Rishabala One Shot Story Collections I

Professor Student Series 3 - Ban Gayi Woh Humsafar

Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story.

Previous story Child Marriage 3 - Ek Duje Ke Vaaste (Updated on 4 - Oct - 2022)

I was sitting with someone who was watching the Malayalam version of Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani. So, I curiously asked didn't the college management create any issue for the relation between a student and professor. And she replied in confusion, why should that be an issue? Everybody knows they love each other. So, I was surprised, there are some people who don't think a relationship between a student and professor is wrong or unethical. And that got me curious and I decided to write one story like that. So, in a way, this is the actual proper student-professor love story, compared to the previous two stories. And don't be surprised if no one bats an eyelid seeing a professor and student relation in this story.

And I just wanted to have the word Humsafar in the title and this is what I could come up with. It is taken from the song, Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se.

P.S: this could kinda qualify for my Bimbo story.

P.S : Sorry, haven't proofread it. Please ignore the error.

Madhu was busy running around, taking care of the guests and arrangements for her sister's wedding. As she was hurrying towards the mandap, she spotted him and stopped in shock. A second later, his gaze turns to her and he also looks at her in surprise.

Since, he caught her, she decides to talk to him and walks towards him.

"How come you are here?" He asks in surprise.

"It's my sister's wedding. How come you are here, Professor Kundra?"

"Sultan is my neighbor." Rishabh informs her.

"Oh." Madhu nods, having nothing else to talk to him.

"Madhu..." Malik calls her as he hurries to her.

Madhu turns to look at her father.

"Where is your mother?"

"She is with di." Madhu replies and then seeing her father curiously looking at Rishabh, she makes the introduction. "This is Professor Kundra. He is my economics professor."

Malik looks at her surprised and says, "you didn't tell me you were inviting your college professors."

"Erm... he is jeeju's neighbor." Madhu quickly tells him awkwardly. "Jeeju invited him."

"Ah... I was wondering." Malik jokes as he extends his hands to Rishabh. "Nice to meet you."

Rishabh shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"So, you stay in Sultan's apartment building."

Rishabh nods. "Opposite to his flat."

"Wow, and Madhu is your student. What a small world." Malik says conversationally.

Rishabh nods.

"So, how is she?" Malik asks Rishabh.

Madhu's eyes widen and she quickly squeezes her father's hand.

Rishabh looks at Madhu for a second then he looks at her father and informs him, "Not good."

Madhu looks down, both pissed and upset. Malik awkwardly nods.

"You really need to have a talk with her." Rishabh tells him. "I doubt she will get a degree anytime soon."

"I will. Soon." Malik says embarrassed.

"They are calling us, Papa." Madhu lies to get away.

"Oh yes." Malik latches onto it and quickly ends his conversation with Rishabh and leaves and Madhu runs behind him.

"What was the need for that?" Madhu asks her father in a pissed whisper. "Has any of my teachers ever said anything good of me? And he is the worst! Always picking on me!"

"For a change, you were not running away from a teacher, so I thought maybe you were passing his papers." Malik replies equally pissed.

"He saw me and I couldn't hide then. And I was curious to find out what he was doing here." Madhu mutters.

"Can you stop embarrassing us and just concentrate on your studies?" Malik asks her in an angry whisper.

Madhu nods scared and disappointed.

Malik was starting to walk off, when Madhu quickly tells him, "Don't tell Mama that he is here. Even, she will go to talk to him."

"After what happened with me, she will be hiding from him." Malik mutters.

As her father walked away, Madhu muttered furiously, "how I hate him!!!"

***********

A month later

Hearing the doorbell, Madhu turns to her sister, "Is it jeeju?"

"Don't think so." Dipali says as she walked to the door. She looks through the peephole and informs Madhu, "ah, it's your Professor."

"What?" Madhu shouts in shock as she jumps up. "Why did you invite him?"

"Relax. He is here to collect his parcel. Delivery guy dropped it here by mistake." Dipali tells her.

"Wait... wait... wait." Madhu says panicking as she chewed the chips she was eating and shoved the cover behind the cushion then she grabbed her college bag and pulled out her economics text and sits down on the sofa and acts engrossed in the book.

Dipali shakes her head and opens the door. "Hello, Rishabh."

"Hi, Dipali... How are you?"

They spoke for about a minute. "Come in, I'll just get your parcel."

Rishabh steps in and spots Madhu studying.

"Madhu, your professor is here." Dipali announces with laughter in her voice as she walks to the side table.

Madhu quickly looks up as she had no other option and seeing him, she politely stands up. "Good evening, Professor Kundra."

"Good evening, Madhu. What are you studying?" Rishabh asks her.

"Economics."

"That I can see. What topic?" Rishabh asks her.

"Erm..." Madhu's eyes widen, then quickly turns to her sister and says, "Di, you didn't offer Professor Kundra anything. I'll make juice."

"It's okay, I am leaving." Rishabh says and then he tells her. "You are not my first student, Madhu. But I am happy that at least to show, you are looking at your text."

Madhu tries to keep a serene expression on her face, though her eyes were brutally murdering Rishabh.

Cheekily, grinning, Dipali hands him the parcel.

"Thanks, Dipali."

As Dipali locks the door, she hears Madhu groaning in fury and the sound of a book hitting the wall.

"You do realize that, if you hadn't acted as if you were studying then he wouldn't have said anything." Dipali points out grinning.

"He would have said I shouldn't waste my time and study." Madhu mutters angrily. "I hate him! He is after my life. I will murder him one day!!!"

"He is a nice guy, actually. We hang out very often." Dipali cheerfully tells her.

"I am not coming here again. Don't ever call me asking me to come visit." Madhu furiously tells her sister.

**********

On Monday, Madhu sighs in dread realizing that it was Rishabh's class. She stands up when he walks into the class. He talked to the students for a few minutes. Just random talks and then clarifying any doubts from the previous day. The moment students start asking their doubts, Madhu looks down at her notebook to avoid eye contact with him, so he doesn't enquire anything about her studies.

Rishabh walks to the front of the class with a book as he started his lecture when one of the student asks him a doubt. He leaves the book on Madhu's desk and walks to the students place to answer him.

Madhu acted as if she was listening to every syllable that fell out of his mouth when in truth, she was thinking about the movie that she had watched the previous night.

Hearing the bell, Madhu comes back to her senses and sits up as Rishabh wound up the lecture.

Rishabh was leaving when Madhu notices the text on her desk.

"Professor Kundra, you forgot your text book." Madhu calls up as she picks it up.

Rishabh turns to her in exasperation and informs her, "that is yours."

Shocked, Madhu turns the book cover and sees her name written on it. Her mouth drops open.

"Your sister sent that. You forgot it at her place." Rishabh tells her as he walks towards her. "Didn't you even realize that it was your book?"

"Erm...."

Shocked, Rishabh asks her "Did you even realize that you forgot your book?"

Madhu gulps.

Angrily, Rishabh asks her. "When are you going to take your studies seriously, Madhu?"

"I didn't think that she would send it with you." Madhu mutters as she darted her glance around the class to see that as usual the whole class was witnessing her humiliation.

"If you are not serious about your studies then why are you wasting your time, our time and your parents' money?" Rishabh asks her angrily. "You've one duty right now and that is your studies, and you can't even do that?"

"Sorry, Professor Kundra." Madhu whispers as she looks down in humiliation and hoping he would accept her apology and stop his rant.

"How many times, Madhu? How many times are you going to shamelessly stand there and apologize and then go back to do the same thing?"

Madhu remains silent, praying for this to end and Rishabh to leave.

"You do remember how much you got for the last test, right?" Rishabh asks her.

Madhu gulps worriedly as she prayed that he wouldn't humiliate her any further by revealing her horrible marks.

"I don't know why, I waste my time with you." Rishabh says, shaking his head and walks off.

The moment he left, Madhu grabs her bag.

"You okay, Madhu?" Trishna asks her in concern.

Madhu doesn't reply as she pulls out her mobile and dialed her sister.

"Hi, Madhu..." Dipali answers the call.

"What was the need to send my book through him? Did I ask you to send it?" Madhu asks furiously.

"Why, what happened? I thought you would need it." Dipali replies confused.

"He might be your friend, he is not my friend! So, don't ever do this again." Madhu furiously tells her sister and hangs up.

**********

A month later, Madhu was visiting her sister once again.

"I just don't understand why you hate Rishabh. He is such a sweet guy." Dipali tells her as she washed the dishes.

"Maybe in dreams." Madhu mutters in hatred as she bit into the banana. "He is always humiliating me."

"You know, if you studied well then he won't be scolding you." Dipali points out.

Madhu irately looks at her sister. "When is jeeju coming back? I am not staying here for long."

Dipali rolls her eyes.

"Scared out of her shits to stay alone and begged me to come. And now, praising monster Kundra as if he is her brother!!!" Madhu says as she opened the trash can and dropped the banana peel in then she pulls out the garbage bag from the bin.

"I didn't beg. I just told you we could have sister time alone." Dipali points out.

"I regret it now." Madhu says furiously as she tied the garbage bag.

"Okay, I won't speak of him." Dipali says in an appeasing tone.

"Hmmm." Madhu arrogantly nods. "Where is the garbage chute?"

"Left, second door. You will see the board on the door."

Madhu nods and walks out of the flat. She didn't even look at Rishabh's flat door, because she was not going to give his flat door also any attention.

Madhu was about to open the door to the garbage room when it was opened from inside. She stops and then seeing Rishabh on the other side, she gasps softly. Rishabh also stops in surprise seeing her.

Madhu waits for him to leave when he looks down and seeing her garbage bag, he extends his hand to her.

Madhu, without thinking, hands him the garbage bag. Rishabh steps back into the room and opens the garbage chute, puts the garbage bag down it.

"Erm... thank you." Madhu tells him as she steps aside.

"No problem." Rishabh replies as he walks out.

They walked to their flats in silence. As Madhu was opening her flat door, Rishabh ask her, "Are you going to be here till Sultan gets back?"

"Yes." Madhu nods.

Rishabh nods. "If you two need anything, just call me."

"Okay." Madhu replies, surprised.

"Good night." Rishabh says and walks into his flat.

Madhu's eyes widened in surprise. "Good night." Madhu whispers in amazement.

