Exile

18. TEMPORARY PROFESSOR ?!!

Harika sat at the table, sulking and cursing her fate about getting caught in the exam, with a PHONE! Taking Phone for cheating is probably not the best idea. Chits would have sufficed for that stupid question paper or maybe peeking into someone's paper would also have been enough for her to pass. She was analyzing her chances of not getting caught if she had to pull this stunt once again, when Agastya walked to the table and sat right in front of her.

She sobered up immediately. She is crazy if she is really thinking of pulling this stunt once again. Her life turned upside down already.

Okay, "Upside Down" might be a little bit dramatic but it did take a toll on her.

She had an army of people to apologize, which she did honestly.

And she had Hulk of a man who roams around with a personality switch ready in his hands, to flip it off, just for her.

And the worst thing among all this is, she feared that Hulk of a man as much as she liked him.

Her life sucks!!

She avoided looking at Agastya and concentrated on how she is not going to sleep in her class, when the boring lecturer teaches a subject just like him, boring!

Anjali walked to the table with breakfast and Harika is annoyed to say the least. She hated Upma with all her life. Why can't she just have one thing right. She woke up early. She have an extra class where she is supposed to "concentrate". And now she have to the eat the breakfast, which she hated to say the least.

It's okay Harika. You can pull it off!!

She braced herself and had her breakfast in silence. She got up and walked away as soon as she is finished.

"Ise kya hua?" Anjali asked no one in particular. The daughter she gave birth to, would have never had Upma without breathing a word of complaint.

"Extra classes hai use." Pratyaksha answered while chewing her food.

Anjali nodded but that didn't answer her question. If her daughter is having extra classes, and is served with her least favourite breakfast, she should be sulking more than normal. She looked at Agastya who was quite as usual. But there was something different in his silence this time. She couldn't pin point it exactly but something is wrong with him. She could sense it. She tried for a conversation but she just couldn't come up with any. She decided to go for the classic one "Lunch mein kya khoage Agastya?"

She almost blanched back when Agastya looked up and gave her 'that' smile and shrugged "Kuch bhi Maa." He said but she zoned out. It took him months to get that smile a bit more genuine but he is now back to square one. She didn't feel like eating anymore. What the hell happened that 2 months of progress went in vain! She thought for couple of minutes but she couldn't come up with any reason. Or maybe, he is just having a bad day. She tried to tell herself that he will fine in a couple of hours and brushed away her concerns under the name of over-protectiveness. She looked up startled when Agastya got up. He took away his plate to the sink and came back after washing his hands "I will be back by lunch."

She frowned at that "Kaha jaa rahe ho?"

"College." He sighed.

"Kyu?" Pratyaksha asked out of curiosity.

"I am the new Mathematics Professor, Temporary ofcourse." He answered and walked away checking the time in his wrist watch. Pratyaksha was still in shock. She looked at her father "Ye kab hua?"

She sighed when her father answered. So that was the reason he was in college yesterday!

WOW!!!