Flawless Silence

Chapter 03

Atharv was her senior.

She had a little crush on him as she looked at him for the first time during the orientation period. He was in charge of the programme as a student council to welcome the fresh batch of students for the new academic year.

Annika was in love with the knowledge he possessed. She started spending luxurious time watching him talk in a smooth and creamy way. She knew the little affection, admiration and respect were slowly converting into love; for which she didn't have an adequate portrayal.

As days rolled into months, the liking only grew.

One day one of her mates, Ashika, who was acquainted with the senior accidentally spilt the tea. Amazed by the same, Atharv had strolled in search of the junior who had some feelings for him.

"I heard something," he had started putting his thoughts into words, "which is quite surprising. Is that true?"

Annika frowned not understanding what he was speaking.

"Ashika accidentally notified me of something." He said looking around the cafeteria, hoping not to be detected by any of his friends.

Annika widened her eyes. She flinched biting her lips anxiously awaiting him to chastise her when he didn't she raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. "That was supposed to be unknown. I never intended this to happen. I'm sorry for creating hardships with this."

"I'm not asking you to apologize but to explain the reason behind your feeling." She told scrutinizing her expression. "You can be straight to the point, I would not mind."

Mustering the courage she held, Annika proceeded to describe. "The day I saw you first were very ordinary nonetheless you had caught my eye. I watched as you spoke on the podium expressing your proficiency and command over the theme. Not only that, I was impressed with your tolerance and humanity towards everyone. My words should not be pushing you over the edge but think about them as praises. There is no need to accept me."

Atharv raised his brows.

"I know I have a bright future ahead, with one part saying that love in teenage is just an infatuation. However, another part speaks that what I feel for you is stronger than mere infatuation. I also appreciate that you have lots of dreams wishing them to come true. I even have got some. Don't get me wrong, you can always converse with your thoughts."

Annika fiddled with her sling bag strap as she waited for him to show some disagreement.

"I didn't catch your name. Sorry! What's your name?"

"Annika. Annika Tripathi."

He nodded. "Do you think we can concentrate on both ourselves and our studies?"

"It depends on the mindset. If wished for it, then definitely yes."

"Okay."

"You aren't angered with me? Right?"

"No." He shook his head in negative. "I love how you move your hands animatedly while speaking."

Smiling at her confused face, he pushed the chair back, standing in his place. He ordered a cappuccino for Annika before walking out.

That was the beginning of the love story. Following days, both Annika and Atharv came closer than the foreseeable future. They acknowledged that but they were dating to their friends however they refrained from informing their parents. They were one of the most successful couples in the college back then familiar as #AnnArv.