*************

Madhu stops seeing Rishabh waiting at the lift. She was about to go back to her sister's flat so she didn't have to face him so early in the morning.

"What happened? Where are you going?" Dipali asks her confused.

Madhu glares at her as she slyly looks at Rishabh.

Rishabh, having heard Dipali's question, had curiously turned to check and sees her. Since he caught her, she mumbles something to her sister and she walks towards the lift.

"Hey Rishabh." Dipali wishes him, seeing him.

"Hey, Dipali..." Rishabh smiles at her.

"Good morning, Professor Kundra." Madhu wishes him because now, they were making conversations!!!!

"Morning."

Madhu remained silent as Dipali and Rishabh spoke.

They reach the ground floor and Madhu was about to step out when Rishabh asks her, "Going to college?"

Madhu wanted to whack him, because she was sure he was mocking her. Where else would she be going on a Monday morning? "Yes."

"How are you going?"

"Auto or taxi."

"You can come with me." Rishabh offers.

"Oh that would be great. My office is in the opposite direction, otherwise I would have dropped her." Dipali tells him happily, smiling.

Madhu wanted to kill her sister just then. "It's okay. I'll take an auto."

"Don't be silly. Anyway, Rishabh is going to your college only."

Madhu watched as the lift door closed and the lift took them to the basement.

"Bye, Madhu." Dipali tells her as she walks to her car.

"Bye." Madhu mutters and follows Rishabh.

Madhu stops seeing Rishabh sitting on a bike. "Bike?" Madhu whispers in shock.

Rishabh looks at her confused. "You've a problem with bike?"

"Erm no." Madhu replies.

Rishabh looks at her in confusion and says, "if you are uncomfortable then I can take my car."

"It's okay." Madhu says as she walks to him.

"The traffic is bad and I don't want to risk getting late by taking the car." Rishabh explains to her.

"It's okay. It is not a problem." Madhu says quickly hearing him give an explanation. Madhu quickly straddles the bike and grips the bars at the back for balance. He wasn't that horrible.

*************

Madhu was walking to the apartment building when she sees an old lady getting out of the taxi and taking out luggage and grocery bags. Seeing her struggling, Madhu hurries to her.

"Aunty, let me help you." Madhu tells her.

The lady smiles at her. "Thank you, beta."

Madhu takes one duffle bag and puts it on her shoulder then she picks up the heaviest grocery bag. They walk to the lift together.

"Which floor aunty?"

"4." Radha replies.

"Even me." Madhu says surprised.

"Are you new here?" Radha asks curiously.

"My sister is staying here. I'm visiting her."

"Even I'm visiting my son." Radha tells her excitedly.

"Oh nice." Madhu says smiling. "Lot of cooking for son... huh?"

Radha laughs, "Yes... he cooks but then I like cooking for him when I am here."

"A man who cooks? I want to marry someone who can cook." Madhu tells her. "I don't like cooking." Madhu confesses chuckling.

"He is just like me, loves cooking."

"Oh then I'll marry him." Madhu jokes and laughs at her own joke.

Radha also chuckles though she slyly accesses Madhu like any mother who was bride hunting for her son would.

They get down the flat and Madhu starts walking to the flat. As she neared the flat, she gets a message from her sister. She quickly looks at her apple watch screen and sees a message from Dipali.

Madhu, have to go to the atm, will be 5-10 mins late. If Rishabh is home, stay in his flat or wait in the lobby.

"Oh no... Di will be late." Madhu says loudly.

"How late?" Radha asks in concern.

"Just 5-10 mins aunty. I'll wait down in the lobby or in the corridor."

"Why? You come to my flat. My son has given me a spare key." Radha tells her.

"Will your son mind?" Madhu asks, staying with this aunty was much better than staying in Monster Kundra's flat.

"Why would he mind?" Radha asks her smiling.

"So, what's the menu?" Madhu asks as she peaked inside the grocery bag. "Mutton! I love mutton! If you want to invite me for dinner, then you can. I have no plans for tonight." Madhu cheekily tells her.

"You come home for dinner, I am making mutton biriyani." Radha tells her laughing.

"I'll be there!" Madhu promises. "Di always make the same rice and dal for dinner because she has no time to cook." Madhu whispers to her.

Radha chuckles hearing that.

"Which is your flat? Can I bring Di too?" Madhu asks excitedly.

"Yes, please. Flat is 405."

"Hey! I know that flat... I've seen that number." Madhu says as she tried to remember. "Every time I see it... is it on the way to the lift?" Madhu stops in shock realizing she sees that number every time she comes out of Dipali's flat.

Her eyes widen in shock and she turns to Radha, "Are you Professor Kundra's mother?"

"Yes. Are you his student?" Radha asks smiling in surprise.

"Yes." Madhu whispers in horror as they stopped in front of Rishabh's flat.

"That is so nice." Radha says happily as she unlocked the flat. "You didn't tell me your name."

"Madhu." Madhu whispers as she followed her in.

Madhu keeps all the stuff in and says, "Okay, aunty. I'll see you later."

"What? Where are you going?" Radha asks her shocked.

"No, Aunty... I'll go."

"Wait till your Di comes." Radha tells her then chuckling she asks, "Is it because Rishu is your Professor?"

Madhu uncomfortably looks around.

Radha smiles at her. "That is okay."

"No, aunty..."

"Stay, Madhu. anyway, Rishu isn't home. He said he has to meet someone."

"Okay." Madhu gives in though she quickly takes her mobile and messages her sister.

Come fast. Stuck in Monster Kundra's house.

"So, how long are you here, Madhu?"

"Till 28th." Madhu replies as she walked to the kitchen with Radha and started helping her take out grocery.

Hearing the door bell, Madhu sighs in relief. "That would be Di." Madhu tells her excitedly.

"Come at 8, okay?" Radha tells her as she followed Madhu.

Remembering that she had invited herself for dinner, Madhu gulps. "Aunty, that I was just joking."

"That is okay, you come with your sister for dinner." Radha insists.

"I'll check with Di, Aunty. Maybe she might have already planned something for dinner." Madhu nervously lies.

"Tell her now itself before she makes anything." Radha insists.

Madhu opens the door and stops in shock seeing Rishabh.

Rishabh steps back in shock seeing Madhu. "You?"

"I saw Madhu downstairs. She helped me carry my bags." Radha tells him.

Rishabh turns to his mother frowning. "You bought grocery?"

"Yeah."

"Ma... I told you I will take you in the evening. What was the need to go for the grocery shopping directly from the airport?" Rishabh asks as he walked in.

"If I wait for you then dinner will be late. Why waste time?" Radha ask shaking her head.

Rishabh sighs and hugs her. "How was your travel?"

"It was nice."

Rishabh turns to Madhu and tells her. "Thank you."

"Huh... for?" Madhu asks confused.

"For helping Ma." Rishabh reminds her in shock seeing her confusion.

"Oh. You are welcome." Madhu replies.

"Hi." Dipali says from the door.

Madhu turns to her in relief. "You are home!" then she hurries to her. "Bye, Aunty."

"Come at 8 for dinner." Radha tells her.

"Dinner?" Rishabh and Dipali asks at the same time.

"I'll see, Aunty. I'll let you know." Madhu quickly says.

"About what?" Dipali asks confused.

Madhu glares at her wanting to escape before any more conversations.

"You both come for dinner." Radha tells Dipali.

"Aunty, you just got home today. you'll be tired. We will come another time." Dipali tells her.

"Yes, even I was thinking that." Madhu latches on.

"Anyway, I have to make dinner for Rishu and me." Radha tells her. "You both come tonight."

"Ma is a good cook and she makes excess always." Rishabh says as he extended the invitation.

"You sure? We don't want to trouble you." Dipali asks in concern.

"Very sure." Radha tells her smiling.

"Thank you, Aunty. You are a savior." Dipali says smiling. "I was thinking of ordering in tonight. I was so lazy to cook. And Madhu is such a bhukkad."

Madhu wanted to kill her sister then while Radha and Rishabh chuckles.

"By the way Ma, she is Dipali, Sultan's wife." Rishabh makes the introduction. "And Dipali, my mother, Radha."

"Oh Sultan's wife." Radha asks smiling happily. "So, he will also come for dinner?"

"He is not here, Aunty." Dipali tells her.

"Oh okay. so, you both come."

"Sure, Aunty." Dipali tells her.

********

"Didn't you understand that I was trying to dodge the invitation?" Madhu asks exasperated.

"Madhu, knowing you, I thought you might have invited yourself for dinner." Dipali replies.

Madhu embarrassedly looks away.

"Oh my God, you did!" Dipali says in shock.

"I didn't know that she was his mother that time."

"So, you invited yourself to dinner at the house of a lady that you didn't even know?" Dipali asks, confused.

"She had mutton with her." Madhu replies, shrugging.

"So, we are going for dinner." Dipali replies, shrugging.

********

Dinner was a very uncomfortable affair for Madhu. She couldn't even enjoy the amazing mutton biryani because Monster Kundra was sitting opposite to her. The conversation at the table was carried by Dipali, Rishabh and Radha.

"Didn't you like it, Madhu? You are not eating." Radha asks her in concern.

"No, Aunty, it is very nice." Madhu whispers awkwardly.

"I know... she is missing Coca-cola. She says biriyani is incomplete without it." Dipali tells Radha.

Madhu turns to glare at her sister.

"I think, I've some here." Rishabh says as he stood up.

"No, it's okay." Madhu quickly says.

"No, Rishu. you check." Radha tells him.

The moment Rishabh went to the kitchen, Madhu turns to her sister. "What is wrong with you?"

"Me? You always say that."

"So, you should say it here?" Madhu asks her, glaring at her.

"What happened, Madhu?" Radha asks her in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Aunty. Everything is fine." Madhu tells her. Then she turns to look at the kitchen and noticing Rishabh was still inside, she leans towards Radha and whispers. "You pack me some biriyani and give, aunty. Tomorrow I'll take it to college for lunch."

"Okay." Radha says smiling. Happy that Madhu liked the food so much. "When you were silent, I thought you didn't like the food."

"Oh I loved the food. It is amazing."

"Then why were you silent?" Radha asks curiously.

"Nothing." Madhu replies awkwardly.

Dipali giggles and says, "She has a love-hate relation with Rishabh."

"Not love, just hate!" Madhu heatedly argues.

