"मुझे भेजा था दुनिया देखने को,
मैं एक चहरे को तकता रह गया!"
Space College-
The another day! A New day! Students were entering in the premises of their college, with smiles on their faces. And why not? Indeed College life is an important part of life. Here, you don't only learn the book lessons, but lessons of life too. You get new friends, some who stays with you till the last and others, with whom you lose the contact by the end of the college. And you realise the big group of friends, you called as friends were just companions, and the one or two you're left with, are your true friends! And that's life, you get the maturity that people will come and go, but real well wishers are those, who stay. And that's why, college life is necessary, not only for building up your careers, but also to build a new You!
Amidst all the students, Nandini too entered in the college. This morning was nothing different for her, waking up early, preparing breakfast, getting Anahita ready for the play school, then dropping her there, and then finally reaching college. Like every other student, she is not excited. She is not smiling. She is just moving. Because unlike everyone else, she is here to study, just study! So that she can do something productive after having a degree, and give her daughter a secure childhood. She is not in need to learn any other lessons, life have taught her many, already! And she have perfectly learnt them. She recite them! Everyday!
She was nervous, damm nervous. A part of her was saying her to go back, but the mother in her, who wanted nothing, but her child's happiness, was giving her strength. And hence masking her nervous - ness with her fake confidence, she was moving towards her class, looking at the other students who were so enthusiastic. And she sighed in disbelief in her head, at their enthusiasm. Hah! Wait for life to show it's colour darlings! She thought!
Well, she was not like this from starting. If anything, she had so many dreams of her college life. She was this, typical teen who used to fantasize college life, after watching those typical bollywood movies. She had so many dreams, so many hopes, so many plans! But then, life happened! And here is she, with no such dreams, so hopes, no big plans. Just a mission to accomplish, and that is, to get compatible enough to give a better life to her daughter.
Her daughter! Who is her only family, her only source of sunshine. People back then told her to abandon her, why? Because she was an unwanted child. Because she was the outcome of a sin, that destroyed Nandini's life. According to "those" people, she (Anahita) would always make her remind of what happened that day with her, for she is the result of that sin, blood of him!
But how could she? Born or not, she felt the responsibility of that unborn child, she felt the motherly love for her child. And no matter, what the the world said, what her own family said, she can't be that cruel, to kill her baby. Because she is Her Baby, Only Her's!
And no! She doesn't remind her of that dreadful night, instead she makes her forget it. Whenever she (Nandini) gets nightmare of that night, It's always Anahita, who makes her feel calm. Anahita is Her Peace! And she very much feel blessed to have her! Doesn't matter, what anyone else have to say in it!
Entering in the class, she silently settled on a corner bench and fished out her book, reading it ignoring the noisy students, untill the professor arrived.
Finishing her first two lectures, she silently moved out of the classroom and moved in the canteen to have something, as in morning due to her daughter's mischievousness she was late and didn't had her breakfast. Fishing out the tiffin box with sandwiches Ishita packed for her she started having them, when suddenly the another chair of her table was pulled out and a guy sat on it with a smirk. She frowned and looked at the guy before looking down and closed her box silently and stood up to leave when the guy held her wrist from behind making her flinch and she jerked her hand back..
No matter how much ever confident she showed , a part of her heart is still afraid. Afraid of every guy, afraid of unwanted touches, afraid of creepy stares because this brings back those painful memories of that horrible day, of her life which changed her existence. And hence she is quite reserved. It is only Ishita and Anahita she speaks with. She tries to stay away as much as possible from any other people, especially Boys.
Nandini was about to move out when the same guy came infront of her making her take a step back..
Harshad:(smirking) Hey Beautiful..
Nandini was clutching her bag in her fist tightly and was trying to move out but the guy had some other plans. He wasn't letting her move. Nandini was shivering from inside, her heart was thumping loudly, but she was trying to stay composed. But his husky bitter voice wasn't helping her. She was feeling hard to breathe. She was feeling that she is going to get the anxiety attack. Memories were flashing in her mind, not at all helping her.
Harshad: Well, you're a fresher right? Hi! I am Harshad Gupta naam toh suna hi hoga?
(Must have heard my name?)
Bu before Nandini could get an anxiety attack she heard a voice that bought her back. And strangely her breaths started coming out in a calm manner. She knew whose voice it is, ofcourse! And she was right, as it was Manik only!
