The 60% red flag

2. Her snapstreak

"Sir, par itne paise ka kya krenge? 
(What will you do with this much money?) " Sudesh was very interested in the outcome, I guess.

"Why don't we order Chinese food and have fun together?"
Everyone welcomed the idea by clapping. Everyone except her.

We solved a few more sums together. And as soon as the lecture got over, I left the classroom and rushed towards my bike. I heard fast footsteps behind me. She was almost running to catch up to me. Priti was right behind her. I, too, increased my pace. I was enjoying it too much. Teasing her was the reason for the extra dopamine in my body.

Finally, she caught up to me when I almost started my bike.
"Sir, my phone." She was literally panting.

"I sold it already. Join us at the party ha .. After all, without you, it wouldn't have been possible anyway." I teased her more.

"It's in your pants. I know," she said.

"I already know what's in my pants," I started laughing as soon as I said that.

"Sir, please... please, please let it slide one last time. It won't happen again." She literally begged.

"And what if you get caught again?" I asked.

"Then punish me however you want." She replied. Her eyes were still angled towards my pocket.

"Fair enough." I pulled out the phone and handed it over to her. 

"Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank  you," a wide smile appeared on her face.

"I thought you would never give it back. I was worried about missing my train," she continued.

"Where do you stay?" I asked.

"Nerul," she replied.

"Oh.. I am going to Belapur for another lecture. Nerul is on the way. Do you want to tag along?"

She froze for a few moments,almost a half-minute. And then she looked at Priti. She again took a pause and finally answered. "Thank you sir, but Priti is also coming to my home today."

"Ohk then, I will take your leave.". 
When I was moving away, I noticed her constant gaze through the side mirror. As if she wanted to stop me and say something. It was too late to stop now, and soon she disappeared from my sight.

That was our last lecture on 'Mechanics'. They had an exam scheduled in two weeks.

We didn't meet again, at least not for 4 months.A month before our meeting, when I was surfing my phone at a traffic signal, I got a notification on Instagram. It was her friend request. But before I could accept it, the signal turned green, and I quickly kept the phone in my pocket.

With the busy schedule I had that day, I easily forgot about that request.
In the evening, when I remembered it, her request was no longer there.
'What should I do now?', a thought went past my mind. But I don't like to waste my energy overthinking, so this time I sent her a request.

She accepted it within the next two minutes. I waited for a few minutes and then asked her," Did you send me a request on Insta this morning?" 

"Yes,it happened by mistake," she replied.

A smirk appeared on my face after reading the obvious lie.
"Oh, actually, I was busy driving; hence, I was not able to accept it at that time," I texted.

"No problem, sir." She replied.

"But I have a problem now. Since sending me a request was not your original intention, I am removing you from my followers. I don't accept requests from my students anyway," I messaged while smiling.