R&D

Chapter 11

Dev went back to school on Monday. Cash and Warren had already went last week so everyone flocked to Dev to see how he was. Roshi watched as person after person went up to him saying how happy they were that he was okay. Even in a short time, he had already made an impact on so many people's lives.

At lunch, as usual, Dev sat with his friends. Kaya was grieving over her brother's death so there was a temporary stop-order placed on the flirting from her end. Which basically gave every other pretty girl in school a free pass to go up to Dev and tell him they were there for him if he needed anything. Roshi watched from her seat and did something unexpected. She got up and walked to Dev's table.

Hey, she said. Hi, he said back surprised. I was gonna take the bus to my house after school, do you wanna come, she asked. Sure, he said. Great, she said. She was about to walk away when something stopped her. Can you move, she said to one of the female admirers. They did. Roshi leaned over the table and kissed Dev on the cheek. Bye, she said. Uh, yeah, bye, he said amused.

As she walked away she could hear Dev's friends immediately asking him if he was dating Roshi. Roshi went back to her table to see a stunned Peyton and Belle. Roshi looked back to see the female admirers slowly scatter away as they recognized their chances with Dev going from slim to nil.

That afternoon Roshi noticed Dev's drained expression when he walked into Calc. Are you okay, she asked. He simply shrugged. She went to press him further but Mr. Cook walked in and class started. After class ended she asked him again. What is it, she said. Later, he simply said as he left.

It was the end of the day and Roshi got onto the school bus. She sat there wondering if Dev was going to show. There were no messages from him on her phone. As the bus was getting ready to leave, she heard someone shout at the bus driver to wait. She looked out the window and saw Dev slowly walk up. He got on and sat beside her.

I didn't know if you were coming, she said. I told you I was, he said. She nodded. Can I sit by the window, he asked. Sure, she said as she stood up and let him slide over to the right. With his left hand, his good hand, he took hers and held it. She wrapped her arm around his arm and leaned into him.

As they got off the bus Dev asked if they could talk for a minute before going to her house. They went to the nearby park and sat on a bench. So many people were asking me about the accident today, I couldn't take it, he said. They just wanted to hear the story, like it was a movie or something, he finished.

People are so stupid, she said. I should be thanking you I guess, he said. What did I do, she asked. After your announcement that's all anyone could talk about, he said chuckling, I finally got a break from talking about the accident.

Maybe you should thank all those girls hitting on you, I couldn't stand seeing them all over you, she said annoyed. It'll never happen again, with anyone, he promised. Now that you know I care, she said teasing. Now that I know you care, he returned.

The rest of the week at school got better for Dev. People stopped asking about the accident so he could try and think about other things. Dev and Roshi's physical interactions were getting limited as they couldn't have their secret lunch rendezvous since Dev wasn't driving and also since they went back to studying at her house.

Dev didn't seem to mind or notice, as he was recovering and also thinking about Mitch. But Roshi was getting incredibly frustrated. All she wanted was to be around Dev but they never had any privacy. It was driving her crazy.

They were studying one day at her house when her mom gave them some snacks. Grapes to be exact. Dev very precisely would take 1 grape at a time to eat. But rather than just put it in his mouth she noticed he was very particular about how he ate them.