Cigarettes & Peonies

05

"That bus driver is a sucker.......why can't he drive fast!!!" grumbled kush. Luv rolled his eyes.
"There it is!!!" Maahi cried happily on discovering the bus approaching them. Kush sighed in relief. The bus rolled stop near them and the siblings climbed into the bus. Maahi found a vacant spot on the first seat which had by now became her usual seat. She sat down alongside the girl who was slowly becoming her friend, they smiled at each other. Within 5 minutes they had reached the bus stop where the driver killed the engine and jumped out of the bus. Maahi dug her eyes into her phone as the boys in the bus were talking unnecessarily.
"Why can't boys keep their mouths shut????" her bus mate whispered. Maahi giggled while still looking into her phone. Suddenly, the din silenced completely. Maahi felt awkward but then she didn't care.
"KARANVIR BHAIYA!!!!!" clamoured the boys in the bus. Maahi stopped dead. Impulsively she lifted up her head and found the creepy figure of Karanvir marching dominatingly inside. Her breath stuck in her throat as he stared down at her creepily. A sinister smirk played upon his lips as he moved in while never averting his eyes from her.
"Clear the seat you dickheads, make room for Karanvir bhaiya!!!!!" the most talkative guy of the bus fired at the boys at the back. Forthwith they stood up and created room for Karanvir and his pals. Karanvir sat on the last seat along with his friends. The boys in the bus were running hysterical upon his arrival which itself suggested what powerful influence he had on the boys of the college. Maahi gasped and turned back to her phone.
"Karanvir Bhaiya.......will you travel everyday on this bus????" Maahi heard a boy ask him excitedly. Although she had her eyes on the phone yet she could feel his burning gaze digging holes into the back of her head.
"Well I've started to like in here, you can take it as a yes...." his deep voice boomed inside the bus. Maahi quivered. The bus driver climbed back into his seat and the bus started. Maahi listened to some music just to ignore Karanvir and his over excited pals. All through her journey she could feel his piercing gaze upon her, she shifted uncomfortably on her seat but that didn't help. Once or twice she turned to grab something from her bag and found him staring evily at her. Whenever their eyes locked, a shudder ran down her spine while his friends chuckled and murmured something inaudibly. Maahi was ill at ease and wanted this journey to end soon. Finally the university came and she sighed in relief.

The students started climbing down the bus one after the other. Maahi wished to quickly climb down just to avoid Karanvir. However, when it was her turn to disembark the bus, she felt a figure too close behind her. She turned back and gasped. Right behind her, and too close, stood Karanvir, towering over her with his collosal height and staring down at her with the same insidious smirk. They were so close that she could smell distinctly his strong masculine cologne which sort of raided into her nose and she hated it. She was never a fan of manly perfumes, they were too strong for her liking. She merely reached up to his chest which kinda made her feel as if she was a little rabbit and he a lion.
"Maahi!!!" her bus friend called her from down. Maahi's trance broke and she quickly climbed down the bus. Behind her she could hear his friends laughing and saying stuff but she didn't hear his voice. She darted off to her building and tried to not think about the creepy Karanvir.

Maahi's classes winded up and there came recess. Maahi refrains herself from going down to the canteen due to the fear of Karanvir. Canteen was his hub and she wouldn't want to face him again, he freaks her out after all. She, instead, proceeds to the library for she had a couple of books to issue. She walked inside the library.
"Sir, I can't find the chordates book!!!" Maahi said politely to the librarian. The librarian was a lean man of 45, a little weather beaten faced but decent to look at. He fixed his broad glasses.
"Write down your number here. I'll call you when I find it...... I'm certain it should be somewhere in the upper shelves!!!!" said the librarian. Maahi nodded courteously and scribbled down her number on the paper. After that she left for her building to attend the rest of her classes. Outside the library, she saw Karanvir and his friends on her far right but thankfully they weren't facing her so she took it as a chance and ran off to her building.