"After you have finished packing your things...Veer can you come here for a second? I have something to talk to you about.." His professor called out to him after the end of the lab class.
Veer quickly placed his register inside his bag and sliding it along his shoulders, he went to the front of the room where his professor was standing. He realized that he had been so much busy in finishing and concentrating on his work that, well... he was the last person to leave the lab.
"Veer beta, actually I should have told you this a bit earlier...but it went out of my mind. I have actually selected you, Krish and Mahira for a joint presentation that you all have to do. It is actually something that is done every year by the last year batches...I think you might have heard of it"
"Yes sir...I know about it, selected students from different classes participate right?"
"Yes...yes!! From my class, you three are selected. Actually Mahira is absent today... I think I would have to call her later....and Krish left out in a hurry, so I give the responsibility to you to inform him about this project. There will be a few people from other groups as well. I will inform you about them later...So, will you do this for me?"
"Yes sir of course...I will do it." Veer nodded and his professor smiled at him.
"You are really a great boy....I know you will have a great future lying ahead of you.."
Veer didn't know what to say. He always got awkward when people complimented him. So, Giving him a slight bow and a small smile, he said, "Thank you sir...I will take my leave now..."
He slowly came out of the classroom, it was a cloudy day...and as usual, he had forgotten to bring his umbrella. Well...not exactly forgotten... because Palak had told him thousands times to take one with him, he had just ignored her warnings.
"I am telling you it will rain today!! Ok...don't listen to me!! But don't regret it later!!"
She was right...well, now he was regretting it....
"Veer!" Krish's loud voice, broke away his chain of thoughts. He turned around to look at him, running towards him.
"You told me that you had a really important work to do and because of that you left the class in hurry...I thought you had already left for the day" Veer said surprised to see him there.
"Umm Yes, I actually had some work...but that's settled now, besides this work saved me from all the boring presentations and practical that sir was doing..."
And professor actually selected this guy as one of the representatives!
"Well, then I have to tell sir that Krish actually finds everything boring and should select someone else for the presentation..."
Krish eyes went wide. "What presentation Veer?"
"Ahh, so now you are interested! Remember the presentation where only selected students from different batches participate? That one!"
"What! sir actually selected me for that! I thought it was just gonna be you and maybe Tanisha or Mahira..." then he slowly added, "I am not at all good like you...There has to be a mistake"
Veer really hated seeing Krish loose his self confidence like that. Though from the outside He looked all smiley and happy go lucky...nobody had ever understood or noticed that from the inside...he was really broken. He might sometimes hate him for the useless and senseless questions he asked but still whenever he was not there with him, Veer would feel somewhat empty.
"Krish...I told you a lot many times not to be like this. Who told you that you are bad? Did sir ever tell you that? Stop making assumptions on your own. You don't see, because you are a born Idiot...but you are actually one of the best students...You got this chance because of your own hard work...Their is no mistake..."
"But what if I ruin-"
"Krish! You will not not ruin anything...! You would do best! I know you would!"
Krish looked at him, a glint of gratitude visible through his eyes.
"Now! we would go and talk to him tomorrow...Then in the evening we can decid-"
"Oh god!" Krish shouted.
"What?"
"I was almost forgetting the actual reason I wanted to talk to you about...Umm tomorrow evening I can't- I have something important to do and I really really need your help for that!"
"And...what is that exactly?"
"Umm, tomorrow evening I have actually planned a date for Aditi and me and I don't think I could handle everything alone, so..."
"So...you want me to be there with you?"
"Yes! Yes Veer"
Now why did he hate him again?
"Then you know my answer already Krish...I am not going!"
"But still... please help me for this one time!" Krish begged
"And how many one times would it be?" Veer asked raising an eyebrow at him.
"I did your overnights for that time...umm...this time also I am going to do whatever you ask, but please come with me na!"
Veer thought for a while. Getting free work offer from Krish! a once in a blue moon offer! but still...this time he would not agree again. What would he do with both of them? Third wheel? No...he could better spend the evening riling up Palak.
"Sorry not sorry but you can't butter me up again...You could have taken my help in anything else, but not this..."
Krish sulked...but all of a sudden as if remembering something, with a triumphant smile on his face he said, "well...you don't have to be with us all the time, I was not asking you for that! I just want you to come with me...also there is a library close by and I know you would rather see the dusty covers of a book than find a girl for yourself...so, you can spend your time reading there or you can leave...Now think again!"
A library? well...he could spend the time reading there...or he could leave and go home and stay with Palak. It was a win-win for him. He only needed to come with him and stay for a while. Veer decided to agree to the suggestion.
"Okay...I am ready to go with you, but I would only stay there for a while and then leave! rest bhai sahab manage it yourself..."
Krish released a deep sigh. "Finally Bro! you agreed-"
He was cut off by the deep rumbling and growling had started within the Black clouds. It was soon going to rain.
"Oh no! If I don't leave now! I will be fully drenched! Problems of bike riders!" saying this he looked at him and said in a mocking tone, "Car owners like you won't understand our pain and problems!"
"Hello! I can get drenched too when I get up and after that get down and reach my building from the parking spot...The problem is same!"
"But still!!! oh shoot! Bye now!" saying this he almost ran towards the area where his bike was parked.
Veer then made his way to the parking area and as his luck would have it, It started raining very heavily. Krish is going to get fully drenched when he reaches home, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought. He decided to wait for a while under the stand of the entry area of the parking lot, but even after almost thirty minutes, the rain still would not subside. As if It was in so much anger that it had decided to drown everything in sight. Feeling that waiting further would do no good, he ran towards the man at the lot and after paying him again ran towards his car.
When he finally reached his building, he quickly parked his car and almost dashed out of the car towards the stairs of his building. On entering the house, he found Palak sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine. She is home early today....he thought.
