Love is so blind that it just happens unexpectedly.
You may fall for anyone!
Would you let go of your policy if you fell for someone you shouldn't? What would you choose-your policy or your beloved?
I don’t know how long I had been unconscious when I opened my eyes. There was a grassland in front of me. I saw some students, some faculty, some maids, etc., walking on the opposite road which fell in between the two lawns populated by silver oaks. I could see them and the ground very closely. I was seeing everything at right angles to the usual vision. Where was I?
I then realized that I had been sleeping on someone’s lap. I woke up at once. Akshat had wrapped me in his cozy right hand.” Naomi, are you fine?”, asked he, patting my cheek with his meek and amiable left hand.
After I nodded, he greeted, “Halloo Naomi Dixit! “We shook hands. “Sir, I am very sorry for all that I spoke to you and the way I treated you. I didn’t know who you were. But please forgive me…I know it isn’t easy for you but at least don’t call me halloo(potato) please…”, begged I.
He chuckled, confessing that he had never called me that. When I asked him what he had told me before my name while greeting me just now, he explained, “I just said Halloo meaning Hello…I say Halloo sometimes when I get somewhat friendly…”
“OH! I thought that you called me halloo as you were angry with me!”, said I.
We laughed our hearts out at the misunderstanding. He reassured me, “Naomi, I am not enraged at you. Instead, I am impressed with your attitude. By the way, why did you feel that I called you a potato? You aren’t fat though…”
“Sir, you aren’t fat either yet I called you a useless big fat glacier of Antarctica…. Out of anger we may blabber anything…”, described I and we laughed again, this time more loudly. In fact, I was louder and he had a burst of meek and silent laughter.
“Hmmm…. But you were wrong. This curse word of yours was foolish…”, commented he. When I shrugged, he justified that big fat glaciers act like pillows for polar bears to hibernate and mattresses for penguins to sleep. He concluded that I should have hence not called them useless.
We chuckled at each other again and he released me from his hand. I leaned back on the bench. A furry teen hare chased a white little one and both passed in front of us. I smiled at him and asked him how I had impressed him.
“Waah!”, said he.
We chuckled again, as he continued, “The way you saved the gentlewoman’s life in the bus the last dawn, the way you told the conductor about your passion to travel and admire the natural city, the way you screwed me for a faculty exhibiting your immense respect for professors…In all, your genuineness-I have fallen for it, Naomi.”
I blushed, acknowledging, “Akshat sir, were you sarcastic, or did you really mean it?”
He confirmed,” No, I meant it; I swear…I mean that’s what in you has created a special honor for you…! “I blushed again, thanking him for none had ever acclaimed me so well till then.
I asked him why he hadn’t revealed his identity while I rebuked him.
“I enjoyed it when you scolded me”, he elucidated. I laughed, as he continued, “I don’t even remember the last time anyone screwed me this worse. I am my mom’s pet, dad’s baby, behen’s(younger sister) hero, and bhai’s(elder brother) doll.”
“Aww! So cute!”, smiled I. He continued, “Above all, you weren’t wrong either. I am not in my formals today and thus none will be able to guess that I am a faculty here unless they knew me upfront! I have come like a student today. I was on leave but had to come only to correct those two bundles of papers that fell on us in the staffroom. The university wants to declare the backlog exam results earlier this year.”
I nodded and pretended to be fine but I still felt guilty. I recollected fainting in the staffroom and wondered how I ended up there on the lawn. When I asked him about this, he said that I had been partly conscious and that he managed to walk me till there. ” It was just a 10-minute walk from the staffroom. I wanted to expose you to the fresh air outside. Of course, the lawn is the best place!”, clarified he.
“Sir, don’t lie. You carried her in your arms till here throughout the ten minutes although she was partly conscious and could walk”, joined Vyomi, arguing as her pony swung along. When I asked him why he had concealed it from me, he sighed, yawning that it wasn’t a big deal.
“I sprayed water on you and rubbed your palms but you gave no response. Vyomi and I were petrified. I later felt that a bit of exposure to the fresh air might help you recover from the shock and thank goodness it worked!”, justified he.
I couldn’t believe that a man carried me in his arms. I was imagining him carrying me in his cozy and strong arms as he ran towards the lawn; it was mesmerizing and I wished those precious and dreamy romantic moments never ended. I was never this close to a guy ever before. How I wished I could beg him to carry me again in his arms, just in front of me so that I could relish the moment lively for I was elated then. Any girl would find it the most romantic moment of her life ever…I know that I have just met him yet such moments are special!
Very soon, I was lost in my world full of questions-He and Vyomi could have walked me together. Why did he put all his effort to carry me? I was a stranger to him. Why did he have to care so much? He could have called the emergency room about whom Vyomi had told me earlier. Moreover, how come he isn’t even a bit angry at me? I spoke too much…I screwed him…What about his dignity? Why Akshat sir why?
She handed over the cup of fresh watermelon juice to me and signed on my lap. I then realized that I was sitting very close to Akshat sir. I got up and stood beside Vyomi. Both of us were standing in front of him.
“Naomi, sit down!”, said he, catching my palm. “Sir, you are a faculty here. How can I cling to you? I am sorry again for not realizing all this while. We were so engrossed talking that I forgot…”, apologized I.