Manik:(from behind) Haa, suna h naa, humare neighbour ke dog ka naam h Harshad, and coincidence toh dekh yaar, unka surname bhi Gupta hi h.
(Yeah! I've heard it! Our neighbour's dog's name is also Harshad, and look at the coincidence, their surname is also Gupta!)
Yes, It was Manik, who also came to canteen after attending two boring classes with his friends. They arrived when they saw Harshad trying to harass a girl, who was facing her back to them. Manik glared at him, who was teasing the girl. He can tolerate anything, but disrespecting or harassing girls or making them uncomfortable, is just not in his list of tasks to deal with patience. So he with Fab four, who were also annoyed by Harshad's activities moved towards him.
Harshad looked at Manik with gritted teeth, whil the students in the canteen laughed at Manik's comment.
Harshad:(growled) Manik Malhotra!!
Manik:(smiled widely) Yes! That's my name bro.
Harshad:(irritated) Tu beech me mat aa Manik.
(You don't interfere Manik)
Manik:(innocently) M kaha beech me aaya, still dur hi hu tujhse.
(When did I interfered? I'm still far away from you!)
Harshad:(hisses) Let me complete my dare calmly Malhotra!
Manik:(tsked) Tch! Tch! Tch! Harshad! Harshad! Harshad! What a low graded person you are, no?
Harshad:(gritting teeth) Manik!!
Cabir: Abey jante h hum ki tu Manik ka fangirl... Opps! Sorry, fanboy h but baar baar naam lene ki jaroorat nahi h re.
(Aaye! We know you're Manik's fangirl... Opps! Sorry, a fanboy, but no need to chant his name again and again.)
Fab 5 chuckled and Harshad fumed in anger.
Abhi: By the way, what was the dare? With how many slippers you can be beaten ny a girl?)
Again everyone laughed at Harshad's face and he grittted his teeth, seems like he will grit them untill they're mo more.
Harshad:(warning tone) Dekh lunga tum logo ko toh m baad me.
(I'll see you guys later!)
Manik:(advancing him) Dekh na bro, abhi dekh, baad me tujh jaise kutte ke lie time ni rahega naa.
(See na bro! Look at us now only, later we won't have time for a dog like you)
Harshad glared him before moving out of the canteen making Fab 5 smirk.
Meanwhile Nandini was trying to calm her heart down. She wanted to run,but somewhere she couldn't. Her feet were as if jammed. And after Harshad went she sighed in relief and was about to move when her bag:s strap got stucked with the table's corner resulting in all the things scattered down, and she bend down to grab them.
Here Fab five turned to move to their table when they heard sound of things falling down and Manik signalled them to move while he too bend down to help the girl.. He picked up the stationary items and a book and was amused reading the title "101 Ways to Scare The Boys Off". He chuckled reading the title and that's when Nandini noticed that he was helping her and she looked at the book in his hand and snatched it away.
Manik snapped his head in her direction and was about to say something when she looked at him to take her stationary items back. And to say Manik wasn't lost would be a lie. He was looking into her eyes which were blank and emotionless but deep down there was pain and loneliness in them. He sucked a deep breath looking at her. He haven't seen eyes like those, so emotionless, so deep! The brown doe shaped eyes, had his attention, more than required.
His trance broke when she stood up, feeling conscious and was about to move when he stopped her.
Manik: Hey! Your things!
Nandini looked at him and then forwarded her hand to which he silently kept the pens in her hand attentively, and she again turned to move but halted hearing his next words..
Manik: By the way Miss Deep Eyes uss 101 ways me ek way ye bhi hoga hi, that do punch the person who tries to invade in your personal life. Don't need to be a Victim, coz you aren't! Right?
Nandini blinked her eyes but didn't turned back and moved out of the canteen leaving Manik behind. He sighed, still trying to figure it out that why was he attracted to her eyes, when his gaze fell on something sparkling, so he bent and picked it up to find it to be a locket, he read the words Reham (Mercy) and blinked before closing his fist and looking at the exit, from where she went.
He got distracted by his friends who called him and silently kept the locket in his blazer's pocket, near his heart, and moved to his friends!
All the way thinking about her! Miss Deep Eyes!
.
.
.
1794 words!
♡︎A