Win's POV

By the time my last class for the day ended, I felt mentally exhausted. And hungry.

I felt physically exhausted as well for some reason. I didn't have the energy to walk over to the mini plaza. I didn't want to walk any farther away from my dormitory.

I hadn't tried the dormitory cafeteria food yet ever since I had stayed at the dorm. Maybe I should check out what they serve there.

"Hey."

I turned around to see who was following me and trying to get my attention.

"Oh, hi," I said.

It was Ohm. He was my classmate in General Chemistry, which had been my second to the last subject for the day.

Ohm had taken the seat beside me and had introduced himself to me just before the lecturer entered the classroom.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, falling into step with me.

"Back to my dorm," I replied. "But I'm gonna stop by the cafeteria to see what they have to offer. I'm thinking of having an early dinner."

I noticed Ohm glancing at his watch.

"Why are you settling for cafeteria food when you can have better choices at the mini plaza or other restaurants outside the campus?" he asked.

"I'm too tired to walk anywhere farther away from my dorm," I replied.

"You don't have to walk anywhere," Ohm remarked, "I can take you in my car to any place you wanna go."

"You don't have to, but thanks for your offer," I said with a grateful smile.

He ignored my remark.

"Do you like Mexican food?" he asked.

"I have never tried it," I confessed.

"If you're adventurous enough, I will treat you to a Mexican restaurant not far from here. They serve really good food there. The place is called "Tia Sofia" and they serve homemade style food," he said.

"Don't stop to think," he said, grabbing my wrist, when he noticed my hesitation.

We walked to the parking lot and he led me to his bright red sports car. He pressed his key to unlock the doors and he motioned for me to get inside.

He waited until I was comfortably settled in the front seat and had buckled myself up before starting his engine. I felt him rev up his car and soon we were zooming out of the campus and into the city streets.

He was right about the restaurant not being too far from the university.

"Tia Sofia" was a small cozy unpretentious looking restaurant situated between a shop that sold car parts and accessories and an office supplies shop.

Ohm found a parking spot right outside the entrance of the restaurant. He opened the door and let me in first before walking inside. A uniformed waiter greeted us at the door.

"Your usual spot, sir?" the waiter asked Ohm.

"Sure, Carlos," Ohm replied, following him, and I followed suit.

The waiter led us to a corner table where we could see the street through the large glass wall. It was a table for two and there were utensils wrapped inside table napkins, ready for use. Carlos handed us a menu booklet each.

"What do you recommend?" I asked Ohm.

"I suggest that you try the burrito with minced meat filling," he said. "Just a warning, it's a little spicy, in case you can't tolerate spicy food."

"I'm okay with spicy food," I replied, "just as long as they're mildly spicy."

"Carlos, please prepare two orders of your burrito with minced meat filling," Ohm addressed the waiter. "Please make it mildly spicy. My friend here can only handle mildly spicy food."

"Certainly, sir," Carlos replied, "And what would you like to drink?"

Ohm turned to me.

"What time is your first class tomorrow?" he asked.

"Gimme a sec," I said, going through my phone. "Tomorrow, I don't have any morning classes. My first class is not till three in the afternoon."

If I had known his reason for asking me about my class schedule the following day, I would not have given him the information.

"Ai que bueno!" he exclaimed.

Then he turned his attention back to Carlos.

"Carlos, please bring us two Corona Extras for now," he said.

"Muy bien, senor," Carlos bowed before leaving us.

"Why are you staying in a dorm?" Ohm asked, "Do you live far from university?"

"Yes," I answered simply. For some reason I did not feel inclined to tell him what my hometown was. "How about you, do you live close by?"

"My parents' main house is in Koh Phangan," he said, "They have other residences in other places. As for me, I live in a small one story house not far from here. My parents bought the property for me just before the start of the semester."

Ohm was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Carlos who set down a platter of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa on the table.

And then Carlos set down a bottle with a wedge of lime stuck in the neck in front of Ohm. He then set another one exactly like it in front of me.

Ohm squeezed the lime into the bottle and sucked on it before bringing the bottle to his mouth.

I didn't touch my beer. I looked at the platter of tortilla chips and then at the bowl of salsa. The smell of minced jalapeno peppers and cilantro wafted to my nose.

Ohm noticed me eyeing the tortilla chips and the salsa and noted the indecision on my face.

"It's not too spicy," he said, before scooping some of the salsa into one of the tortilla chips and then bringing it to my slightly opened lips.

I tentatively took a small bite from the tortilla chip. Ohm was right. The salsa wasn't too spicy. I took the whole chip from his hand and stuffed the whole thing into my mouth.

I enjoyed the crunching sound in my mouth and I enjoyed the taste of the combination of tortilla chips and the mildly spicy salsa.

"You like it?" Ohm asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"Try the beer," he said, "it's one of the best tasting beers I have ever tried."

Before I could reach out for the bottle, he took the wedge of lime and squeezed it into the bottle before handing it to me.

I felt guilty about enjoying the taste. My parents had advised me not to let alcohol and studies mix. They had warned me about how alcohol fogs up the brain and interferes with good performance in school.

Before I realized it I had finished up the bottle and as if on cue, as soon as I set down my empty bottle, Carlos appeared magically at the table with a new one.

Soon he brought to the table the most delicious food I had ever tasted in my whole life. I chowed down the large burrito like someone who had not eaten for days and days.

I tried to refuse the third bottle of Corona that Carlos had brought to the table but Ohm was quick to squeeze the wedge of lime into it before bringing it to my mouth.

While I was chugging down the beer, I noticed that Ohm had drunk only one bottle of Corona.

"Hey!" I protested, "that's not fair! You made me drink three bottles but you only had one!"

"Don't forget I'm the driver," he said, "would you like me to drive intoxicated?"

He had a point there so I kept my peace.

I guess that because it had been a very long time since I had imbibed alcohol, the three bottles quickly acted on my brain and before I knew it, Carlos and Ohm were guiding me to Ohm's car. I tried my best to walk straight on wobbly legs.

I knew that I was drunk but I was still able to make out the fact that Ohm was driving his car away from my dormitory, however I was too buzzed to protest.

Soon I noticed that he had driven his car into the open driveway of what I presumed was the house he had described earlier that his parents had bought for him.

With his help, I stumbled into his living room where I collapsed on the nearest sofa.

I must have passed out the moment my body touched it. I only vaguely felt Ohm placing a pillow underneath my head and spreading a blanket over me.

The following morning, I awoke in a panic. Except for my boxer briefs, I was totally naked and Ohm was nowhere to be found.