He pulled me, made me sit on his lap, and wrapped his right hand around my waist. I was lost in the orange flowers timely shedding from the silver oaks surrounding us. I could hear his heartbeat in my ears. My eyes were almost submerged in his. I had never been this close to a guy ever before. He took a flower from my head and offered it to me.
” Akshat sir!”, I exclaimed.
“You shouldn’t sit beside me but you can sit on my lap, right? Sit!”, he spoke out. I got up and sat right next to him, sipping my juice like an obedient school girl.
“Good!”, nodded he, and we chuckled again. I turned at Vyomi but she was looking elsewhere and blushing to herself. I shrugged and turned back to face him.
He informed me that he saw my file after Vyomi had told him regarding my search for transfer.”93 percent in the first year of Law, the second prize in a national-level essay writing competition, and won a local debate competition too! That’s awesome, Naomi!”, praised he. “You are a merit student and Janki University cannot spare to lose you.”
When he asked me why I had left my old Law college after my first year, I told him frankly,” Jaipur, sir. Heat. Nothing else! The unbearable heat killed me. I was born and brought up here in Pune. You would have seen from my file that I passed my tenth and twelfth grades with distinction from Pune. My parents somehow felt that doing Law in my mom's native would be better, got me a seat there and despatched me over there.”
Vyomi laughed at my reason. I continued, “Yes, I know that I have taken a big risk for such a petty reason, sir. But…” Akshat defended me, “No, not at all, Naomi Dixit. Climate plays a crucial role in our lifestyle. Your reason is sensible and your decision is right. I too would have done the same if I were you.”
While my bestie was surprised, I too was equally surprised but I was extremely happy as he concluded that he would help me meet the registrar the next day and look into the matter. We stood up, and he wished me, “Okie! So, come and meet me in my staffroom tomorrow at 10 AM. I will then escort you there and try my level best to coach you at our esteemed college. All the best!”
“Sir, we have your Criminal Law-II class that hour and you had told us to come prepared for a small test based on the first part we learned last semester”, reminded Vyomi. He slammed his forehead and informed,” Fuck! It's OK…I will give my class to Shreyas sir tomorrow…Naomi is more important to me. Anyway, it’s just an introductory class, right?!”
“Thank you, Akshat sir!”, cheered I, blushing, as his words calling me important and prioritizing my issue over his class, kept flashing like an echo within my mind. He offered the flower again to me. I was clueless…I just took it and we smiled at each other. He told us that he had to return to the staffroom and take those papers back home. We waved at each other and he walked away after waving back at Vyomi as well.
My bestie dashed my shoulder in a friendly manner. “What’s going on, dude? You guys seem to be interested in each other…oho oho oho!”, she teased me.” No no your sir is cool that’s it. He is a kind-hearted person.”, managed I.
“Akshat Malhotra sir! Oho, I see!” teased she and I turned away, blushing a bit.
“Nothing, nothing! I too was here...But he offered the flower only to you. And when you fainted you know he was so lost. He panicked a lot and started asking me if you had any family history of breathing problems and so on…Aww how romantic!”, continued she.
I pinched her and advised her not to overthink lest her brain would blast and erupt off as a volcano. She didn’t belong to the category of those who gave up very easily.
She continued,” Dude, listen. After you fainted, he didn’t even let you fall to the ground. He caught you just on time after which he carried you in his arms. Sir doesn’t even talk much to girls or even female faculties or anyone else for that matter excluding academics. None know any of his personal details as well. But, only with you, he wants to get closer, I felt. I could see his eyes tremble when you fell unconscious…”
“Dude, stop it! It's normal dude..”, ignored I, walking towards the small trash can a few feet away. “Use Me”, it said, smiling and opening its mouth, as I pressed its pedal.
However, she continued, “Not at all, Dude. In fact, even the juice that you just drank-my god! He was so particular with the specifications. He had ordered me to go and buy a fresh watermelon juice with a moderate amount of sugar and ice cubes in it. He kept on emphasizing fresh juice fresh juice don’t get the bottled packaged juices. Even a business contract wouldn’t emphasize its terms and conditions this much…”
I blushed and she caught me this time. “Ohio aww so romantic indeed!! I think he likes you, dude!!! Akshat Malhotra likes Naomi!!”, cheered she. I advised myself too not to overthink for a part of my brain felt that any gentleman would care for a person in trouble and that Akshat sir was one such gentleman that’s all nothing much! Also, I felt that he would have treated any other girl too in the same way and that Vyomi, being a dreamy teenager was exaggerating it!
"Dude, he and I-not happening. What are you even thinking? He is our sir. Guru Devo Bhava-I believe and follow it. Our teachers are our gods and we must worship them and not look at them with such naughty thoughts”, said I. I urged her to attend her class. When she defended that it was a free hour, I advised her to go and study in the library. I told her that studies were the most important and not to go astray; I reminded the point to myself too! While she left for her class, I took out my phone and booked a cab back home, keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for a lucky and better next morning for my admission into Janki University.
Will Akshat help Naomi accomplish her goal? Why is Akshat such a sweet man?
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