"What?" Radha whispers in shock.

Realizing what she said, Madhu turns to look at Radha and sees her staring at her.

Sighing sadly, Madhu tells her, "Aunty, he keeps screaming and scolding me."

"What?" Radha asks, shocked.

"Yeah, Aunty. He shouts at me in front of the whole class." Madhu sadly complains.

"How can he do that?" Radha asks, shocked.

"I know!" Madhu sighs, relieved to get a sympathizer for her. "You should hit him and scold him, Aunty for doing that to me. He needs to be spanked for screaming at me."

Just as she finished, Madhu sees a hand keep a glass filled with Coca-cola and ice cubes next to her.

Madhu's eyes widen as she stared at the glass, then from the corner of her eyes, she sees Rishabh walk around the table and takes his seat.

Madhu lightly lifts her head and slyly looks at Rishabh's mother, and sees her covering her face with a napkin and trying to hide her smile.

Madhu, slyly looks at her sister and sees her giggling. She kicks her. Dipali tries to stop but then she couldn't control herself and she bursts out laughing.

Soon, Radha also laughs loudly.

Worriedly Madhu looks up at Rishabh and sees him staring down at his plate, she couldn't see his face, so couldn't make out how angry he was.

"Rishabh!" Dipali calls him amidst her laughter.

"Yeah?" Rishabh looks up.

"Do you know what Madhu calls you?" Dipali asks.

Rishabh curiously looks at Madhu while Madhu furiously kicked her sister.

"Professor Kundra." Rishabh replies confused.

"No."

"Shut up... Shut up..." Madhu furiously whispers to her sister.

"Then what does she call him?" Radha asks curiously.

"I'll kill you." Madhu furiously tells her sister.

"Come on, tell, Dipali." Radha says too curious.

"No... no." Madhu pleads.

"Monster Kundra." Dipali says and laughs out loud.

Madhu worriedly looks at Rishabh and sees him looking at her in shock. Then she sees him starting to chuckle.

Madhu gapes at Monster Kundra chuckling. Shocked, she leans towards her sister and asks, "Is he really laughing? have I gone mad? Or has he gone mad?"

Rishabh bursts out laughing. Radha and Dipali joins him while Madhu belatedly realized that she had asked that question out loud.

Seeing him laugh, Madhu couldn't help stare, because for the first time, she realized how handsome Monster Kundra is.

********

Madhu was hurriedly leaving for college early so that her sister won't ask Rishabh to take her with him. she hears a doorbell and she hurriedly opens it and finds Rishabh at the door. She stops in shock.

"Erm... good morning Professor Kundra." Madhu says recovering.

"Good morning. Ma sent this for you." Rishabh tell her as he offered her a lunch box.

"This?" Madhu asks surprised.

"Lunch." Rishabh tells her.

"Oh thank you." Madhu whispers embarrassed that she forgot to get it from there last night, in her hurry to escape.

"Who is it, Madhu?" Dipali calls out to her from inside.

"Erm Professor..." Madhu starts to say and Rishabh cuts her off from behind. "Monster." He calls out.

Madhu turns around to stare at him in shock.

Chuckling, Rishabh cheekily says, "Sorry, couldn't help it."

Hearing that, Madhu couldn't control her blush.

Seeing her blush, Rishabh's breath gets caught in his throat. He had never realized how beautiful Madhu was.

"Did you need anything, Rishabh?" Dipali asks curiously though she was still chuckling about the 'monster' reply.

"Ma sent biriyani for Madhu." Rishabh tells her.

"When it comes to food, your student is a little shameless." Dipali tells him.

Rishabh shrugs. "Ma loves making food and making people eat."

"Oh then Madhu is going to be her new best friend." Dipali laughs.

Madhu glares at her.

Rishabh chuckles. "By the way, whenever Ma is here, Sultan always have his dinner from my place. Ma told me to tell you both to come home for dinner till she is here."

"We don't want to trouble her." Dipali tells him.

"Trust me, it is no trouble. She would anyway be cooking." Rishabh tells them.

"What do you say, Madhu?"

Madhu was in deep predicament. What would she choose? Awesome food with Monster Kundra or boring rice and dal?

In the end, awesome food won.

Madhu looks at Rishabh and sees that he was looking at her.

And she had no idea, why that made her blush. She quickly looks away, "Yes, sure."

"Wow! Yesterday, you were screaming at me!" Dipali says surprised.

Rishabh curiously looks at them.

Madhu wanted to kill her sister. She glares at her and sees even Dipali was shocked and embarrassed that she said that out loud.

Pissed, she says, "Well it was a difficult choice between amazing food and bad food. And I picked amazing food!"

Embarrassed Dipali looks at Rishabh and sees him trying his best to hide his smile.

"You are worse than me in cooking." Dipali whispers.

"Okay, I've to leave for college." Rishabh says seeing the sisters gearing up for a fight.

"Are you going with him?" Dipali asks.

Madhu turns to her sister and sees that she was taking revenge for insulting her food.

"I'll leave in 5 mins, if you are coming." Rishabh tells Madhu.

"She is ready." Dipali replies.

"Okay." Rishabh nods.

********

Madhu rings the bell on Rishabh's flat and Radha opens the door.

"Hello Madhu... how are you?" Radha asks smiling.

"I am good, Aunty. How are you?" Madhu asks smiling.

"Good... good."

"I came to return the lunch box." Madhu tells her as she extended the washed container.

"Oh, you could have brought it when you come for dinner. Come inside." Radha tells her as she invited her in.

"Is Professor Kundra here?" Madhu asks in a whisper.

"No, he said he will be late today."

"Okay!" Madhu smiles happily as she walked in. "I also wanted to check if you needed any help with cooking." Madhu tells her.

"No, when it comes to cooking, I like doing everything myself." Radha tells her smiling. "But you can give me company."

"Okay." Madhu says smiling as she followed her to the kitchen.

********

Radha was cooking while Madhu sat on the kitchen counter chatting with her. Seeing carrots, Madhu picks one and starts eating it.

"Are you hungry?" Radha asks her.

"I'm always hungry, Aunty." Madhu tells her.

Radha smiles hearing that. "There might be something in the fridge. Why don't you check."

"Okay." Madhu jumps off the counter and walks to the fridge and opens it.

"Grapes!" Madhu smiles seeing grapes and picks the bowl and walks to the counter. She gets on the counter and starts popping one grape after the other as she spoke to Radha.

********

Madhu and Dipali were helping Radha do the dishes after dinner.

"That's my job." Rishabh tells them.

"Radha Aunty made such amazing food. We should do our bit." Dipali tells him.

"We invited you guys." Rishabh says uncomfortably, seeing that his guests were doing the dishes.

"I told them, Madhu threatened that if I don't let them do the dishes then they won't come for dinner again." Radha tells Rishabh.

Rishabh sighs and walks to the fridge to get water. He stops in shock and turns to Radha. "Ma, where are the grapes?"

"It's over." Radha replies.

"All of it?" Rishabh asks shocked.

"Erm..." Radha starts and stops seeing Madhu frantically shaking her head. "Yeah, full over."

"She is really a bhukkad." Rishabh says as he closed the fridge.

Madhu turns to look at Rishabh and sees he was smiling and not angry.

Madhu smiles seeing him smile. God! He was so handsome when he smiled.

"There is apple in the fridge. Have that." Radha tells him.

"No, I don't want." Rishabh tells her. "I bought the grapes to make wine."

"You make wine?" Radha asks surprised.

"I want to try. I am planning to make plum cake from scratch." Rishabh tells her.

"Wow, will we get?" Dipali asks.

"If it is good." Rishabh replies.

"Even wine?" Dipali asks grinning.

Looking at Madhu, he teases, "If I get good grapes and they last long enough for me to make them."

Madhu blushes as she looked away.

Seeing her blush, Rishabh couldn't help look away. God, she was so beautiful. how the hell didn't he ever realize it?

"Have you made wine before?" Dipali asks curiously.

"No... there are lot of videos on youtube. I'm going to try." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu felt her cheeks turn red as an image filled her brains. Rishabh and she crushing grapes in a bowl together.

********

Rishabh opens the door for Madhu. he smiles surprised seeing Madhu at the door.

"Ma has gone to take a shower." Rishabh tells her.

"No, I came to see you." Madhu tells him.

"Me?" Rishabh asks surprised.

"To give these." Madhu tells him as she extended the packet with grapes.

Rishabh looks at the cover surprised. "You didn't have to."

"Please..." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh takes them. "Thanks."

"I got it from the market. The guy said this is the best grapes for wine."

"Yeah, they are." Rishabh tells her smiling. "Come in." Rishabh tells her as he walked to the kitchen.

Madhu follows him.

"I was planning to make them today, actually. Had everything ready also." Rishabh tells her. "But then you got to the grapes before me."

"Sorry." Madhu guiltily says.

"Don't be. I can still make it today." Rishabh tells her smiling as he took a colander and started putting the grapes one by one.

"What are you doing?" Madhu asks curiously.

"Picking out the good ones." Rishabh tells her.

"Are you going to make wine today?" Madhu asks him.

"Yeah."

"Can I watch?" Madhu asks excitedly.

"Yeah sure." Rishabh tells her smiling.

Madhu watches as Rishabh separated the good ones. Few minutes later, she got bored and she moved close to him and started picking out good ones.

He didn't say anything. they silently sorted the grapes.

"You got nice grapes." Rishabh tells her as he walked to the sink and ran the grapes under water and washed it.

Madhu smiles. "Fruit seller selected them."

After he had washed the grapes to his satisfaction, he shakes off the excess water and brings it to the kitchen counter.

"What now?" Madhu asks curiously.

"Removing stems." Rishabh tells her.

"Okay." Madhu starts to take the grapes.

"Na!" Rishabh stops her. "Wash your hands first."

"Oh, sorry." Madhu runs to the sink and washes her hand. "Okay, neat hands."

Rishabh smiles as he took the bowl he had kept for making wine. They start removing the stems and putting the grapes in the bowl.

Once the grapes were ready to be crushed, Rishabh felt his heart beat raising. "Now, it is just crushing the grapes." Rishabh tells her.

Hearing that Madhu felt her cheeks turn red.

Rishabh starts crushing the grapes. Seeing him do that, Madhu couldn't help remember the mental image she had the previous day.

