WHEN FATE BRINGS YOU HOME

CHAPTER 14

Whatever I do, it is impossible to ignore his presence or his questions.

"Is my face so predictable? Or is it that you are really good at this game?"

An unexpected laugh escaped from him. It surprised both of us, him shocked at himself for being caught off guard and me feeling something unexplainable, even with scientific terms, when I saw him do it for the first time. I may have seen two little pits on either of his cheeks. I knew it. The dimples. It disappeared as soon as I got a chance to look properly. I'm so unlucky. 

"Did you just laugh?"

"No." His face flustered with embarrassment.

"Ah. Well, then."

I looked away from him. He shifted in his seat a little. He should thing he got away with that pretty well, but I'm not leaving it unattended.

"Next time you do that, I'll make sure to capture it." I pointed towards my phone "For proof."

I don't know why I'm trying to be friendly with him, initiating small chats, which I'm seriously bad at. The last time we came across each other, he apparently did not recognize me, or to be more precise, ignored me. I don't know if I should bring it up or just keep my mouth pursed. I was going back to staring at the sky when he spoke again.

"You dropping at the university too?"

I nodded in response.

"Do you take the bus everyday to the university, professor?"

He looked relaxed at finally being asked something. I still haven't forgiven him at all to how he disregarded me twice. But I'm one of the Homo sapiens with a good soul. I initiate proper conversation with others, to acknowledge them. Something he should learn.

He nodded with a small smile. I really want to see those damn dimples again. Unfortunately, I'm not funny enough.

"Aren't professors supposed to be driving around in cool cars?" 

"Is that so?"

He showed some unhealthy interest in what I thought about him. Or it appeared so. I shrugged in response.

"I do have a car."

"But you never use it?"

"Not for short distances."

Scientists do take their learnings seriously. And here I am, worried about the time when I threw a paper ball into the lawn accidentally. He should've thought that I'm mostly irresponsible.

"Aren't you environment friendly." I say in the likes to conclude our small talk.

"But you are better at it than me."

Did I just get complimented? And for what exactly? I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"You prefer walking, don't you?"

"Um, yes." After a second's mental contradiction I added "How do you know that?"

"Observation."

This guy never likes to talk more than what's necessary. And that's killing me. The series of small talk  was more stressful than it really looks. I almost chattered out more like my usual self forgetting the fact that he's the exact opposite. If I become even a little cozy with him, he might end up knowing all about me in less than a ten minute's talk and me about him, nothing.

After that, I spent twenty three silent seconds watching the timer nervously, which I should have been doing the whole time, but the person sitting near me is more nerve wrecking than any centrifuge timer can ever be.

"What's the timer for, Tara?"

My name from his mouth does relaxes me a lot. Should I reply or ignore? If I reply, he'll probably judge me for being so immature, slipping out the slightest duties of being a scientist blah blah, and if I ignore, my actions will be no different from his.

"The centrifuge."

"Will you be able to reach in time?"

"If I run the way to my lab, yes."

The next few minutes to the university bus stop was spent in awkward silence. Maintaining small conversations are really tricky, especially with him. One wrong move and he'll be difficult to handle. Neither I tried to initiate conversation, and neither did he. But the tension around us is dense, almost visible if you really look. Shaurya Harshenn. Someone whose presence makes me weirdly uncomfortable. My definition for his name.

The bus stopped two meters away from the university entrance gate. He stood from his seat, and moved away from my way so that I could get down first. So gentleman-y all of a sudden. I guess this is what Helen was talking about that day at the canteen. I got down and prepared myself for a jog. The timer shows four minutes. I can reach if I can pull out my maximum speed. All my running punishments after losing so many practice matches in high school comes handy now. When I started, after a two steps jog, one of my loose shoe lace intervened with my movement. The ground appeared closer and closer as I tripped my way forward. It's almost funny how the falls and failures is experienced by us in slow motion. It feels that the life is showing you about your mistakes, in my case not tying the shoes properly, and also taunting you that you will never be able to stop it from happening, clearly I can't tie my shoes now. A strong force from the back of my head stopped me in mid fall and pulled me back to balance. The professor used my pony tailed hair as a medium to stop me from falling. Clever. But it was painful.

"Ouch, it hurts."

"It would have hurt more if you hit your face on the ground."

I rolled my eyes. 

"Now, tie your shoes."

"Aye, aye, sir."

I felt a small smile from him as I gave my phone and wallet to him to hold and bent down to tie the lace. The most annoying job in the world and it takes me forever to complete it. 

Ugh, the timer. After tying it in messed up knots, I stood back up and started running.

"Tara."

I turned back as he stood there with my phone and wallet in hand, judging my stupidity face to face.  My act was pretty quick, like that of a relay player, as I snatched my belongings back from him, whispered a thank you, and starting running towards the department building.

Only three minutes left. I passed a few meters when I heard him again.  

"Don't run into any walls. Watch the stairs as well."

I felt myself smile at that. His words sounded concerned but I'm not sure if he was partially mocking me or not. I didn't turn back, but I shouted my reply while running.

"See you around, Shaurya."

And I hoped I would see him again soon. Very contrasting to what I felt the last time I saw him. 

As I ran through the corridors of the department building, I made sure I didn't hit myself by the walls. While I took two steps at a time on the stairs, his words that told me to be careful repeated in my head like a mantra. I pulled the keys from my pockets and threw open the door. I didn't once check the timer on my way here, it just wastes more time. I ran up to the machine on which it's digital timer counted down from six. I am six seconds early. I switched it off when the beep sound came from it and sat down on one of the bar stools, catching my breath. Surely I've lost my capacity to run with a consistent speed. Suddenly, I realized that I have been smiling the whole way here, all while running, climbing the stairs and switching off the machine. 

I hate this version of him. Correction, It's scary how much I like this version of him.