Naomi's POV
“Pizzas are here!”, shrieked Karan, bringing two pans with large size cheesy corn pizzas having onion toppings on them. Vyomi, Karan, Tanvi, Diya, and I-the famous five-we were the only gang at the pizza hut that noon. We occupied a table enlightened by the thin and long chandelier fixed to the ceiling right above it. I sat, leaning back on the wall. Vyomi sat in front of me. The choir girls sat on either side of me; Tanvi on my right and Diya on my left.
The pizza hut of our university was an inn with only five tables-four in the four corners and one in the center which a customer would never prefer for it was in the line of the door, interrupting the passage from the door to the counter.
All of us grabbed a piece as soon as he placed the pans on our table. Karan was left with the smallest piece behind. He shrugged, sitting on the red chair beside Vyomi, and argued,” No, girls, this is injustice. It's my treat and I get to eat the smallest piece!”
I had gotten closer with my new friends-in fact, they were no longer new; we had become thickest friends and our class addressed us as the famous five! I laughed, advising Karan,” You are treating us to two hundred thousand subscribers on your stand-up comedy channel on Youtube. We are your guests and you are our host. So, come on, who gets to hog more? You or us?”
Vyomi and I hi-fied our left palms as Tanvi and Diya cheered at me. Karan made a semi-circle with his mouth, demanding me,” Naomi, you must treat all of us after the upcoming internal. You will pay me very soon!” I laughed, raising my eyebrows and interrogating him. He cheered back,” Topper of our batch, right? I know that you will top the internal, in all the subjects!”
My other friends nodded at him and cheered at me,” Naomi!Treat!” They repeated the word “treat” umpteen times, at the peak of their voices. I closed my ears at which they cheered even louder. I massaged my hair that I had tied behind with a centering clip and left loosely on both sides till my hip, as I smiled at them.
“OK!”, screamed I, followed by applause from my friends. Diya patted my shoulder and raised my left hand, declaring,” Naomi, I am sure you will beat Ruhi!” As my other friends nodded, making big eyes, I shook my head at them and asked them not to compare students by their grades. I told them that it was advisable only to compare one’s scores with oneself and not with peers.
“Stop it, you drama queen!”, yelled a familiar female voice.
I leaned a little to my left. My friends turned back to see Ruhi at the door. The famous five stood up as if we were to greet a professor. She was followed by Sana and Tina; the three were besties and their gang was popularly addressed as ‘the three musketeers’! Sana sometimes pretended to be sweet and friendly to me. Tina laughed too much; she used to drag her laughter and bray like a donkey-that was how she laughed which was one of the sources of noise pollution.
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?
Karan giggled at Ruhi who rushed towards me, gnashing her teeth, raising her eyebrows, and making her face stiff as one would stay stiff while entering the tunnel for an MRI. Ruhi frowned at poor Karan who then looked outside through the glass beside our table and waved at none. We girls smiled and controlled our laughter.
“Why the hell did you come here?”, shouted Ruhi, right in my ears. I moved a step backward, shrinking my eyes. I raised my eyebrows back at her, wondering what she was up to. Karan giggled at her, as Sana rubbed her back. He looked around, justifying,” Ruhi, come on, you are a brilliant student. How come you don’t know why one would visit pizza hut?”
There was a moment of silence after which he exclaimed with a playful tone, touching his monkey cap,” Of course, to eat pizza!”
At that, I and my friends couldn’t control it. We laughed aloud including aunt Harini and aunt Arpita at the counter who managed all the billing.
“Shut up guys!”, screamed the anxious Sana. We remained silent. However, Tina brayed like an ass and stopped. She claimed that she was mocking us. I shrugged at my gang and Karan looked up at the ceiling, controlling his laughter.
“Don't play the fool. I meant why did you join Janki University, Naomi? Didn’t you find any other college anywhere else to continue your studies?”, yelled the ruthless Ruhi. She sighed, asking,” Why did you end up with me and screw my dignity-my fame? I lost everything because of you. How dare you compete with me?”
“You too could have joined anywhere else, right? Why did you come to Janki University, Ruhi?”, attacked I.
She raised her index finger at me and I raised mine back at her. My eyes puzzled at hers which were frowning at mine.
I withdrew my finger and tied my hands, asking her why she had to be so jealous of me.
She gave me a wicked smile, justifying,” How would I not be? You answer everything in the class regardless of the subject. You were the only one who completed Shreyas sir’s assignment yesterday. You finish the class tests faster than all of us, show your answers to Akshat sir, get his approval, and answer open-ended questions in every damn class. You being such a show-off and such an ideal student is pissing me off.”