She couldn't fight the temptation, and she nervously keeps her hand on the edge of the bowl.

Noticing her hand, Rishabh nervously gulps and moves his hand against the bowl, giving her space.

Seeing that, Madhu puts her hand in and nervously squeezes the grapes. They crush the grapes, both nervous and an unknown excitement in them. When their hands brushed against each other, they didn't pull away.

Madhu couldn't help and looks up at Rishabh and he looks at her at the same time. Blushing, Madhu looks down and Rishabh looks away blushing and his gaze falls on his mother.

"Ma." Rishabh nervously steps back.

Hearing that, Madhu also looks at the door and sees Radha and she moves back.

"I came to give grapes." Madhu tells her nervously.

"Ah nice." Radha replies politely smiling.

"I've to go. Di will look for me. I'll come with her for dinner." Madhu says as she hurriedly walked off.

"Wash your hands, Madhu." Radha calls out.

"Erm... I will wash at home." Madhu replies and runs off.

Radha turns to look at Rishabh. "She was curious about wine making. I was just showing her."

"That was very sweet of you, considering what an expert you are." Radha cheekily says and leaves.

********

Later that night, Rishabh and Radha were in the bedroom. Rishabh was lying on her lap.

"You should stay here with me, Ma."

"What will I do here? There I have friends. Things to do. My neighbors."

"You have neighbors here too. And a new friend too."

Radha chuckles. "Both are 1 person."

"Dipali is also there."

"I meant her only. Whom did you mean?" Radha asks with a cheeky grin.

"What Ma?" Rishabh asks embarrassed. "You answer my question, why won't you shift here permanently?"

"It is time that you get married. Once you get married, it is better that we stay separate. You will have your privacy. And there won't be any unnecessary fights or issues. Saas bahu ego clashes. You will get stuck in between. It is better that I stay there."

"All stupid reasons. You just don't want to leave your home and friends. Saas bahu drama! Nonsense!"

Radha chuckles. Then leaning down, she tells him teasingly. "By the way, I don't mind Madhu being my bahu. And she already likes me more than she likes you."

Omkaea's heart skips a beat hearing that. He could so imagine, Madhu sitting here and talking silly things with his mother. Noticing, Radha grinning at him, he says "go and sleep."

"You are in my bedroom." Radha points out cheekily.

"Fine, I am going." Rishabh declares as he got up and walks off.

*******

They come out of their apartment at the same time. they stop seeing each other. Rishabh smiles at her and Madhu smiles at him.

"You ready to leave?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yeah." Madhu replies.

"Let's go."

Madhu nods and turns to look into the flat and calls out. "Di, I'm leaving. Bye."

They walk to the lift together in silence. They were tempted to talk to each other but had no idea what to say. So, all the way to college they had remained silent.

*******

Hearing the doorbell, Rishabh opens the door and smiles seeing Madhu.

"Hi!" Madhu says smiling.

"Hi... didn't go out anywhere?" Rishabh asks curiously as he stepped aside to let her in. it was a Saturday and all of them had off.

"Di is on video call with Jeeju." Madhu tells him as she walked in. "Where is Radha Aunty? Did she make any snacks?" Madhu asks as she headed to the kitchen.

"Didn't you have lunch?" Rishabh asks in concern.

"Chinese. We ordered." Madhu replies and frowns seeing kitchen empty. "Where is Radha aunty?"

"In her room. she is not forever inside the kitchen."

"She didn't make any snacks?" Madhu asks shocked.

"No. Why she told you she was making?" Rishabh asks confused.

"No... I thought you are home so she would make some snacks for you." Madhu says disappointed.

"We don't make snacks like that. only if either of us is craving something." Rishabh tells her.

"Hmmm... what did you have for lunch?" Madhu asks curiously as she opened the fridge.

Rishabh shakes his head amused. "Keema Paratta."

"Wow! Do you have any left?" Madhu asks excitedly.

Rishabh gestures to the casserole on the kitchen counter.

Madhu closes the fridge and walks to the casserole. She opens it and takes a paratha and bites into it.

"Is Dipali starving you?" Rishabh asks chuckling.

Madhu chuckles. "I'm always hungry." Then relishing the paratha she says, "This is amazing. How come there is still left?"

"We stop eating when we are full." Rishabh cheekily tells her.

Madhu gives him a look then she shrugs it off. "I am never full." Madhu bites into the food. "Yummy."

Madhu was savoring the food with her eyes closed. Rishabh couldn't take his eyes off her. the bliss and borderline ecstasy on her face was taking his thoughts to those territories that he shouldn't be thinking of.

"I turn my attention to something else, and you two are up to something." Radha says from the door.

Rishabh and Madhu turn to the sound in shock.

"Ma!" Rishabh calls her in an admonishing tone.

"Di was talking to jeeju, so I got bored. I came to see if you had made some food." Madhu quickly says.

"Okay." Radha grins teasingly.

Rishabh glares at his mother to make her stop it.

"Anyway, are you both going out? Any plans?" Madhu asks them.

"No, we went out in the morning." Radha tells her.

"Great. Let's play games. I'll call Di and get the games." Madhu tells them excited as she finished off the paratha.

"No plans to study?" Rishabh asks her with a slight smile and shaking his head.

Madhu's smile drops and she worriedly looks at Rishabh.

Radha lightly slaps his hand. "Stop it, Rishu. Go and get your game, Madhu."

Madhu worriedly smiles at Radha and started to leave. Then she stops and opens the casserole and picks the final paratha and go as she told Radha, "I'll wash that later, aunty."

*******

"I got phase10 and monopoly deal." Madhu tells Radha as she walked in while worriedly glanced at Rishabh.

Noticing how worried and nervous Madhu was, Rishabh casually says. "I don't know how to play both the games. You will have to teach me."

Madhu smiles hearing that. "I'll teach you, Professor Kundra. It will be a change."

Rishabh chuckles.

"Even me." Radha tells her. "And where is Dipali?"

"She is coming." Madhu tells her. "Do you guys play rummy?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll play phase10 first, it is a lot similar." Madhu says and then proceeds to explain the game to them, she tells them the basic rules and phases of the game. "This is wild card, it is like a joker, can be substituted for any card. And this is the skip card, if you keep this in front of someone that person's next turn will be skipped. When someone finishes all their cards and if someone still has a wild or skip in their hand then wild will be 25 points and skip will be 15 points. Understood?"

Rishabh and Radha nod.

"Once we start playing, you'll understand it better. Now where is Di?" Madhu asks loudly then turning in her seat, she looks at the direction of Dipali's flat and loudly screams. "DDIIIIII"

Radha covers her ears.

Rishabh also covers his ears. "Stop shouting! My God! I would have gone and called her!"

"She said she will come in 5 mins." Madhu tells him shrugging.

They hear the doorbell. Rishabh was about to get up to open it when Madhu shouts out. "It's open."

"You are so loud, Madhu." Rishabh says sighing.

Dipali opens the door and walks in. "Before you used to run the other way when you see Rishabh and now you are practically living in his house!" Dipali says exasperated.

Madhu turns pink hearing that and she nervously looks at Rishabh. and sees him also uncomfortable then his gaze falls on her. he grins at her and Madhu shyly smiles back.

Rishabh turns to look at his mother and sees her grinning at him then she winks at him. Rishabh glares at her. "Let's start." He says.

*********

Madhu contemplates for a few seconds and then sighing she discards a wild card.

"What are you doing?" Rishabh asks shocked. "Why are you giving Ma a wild card?"

"Di has only one more card to discard. I am full, I am trying to reduce my points." Madhu explains.

Radha happily takes the wild card. "Thank you, Madhu."

"She is going to win!" Rishabh tells her in exasperation. "And I am also full here!"

"I won't be able to complete the phase, I need 4 cards minimum. So, I am reducing my points." Madhu tells him.

"So? You would discard a wild? What if the game goes for 5 rounds?" Rishabh asks her.

"Let her play her game, Rishu." Radha tells him cheekily as she played the wild and discarded a card.

"Can't believe that you would discard a wild." Rishabh mutters.

The game goes for one more round and Madhu draws a skip card. She turns to Rishabh and glaring at him, she keeps it in front of him.

"Seriously?" Rishabh asks offended. "Me? I am full! Those two have only 1 card each!"

"You are screaming and shouting at me!" Madhu argues.

"Because you are playing absolute nonsense!"

"I taught you the game!"

"And I am playing it better than you!"

Madhu glares at him. "You are getting the skip card. You sit there!"

"Fine! You are going to get all my skip cards!" Rishabh says pissed.

Radha and Dipali look at each other and grin.

*********

"I am stuck in phase 8 and they are in phase 10. Why are you giving me skip?" Rishabh asks Madhu offended.

"You said you will give me all your skip cards!"

"But I didn't give you any!"

"Because you didn't get a skip card!"

"Not playing this game with you ever again." Rishabh says pissed.

Madhu scoffs. "Screaming at me here just like in class!"

"Don't forget, Monday you are going to be back in my class!" Rishabh reminds her.

Madhu turns glares at him angrily.

Rishabh quickly looks away. God, when she glared at him like that, he wanted to kiss that glare away.

"Done!" Dipali says with a sigh as she finished her cards.

"Thank God." Radha sighs in relief. Rishabh and Madhu were fighting like cats and dogs. "We should play some other game, not this."

Madhu and Rishabh glare at each other. Then Madhu starts gathering all the cards.

"Did you bring any other games?" Dipali asks Madhu as she helped her pack up.

"Monopoly Deal." Madhu tells her as she kept the phase10 pack to the side.

"Do you guys know how to play?" Dipali asks.

Rishabh and Radha shakes their head in negative.

"Di, you explain the game. I am hungry. I'll get something to eat." Madhu tells her as she got up from her seat.

"Okay." Dipali nods. "So basically the aim of the game is to get 3 sets of properties." Dipali frowns seeing Madhu walking to the kitchen instead of her flat. "Madhu, where are you going?"

"I'll just get something to eat. You explain." Madhu tells her.

"Madhu, this is not our house!" Dipali tells her in shock.

"Huh? Radha Aunty and Professor Kundra won't mind, Di." Madhu tells her shaking her head.

"That doesn't mean you be shameless!" Dipali tells her in shock.

Chuckling Rishabh tells her. "Madhu considers our kitchen an extension to your flat."

