AMBAR

Chapter 28

Arush's POV

Ever since my latest lab partner broke his legs I had to make a new partner. In a batch of 60 students only one girl was left with no partner. Namita Gowda. She is the most talkative girl I came across but there is something about her that everyone likes her. She is sweet, pretty and clumsy as hell. When we are on round in the hospital along with professors she often interacts with kids. I won't be surprised if she ends up becoming a pediatrician. She has small eyes but a very preety smile. Shoulder length hair which she often ties in a pony or sometimes set free.

I was in college waiting for the results to be displayed. Namita was waiting along with me. She was tensed so to lighten up her mood I bought a glass of milkshake for both of us. "Do you know a first year student ran out of the lab?" I asked her.
"Really?" She said.
"Yeah. Somu informed me." Somu is a resident doctor of our college. Whenever some student creates any problem we ask him how to handle it. "He said that the student got cold feet after having a look at the cadaver." I said to her. She started to laugh hearing this. "Wow." She said. "We use to faint and this one just ran out." She said with a smile. I laughed. "Thank you." She said.
"For what?" I asked.
"For calming me down." She smiled. I smiled back and looked down on the ground. Just then someone yelled that Results are on display board. We rushed towards the board and it was almost a fish market there. People were climbing on each other. If Namita walks in there they would crush her bones. "Wait here I will go and check the results." I said. She nodded. I pushed through others to come in the front. I checked for Namita's name in the list which was displayed on the board covered by the glass. Her position was 16. She passed. Then I checked for mine. I stood 4th in my class. I pushed through the crowd again and started to breathe air because the crowd almost crushed my lungs. I could feel cramps. Namita came running towards me. "Arush are you alright?" She asked me.
"Yes. Namita you hold 16th position and you have scored 72%." I said.
"Thank God." She said joining her hands and moving them up and down offering salutations to God. "And you?" She asked.
"Fourth." I said.
"Congratulations." She said.
"Thank you." I said. I composed myself and fixed my shirt. "My treat, say anything." I said.
"No my treat." She said. I looked at her in disbelief. "Namita. It's really the other way around." I said to her.
"Please. I thought I would fail this semester. It should be my treat." I looked at her.
"Let's split the bill." I said. She looked at me and shook her head. "No. Mine." She said. She grabbed my hand and we walked towards parking spot. She removed her scooty from parking and I removed my bike. We wore our helmet and went near a pizzeria to celebrate. After that we took a walk in the garden nearby. She looked at me. "Well." She said.
"What?" I asked her.
"It was a good day." She said. I smiled and looked towards her. "Yes." I said. I could feel attracted towards her but I was worried if she might not reciprocate my feelings. It is better to keep them to myself. She then went back to her dormitory and I went back to my home. I changed my clothes and switched on the TV to watch a good movie. While switching channels I came across some news bulletins. "Negi Motors acquire Royal Motors. Prices of fuel may increase again. Voting starts in Andhra Pradesh. Officials caught red handed in Scam."

Ambar's POV

I was eating my lunch with my friends in school. We shared our lunch box with each other. Sometimes we even exchanged it. I used to often switch my lunch box with Jahnvi and Manav because Pratik often brings things that can trigger my allergies. Once he brought sweets in which there were peanuts. He almost fed kiwi to Jahnvi and Manav has swore to never eat momos again with Pratik, other than feeding us life threatening dishes he is a sweet guy. Today the cooks prepared brown rice and some sauted vegetables for my lunch box. Manav had Paneer Bhurji and Roti. Jahnvi brought Eggs and Roti while Pratik brought my favorite Spaghetti. Jahnvi took a some rice from my box while I ate her lunch. "Jaswant Negi will start Negi Motors soon." Manav said. I looked at Manav and then at Pratik.
"Yeah." Pratik said as he chewed on food.
"Or they can sell everything piece by piece to the market and earn great profit." Jahnvi said.
"Nah." Pratik said. "Even if he does it would take a lot of time and time is precious thing to these Business men. They can compromise on price but not in time." Sometimes, Pratik speaks like a bureaucrat. After lunch as we went for a walk in the corridor. I was walking with Jahnvi in the inner corridor when I realized that Manav was right behind me. "What is it?" I asked him. He looked at Jahnvi and she smiled. She then looked at me and said "Just be calm." She then walked out from there and then I saw Pratik near the gates of inner corridor. Jahnvi walked towards him and then they both were out of my sight.
"Ummm. Ambar, I....I.....I like you." He said that and closed his eyes.
"What?" I said. Finally. Manav said what I wanted to hear. Oh my god if this doofus wouldn't have asked me out then I would have anyways but its nice to know that he has same feelings for me as I have for him.
Manav looked at me. His cheeks were pink. "If you don't then just stay a friend as you always have been." He said.
"And if I say yes." He then started to calm down.
"Then please have a snack with me today. After the classes." He said. I couldn't help but smile. I was feeling shy for the first time in my life.
"Let's go to Jitto's." I said. Jitto's is a fast food restaurant in Hauz Khaus. The one good place where Pratik took us and no one suffered from anything. Manav smiled and looked down towards the ground. "Done." He said. Boys look cute while they blush.
I looked towards the right side of Manav and I saw Jahnavi and Pratik peeping from the sides of the walls of corridor.

