"I don't think I am going to return those books in a week. It may take a while for me to read them." Lieutenant informed his friend John as he sat on his chair, swinging. "They were sent on your name, they are yours Lieutenant Min." John smiled and started mixing the sugar in the tea he was preparing as he slid it towards the latter, busy in reading books.
The bell chimed, as Lieutenant's heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Walter, my book." The girl, who was overly excited from what she usually is, ran inside the library. The Lieutenant on the other hand turned around to prevent the girl from seeing his face. John was taken back with her excited, mostly she would enter with a complaint of any other britisher or to exhausted from University, but today she was as bright as sun. Her doe like eyes, blinking in anticipation. The latter smiled at the girl and headed towards the special shelf where he keeps her books usually, only to find his friend with a red face, heavy breaths. He chuckled silently as he shook his head. You are deep in love, and you don't even know it. He thought as he picked her book and kept it on the table. As he slid the register infront of her, she signed her presence. Taking the book away she turned away, only to halt her steps after taking only two or three of them. "Did you forget something Chandni?" John asked. She just turned around and smiled sheepishly. "I guess." She turned away fully and ran towards the table of John and leaned onto it. Smiling fully. "I want to ask something Mr. Walter." "It should be quick, I have so much to do." He said with pride, in a joking manner. "Then who will solve the problem of this small little girl, if Mr. Walter is busy?" She pouted and stood straight. "I'm joking, what is it? You're so smart yourself, why do you need my help." He chuckled as he sipped his tea. "Mr. Walter, have you ever fell in love?" Hearing the question, the librarian choked on his beverage. "Pardon?" "I've read romance novels, I know Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama, Shiva-Parvati. Them and their love. Does that exist in real life as well?" She said as she sat on the chair, infront of the librarian, keeping her book on the table. "I don't understand, what do you want to say?" "You know, love stories don't have a happy ending always, Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna, their love was not a lie, no? Goddess Parvati even had to take 108 incarnations to marry Lord Shiva and he waited all those years for her. How did they know they love each other? How does it feel to love someone?" The girl in blue saree asked eagerly. "Never have I ever been in a relationship, I don't really know." The librarian said as he kept the empty cup on the table, making, face of the drop. "Why? Do you think you love someone?" The librarian asked as he took a glance at his friend who was clutching the book tightly, in anger or in sorrow, no one knows. Whereas, the girl was taken aback with the question. "No... It's my friend, she said she is in love with my brother, Naveen. I told Naveen Da (Da= older brother) about it, he didn't say anything and just ignored my words." She said in a frustrated tone. "And what do you think?" "I think they are seeing each other behind my back." Crossing her arms, she made an annoyed face. "I think they are afraid that you'd disclose their secret to yiur parents then?" "What are you even saying Mr. Walter? Me? You know how much I hate arranged marriage, it's as if someone is buying us girl, we can't even deny if we don't like the guy if he happens to accept the marriage. On the other hand, we have to spend our whole life with stranger, love marriages are alot better, and if my own brother wants it, why won't I support him." She explained. "Overall, atleast he didn't fell in love with some Britisher." She said with a great disgust. "I'll focus on reading then." And headed towards the usual table she sits on to focus on reading. "Lemme know if you need something." John smiled at her in a warm manner as she smiled back in response. Whereas, turning his head towards his friend, rather than being drenched in anger, the latter was rather filled with disappointment. The librarian could bet on his entire life that if that was any other Indian, he wouldn't have thought twice before shooting them till death.
"I shall leave now." After half an hour or so, Chandni approached the counter to return the book she was reading. John rather than accepting the book, was shocked. "You're done?" The girl nodded in a confused manner. "This early?" "I don't feel like reading today, I have a mild headache ." The latter nodded in acknowledgement. "Why do you think you have headache?" He asked as he kept the book at its usual place. "I wasn't able to sleep yesterday properly, that can or might be the reason." "Your brother and your friend are in love with each other and you are the one who can't sleep." The librarian giggled. "Nah, nah... I got to know about them today in the noon." "Then why can't you sleep yesterday?" There was a pin drop silence for a moment or two.