"Madhu, go and take whatever you want." Radha tells her smiling.

Madhu smiles at her and walks to the kitchen.

"Sorry, Aunty... Rishabh... when she likes some people she just becomes like this." Dipali tells them embarrassed.

"No formalities, Dipali. Just be like how Madhu is." Rishabh tells her smiling.

"And, this might become Madhu's house one day." Radha cheekily tells Dipali.

"What?" Dipali asks confused.

"Ma!!" Rishabh shouts in shock.

Radha cheekily points at Rishabh.

"Stop it, Ma!" Rishabh glares at her.

"What? Madhu and Rishabh?" Dipali asks shocked.

"She is just making up stories. Nothing like that." Rishabh tells her embarrassed.

"I tried a lot to fix you guys up. She was in that 'I hate Professor Kundra' phase because of you screaming at her in class. This is so great." Dipali says excitedly.

"She is friends with Ma and I am here... that is all... Ma is just making up stuff." Rishabh says feeling awkward.

"And you know, I think your father also hates him." Radha tells Dipali laughing.

"Oh yeah, Madhu told me, you complained about Madhu to him, right?" Dipali asks laughing.

Rishabh chuckles. "He asked me and I couldn't lie."

"He doesn't hate you. he was scolding Madhu." Dipali tells him then winking she says. "So, you are safe in that aspect."

"Just stop!" Rishabh says feeling a blush creep up as he looked away. "Explain the game."

Dipali was explaining the game when they hear microwave sound. They all stop for a second and curiously look at the kitchen door.

"We were planning to have left over food from the last few days for dinner tonight, right?" Dipali asks worriedly.

"Yeah." Radha nods wondering whether Madhu was having that food. "You both only said not to cook anything and we'll finish off the remaining food."

"God, this girl." Dipali says in exasperation. "She might finish the food."

"Dipali, it's okay. let her eat. If there isn't enough, we will order something." Rishabh quickly tells her.

"What kanjoosi is this, Professor Kundra? No snacks at all." Madhu says as she walked towards them with a bowl.

"What are you eating?" Dipali asks her as she glared at her.

"Noodles. I found a packet in the back of the shelf." Madhu tells her as she took her seat. "Anyone wants?"

They shake their heads in negative.

Madhu keeps the bowl to the side. "Did you explain the rules?"

"Yeah, doing that." Dipali tells her as she continued to explain the game to them.

Madhu eats the noodles while Dipali explained the rules.

Rishabh curiously turns to look at Madhu and she also looks at him.

"You want?" Madhu asks him.

Though he wasn't much of a noodles person, Rishabh was so tempted to share that noodles with her. Rishabh nods and Madhu passes the bowl to him.

Rishabh takes the fork and takes noodles and eats it. he could have sworn that noodles were extra yummy that day.

"I'm so excited to eat the fish curry from yesterday, Radha aunty." Madhu tells her excitedly.

Rishabh turns to Madhu in shock. "How, Madhu? where is it all going?"

"Oh... nazar na lage." Madhu says shaking her head in worry and a frown.

Rishabh grins and passes her bowl.

Madhu takes it and eats it. only after she took a fork full, she realized that they had shared a fork, Madhu couldn't hide her blush.

"Tell me when you are hungry, Madhu. I'll serve dinner." Radha tells her.

"Then we will have to eat now itself." Dipali says dryly.

"Not now. maybe after 10-15 mins." Madhu replies as she ate.

Rishabh stares at her in shock.

"I hear there are lot of credit cards now that give good cash back for grocery shopping, Rishabh." Dipali cheekily tells him. "You will need it in the future."

"Lots." Radha says shaking her head.

Rishabh glares at his mother.

"It is waste for him. I had to get inside the cupboard to find this noodles packet." Madhu says shaking her head, her full concentration on the noodles.

*********

Rishabh plays the rent card.

"15 million." Rishabh declares smugly.

The ladies wait with baited breath to see who he is going to pick to pay rent.

"Madhu." Rishabh says smiling.

"What?" Madhu shouts in outrage. "Take from Di. She has money. I've no money."

"He can pick whoever he wants." Dipali quickly says. "You have to give."

"I have no money." Madhu tells Rishabh with a frown. "SEE!"

"Pay with properties." Rishabh tells her smiling.

"You are such a bully! Why can't you take from Di. She has lots of money."

"The aim of the game is to get properties. Give."

Madhu starts sorting her properties and checking Rishabh's to see how she can give without letting him have a complete set.

"I hate you." Madhu tells him as she gave him most of her properties.

"Give that pink instead of this orange." Rishabh sweetly tells her.

"Why? So you can have two complete sets?" Madhu glares at him.

Grinning smugly, Rishabh takes another card. "My second turn is sly deal." Rishabh then smiles at her.

"Why me?"

"Because you have what I want." Rishabh says grinning.

Growling, Madhu gives him her property. "Take!"

"And my third turn is wild property card and I win."

"I haven't won even one game today because you are after my life!" Madhu says glaring at him.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Madhu." Rishabh tells her smugly.

"We'll play team games from now on and put them in same team. So, they won't fight so much and we can play peacefully." Radha says.

"We've sequence. We'll play that after dinner. We will be one team and they will be one team." Dipali declares.

*********

"Why are you building over there?" Rishabh asks Madhu in shock. "I am building this side."

"No, discussion!" Dipali warns them.

Madhu looks at Rishabh and tells him, "I can build only with the cards I have."

"At least, try to co-ordinate." Rishabh tells her.

"No discussion!" Dipali tells them glaring.

"Okay... sorry." Rishabh says in an appeasing tone. "Madhu, play well."

"Professor Kundra!"

"Yeah?"

"You build around me." Madhu tells him.

"Stop discussing, you two!" Dipali tells them fed up.

"We are not discussing." Madhu tells her. "Just telling. Build around me." Madhu tells Rishabh.

"I can only play with the cards I have." Rishabh tells her exasperated.

"Same here!" Madhu tells him. "Now, let me concentrate." Madhu tells him as she looked at her cards and bend down and looked at the board to find the spot.

"We are never going to play any games with these two." Radha tells Dipali.

Dipali nods. "Never. Even if we die of boredom, no playing with them."

"Stop looking that side and look at this side." Rishabh tells Madhu seeing she was again going to build on the empty side of the board instead of where most of their tokens were.

"No talking!" Radha glares at him.

"Fine!" Rishabh mutters.

"Sorry to tell you this, Radha Aunty. If this is how it is going to be, you will not have any grandchildren." Dipali tells her.

"I can see that." Radha replies tired.

"What is wrong with you two?" Rishabh asks them exasperated.

Then they hear Madhu's voice.

Madhu was still bend over the board and she says, "If he is going to be this competitive about baby making then his wife will be forever pregnant."

There was silence in the room. Rishabh had turned completely red. Radha's mouth fell open. Dipali stares at Madhu.

Madhu quickly grabs Dipali's hand and pulls her towards her. and asks in a worried whisper. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yup."

Madhu worriedly looks up at Rishabh and sees him looking at her awkwardly. "I..."

"Just play." Rishabh tells her shaking his head.

*********

Rishabh walks into the class and his gaze automatically goes to Madhu's seat. Madhu smiles at him and he smiles back at her. then he turned to the class and started talking.

Confused Trishna turns to Madhu and looks at her.

"What?" Madhu mouths to her.

Trishna shakes her head and turns her attention back to class wondering whether she had imagined that exchange.

Class ends and Rishabh starts to leave the class and just before he left, he looks at Madhu. Madhu smiles at him. Rishabh smiles and leaves.

"What is happening?" Trishna asks shocked.

"What?" Madhu asks confused.

"You and Professor Kundra."

"We are kind of friends now." Madhu brushes it off.

*********

Few days later, Sultan came back and Madhu goes back to her house.

After spending time with her parents, Madhu was kind of feeling a sense of missing and homesickness. Madhu checks the time and sees that it was dinner time at Professor Kundra's.

Meanwhile, at his house, Rishabh just couldn't concentrate on the conversation at the table. They had invited Sultan and Dipali for dinner, but his thoughts were going to how they used to have dinner the previous days.

"Rishabh, where are you lost?" Sultan asks curiously.

Rishabh shakes his head and smiles.

"I think Rishabh is missing someone." Dipali teases.

"Stop it, Dipali!" Rishabh says tired. "There is nothing between Madhu and me."

"I didn't say Madhu." Dipali replies acting shocked. "I thought you were missing your other friends."

Rishabh embarrassedly looks at her. "I am not missing anyone."

"You were silent, Rishu." Radha gently tells him.

"I was just listening." Rishabh says dismissively as he turned his attention back to his food.

"What were we talking about?" Radha asks him.

"What?" Rishabh turns to his mother, raking his brains on what they were talking and sees her grinning ear to ear. "You need to stop it!" Rishabh tells her.

"What is happening?" Sultan asks Dipali. "Rishabh and Madhu?"

"No!" Rishabh says while Dipali nods her head grinning.

"Oh man!" Sultan turns to Rishabh in surprise and shock. "You have one uphill task." Sultan tells him chuckling.

"She doesn't hate him anymore." Dipali informs Sultan with an exaggerated wink.

"Really?" Sultan ask shocked as he turned to look at Rishabh and sees Rishabh lightly blushing.

"Nothing like that." Rishabh argues.

"Madhu was practically living here!" Dipali tells him.

"How long was I gone?" Sultan asks shocked.

"Will you people stop it?" Rishabh asks exasperated. "Madhu came here for food and Ma."

Hearing her mobile ring, Dipali curiously checks her phone. "Talk of the devil."

"Madhu?" Rishabh asks unable to hide his smile.

Everyone burst out laughing as Dipali answered the call.

"You guys are having fun." Madhu accuses them frowning at them.

"We were just talking." Dipali tells her chuckling. "What's up?"

"What's for dinner?" Madhu asks.

"You called for that?" Dipali asks exasperated.

Radha and Rishabh chuckle.

"It's so boring here." Madhu tells her sadly.

"Whom do you miss the most?" Dipali asks cheekily.

"Hmmmm Professor Kundra's house."

"Radha Aunty?" Dipali asks cheekily.

"Yeah, I miss her."

"And Rishabh?" Dipali asks as she looked at Rishabh.

Rishabh's heart skips a beat hearing that and though anxious, he glares at Dipali.