She took a deep breath as Vyomi warned her not to call me a show-off. She argued,” Shut up, Ruhi. Do you even know how much hard work Naomi puts in? I am her PGmate. I know. She stays up late and revises theories. She completes studying everything as and when it's taught in the class. That's where her knowledge and understanding beat you who claim to study the night before and top the exams. You become ideal then I am sure you too will do better!”
I smiled at Vyomi. I felt glad that, being a topper and a nerd, I finally managed to get good friends, at least in college. I had always been lonely back in school, intermediate and my first year, in my ex-college as well.
“Chop off your hair if you don’t top this internal”, ordered Tina, at me. My gang gave her a disgusted look. Tina brayed again, highlighting,” See! You aren’t ready for the challenge which implies that you know the power of our Ruhi.”
I shook my head. Before I proceeded to express anything, "Ruhi!", I heard Akshat sir from the entrance. He headed towards us while frowning at the three musketeers. He stood beside me and screwed her gang,” Nonsense!” He scolded Tina for her cheap mentality. He concluded that they were mature college students who must have been aware of social etiquette.
“Tina, you were very rude to Naomi. Unless the three of you apologize to Naomi right now, I won’t evaluate your Criminal Law-II internal papers”, declared he.
I looked at him and spotted wrath dominating innocence in his meek and hesitant eyes for the first time ever. I blushed a little, elated at how he was angry because someone mocked me. I had never been this close to a guy ever before. I felt like a gang leader after Akshat too joined hands to defend me. It was the first time a guy close to my heart, spoke for me, in real and not in my illusions!
The three musketeers shook their heads at me. I smiled at them and turned to Akshat. I nodded at him who continued frowning. He turned back at the rebel girls and asked them,” Wow! Weren’t you taught in your school how to apologize to someone or have you lost your voice boxes? Say sorry!”
The helpless rebels, at last, bowed and apologized to me, in chorus,” Sorry Naomi.” No sooner had I nodded that they hurried to pull the door and get out.
I blushed at Akshat; he looked handsome, as always, in his coffee brown full-handed formal shirt and black formal pants. It was the first time he wore this combination. I wished I could ask him if the suit was new but the scenario wasn’t supporting.
“Oh, what’s wrong with me? Why am I noticing him so much?”, wondered I.
The girls took an about turn and left. Akshat turned to me and blushed.
“Your hair is thick, black, and very lovely. Don’t you ever fall prey to such foolish challenges”, remarked he, at which I blushed again. I also saw my friends smiling at me.
He sighed, taking a piece of pizza from one of the plates. He relished it, blushing at me and looking at my gang,” I needed a small snack break. Excuse me, guys!”
I blushed. My eyes forgot to blink while I adored his clean teeth attacking my food. A guy had never been this close to me to have hogged my food.
Vyomi whispered to me,” Dude, you had eaten a bite of the very same piece which Akshat sir is eating now. That was your snack, right? Should we inform him? He would be hurt for I think he spits sensitive.”
My smile faded. I felt guilty once again. I realized that I would feel guiltier if I didn’t stop him. He had already finished two bites though. Before he could eat it the third time, I caught his right hand having the pizza in it, calling,” Akshat sir! Don’t eat it.”
He chuckled while I continued,” Sorry sir I must have stopped you earlier. I had already started eating this piece of pizza. I am very sorry if you are spit-conscious…”
I was scared that he would screw me. I looked down at the floor while he blushed, turning my face up and consoling me,” It's fine, Kiku. I am but I don’t mind it if it is you.”
Our eyes dived into each other’s while my friends giggled at us. Diya began grumbling ‘Tujhe Dekha toh yeh jaanasanam’. I gestured for her to stop, turned back at Akshat, and slipped my hand against his as slow as a snail would climb Mount Everest. Karan threw out his usual whooping cough, out of purpose.
He offered me as he chewed,” You must have missed your snack because of me. Do have it, Naomi!” I refused while Tanvi whispered to the rest that Akshat and I needed privacy. Karan broke the silence telling me that he suddenly remembered a work at the admin block. The others nodded and followed him, leaving me and Akshat behind.
As he blushed, insisting, I took a bite and gave the pizza back to him. He brought his mouth in between like a naughty boy. I had to force a bite into his mouth. He fed me the next bite, I fed the following and it went on till our hands were empty. We blushed at each other, chewing the last bite. I completed and complimented him,” Akshat sir, this combination you are wearing today is unique just like you.”
He chuckled,” Sexy! Thank you, Naomi!” I blushed. I took my bag from the chair and gestured that I would be leaving then. His meek eyes signaled me not to go. I blushed and ran away, closing the door behind me. I saw him putting his hands in his pockets, blushing, and kicking the chair’s leg, through the glass window at the entrance. I blushed, running away, to the corridor. I felt special after he had saved and served me at the right strike of Big Ben.
What will Ruhi do to pull Naomi down? Can Akshat save Kiku?
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