not even think about missing the labs. I am serious. Your final grade will be based on a project you will work on in teams of two. Both the teams and the topics will be assigned by drawing lots, so let's begin. The first fifteen students, please come to the front and draw a slip with the name of your future lab partner."
"And just like that, our plan to be a team for the first time is gone," Delia whispered.
"So you say," Maya replied.
She stood up to draw a slip from the bowl held by the professor. When she read the name written on the paper, she also noticed a pair of loafers on the floor, standing directly opposite her own. She lifted her eyes, and the boy in front of her introduced himself, telling her he would be her partner, before walking over to speak to the professor.
Maya felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Although it was the first time she had seen her colleague, she somehow knew it would not be easy to work with him. She had been lucky—or unlucky—enough to draw the name of the most handsome boy in the first year, the very embodiment of perfection.
At first glance, Bogdan Sami was about one meter ninety tall, with a physique that made one wonder whether or not he worked out regularly. His chestnut hair, seemingly careless, and his green eyes gave him an air of mystery, perfectly matched by his thin but well-defined lips.
A female voice snapped her out of the daydreaming she had found herself slipping into more and more lately.
"Professor, may I be on Bogdan's team?"
"Did you draw his name, miss?"
"No, Vlad's."
"Then you will work with Vlad, and Bogdan will be paired with someone else. That is only fair to everyone. Those of you who already have partners, please draw a slip from the bowl with the project topics."
Done and done. That was how Maya ended up with Bogdan and Heart.
The ideal team and the ideal topic for a project worthy of laughter. She felt a certain attraction toward Bogdan, but fate seemed to have done exactly what she least expected. It had paired them for a project on one of the most controversial internal organs.
Wonderful.
"You have three and a half months. You will receive the requirements electronically. Any questions? No? Very well. I wish you the best of luck. You'll need it."
Bogdan was about to leave the faculty building when Maya caught his hand to stop him. He flinched and turned quickly toward her, clearly prepared for a verbal attack. When he recognized the "intruder," his expression softened instantly, and the corners of his mouth curved into a gentle smile.
"Sorry. I called you, but you didn't hear me."
"I was thinking about several things. Is this about the project?"
"Yes. I'm involved in several social projects, and I intend to finish this one as quickly as possible. Today I'm going to the library to look for materials. I'll show you tomorrow what I find."
"I have a better idea. How about I pick you up from the library and we go for a coffee? I know a nice, quiet place where we can work on the project undisturbed."
"Coffee?"
"We'll kill two birds with one stone: work on the project and get to know each other better. I, for one, am interested. What do you say?"
She had the feeling she was walking straight into the wolf's den. But why not? She wanted to find out what intrigued her so much about her handsome colleague. If anyone had asked her the next day, she would have said they met for the Anatomy project.
"I don't see what harm it could do."
"Is five o'clock okay if I pick you up?"
"Just tell me which café you want to go to, and I'll meet you there."
"That won't do, Maya. I invited you—it's only proper that I play the gentleman. So?"
"Fine. You can pick me up in front of the library."
"See you at five."
Nodding politely and holding the notebook he had used for notes under his arm, Bogdan left the room, while Maya watched him go, replaying their conversation in her mind. Was that "coffee" really a date, or was her imagination running wild?
That afternoon brought with it a chilly wind and the scent of winter, even though it was only the first week of October. Everywhere, nature and people alike were preparing for the first snowflakes. The city was in the grip of its annual cleaning fever: carpets of multicolored leaves were being gathered by sanitation workers, sidewalks swept clean, and trees pruned of dry or dangerous branches.
In front of the library, Maya waited for Bogdan, trying not to think about how the cold was seeping into her bones. She hadn't expected such a drastic change in the weather. What had started as a beautiful, warm autumn morning had turned within hours into the onset of winter. The knitted sweater that reached below her hips was the only item of clothing suitable for the weather. She realized she had made a huge mistake by dressing for style rather than warmth. Through the brown loafers she had received from her grandfather for her birthday, the cold played freely with her toes.
"Just my luck," she thought. "Bogdan is late. Someone should have taught him basic manners. When you go out with a girl, you're supposed to arrive before her, not a few minutes after."
