- ‘What is it?’ Elise asked impatiently.
- ‘That message. It’s from the boy from last Friday, isn’t it?’ Willem-Jan stood up to lean across the dining table. He read aloud: ‘You’re sitting there again, like last Friday. Again, I can’t take my eyes away from you. Beautiful blond lady with the trendy specs and blue blouse in the Forum library, would you like to have a beer in the Zaaier this evening at nine? Haha, what a loser!’ Bianca ignored him.
- ‘See? This is you,’ she persisted.
- ‘Well, then it’s me,’ mumbled Elise. She tried to suppress a smile but Bianca had already seen it.
- ‘Oh! You fancy him too! I knew it!’ Elise did indeed find him attractive. She had spent the entire Friday in the university library working on a report. In the afternoon, there was this young blond man sitting opposite her who, according to Bianca and Vera, had been trying to make eye contact all the while. She was hardly interested at first; she had an assignment to finish. But when she snapped her laptop shut at about half past five and found that he had disappeared, she did feel a stab of disappointment. Today, he was there again, but she did not think that he had seen her.
- ‘So why are you still here now? It’s a quarter to nine.’
- ‘Oh no, I’m not sure I want to.’
- ‘Just one beer, Elise. Come on! You still have the entire week for your studies. And you’re going to pass your courses anyway.’ Bianca shot a meaningful look at Willem-Jan.
- ‘That’s right,’ he chipped in quickly. ‘Don’t act so stiff this time. Remember YOLO.’ Elise hesitated.
- If you go now, you’re still on time,’ said Bianca. ‘He could be listlessly waiting for you already.’ Elise burst into laughter.
- ‘You’re right. Maybe I should do something crazy for once.’ Within a minute, she was outside grappling with her bicycle lock. Bianca gave Willem-Jan a triumphant look. He sniggered.
- ‘I didn’t expect her to fall for those fake messages of yours.’ Bianca straightened herself up.
- ‘I’m getting so tired of her, Miss Perfect-I-am-so-smart-and-nice-and-I-will-pass-all-my-papers. This is funny, isn’t it?’
Spotted
'Elise! Check this out!'Bianca bounced into the living room, laptop in hand. Reluctantly, Elise pulled herself away from her textbooks spread across the dining table. Willem-Jan, who was sprawled out on the couch, sprang up. Bianca pushed her laptop into Elise's face. The Facebook page 'Spotted: WUR library' was on the screen.
