"Did you ever feel anything at all?"
"What do you think? I have no better job than to engage myself in meager things like feelings?"
"Then why......w-why did you act as though you cared?"
"Coz it was fun in the beginning then I grew tired of it. Lo...
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It's been 30 minutes since we started walking. Everything feels so right in this very moment. This is exactly the kind of date I've always wanted. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like fancy dinners and all...but that doesn't appeal me as much as simply taking a walk down the lane, eating street food and having a picnic in a green lush somewhere. It's not that my expectations are too low, it's just that I hold importance to real things..like a good conversation, sharing stories kinda way.
We have talked in this past few minutes but it's mostly lighter topics like what I'm expecting out of this assignment and how we should work together to make sure we score well. We didn't touch any deeper topics after, and I'm grateful for that. We both need time to process what's happening between us. As much as I don't mind sharing things with him...I don't think we both want to go that deep where we don't know how to handle each other. We need time.
A ping of his cellphone brings me out of my chain of thoughts. He checks his phone and there's a frown etched on his face.
"What is it?" I ask.
"They will be leaving in 30 minutes. So we'll have to leave now if we don't want them to make unnecessary comments about our absence. You need to be in the dorm before they all enter the campus " he grimaces.
He looks at me through his lashes and I know he's waiting for my response. I study him for a while before saying-
"Does it bother you... If they think there's something going on between us?"
He chuckles lowly before saying- "That's the last thing I'm worrying about right now Sakshi. I don't give a fuck about what they think we're doing. If I was solely given the choice, I would keep you with me for the rest of the night. But that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about you. Do you want to be in that position where you are scrutinized every moment..coz that is what will happen if we don't turn up early tonight. Are you ready for that kind of attention?"
Before I can answer he cuts me off saying-
"I want you to be sure and comfortable Sakshi. I honestly don't give a damn what anyone thinks. As I said, if it's solely up to me, I would court you openly for tge next three months. But I don't want any of this unwanted attention to bother you. So you tell me what you want. Anything you choose...is what I'll be doing" he finishes.
Was that the flutter in my heart right now? This guy! Can he be anymore perfect? I eye him teasingly before saying-
"So the mighty randhir will do flowers, chocolates, holding hands from now on? What about your mysterious boy reputation?"
"I'll do anything and everything Sakshi. You don't know the lengths I would go to get what I want. And about the reputation...our degree is over Sakshi. We're just waiting for results. This is an extra assignment as it is for you. I don't give a fuck about what they think about me now" he finishes.
"I appreciate you asking my opinion about this Randhir. Not that I'm scared or ashamed of letting others know about my personal life but I tend to keep my personal things private as much as possible. If we met in different circumstances other than this crazy rivalry and dislike from both of our sides...I would've worn my heart on my sleeve. But I really don't want to deal with unwanted attention right now. We both have a fairly important task ahead of us now..this project. I want to us to remain professional in the grounds of college. I bet the kind of attention this is gonna grab just by us being partners itself will be too overwhelming but I can handle it. I want us to keep our private matters private."
"I understand Sakshi. I would never willingly ever put you in a position where you will be have to face any embarrassment from anyone. We'll be project partners and we are going to excel. But there's a slight change...I will remain professional in front of others but don't expect me to keep my distance in college. When nobody's watching, it's private right?" He says rubbing the crook of his neck. His eyes has a mischievous glint I know way too well.
"Well Mr Randhir, we'll see about that" I bet my smile is enough to tell him I'm not denying him.
He smirks before saying, "let's do this!"
We fist bumps each other and move towards his car. We buckle up and in a second we hit the road. Except for this time, his hand stays on my thigh while driving. His hand on my body feels oddly good..I know my raging jarmones are not helping at all. Does he know what his touch does to me? This guy will kill me with his touches and I would be glad to die by his hands. Get a grip, you hoe...my subconscious mind mocks me.
We reach the campus in 20 minutes and oddly there's no staff around. Randhir says it's their day off since most of us were out, so they left after serving dinner to the remaining. He walks me to the dorm, there's no one in the sight so I'm assuming everybody's locked up in their rooms. He wanted to walk me up to my room but I stopped him from doing so. There are people who didn't get picked from my side...I don't want to rub it in their face that I was picked. Though it was not my fault, I still feel bad for the way our side got treated all these days. He bids me goodbye and climbs up the stairs to his room.
*Somebody said 'do everything that makes you feel alive', writing is one of them for me. How are you all doing guys?