"Mr. Walter can I ask you something?" The girl looked at the librarian rather in a embarrassed way. "Anything." "Who was that man the other day?" She asked ignoring the presence of the Lieutenant who was reading in the private room, totally oblivious of the fact that her words were clearly audible to the latter. "We met yesterday and I we got into a bit of dispute I think, so I just wanted to apologise to him." Hearing the word 'dispute' made the eyes of the librarian pop out. "You got into a 'dispute' with 'him'?" He can't believe what he was hearing. At first, no one dared to get into a dispute with Yoongi Min, second, if they happens to get into one, they might not be able to stand infront of people alive and tell them about getting into dispute with him. "Yeah, why?" The oblivious girl looked at the librarian sudden reaction in a confusing yet questioning way. "Don't you know he is Lieu-" but before he could complete his sentence he was cut off by the Lieutenant himself. "Little or short tempered?" He stood up from the chair as he approached the librarian, keeping his hand on his shoulder, pressing it in a warning way yet a warm smile on his face, while a fearful one on John's. "It's just he becomes the prey of my anger most of the time, therefore he thinks I'm short tempered." He explained keeping the novel he was reading on the counter. "Right, friend?" He turned his head finally towards John, the latter could tell that though his face had a warm smile, his eye had a warning inside. "Uhm.. uh... Yeah.." He smiled, even though he was not in the condition to. The girl on the other hand was so embarrassed of getting caught red-handed, when she was enquiring about the person infront of the person himself. Not being able to decided how to react, she ran away from the library without thinking twice.
After she left, the Lieutenant turned to the librarian as he was fucking his pistol in his belt. "Make sure she never get to know that I work for British Government." He warned with nothing but stone hard eyes as the librarian nodded in fear. As he saw the Lieutenant finally leaving the library, he took a sigh of relief.
"Miss." The Lieutenant ran behind the girl as he stopped infront of her, only to acknowledge that infact the girl was only reaching till his shoulders, that too hardly. The girl turned around, her head facing the ground as the red tint was visible on her brown cheeks. The latter was proud of the effect he was having on the girl. "You left these in the library." He handed her her books. "You didn't have to worry about it, Mr. Walter would have returned me the books tomorrow." She said she tucked the strand of the hair falling on her face, probably due to running so much. But still, she wasn't able to make eye contact with the Lieutenant. "Ma'am, you've aimed a dagger at me, when you got to know my name. May I know yours, or do you want me to call you 'mam' or 'miss' only?" Yoongi giggled, yes he did, and it was his luck that the alley was rather silent and closed so that no one could see both of them meeting and this another side that Yoongi carried under his strict, rude self, which was also oblivious to him himself. "What if you don't have to call me in near future, what are the probabilities that we'll meet in near future?" Chandni, now opposite to what she was a moment ago, confidentally looked into his eyes and asked making his heart skip a beat or two. Rather than loosing his sanity, he bent till her height as their nose almost touched, "I see us calling each other by our names even more often in near future." He whispered in his deep, husky voice making the girl melt down.
"If you aren't comfortable telling me you name, it's alright." The Lieutenant said and shrugged his shoulder with a pout, but before bidding his farewell, he kept a polyethylene bag on the books she was holding. "Drink water properly, don't stress yourself too much, sleep properly and eat this twice a day, empty stomach." He said as the girl could see the foil of medicine visible from the transparent bag. The Lieutenant then was ready to take his departure, moving opposite to the direction the girl was facing as their shoulders brushed to each other, giving the girl goosebumps as the boy was trying his best to calm his heart down afraid that the girl might hear it. But before completely leaving, he stopped, his voice gaining the attention of the girl. "You don't have to apologise." He said and there was a small pause, a long silence. She face palmed herself, regretting her life decisions. "Ms. Chandni." He said and continued walking, but the latter was shocked as she turned around with wide eyes, mouth gaped open. "He knew my name." She said as loud so that only she could hear it and watch the latter leaving with the powerful walk he had.
As she sat on study table of hers, to read or maybe to write, her attention was catched by the little pouch containing the medicine she got today from the stranger, she only know the name of. She always have prioritised her safety first and this time wasn't any difference as well. She got up from the chair and threw the medicine in the dustbin. She can't accept any edible from any stranger, that too if they are medicine.