''What?''
''What do you mean, 'what'? Quit playing dumb Peter''
Seated at a table in the cafeteria with Peter's group and Nina, you were just as confused as Peter, who had paused right in the middle of cutting his German sausage, to look up questioningly at Nina.
''I seriously don't understand what you're talking about Nina. I've never written any poems, especially anything that fancy-smancy, 'Born to smother you with flowers'? That's way too cheesy to for me.''
''I agree, Peter could never write a poem like that, even if 90% of his grade depended on it''
Shooting a playful glare at Peter, who shot you a not-so-playful one right back, you turned your attention to Nina once again, whose face was twisted in an expression of confusion.
''But then... Who could it be? I've only given my email address to my friends.''
Peter muttered a quiet ''Well, that's just great. Another rival in my pursuit of love.''
Placing a gentle hand on Nina's back, you gave her a small smile. ''Well, I don't know who it is either, but at least they know how to swoon a lady. Who knows, maybe there'll suddenly be a guy waiting outside the classroom one day with an enormous bouquet of flowers, ready to declare his love for you. That doesn't sound too bad does it?''
Slipping of the bench, you imitated said guy, falling down on one knee, one hand holding an imaginary bouquet out to Nina, the other hand splayed against your chest, while you tried your best to imitate the 'romantic' dialect of a French person; ''Oh Nina, my true love. My life bears no meaning without your presence. Truly, the only reason for my existence is to smother you with the most beautiful flowers.''
Nina, who laughed at your grandiose display, placed her hands on her face to hide her red cheeks from others in the cafeteria, as your little 'play' had attracted the attention of other students sitting nearby.
''Come on, that's embarrassing'' She pulled on your sleeve to make you return to your seat, ''I still want to know who it is though.'' She said as rested her face on her hands.

It was weird that someone suddenly had sent some A-grade poetry to Nina's email, which no one but her friends should know, and you hadn't expected this day to get even weirder. Having finished lunch, you found yourself sitting next to Nina during another one of professor Kronecker's lessons. The room was once again silent, as no one dared to face the wrath of Kronecker. This time, Kronecker was talking about the homicide of a family of four, a pair of adults and their two children. Kronecker once again asked Nina to present an analysis of the judge's ruling, to which she shakily stood up and tried to answer. You figured that perhaps, there was finally a question that Nina, being a genius, could not answer. However, after a short moment both Peter and you noticed Nina clutching her blue cardigan to the point where her knuckles turned white.
''Umm, the focus of the trial was the verdict... and the massacre... of the entire family...''
Her voice was weak, and she seemed unsure of what she was saying, as if she wasn't actually focusing. Having known Nina for a few months, becoming friends shortly after you had transferred to this university, you knew this kind of behavior was totally unprecedented.
''The evidence... the evidence...''
Her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

After Peter and you had helped Nina to the bathroom to empty her stomach, Nina crouched on the floor, too tired to stand up. As you handed her a glass of water, you softly asked if she perhaps wanted to go home.
''No, it's okay. That case the professor was talking about... it just made me feel a little dizzy.''
Peter and you made eye contact, both sharing the same concern for Nina and her wellbeing. He hesitantly leaned down to ask her; ''Was it about that family massacre''
''Stop it.''
Nina's voice was sharp and hard, the total opposite of her usually soft voice which easily could be mistaken for a whisper. Both of you were taken aback by her harsh tone, but Peter quickly relaxed and tried to lighten the mood.
''Well, I bet your counselor would say something like 'If you trace it back to it's roots, it is nothing big. Try to remember your childhood'. Or something like that''
''I'm sure some people just don't like hearing about things like that, Peter. Nina, whatever you feel, it's totally fine. As long as it doesn't affect your daily life, it's probably nothing to worry about.''
''My childhood...''
You blinked ''Hm? What about your childhood?''
''I don't have any memories from before I was ten.''

Nina's parents greeted you, as you stepped inside their house. Having decided that Nina had to be walked home, Peter had given you permission to be the one walking with Nina, as he felt it would be ''awkward to meet the parents if Nina and he weren't even dating or anything.'' Besides, you had visited her house a couple of times, so you already knew where it was, in case Nina got too disoriented to find her way home.
''Ah, it's so good to see you again, dearie. It's been quite a while since you've last visited us. Are you staying for dinner by any chance?''
Nina's mother was a friendly woman, who always welcomed you with open arms, which had made your first visit much easier, as you had been a nervous wreck at the time. Her father, on the other hand, was more of a grump, but not in a bad way. He was always willing to talk about the news, or history and the likes.
Getting a glass from the pantry, you politely declined to eat dinner with the family, as you had promised your own parents to be home for dinner. She nodded understandingly, and went back to her cooking as Nina and you ascended the stairs and entered Nina's bedroom.
Sensing Nina's fatigue, you both made a silent agreement to simply relax in silence for a while. Nina laid in her bed, her face covered by her hands, while you were sitting on the floor next to the bed, leaning against it and gazing at the fire alarm on the ceiling.
Suddenly, her computer made a noise, signaling that she had received an email. She made her way to the computer and read it, before turning to you.
''It says they're coming to pick me up soon.''
''WHAT?'' you nearly fell over, as you processed what Nina had just said. You stumbled over to her side, to get a look at the email. Sure enough, the email quite literally stated; ''I'm coming to pick you up soon.''