She was bracing herself for the moment they would finally meet when Bogdan's gray Škoda pulled up beside her. He got out of the car and hurried toward her, speaking in a warm tone despite the cold.
"My deepest apologies, Miss Maya. The traffic was terrible. I caught the central traffic light twice, and at the intersection leading to 7 Noiembrie Street, the police were directing traffic. Have you been waiting long?"
As he waited for her answer, he kissed her lightly on the cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her toward the passenger door.
"Good evening, Mr. Sami. I've been here for a few minutes, hoping you wouldn't be late, because my toes were already freezing."
His mouth curved into a mischievous smile that highlighted his handsome features and revealed his seemingly perfect teeth. Looking at her with clear amusement, he helped her into the passenger seat, then walked around the front of the car and got behind the wheel.
Maya turned toward him and could read a trace of innocence in his face and eyes. In that moment, it felt as though she had discovered the child within him.
Bogdan leaned closer and smiled again.
"Then shall I assume your toes need special attention to keep them from freezing? Tell me, Maya, what would you like to warm up first? Your forehead? Your nose? Your cheeks? Or your lips?"
As he mentioned each part of her beautiful face, he kissed her gently in that exact spot. When it came to her lips, his eyes lingered on her full mouth. Then his lips moved toward hers, for what she thought would be another innocent kiss like before.
She was wrong.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring hungrily yet gently at the same time. She had been kissed before, but never like this. It was an intense, eager, passionate kiss that awakened emotions she had never known. He cupped her face in his hands while she held him by the neck. The kiss deepened, neither of them wanting it to end.
And just when Maya felt she wanted more, he stopped.
He gently pulled back and kissed her protectively on the forehead.
"Are you warmer now?"
Warmer? She wouldn't have called it that. She was practically boiling. She was annoyed that Bogdan had kissed her so suddenly—and even more annoyed that he had stopped just as abruptly.
"Yes, I'm warmer."
"I'm glad. Now I think it's time we go to the café."
To Maya, it felt as though more than thirty minutes had passed before they arrived in front of the Moccha Flavour café. Located on the ground floor of the corner building leading toward the Municipal Hospital, the place looked like something straight out of an American movie, radiating warmth and safety to anyone who crossed its threshold.
The dark burgundy walls made the space feel intimate. A massive wooden bar dominated the room, with only four tables and a few chairs visible. The walls were decorated with paintings, most of them made from coffee beans. On the front wall, a message was painted for all to see: "This is the place where everything is better." To the right of the entrance, opposite the bar, a partition separated several booths from the rest of the café.
Bogdan and Maya were guided to one of the booths and left to enjoy their coffee, tea, and pastries in peace. They chose to sit across from each other, able to observe one another more closely.
Eventually, Bogdan took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a warm kiss on the back of her palm. It was enough to make Maya feel flustered. Just a kiss on the back of her hand, and already she felt something like butterflies in her stomach.
Butterflies? She had been in love once, when she was about ten years old—with one of the bodyguards assigned to protect her and Nicholas—but nothing like this had happened since. It was pleasant and a little strange at the same time.
She decided to let her feelings loose and spoke to Bogdan without hesitation.
"I could very easily fall in love with you."
He placed her hand back on the table.
"Why do you say that?"
"When you kissed me. I felt something… intense. And now I'm wondering whether or not I should let my feelings run free. Are you… serious?"
"Maya, Maya. I brought you here so we could get to know each other better. If I didn't want to know you—what kind of person you are—do you really think I would have asked you out? Or, to put it differently, if I weren't interested in you, do you think I would have kissed you the way I clearly did?"
"I don't know what to say. We've only just met."
"Yes, sweet girl, that's true. And yet, when I saw you for the first time, I instantly knew I wanted to be with you—to walk hand in hand and be proud of my Barbie. Something told me I had to at least try."
"I'd like that. Will you kiss me again?"
He stood up, leaned over her, cupped her head in his hands, and kissed her with such desire that the butterflies in her stomach came alive—hundreds, thousands. She felt them flutter uncontrollably inside her, driving her completely mad.
That was the moment she realized what had truly happened: she had fallen in love with him. And what he had said, the protective way he kissed her forehead, and his passionate kisses showed her that he had no hidden intentions.
He truly wanted to get to know her better.