"Yeah, him too. Show me them! I called to see them!"

"Oh!" Dipali turns the phone screen.

"Hi Madhu..." Radha sweetly smiles at her.

"Radha Aunty! I miss you!" Madhu tells her excitedly.

"Aww I miss you too Madhu."

"Hi Professor Kundra." Madhu tells him smiling.

"Hi Madhu, how are you?" Rishabh asks her smiling.

"So bored!" Madhu says sighing. "You know, Professor Kundra." Madhu says chuckling. "I am missing Radha Aunty's food so much that I even miss you."

"What?" Rishabh asks shocked. He didn't even know whether he should be offended or happy.

Madhu laughs. "Yeah, of all of them, I will see you tomorrow. Still I am missing you. how silly is that?"

Rishabh turns slightly red hearing that. "Erm... yeah."

Rishabh looks at everyone and sees everyone grinning at him.

"Are you guys missing me?" Madhu asks eagerly.

Everyone looks at Rishabh to reply.

"Yeah... we were just talking of you." Rishabh says uncomfortable with everyone's attention on him.

"Very much." Dipali says cheekily.

Madhu smiles.

"Madhu, is that Dipali you are talking to?" Padmini asks curiously.

"Mama... meet Radha Aunty and Professor Kundra." Madhu says excitedly as she ran to her with her phone.

Padmini smiles at Rishabh and Radha and they also smile at her as they got introduced.

"Madhu hasn't stopped talking about your place and the food there." Padmini says.

"I'll get Papa." Madhu excitedly says and runs to call her father.

As Padmini was talking to them and thanking Radha and Rishabh for the homely care they showed Dipali and Madhu, Malik joins them.

"Hello Sir." Rishabh awkwardly says remembering their previous meeting.

"Hello Professor." Malik says smiling. "Hello Radhaji. Madhu was telling us about you both. She really enjoyed her stay there."

"It was nice to have Madhu here." Rishabh says ignoring all the teasing stares.

"She was like a family member here." Radha tells them.

"Even she felt the same." Malik says then chuckling, he says, "She was saying even though Professor Kundra is a monster in college, outside college, he is a sweet guy."

Rishabh turns pink hearing that.

Chuckling Malik tells Rishabh, "We almost fainted. This is the first time, Madhu has ever said anything nice about a teacher."

Rishabh turns completely red as he looked at Madhu and sees her smiling at him.

"Professor Kundra is chill, Papa. We made wine together. But he is a bully when we play games."

Rishabh chuckles hearing that.

************

Madhu couldn't sleep at night. The sense of missing was engulfing her. She takes her mobile and thinks of calling Dipali, but she didn't feel like talking to her. she wondered whether to call Radha Aunty and she realized that she wasn't really in the mood to talk to her.

Professor Kundra?

Madhu wanted to talk to him.

She takes her mobile and looks through her contacts. Not finding his number, she messages Dipali for his number. And Dipali shares her his number and asks why she wanted his number.

Madhu had no reply to that question.

Why did she want to call him? she didn't know. She wanted to talk to him because she realized that she was missing him the most.

so she replies, Simply.

Rishabh was in his bed as he thought of Madhu. when he was alone, he admitted to himself that he missed Madhu. but how did things come to this? what changed between them?

Hearing his mobile ring, Rishabh curiously picks the call noticing it was an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Erm... Professsor Kundra?" Madhu nervously.

"Madhu?" Rishabh asks shocked, his heart skipping a beat.

"Erm yes. Did you sleep?"

"No... what happened?" Rishabh asks feeling nervous.

"Nothing... felt like talking to you."

Rishabh gulps and he takes a nervous breath.

Madhu waited for him to say something, when he remained silent, she worriedly asks "Did I disturb you?"

"No. I am glad you called." Rishabh confesses then he couldn't control and he smiles happily. "Even I wanted to talk to you."

"Really?" Madhu asks smiling happily. "Talk to me then." Madhu tells him excitedly.

Rishabh chuckles. "About what?"

"Anything."

"Hmmm. How does it feel to be back home?"

"Nice, but I am missing everyone there. did you all miss me?"

"Yeah." Rishabh tells her smiling.

Madhu smiles and they spoke for some more time.

*********

Few days later, it was time for Radha to leave for her home town. So, Madhu decided to visit her and her parents and Dipali also joined her.

"When will you come next, Radha Aunty?" Madhu asks her.

"Haven't decided, Madhu." Radha tells her. "You should come to my home."

Madhu nods thoughtfully smiling. "When is Professor Kundra coming? Di, Jeeju and I'll plan and come with him."

"He will be coming for vacation." Radha tells her smiling. "You should come."

Madhu nods then she gets up and asks curiously. "Where did Professor Kundra go?"

"He went to get a few things for me." Radha tells her.

"Ah okay." Madhu nods.

Though they met in college, Rishabh would be mostly busy with his classes and students, and she would be busy with her classes and friends. They would only see when he could come to her class and that time, they wouldn't be able to talk. Only after class hours and in the evening, they spoke on the phone.

Madhu walks to the kitchen and opens the fridge to check whether she had anything to snack.

Finding sweets, she takes them and starts snacking on them as she walked back to the living room.

Seeing that, Padmini looks at her in shock. "Madhu?"

"What Mama?" Madhu asks curiously.

"What are you doing?" Padmini asks her in whisper as she glared at her.

"I found kaju katli in the fridge. You want?" Madhu asks her.

"Did she just raid their fridge?" Malik asks Padmini confused.

"Stop making a big issue. Radha Aunty doesn't mind." Madhu tells them as she sat down.

Padmini and Malik look at each other, wondering what glutton did they create.

Hearing the door open they all turn to look curiously and Rishabh walks in.

The moment he stepped in, he notices Madhu. "Hi." Rishabh says smiling happily seeing her.

"Hi!" Madhu says smiling happily seeing him.

Radha smiles seeing the way they were smiling at each other.

Noticing Dipali, Malik and Padmini, Rishabh walks to them smiling. "Hello... Madhu didn't tell me you all were coming."

"I thought to surprise." Madhu tells him.

"You should have told me. I would have been home then."

Hearing that Malik quickly says, "Please... we can imagine the last minute shopping and all. We were actually planning to come here for quite some time now, and only today Madhu told me that Radhaji was going, that is why we came unannounced."

"Madhu and Dipali told us how you both took care of them when Sultan was away." Padmini tells him smiling.

Rishabh politely smiles, having no idea how to reply to that.

They all spoke for some time.

Noticing Madhu, Malik says amazed. "First time, I am seeing Madhu not trying to run away from a teacher. Actually second time." Malik chuckles remembering his first meeting with Rishabh.

Rishabh chuckles hearing that. Madhu also grins.

"How is Madhu doing in class?" Padmini asks curiously.

Madhu glares at her mother hearing that while Malik also worriedly looked at Rishabh, ready to be insulted once again.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and sees her very uncomfortable and nervous. He smiles at Padmini and tells her, "Tomorrow they have a class test, let's see."

Padmini and Malik nods.

"You didn't tell us that you had to study, Madhu." Padmini tells her.

"I'll study at home." Madhu quickly says.

"We should leave. Madhu has to study for her test and you will have last minute packing and many things to do." Malik says as he stood up.

Soon they bid their byes.

"Bye Radha Aunty." Madhu says hugging. "Call me when you reach."

"Bye Madhu, take care." Radha says hugging her.

Madhu turns to Rishabh and smiles at him. "You will call later?"

Rishabh quickly looks at his mother and sees her gaping at him. he awkwardly smiles at her.

"What happened?" Madhu asks curiously.

Rishabh shakes his head. "I'll call you."

"Okay, bye." Madhu says smiling and leaves.

Rishabh uncomfortably looks at his mother and sees her staring at him.

"We are friends now." Rishabh tells her. "You go, get ready otherwise you will miss your flight." Rishabh tells her in a bid to escape.

*********

Hearing her mobile ring, Madhu switches off the music and answers the call. "Hey Radha Aunty left?"

"Yeah, just got back after dropping her off at the airport... were you studying?" Rishabh asks her wondering whether he should call later. "Should I call later or tomorrow?"

"No... no... I'll study later." Madhu tells him.

"Hmmm..."

"Or you can tell me what to study." Madhu cheekily tells him.

"How convenient, Madhu." Rishabh chuckles.

Madhu laughs. "I was just joking. How does it feel to be back home without Radha Aunty?"

"House is so silent." Rishabh tells her sighing.

"Aww... I didn't realize, otherwise I would have stayed at Di's place and given you company."

"How sweet." Rishabh says smiling. "When are you coming here next?"

"Hmmm soon. Papa and Mama are going to go away for a few days. So, I'll be staying at Di's place mostly."

"Ah nice." Rishabh says smiling, feeling excited about Madhu's next visit.

*********

Madhu was walking to her class when she hears Mukund call her.

"What?" Madhu asks as she walked to him.

Mukund gives her a letter. "Give this to Trishna."

"Letter? Message her on WhatsApp duffer! Who writes letter now?" Madhu asks shaking her head.

"Idiot!" Mukund says as he lightly hits her on her head. "I message her all the time. she wouldn't expect me to write a letter for her. it will be a surprise for her and she would feel happy."

"Because you took the trouble of writing it down?" Madhu asks confused. Mukund was her senior and he was dating Trishna.

"It's romantic, idiot." Mukund says as he flicked her nose. "Give her."

Madhu takes the letter from him. "Okay."

Madhu turns to go to her class when she notices Rishabh watching her. he turns and starts to walk off.

"Shit! Is he going to complain?" Mukund asks worriedly.

"Why should he complain?" Madhu asks confused.

"Some teachers are so narrow minded and a pain." Mukund says.

"What would he complain?" Madhu asks confused.

"that I gave you love letter, duffer!" Mukund tells her exasperated. "Anyway, let me know if he asks you anything." Mukund tells her and walks off.

"What?" Madhu shouts in shock. Her heart skipping a beat wondering whether Professor Kundra thought that there was something between Mukund and her.

Without thinking, Madhu runs after him.

"Professor Kundra!" Madhu calls him.

Rishabh stops and turns to her. "Yeah?"

"This is not for me. Mukund gave it for Trishna." Madhu tells him.

"You snitching on your friend, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her with a teasing grin.

"What?" Madhu asks confused.