Ok, ok. There were two things this message could indicate. Number one; That whoever this person was had a really weird way of saying ''I'll come pick you up for a date'', or, number two; they were quite literally coming to get Nina. Even if it was the first option, it still set off warning bells in your head. Who would ever word it like that? Were they just that bad at flirting? Were you just being dramatic because of certain private reasons?
''Well... that's certainly a weird way to ask you on a date, huh, Nina?'' you asked with a forced chuckle. Nina's face showed no emotion.
''I think I need some sleep. Thank you for bringing me home, I really appreciate you and Peter's concern, but I think I'll be alright.''
She said your name softly as she turned to look at you with an apologetically smile on her face.
Taking the hint, you returned Nina's smile. ''That's probably a good idea. I'll head home so you can have some peace. Just know you can call me if anything happens, alright?''
''I know. You know, I'm really grateful to have you as my friend.'' She said as she hugged you goodbye. Your cheeks went red and you suddenly became hyper-aware of the arms wound around you, as your heart started racing. Oh god, you hoped she wouldn't notice your heart racing in your chest as her own chest pressed against yours. You shyly pressed your face into her shoulder, mumbling softly.
''Well, I'm really glad to have you too. You've been really nice to me since I transferred here, so of course I'll be there for you if something like this happens.''
Stepping out of the hug, you squeezed her shoulders before turning to leave.
''Oh, and keep me updated with those 'secret admirer' messages will you? I'm looking forward to hearing their next romantic message.''
Throwing Nina a wink, you made your way down the stairs, said goodbye to her parents before walking home.
As you were walking on the grey sidewalk, passing several houses surrounded by beautiful gardens in full growth, you felt the warm beams from the sun on your skin, your surroundings painted a soft golden red by the setting sun. You wanted to be happy on Nina's behalf, getting a secret admirer wasn't exactly a common occurrence, and yet, as flattering as the first email was, the second left you with a sense of unease. Why would they write that? Was this secret admirer actually a stalker? You couldn't be sure until they showed themselves, so you made a silent promise to keep an eye on Nina, until her secret admirer showed their face.

Stepping over the threshold of your house, you were greeted by the sight of your father cutting something in the kitchen, while your mother was seated on your yellow sofa, reading a book. The title displayed on the cover was ''Aimée & Jaguar.'' Having heard your entrance, your mother looked up from her book and welcomed you home.
''How was school sweetie? You're quite late today, did you hang out with you friends after your lessons?''
Shrugging off your jacket and your bag, you sat down at the dinnertable, as it looked like your dad was done preparing dinner. As your dad placed the dinner on the table, giving you a quick kiss on the temple while walking past you, your mother sat down at the table as well. It was only then that you answered her, ''Well, school was nerve-wracking, as always.'' You let out a small scoff and a roll of your eyes, ''But something weird happened today. Nina got sick all of a sudden in the middle of Kronecker's lesson. It was because Kronecker brought up this case about a massacre of a family of four, and it made Nina really uncomfortable. I walked her home, just to make sure that she got home safe, so it's okay now.''
''That was very nice of you to do for Nina. But you're sure it wasn't just an excuse to, you know, spend some alone time with her?'' Both your mom and dad seemed to think the same thing, as they both looked at you questioningly with a coy look on their face. You took a deep breath, ''I don't know what you could possibly be talking about mom. I was just making sure she got home safe, as Peter wasn't up for the task.''
''Well, I'm just saying, that if you two suddenly turned up at our doorstep, hand in hand, I would be delighted to welcome her into the family.''
Letting out a gasp you whined, ''Mom! You can't say stuff like that! It's embarrassing! Dad, please tell me you haven't been preparing for me to suddenly turn up with a girlfriend.''
Your dad looked you in the eye for a brief moment, before he turned away and muttered, ''Considering how much of a scaredy-cat you are, it's only natural to hope that someday you'll actually manage to confess to someone.''
''Wow dad, that's really nice of you to say'', you huffed sarcastically, ''you both know it's not that simple. I'm not taking that risk again.'' You lowered your eyes down to look at your plate, feeling your good mood being replaced by hurt, stemming from memories you wished you could forget.
''Aw, you know he was just joking. I know that what happened to you was... bad, and definitely something I never want to see you go through again, but I'm positive that somewhere there will be someone who will love you back. I mean, I've seen women with other women as their romantic partner, so there is a chance that Nina might like you. It's not just you alone who feels attracted to other women.''
You felt your parent's hands on yours. You squeezed their hands, and sat in a comfortable silence, before they pulled their hands back, and you all returned to eating dinner.