When she noticed him, she broke out in a hysteric laugh.
Yes, he was completely drenched....and yes, he should have listened to her...
"Oh my god! you look like a lost and a drenched puppy!!" Palak said between her laughs and giggles. "I told you so many times to take an umbrella with you! see this is what happens when you don't listen to me! Oh god! what would you do without me?"
What would you do without me?
Veer's heart started doing summersaults again!
His heart was a gymnast, he had no doubt in that...
"Now! come on in!! If you keep on standing there all drenched, you will catch a cold...Go freshen up! I made some soup for both of us!" She said laughing.
Veer slowly nodded, embarrassed by the turn of events and made his way to his room.
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Palak looked at Veer from the corner of her eyes. She was getting really worried, He had been coughing and sneezing the entire evening. She had told him a lot many times to take the umbrella with him. But, he didn't listen to her and came back home all drenched. Still, now with the same intensity the rain and thundering was going on. She was surprised how there was no load shedding yet. He was coughing and sneezing and his eyes were also red...It didn't take her long to understand that he had caught a cold.
"Veer are you okay?" She asked, worry dripping from her tone.
"Yes- yes I am okay...why?"
"You don't seem like you are okay! Your eyes are red and you have been coughing and sneezing all the evening! Wait...I think you might already have a fever!" saying this she put her hand gently on his forehead. She saw Veer flinch at the contact. Yes, It was just like she had thought! His forehead was hot and burning.
"Oh my god! Your forehead is almost burning! You need to check the exact temperature and take a paracetamol right now! Tell me where you keep Paracetamol and Thermometer in your room, I will bring it.."
"Arre...There is no need Palak...I am just fine!!!" Veer whined.
"Fine? You are not at all fine Veer! listen to me...Tell me where you have kept them. Measuring your temperature and taking paracetamol won't do you any harm!"
"Ok Ok! These are--In the small bedside five drawer one....In it I keep them in the third drawer.."
On hearing that, Palak got up and went to his room. She took out the thermometer and paracetamol from the third drawer. As soon as she was about to get up, turn around and go back to the drawing room, Everything went dark. She then realized that she left her phone back in the sofa.
Yes what a nice time for load shedding!
She hated dark. Not because she was scared of the dark, but every time she was in complete darkness, she would remember the scariest stories that her grandmother used to tell her.
Palak don't think of those...
Suddenly there was a tap in her shoulders. Palak went still. Again something tapped at her shoulders. Palak slowly got up gathering her courage and then slowly turned around.
"Oh my god! Maa----Aghhhhhhh" Palak screamed as she came face to face with a ghost with a illuminated face. She almost jumped on the bed beside her, when she heard that "ghost" laughing.
"Relax! Relax! Palak its me! Veer!" Veer almost was dying out of laughter.
"You!! Why did you scare me like that? You are really something else!! tell me!! why?!?!?"
"Arre! I just came to give you some light, through the torch of my phone, I thought it would be too dark for you to find anything...How would I have known that you would get scared? and scream like a five- five year old!"
"But, still!! thank god that the thermometer didn't fall out of my hands...otherwise you would have cleaned up all the mess! Now sit down and let me check your temperature"
Putting the thermometer inside his mouth Veer waited. After a few moments, he took it out and after seeing the temperature himself, handed it to Palak.
"Well! I guessed it correctly... 100.2 degree Celsius! You need to take a paracetamol right now. Also, do you have any candles? we can't keep on using our phone torches, it will drain the battery..."
"I think I just have a big candle and you might find it on the left shelf when you enter the kitchen...matches are just beside it.."
"Oh right, ok, let me bring it.."
Palak switched on the torch in her own phone, which Veer had brought along with him and quickly went to the kitchen. She was glad that they already had their dinner, otherwise it would have been difficult for them to manage in the dark. Taking the candle, matchstick and then a water bottle Palak came back to the room.
"There take it..." She handed him the water bottle and then took a matchstick and lighted up the candle. The room was suddenly illuminated with a small but a bright light.
"Now!! Veer lay down and go to sleep...don't study right now...come on!"
Slowly he laid down and Palak helped him to drape the blanket over himself properly. It was quite late already, she had to sleep too but, in the dark and with only one candle....
"Umm...Palak, You can sleep here only today...In this room"
Palak's eyes went wide...Sleeping in the same room as Veer? wait....why did she feel so hot all of a sudden? Uh no... maybe it was because of the power cut.
"Palak why are you going all red?? I am telling you to sleep in the same room not in the same bed- But if that's what you want--"
"Veer! STOP! I heard you! you are sick but you won't stop teasing me!"
Using the torch in her phone, she went to her room and brought her mattress, pillows and blanket. It was still raining really heavily...the power wasn't going to come soon. She arranged her mattress and pillows properly and quietly lay down on it.
"Good night Veer, if you need anything...wake me up okay?"
"Yes...good night Palak"
Well... she knew she wasn't going to sleep that night....
After many minutes of tossing and turning, She got up to check whether Veer was sleeping properly or not. The candle light was illuminating his face and he looked absolutely...breathtaking. He looked so peaceful and calm. Palak's heart started beating faster. This was something that had been happening recently whenever Veer was around her. She would feel happy and excited all of a sudden. She reached out and brushed out a strand of hair falling on his face.
Suddenly she realized....The feelings she had for Veer were not friendly at all...she wanted something more...
She was falling....and now she hoped that Veer was there to catch her when she fell...
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Hii!!!!! (Longest chapter so far)
Back with a new update. Finally my nightmares (exams) are over. Hope you like it.
Please vote and comment...
Exciting things coming up!!!
Total word count: 2448 words
~Millie❤❤❤
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