Rishabh chuckles seeing her confusion. "What what?"

"That letter was not for me. I don't want you to think that." Madhu hurriedly explains to him.

"Oh." Rishabh didn't ask her why she cared what he thought, because he knew just like she did that things were changing between them. they were not yet ready to address it. So, he instead tells her. "I've seen Trishna and Mukund together around the campus. Trishna is your best friend. So, I assumed it was for her."

"Mukund scared me." Madhu sighs in relief, smiling. "By the way, you are not going to complain about them, right?"

"What? Whatever for?" Rishabh asks shocked. "It's their personal matter. College shouldn't interfere in that."

Madhu smiles then she asks him. "So, how is it at home without Radha Aunty?"

"Boring." Rishabh tells her.

"Oh... and your food?"

"Ha... ha... You always come around to food. I am cooking now."

"Oh yeah, Radha Aunty told me that you cook well." Madhu says smiling then frowning in displeasure she tells him, "But you never cooked for me."

"You come home, I'll." Rishabh tells her smiling.

"When? Tonight for dinner?" Madhu asks excitedly.

"Tonight... no. Tomorrow. I need time to cook to fill you up." Rishabh tells her jokingly.

"That you can never!" Madhu says waving it off.

*********

"Professor Kundra!" Madhu calls him as she ran behind him.

Rishabh turns to her as he stopped.

"You were going without me?" Madhu asks him shocked.

"What?" Rishabh asks confused.

"I am coming to your place for dinner tonight, right?" Madhu asks him.

"Yeah... I thought you would come home later in the evening. I didn't know you were coming with me." Rishabh tells her smiling.

"Good thing I saw you leave." Madhu tells him. "Otherwise I would have waited outside the staff room."

"Come." Rishabh tells her as he headed to his bike.

"I have to be home by 10:30 since it is a college week." Madhu tells him as she stood by while he got on his bike.

"Oh I thought you would stay with Dipali." Rishabh tells her as he reversed his bike.

"Jeeju just got back home last week after being away for so long. I didn't want to intrude on them." Madhu tells him as she hopped on the bike.

"Oh yeah." Rishabh agrees a little disappointed.

"Anyway, I would be coming when Papa and Mama would go away." Madhu tells him as she kept her hands on his shoulders and held him.

Rishabh smiles for both her holding him and for her coming to stay with Dipali.

*******

While Rishabh went to freshen up, Madhu went to meet Dipali.

"Mama and Papa knows that you are having dinner at Rishabh's?" Dipali asks curiously as she watched Madhu dry her hair after her shower.

"I told Mama that I won't be home for dinner tonight. she didn't ask any questions. Just said to be back by 10:30." Madhu tells her.

"Hmmm so she might have thought you are going for dinner with your friends."

"Professor Kundra is my friend." Madhu tells her.

"Just friends?" Dipali asks her curiously.

Madhu stops as she looked at Dipali thoughtfully through the mirror. "I don't know." Madhu says shrugging thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Dipali asks her.

"He is not just a friend. He is more than that." Madhu tells her as she turned to look at Dipali. "But I don't know how much more."

"And he feels the same?"

"I think so. We never spoke of it." Madhu tells her then smiling she says, "What's the hurry? There is time. we'll take our time and decide."

"So, this is not a date?" Dipali asks her teasingly.

"Does it matter what we call it?" Madhu asks her grinning.

*******

"You are early." Rishabh tells her as he opened the door.

"I thought I would help you." Madhu tells him as she smiled at him.

"I'm almost done." Rishabh tells her as he closed the door after she had walked in.

"So, what's special for me?" Madhu asks excitedly as she walked to the kitchen.

Rishabh smiles as he followed her.

"Mutton!" Madhu excitedly says as she opened one of the dish then opening the next, she smiles ever more, "Mushroom? Oh my God, prawns. All these are my favorites."

"I know." Rishabh grins.

"How?" Madhu asks shocked.

"Madhu, we used to have dinners almost every day." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu smiles. "So, what's left?"

"I was about to set the table." Rishabh tells her.

"Let's do it together." Madhu tells him smiling.

*******

"Hmmm.... This is amazing." Madhu moans as she relished the food.

Rishabh smiles hearing that. "Thank you."

"You should be a chef, Professor Kundra."

Rishabh chuckles hearing that.

"Why didn't you? why did you become a professor?" Madhu asks curiously.

"I started cooking after I became a professor and started living alone." Rishabh tells her.

"This is not ready yet but I thought." Rishabh says with a shrug as he poured wine.

"Wow!" Madhu excitedly takes it and takes a sip. "Not bad."

"It needs to sit for some more time." Rishabh tells her.

"Can't believe that I made this." Madhu says proudly as she sipped it.

"You?"

"Us." Madhu corrects as she chuckled.

They were talking when Madhu remembers and tells Rishabh, "I forgot to tell you. It is Jeeju's birthday this weekend. Di is planning a surprise party for him. just few friends and us."

"Nice."

"She asked me to stay that night."

"That's great. This Friday?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yeah. We'll go out on Saturday?"

"Where?"

"Don't know." Madhu replies shrugging.

"We'll plan something." Rishabh tells her smiling.

Madhu smiles excitedly.

After dinner, Rishabh had dropped Madhu to her house.

*******

Next day, the bell rings, and Madhu excitedly looked at the door because it was Rishabh's class.

"We might get our marks today." Trishna tells her.

Madhu's heart skips a beat hearing that. Rishabh had been busy preparing for their last night's dinner that he hadn't got time to correct the papers. She didn't ask him, but over conversation he had mentioned it. Madhu sighs as fear gripped her heart.

Rishabh walks in and Madhu worriedly looks at him. the moment she looked at him, she knew he had finished correcting the papers.

Madhu nervously looks down, her heart slamming against her chest.

Rishabh distributes the papers. When he calls out her name, Madhu nervously looks up. Ready to hear his scolding. Rishabh looks at Madhu and hands her the paper.

Madhu takes the paper and looks. She had got 7 out of 50. She looks at him and Rishabh doesn't say anything, he just sadly looks at her and moves away as he called the next name.

Madhu couldn't take his silence, the sadness and the disappointment in his face. the whole class, she had sat through engulfed with guilt and regret. If he had screamed at her like usual then she wouldn't have felt this horrible.

The moment the class got over, Rishabh leaves the class. Madhu runs behind him.

"Professor Kundra!" Madhu calls him.

Rishabh sighs and stops. He turns to look at her.

"I am sorry." Madhu tells him, her eyes filling up in regret and pain seeing his disappointment and hurt.

Rishabh shakes his head.

"I'm really sorry." Madhu tells him.

"I don't know what to tell you, Madhu."

"I'll study well for the next exam." Madhu promises him.

Rishabh looks away. "You've said that before."

Madhu regretfully looks down.

Seeing her upset, he says sadly. "You used to hate me for screaming at you, but I never hated you, Madhu. no teacher hates their student. All I wanted was for you to do well. The least, pass for your tests."

"I'll pass. I promise." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh sighs.

"I'll make you proud of me. please give me one more chance." Madhu pleads him.

"Don't cry." Rishabh tells her as he wiped her tears.

"Please?" Madhu asks him again.

Rishabh nods. "Okay. There is still time, Madhu and you can do well."

"I will." Madhu vows.

*******

That weekend they all had met for Sultan's birthday. Rishabh and Madhu were back to normal, neither spoke of the test marks. After the cake cutting and dinner, they all decided to play games.

They were playing truth or dare.

"Truth." Madhu declares.

"Okay, tell us who do you love the most here." Sultan cheekily asks her.

Madhu looks at Rishabh and sees him watching her.

"Madhu?" Sultan calls her.

"I think di." Madhu replies.

"You think?" Dipali asks.

"You're my sister."

"Apart from Dipali." Sultan says.

"How do I answer that? Di is my favorite sister. you are my favorite brother. Professor Kundra is my favorite teacher."

"Tough choices you had from the one million brothers and sisters you have." Sultan points out. "So, the real winner, I guess is Rishabh."

Madhu and Rishabh grin hearing that.

After few rounds of truth and dare, it was finally Rishabh's turn.

"Truth." Rishabh decides.

"I've a question for you." Dipali tells Rishabh, and she asks, "Who is your favorite student?"

Rishabh immediately looks at Madhu and she also looks at him.

"Teachers never have a favorite student." Rishabh says.

"Still you'll have that one student who is above other students, a little special." Dipali cheekily insists.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and realizes that she was waiting for his answer. "Madhu." he says as he looked at her.

Madhu blushes shyly as she looks down.

*******

Rishabh notices Madhu standing outside in the balcony and walks outside.

"What are you doing here?" Rishabh asks her as he stood next to her.

"Thinking." Madhu replies as she looked at the night sky.

"Thinking about what?"

"About you, about us."

Rishabh smiles hearing that.

"I wanted to say your name." Madhu tells him.

"It is just a game."

"Rishabh..." Madhu calls him softly.

Rishabh turns to her in shock. "what?"

Madhu turns to him and looking into his eyes, she again says, "Rishabh."

Rishabh gulps and he says softly. "I'm your Professor."

"Not forever." Madhu points out.

"True."

Madhu steps close to him and nervously asks as she looked into his eyes. "Do you want me to be yours forever?"

Rishabh nervously sighs. Then he softly replies. "Yes."

Madhu's face breaks out into a smile. She half laughs and sighs as her eyes filled up.

Seeing her like that, Rishabh couldn't control his smile. He smiles as he stepped closer to her. then he gently cups her face and leaning down, kisses her forehead.

Madhu keeps her hand over his, then leaning up, she kisses his cheek.

"Madhu... Rishabh... what are you..." Dipali stops in shock seeing them like that.

They both turn to look at her.

"Oh..." Dipali embarrassed looks at them then recovering, she says. "Behave, okay?" then she runs back inside.

Rishabh and Madhu look at each other and chuckle.

*******

After everyone had left, Dipali walks into the kitchen and sees Madhu.

"So..." Dipali says with a smile.

Madhu smiles seeing her.

"What happened to your taking time and deciding?" Dipali asks with a teasing smile.

Madhu smiles at her and says with contentment. "I love him, di."

Dipali walks to her and hugs her. "I'm so happy for you both. ever since I met him, I wanted you both to get together."

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"What are you making?" Dipali asks surprised seeing that Madhu was boiling water.

