A Little Closer To You

II - An Old Friend

So I was finally going to be that girl.
Sexy tanktop, flared jeans, a high pony tail because my open hair resembles a pile of hay, and other accessories that I had sorted out a month before I was to cross the gates of Amity, Noida's star college. And of course, I had left the apartment at the earliest. Without informing the sleeping beast in my room whose agitation was visible with the way my phone rang loudly in the autorickshaw.

"I'm not taking the guarantee if you are dead or alive, just inform me whenever you go out. Your parents have specially req-",
"I am sorry roommie!", I said, stretching the word sorry in a never ending manner. This was Diksha, and she was entrusted with my care by my parents since I was living away from my house and my home town for the first time. Yet, I felt so confident and familiar with the vibes that the July morning gave me that day. The sky was clear and the air felt fresh. I still made a mental note of throwing ice water at her if she did not wake up the next time. Though I had informed her the previous night that the following day would be my first day of college, she considered her binge-watch more important than my words. If only my parents could see that she was a drunkard and sometimes made the air in our 1 BHK full of tobacco. But I could never complain because she had been living there for three years, and that in a sense gives her the authority to do anything of her own mind.
"Are you excited for boys?", She asked.
"What, no! I just feel ecstatic today to study something new, meet new people..", but she cut me off before that.
"I'm a 3rd year, okay? Don't spew this bullshit to me. Anyway, hang up now", her drowsiness was evident in her stern voice. Her behaviour set such a stereotypical image of an engineering student in my head. Although I was quick to check my judgement because that is what psychology teaches you.
An honours in psychology from Amity is thus my real start on being a wise brat.

After the usual wandering around and checking out buildings and classes like every lost freshman on his first day, I detected my class and settled down in the backseat because that was the best place to capture my face and do some secluded chatting. All this dressing up nicely was for making new friends, but I started feeling extremely lonely as I saw groups walking together everywhere and not a single person alone. I wondered if I had entered the wrong class. And to make sure, I asked a guy sitting in front of me.
"If you were in the wrong class, I would not have been sitting here", he said. His voice succumbed the loud thud in my heart. What the fuck is he doing here?
"Eshaan, seriously?", I said in a whisper to not attract any attention.
"Were the selfies being clicked for sending to me?", He smirked, keeping a leg on the adjacent seat, lacking any shame. I kept staring at his face, both in awe and in anger. I wondered how he entered the campus without an ID card.
Oh right, we hadn't got our cards yet.
"Please leave for your 5 to 9 job, the professor must be here any minute", I knew this was a fail but still I tried.
"No I want to see what you guys will learn here. If my girlfriend learns to stop fighting so often, then I must say that you have chosen the perfect course",
"What is this revenge for, Mr. Batra",
"This....wait", he took out his phone and clicked us together, "You see, my cheeks are not smeared with your lipstick."
"Yes I took an auto because I did not want you to take me to your place because I will get late for my college and also.....you know, not before our marriage."
I knew why he was mad and sneaked into my college for his silly confrontation. Our locked eyes were slowly pulling our lips to do the same. And then suddenly, the professor entered. Eshaan was trapped throughout the introductory rant of the old man.

"The rest of the class will be taken in the hall. Follow me", we emptied our class and a long queue passed by the senior classes where some interesting lectures had already begun. It was then only when Eshaan ran away from there, leaving a peck on my cheek that I realised a second later. Surely many had caught us like that but I was assured that they wouldn't open their mouths about it. The queue dispersed in the hall, and I climbed up the fourth last seat to have a better view of the magnificent hall. It seemed like a place where international forums could be held. A large projector screen with a digital board beside it hung in front of us. I was seeing others settling down in haste and the lights of the hall turning on one by one. When the entire hall was lit, I realised the presence of a man beside me who was quite previously inconspicuous in the dark.
And he had been stark staring at me the whole time. I raised my brows to let him know that I am aware of his staring, but he took that as a formal introduction.
"Hi, first day! You seem a bit down", he said. His face was rectangular, a perfectly-edged stubble formed his jaw and tiny spikes of hair lined his cupid's bow. A handsome man in a pink tshirt and white coat over, beige jeans and brown leather shoes, but a messy hairstyle. I knew he had not taken a bath or must have entered late that he forgot to comb.
"I...am just nervous", I smiled weakly.
No, I feel hell alone. Not as I had expected.
"Oh. I feel lonely here", as if hearing my thoughts, he gave me a knowing look.
"May I know you?", Though it was forbidden by my dear boyfriend to extend the hand of friendship to any boy, the fact that our feelings of loneliness matched at first sight was something to not let go. I was relieved that Eshaan had left the campus by then. How, I didn't know.
"Ikshit Chaurasia, a hostellite here",
"Sweet. I am Lavanya Tripathi", and I forwarded my hand for a shake.