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?
"Who is he?", I blushed, winking at her. She shrugged and smiled at the flower. As I lifted it up and exposed it to the incoming bright beam of the morning sun, I pointed out 'Vyomi' written with a sharp compass on both the petals such that her name extended diagonally on both the petals and also formed a 'V'-shape. While I cheered, she dragged me inside our classroom. She bowed and welcomed me inside our class as if it were her home. I smiled and walked inside, setting my right foot first, which is considered quite auspicious in India.
The classroom housed around seven two-seater benches in each of the three rows. A bench was at least two feet behind its predecessor with the first bench being at a distance of three feet from the elevated stage. The first and the third rows were the only ones with window seats.
There was a white projector attached to the ceiling, right above the teachers’ table, in the center of the stage. On the wall were three white boards one after the other, their thick and silver border lines touching each other.
There were a few guys and girls in clusters, one in the first few benches of the second row, the other on the last few benches of the third row, and the rest in the middle of both the rows. The first row had only a cluster on the first few benches and two girls with colored hair-one in pink and the other in golden, on the last bench. Hmm! That was my new class!
Vyomi escorted me towards the second bench of the first row. The guy sitting there with a black and furry monkey cap and a wide giggle stood up.” Karan”, called out Vyomi, giggling at me and introducing him,” He is the only guy of our girl's gang”. We laughed, accompanied by the laughter of the two girls sitting on a bench later.
She pointed at the girl behind him, sitting by the window, and introduced her,” She is Diya, the singer of our gang.” She further introduced the girl beside Diya,” And she is Tanvi-the guitarist of our team. The best part is that Tanvi plays the guitar in sync with Diya's voice!”
She put her hands around my shoulders. She introduced me to her friends,” Guys, she is Naomi Dixit, my new PGmate and our new gang-mate!”. “Wow! Such a creative gang you have, Vyomi!”, complimented I, shaking hands with them.
When I was about to shake hands with Karan, he withdrew his, making all of us laugh again. He extended his hand again but I withdrew. I told him that I doubted if he would withdraw it once again!
“No, Naomi, not at all”, convinced he, in his commanding male voice. He justified,” My aim is to become a stand-up comedian for which I keep practicing whenever I happen to get a chance like this!”We, the girls, laughed as I shook my hands with Karan at last!
“That’s awesome, Karan! But, I wonder why you are here, pursuing Law if comedy was your passion?”, asked I, shrugging at him and controlling my laughter. He explained, giggling,” I wanted to ensure that I never violated the Penal code anytime I cracked a joke! So, I am here!”
We, the girls, laughed once again. This time, we roared that the girl on the first bench of the second row stood up and frowned at us. She screwed,” Stop it, you idiots! Who laughs so frequently and so damn loudly inside a classroom? It's so fucking annoying!”
She had inserted her red T-shirt with white floral patterns on it, inside her white jeans pants. She wore thin, long, and white drops.
My friends turned their faces away from her while I argued back, in a soft tone though,” We are sorry but it should be fine, I believe. We were just having some fun. One must enjoy one’s college days, right?...”
My bestie dragged me to the fourth bench as she sat by the window. As the girl who had screwed us, frowned at me, in a half-confused state for I was a new joiner and none had known me yet, Vyomi whispered to me,” Dude, she is a big nerd and is dangerous as well. Stay away from her. None talk to her and she mingles only with her gang of five sitting with her on the first benches as you may see there.”
The rebel bulged her eyes at me and yelled,” Who are you to advise me? I am the topper of the class.” I gulped at Vyomi and whispered,” Oh god! Why is she so egoistic and short-tempered?” As the rebel sat back, releasing us from her cheetah-like vision, Vyomi replied,” That’s what Dude, all because she knows everything in the exams and has been topping in every internal and the final semesters as well since our first exam!”
We raised our eyebrows at each other and shared a round of laughter. As the topper girl turned back again, irritated by the laughter, my bestie and I failed to control and laughed out aloud. My friend concealed her giggle placing her right hand on her mouth but I felt free to laugh in an open space.
The rebel rushed, frowning, and dragged me towards the door of the classroom.” Hey, what are you doing?”, asked I, to which she replied none. She ignored my new friends too who shouted from their benches, calling out,” Ruhi, stop! Ruhi, what are you up to?”
“Get lost!”, yelled she, pushing me outside.
I dashed someone who wrapped me safely in his hands occupied with a laptop on one, a heavy charger, and an adapter on the other. I wondered how he could manage to hold so many things hand in hand. I turned to look at him and was shocked to see Akshat sir’s meek eyes. I had never been this close to a guy ever before.
I remembered how we had played in the rain and enjoyed the last night. How I slipped, how he fell upon me, and how he kissed me on my forehead later-all the scenes struck my mind.
I was in his arms, in front of the entire class which had then stood up, greeting, “Good morning, sir!”We didn’t want to release each other; our eyes didn’t want to look away from each other. I had to initiate,” Good morning, Akshat sir!”. I smiled.” Kiku”, whispered he, smiling back.
He looked around, at the stunned Ruhi who still stood behind me, released me, and helped me stand erect. He nodded at the class and gestured for them to sit. I was standing very close to him. He shrugged at Ruhi whose thyroid gland was swelling as she looked at the floor.
“What sort of behavior is this, Ruhi? Why did you push her on me?”, enquired Akshat, in a gentle tone. Ruhi shook her head as a lamb would shake after it is drenched with holy water before getting beheaded. She denied that she was protecting her classmates by throwing an anonymous girl outside.
“Oh!”, sighed Akshat, shrinking his eyes and staring at her. He gestured for us to settle down in our seats. I recollected how vamps in daily soaps plan something evil for the female protagonist and how these plans always ended with something that would bring the lead roles closer. That's what happened now in my life as well!
Ruhi sat on the first bench of the second row and continued to frown at me wondering how the professor allowed a non-student inside. As I was about to leave, Akshat, placing his laptop on the table, called me,” Naomi Dixit!”
I turned to face him who continued, as he connected the laptop to the charger,” You have left a task incomplete. Don’t you remember?”
I blushed at him, remembering how I had refrained from kissing him on his cheek, the last night, due to the sudden arrival of my parents. As he blushed, in return, and nodded, it confirmed that he was referring to the very same kiss of mine which I had left in the middle.
“Sir, but are you sure you want me to complete it now?”, asked I.
He nodded, emphasizing,” Yes yes, right now. Complete it right away, Ki…”, said he. He was about to call me Kiku but stopped; thank god, he was still conscious!
“Come!”, said he, calling me on the stage.
What’s happening here? Great heavens! Why on earth is he demanding me a kiss in the classroom? That was ridiculous. If he isn’t shy, I am shy. What will my new classmates think of a me-a shameless girl who kisses her professor? Such a characterless idiot!... All such scary thoughts ruled my mind.
“Are you serious? How could I do it now? Sorry sir, I cannot give it in the classroom. We must maintain the decorum of the temple of education.”, denied I.
What's Akshat up to? Is he out of his mind?
Dear readers,
Thank you for following my series and reading the episode. Rate it and write your review, give it a heart and share it in your circle whenever you are free. Your voice matters a lot to me.
