My Ex - Crush

Episode 42

Arjun's POV:

It was pitch dark outside, and the bus had come to a halt. We had stopped at Hosur after crossing the Karnataka border. Deepika was still in deep slumber beside me, her head occasionally leaning towards me.

The driver flicked on the lights as Kiran Sir announced that it was time to get down and have dinner. I nudged Deepika gently. She woke up with a confused look, rubbing her eyes like a kid who wasn’t ready to leave her dreams just yet.

We all got off the bus, and the empty roads greeted us with their eerie silence. Most of the restaurants were closed, and the cool breeze had a hint of drizzle in it, but thankfully, it didn’t start to rain again.

Vinoth, Arul, and I wandered down a couple of streets and eventually found a small hotel that was open. We quickly ate and headed back to the bus. On our way back, I spotted Meera, Lavanya, and Deepika roaming around like a trio of lost sheep.

“You guys ate?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, we got lost. All thanks to Deepika’s expert directions!” Lavanya shot back, throwing Deepika under the bus without a second thought.

“I told you I wasn’t sure about the route!” Deepika said, defending herself with an exasperated sigh.

“But you said you might remember!” Lavanya said, mocking her with a dramatic eye-roll.

“I’m starving!” Meera groaned, clutching her stomach like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Always hungry!” Deepika shook her head, looking at Meera like she was the biggest drama queen ever.

“Vinoth, Arul, you guys head back to the bus. I’ll stay with these lost souls and help them find some dinner,” I said, watching them wander aimlessly. They nodded and left me to babysit.

Deepika was trailing quietly behind us, looking like she was deep in thought or maybe just embarrassed.

I led them to the hotel where I’d just eaten and sat with them while they ordered.

"You can go back to the bus, Arjun. We’ll eat and manage," Deepika said, trying to sound confident, but I knew better.

“Yeah, and end up on the local news as ‘Students lost at dinner time,’” I teased, mindlessly scrolling through my phone.

“By the way, Arjun, what’s the plan for NASA this year?” Meera asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Well, first, we’ll tackle the Reubens Trophy and ANDC by September, and then we’ll start focusing on the other trophies,” I replied.

Lavanya’s eyes lit up. “So, if we get shortlisted for ANDC at the zonal level, we get to participate in more trophies?”

“Yep,” I said, catching Deepika’s wide-eyed expression of shock.

“Wait, what? More? Reubens? ANDC?” Deepika sputtered.

“It’s not as easy as flirting with your way to whichever trophy you want to work on,” I teased her with a smirk.

“Shut up, Arjun!” Deepika glared at me, her eyes practically shooting daggers.

I laughed and then turned to Meera as she asked, “So, we have to help the seniors for the Reubens Trophy too?”

“Yes, you’ve got to give your best work. They’ll select and pin up the best submissions from the entire department. And for ANDC, there will be five teams. You can choose to work with whichever senior team you like,” I explained.

Deepika was biting her lip, clearly dreading the idea of working with the seniors. I knew how much she disliked the idea, but I also knew she needed to break that ice. If only I could make her see that not all of them were that bad.