To avoid Chandar uncle I went to Jahnvi's house. While he waited there I jumped of her colony wall and met Manav in Jitto's. It was first time that there was no one around us. It was only four and Jitto's was empty. We had some privacy. I wanted to ask Manav out for so long but I was quite hesitant. I never asked any boy out. I couldn't stop smiling ever since his confession. We ordered two plates of Aloo tikki.
"Do you really like me back or it was just you couldn't say no?" Manav asked.
"I like you since the day I first saw you." I said. "You are funny and your tech knowledge amuses me." I said while taking another bite of aloo tikki.
He smiled. After we finished eating he paid for our food. I said him to split the bill but he didn't he agreed. "I asked you out." He said. "Next time. When you will ask me out you pay for it." He said. I looked across the street and saw a kulfi shop.
"Wait for me here." I said to him as Manav was putting his money back in his pocket.
I ran across the street and bought two kulfi. One for him and another for me.
I gave one kulfi to Manav. He looked at me and shook his head as if I am unbelievable. "What? I have sweet tooth." I said to him. He chuckled and picked one kulfi and we left Jitto's. Atlast I could use Armaan's money somewhere. We walked towards Jahnvi's house and talked about some tech literature. While we were walking our hands accidently brushed against each other. When we reached her place Manav helped me to jump of the colony wall. As Chander uncle always waits outside the vicinity. While jumping the wall I waved Manav to leave. He walked backward and then I jumped.
I got into the car. "Let's go Chander uncle." I said. He started driving and I looked outside the car window. I looked outside to see the beautiful sky. It has so many colours. There were so many shades in it and yet it was hard to believe that it is one sky. But that is possible because it so big and magnificent. It has no end to it and yet no beggining. When we reached home I went straight in my room. I smiled as today turned out to be very special for me. There was nothing much but what I lived through today yet so much.

Manav and I kept dating for the rest of the year. One day I was studying with Pratik and Jahnavi in Jahnvi's house. I forgot the track of time so and got late. I knew Chander Uncle had left early today so I asked Pratik to drop me home on his bike. He was riding the bike very cautiously. It felt like I am sitting with Saami Anna or Arush. They both ride the bike like wild horses when no one is behind but if they are with someone they ride like snails. He stopped the bike on a signal. It suddenly occured to me that Pratik had a date with a girl from commerce. "How was your date?" I asked Pratik.
He turned a little behind. "Didn't Manav said anything?" He asked.
I looked at his face. It was almost stern like a rock. "That bad?" I asked.
He then started the bike again when the signal turned green. "She was not over her ex." He said. I couldn't help but smile. I felt bad for him. It will be better to stay away from that girl emotionally if she isn't over her ex for Pratik or else he would get stuck in a bad relationship.
When we reached home I asked Pratik to come in have some refreshment but he left as it was already very late. I walked inside the house and heard very shouting noises. "I don't know how you're going to handle it but you'll handle it. Do whatever it takes." Kanwal Daadi was yelling on Armaan. Rina was along with him.
"I can't do this." Armaan said. Rina was almost in tears. I walked in and every body looked towards me. Armaan turned when he saw me. The situation seemed tense. To avoid any other awkward situation I walked out from there and climbed the stairs to go in my room. I reached near my room when I saw Kabir standing near my room. "Kabir. What are you doing here?" I asked him. He looked at me.
"You don't know?" He said. I looked at him in concern. "What the hell happened? Did Ranyal's share prices sinked or Armaan was caught in some scandal."
Kabir then lifted his eye brows. He looked so much in concern.
"Let's consider it a scandal." Kabir said.
"Either tell me or forget it then." I said as I got irritated. Kabir gulped.
"Rina aunty us pregnant." Kabir said.
"What is scandal here? Good for her." I said when I realised what it meant.
Damn it. "Armaan?" I asked.
He looked up and down and then nodded in a yes.
"Come in the room." I said to Kabir. He came in with me and we sat on the bed. "Is this why Kanwal Daadi yelling?" I asked.
"You think?" I looked stupid right now.
"Where is Ridhima?" I asked.
"Everyone took her out." He said.
"Every one?"
"All the servants have been asked to not come back until I call them." Kabir said.
"Hmm."
Kanwal Daadi will rip out Armaan's heart today. Damn that man any ways of he fails to stand up and act like a man.