"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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Morning came rather quick. I hadn't spoken to Randhir after class yesterday. I had too much work to do...after sending him the mail and my nap I immediately began working on my thesis. It needed a lot of my time since I had to go through all the archives of past to gather examples. Apart from his replies to my mail and some corrections we didn't speak much. I was exhausted by the end of the day but was still grateful about how my day went.
The next morning Lasya barged into my room asking details about how the fuck did I manage to partner myself to a mysterious greekgod. Yes that's what she called him. I had no idea what to tell her...so I just sticked with the random 'I have no idea'.. But that was also the truth. I had no idea why Randhir chose me as his partner. Is it because he recognized me from the past? But surely he wouldn't risk his assignment just for that reason. and the main dilemma being 'does he even remember me?'...I file away all these questions for later because I was seriously getting late for class. Once again none of them were present in the dining hall...I suppose they still had some unknown agenda planned for today. As I entered the class everything was same except for him sitting at the same bench we sat yesterday while drinking his coffee. I surely didn't miss out on the lingering glances everyone were sending my way. Even people from my side wanted to ask so many questions regarding the recent developments at breakfast today but no one mustered up the courage to ask me directly. I suppose my not so friendly attitude is finally paying off and keeping people at bay. I don't even want to involve myself in pointless q&a when i myself don't know answers to so many questions. For now i just have to concentrate on my assignment.
I made my way to the bench and sat beside him. He looked up and gave me a warm smile. He was wearing a cream tshirt with denims. His hair was neatly combed and in place. Oh boy I'm jealous of his hair. I smiled back and started taking out my notes. We started comparing our notes when professor walked in and announced that we need to submit our assignments. As soon as that happened the class began and we all got busy with taking notes. By the time it was lunch time, I was beyond hungry and frustrated. I just wanted to eat and take a nap.
"Hey, are you free in the evening?"
I turn my head in the direction of Randhir's amused smile and say, "Well it depends on what you have planned mister. If your plan is boring then I'm afraid I'm not free".
"Ahh...well you already know i don't plan on keeping you bored ma'am. My plans include some very very spicy stuff" he replies emphasizing on the word spicy. My jaw drops at his comment and all blood rushes to my cheeks. He looks as though he is watching his most favorite comedian. This boy!
"Relax! I meant to say pani puri...what were you thinking about miss?" he questions. This smart bastard, he knows exactly what I was thinking about. I'm sure my face is red now.
"Um nothing" I reply.
He's thoroughly amused by my condition now. And I'm sure I'm blushing like an idiot. What is wrong with me? I never blush!! This guy is doing crazy things to me.
"Okay, I'll see you after lunch? I bet you don't want to sit with me during lunch" he says as a matter of fact. That's true. I don't want to drag any more attention upon me. sitting together in class is still explainable for professional purposes. But, during lunch is a whole diff erent arena. I don't want more lingering glances and whispers.
"Yes, I'll see you after lunch" I proclaim and move towards dining hall.
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I see her walking away from me and I can't help the smile on my face. This small banters and teasing is what I've imagined for so long. I've always wanted to be like this with Sakshi..and now that it's finally happening I couldn't quite believe it. I make my way to where the boys are standing and join them for lunch.
As we get seated, Prithvi breaks the silence by asking, "Are you guys done with the paper and thesis?" He's addressing all of us.
"Gosh No, we finished the paper, but we are not sure it's very good. We took the whole night figuring out which information to put in and which one to leave out. And don't even ask me about their topic. I almost died gathering all the information" he finishes.
"Same man. And here i thought these months will be like a mini vacation" Aarav replies with a straight face. We all share a laugh at his comment because we all had similar thoughts a few days ago. They all look in my direction indicating they are waiting for my answer.
" Yea we finished it. The paper including both our topics we finished together. She gathered information regarding medical stuff and I made necessary corrections. The same for thesis. I gathered information and she told me what to include and what not to" I reply.
They are all silent for a while and i can almost hear the questions swimming through their minds. They want to know more but they know i won't tell them anything.
We finish lunch in a comfortable silence and move back to classes after a while.
As soon as all of us gets seated, Dr Pradhan walks in with some papers. He walks to the podium and starts talking-
"Okay so good afternoon one and all. We have gone through your papers and I have the grades with me. I know most of you love surprises so here is one...You need to present your paper with your partner right now. And no you can't go through what you've mentioned in your papers. You will sit there and listen to your mates presentations and come up here to give yours when your name is called upon. You will explain whatever you both remember and i don't want to listen to any excuses" he finishes with a warm sinister smile.
To say I'm not even surprised will be an understatement. Professor Pradhan has always been the unpredictable one. He throws challenges at his students like he's throwing candies at kids. He likes to bend us to our limit and test us every damn minute. It is one of the reasons why I like him so much. His constant grilling gets the best out of us.
I turn to look at Sakshi, who is definitely shocked but also there's a calm vibe resonating in her expression despite the initial panic. I nod my head at her and she glances at my movement. She's giving me that 'what the fuck is happening' kind of look. I just look into her eyes making sure my expression is as calm as ever. She gazes into my eyes and i can say she has found her answer. Her expression cools off and she nods back.
We are going to ace this..
*Hi lovelies, I'm back! I finished my exams and I've been chilling lately. I'll be updating the story regularly from now on. Keep reading and enjoy ❤