"Black coffee."

"How will you sleep if you have black coffee?"

"I don't want to sleep. I am going to study."

"WHAT?" Dipali shouts in shock.

Madhu sadly looks at her. "I had a class test and I failed."

"Rishabh's subject?"

Madhu nods as she turned to look at the water. "He was so upset. So hurt. Seeing him like that, it killed me. and I realized that this was no longer friendship or more. I love him."

Dipali smiles hearing that. she lovingly keeps her hand on Madhu's shoulder.

"I am going to study, di. I am going to do well. I want Rishabh to be proud of me. proud that he loves me like how proud I am that I love someone like him."

"Aww my baby." Dipali hugs her from behind.

"In a month and half, I have my mid semester exam. I am going to pass for all my papers. I want to get good marks."

"You will."

"And Rishabh is going to be so happy." Madhu tells her smiling in excitement.

*******

Hearing the doorbell ring, Rishabh opens the door. "Hey."

"Good morning." Madhu tells him smiling then she moves towards him and hugs him tight.

For a second, Rishabh was taken back by the hug, then he happily hugs her.

"You ready to go out?" Rishabh asks her as he closed the door.

"Oh we were supposed to go out today." Madhu remembers surprised.

"You forgot?"

"I didn't exactly forget." Madhu says smiling as she hugged him again. "I was just thinking about us."

Rishabh smiles as he hugged her. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Can we stay in? just the two of us?" Madhu asks him.

"Yeah." Rishabh smiles liking the idea.

They sit on the couch facing each other.

"I'm so happy." Madhu tells him as she took his hand.

"Me too." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu looks at him and asks him a little worriedly. "This is forever, right?"

Rishabh cups her face and promises her, "It is."

Madhu smiles. "I love you."

"I love you too." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu leans to him and gently pecks his lips. Rishabh pulls her close to him, and gently takes her lips in his. Madhu nervously kisses him back.

*******

Hearing his mobile, Rishabh picks his phone to check.

"It is Ma."

"I'll answer." Madhu says excitedly as she takes the phone and answers it. she changes her voice and says "Hello."

"Erm... hello... is Rishu there?" Radha asks confused.

"He is busy."

"Oh... who is this?" Radha asks confused.

"Aapki hone wali bahu." Madhu tells her laughing happily.

Rishabh chuckles hearing her.

"Madhu?" Radha asks surprised and excited.

Madhu laughs happily hearing Radha's excitement. "Wait I will put it on speaker."

"Ma..." Rishabh says.

"Rishu, is it true?" Radha asks excitedly.

"Yes." Rishabh replies as he happily looked at Madhu. "We love each other."

"I knew it. I don't know why it took you both so long."

"We just didn't want to rush into anything, Ma." Madhu tells her.

"Ma?" Radha and Rishabh asks surprised.

"Yeah... why are you two shocked? After marriage I'll be calling her Ma, so I'm starting now itself." Madhu explains.

Rishabh smiles hearing that.

"I am so happy." Radha says happily.

They spoke for a few more minutes.

*******

Rishabh was in Madhu's class teaching. As he was explaining, his gaze falls on Madhu and she was watching him with a big smile on her face. he couldn't help it, he smiles at her and continues teaching. As he looked at the students, he couldn't control himself and his gaze again goes to Madhu.

Madhu gives him a flying kiss.

Rishabh stops in shock for half a second then glaring at her, he turns his gaze away from her. rest of the class, he didn't look at her.

*******

"Rishabh!" Madhu calls him as she ran behind him.

Rishabh stops in shock and turns to her. Madhu stops near him gasping for breath.

"Madhu, this is college, call me Professor Kundra here." Rishabh whispers to her in shock.

"No." Madhu replies shaking her head frowning.

"What?"

"Aren't you my Rishabh?" Madhu asks him.

"Yes."

"Even when we are in college?"

"Yeah but..."

"Ah then I will only call you Rishabh." Madhu declares.

Rishabh sighs as he shook his head though he smiles.

Madhu smiles. "Are you free after class? Trishna and Mukund are going out. They asked me to join them. do you want to come with us?"

"Erm..." Rishabh hesitates as he didn't know whether he should hang out with them as Trishna and Mukund were his students and even they wouldn't be comfortable with him.

"They are my best friends." Madhu tells him in a bid to convince him.

"Okay." Rishabh gives in.

*******

Madhu watches as Rishabh sat with her and Mukund and Trishna opposite to them. Trishna and Mukund were unusually silent and kind of uncomfortable.

"Why are you all silent?" Madhu asks in shock.

Rishabh shrugs.

"Er... nothing..." Trishna says as she awkwardly looked at Rishabh.

"None of you were saying anything." Mukund says uncomfortably.

Madhu looks at them in shock then turns to Rishabh and tells him, "This is what happens when you are a strict professor."

"What do you want me to do?" Rishabh asks her exasperated.

"Be with them like you are with me!" Madhu orders him.

Cheekily grinning, Rishabh tells her. "I really don't think Mukund will like if I behave with Trishna the same way I behave with you."

Madhu's mouth drops open hearing that.

Mukund and Trishna look at each other in shock then they start laughing.

"Madhu is right, you are fun." Trishna tells him laughing.

"Enough... enough... you don't like him as much as Madhu likes him." Mukund jokes.

They all laugh, now comfortable, they start talking to each other.

*******

Sultan frowns seeing Madhu. "Why do you keep coming here?"

"What?" Madhu asks chuckling in confusion.

"I want to know now! do you come here to see us or Rishabh?" Sultan asks her suspiciously.

"What jeeju?"

"Tell me!" Sultan stubbornly insists.

"Hasn't Himmat Singh taught you, jeeju? Ask no questions and hear no lies?" Madhu cheekily asks him.

Rishabh grins hearing her while Sultan gives her an exasperated look.

"Then why don't you just stay with Rishabh?" Sultan asks her.

"Okay. You'll cover for me with Papa and Mama?" Madhu asks as she turned to head to Rishabh's flat.

Sultan quickly grabs her and pulls her back. "Where are you going? Go inside!" Sultan tells her shocked.

Madhu laughs as she went inside. Sultan and Rishabh grin at each other.

*******

"I was talking to Di." Madhu tells Rishabh over dinner.

Rishabh curiously looks at her.

"It is Papa and Mama's 25th wedding anniversary. So, Di and I were thinking of gifting them a trip."

"Nice." Rishabh says smiling.

"So, this Thursday they are going for the wedding. Then mostly from there they would go. Di and I'll have to plan and book everything." Madhu excitedly tells him.

"So, you guys don't want to be with them for the anniversary?"

"If they are here then we will wish in the morning, give gift and just do our normal routine. This way, it would be something special for them. and they get to spend time alone."

"Yeah, true." Rishabh says smiling then he asks, "and you would be staying with Dipali?"

"Obviously." Madhu says excitedly. "Almost a month."

After dinner, Rishabh dropped Madhu home.

*******

Once her parents went off, Madhu shifted to Dipali's house. every morning, she went to college with Rishabh and evening, they returned home together, spending every second they could get together.

"You are late!" Madhu accuses the moment Rishabh walked into the coffee shop.

"The staff meeting went on forever." Rishabh tells her tired. "Let's go?"

It was a weekend and they had planned to go for a movie with Trishna and Mukund.

"We are late already." Trishna says as she stood up.

"I'm so hungry." Madhu grumbles as she stood up.

"You didn't eat anything?" Rishabh asks her.

"They were so sure that you would come any second now, they didn't let me order anything. I had a brownie only."

"And coffee too." Trishna reminds her.

"I am still hungry." Madhu glares at her as she grabbed her bag.

Rishabh chuckles and tells Trishna and Mukund. "You guys go."

"What about you guys?" Mukund asks confused.

Rishabh holds Madhu by her shoulder. "I'll feed her and come otherwise, she won't let us watch the movie peacefully."

Madhu makes a face as Rishabh took her to the counter.

When Madhu didn't order anything, Rishabh curiously looks at her and sees her reading the menu.

"Madhu, choose something from the shelf." Rishabh tells her as he pointed at the sandwiches and croissants.

Madhu disinterestedly looks at the sandwiches. "I'll take 2 chicken sandwich." Madhu tells the Barista.

"I don't want." Rishabh tells Madhu.

"It is for me!" Madhu tells him shocked.

"Oh okay."

Madhu shakes her head in exasperation.

Chuckling, Rishabh hugs her from behind. "My darling glutton."

Madhu chuckles hearing that.

Rishabh was casually looking around when he notices two students looking at them in shock.

"Shit... they are my students." Rishabh whispers as he moved away from Madhu.

Madhu turns to look and sees two seniors watching them. she turns to Rishabh and asks confused, "So, what?"

"They will tell everyone, Madhu." Rishabh tells her in concern.

"What is wrong in that? we love each other. We are not doing anything wrong. So, why should we hide our love?"

"It's not that, there would be gossips." Rishabh tells her.

"if we hide and people see us together, they will make up one million stories. If we are open about our love, then there won't be dirty stories about us." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh nods realizing that if they were open about their relation then there would be only one story about them and that would be the truth. And he knew, how much ever they tried, they will not be able to keep their relation a secret because someone or the other would see them together.

*******

"You didn't sleep?" Dipali asks as she poked her head in.

"I'm studying." Madhu replies without looking up from her book.

"It's really late, Madhu." Dipali tells her as she walked in.

"You didn't sleep?" Madhu asks her.

"I got up to drink water that is when I noticed the light in your room. you are getting dark circles, go to sleep."

"I'll. After I finish this module. Too much to study and too little time." Madhu tells her yawning.

"Okay, good night."

*******

Rishabh sighs in irritation as he heard the crunching sound. Madhu was sitting on his lap as they watched the movie. He increases the volume.

"It is too loud." Madhu tells him as she reduced the volume then taking the chips from the bag, she shoves it into her mouth and loudly crunches.

"Can you stop eating so loudly?" Rishabh asks her exasperated.

"What?" Madhu turns to him frowning.

"You are eating into my ears!" Rishabh tells her. "I can't hear a word, all I am hearing is crunch crunch crunch."

"I can hear everything!"

"Because your mouth is not near your ear."

"How rude?" Madhu asks offended. "And my mouth is on my face! How can you hear more than me?"

"I can't!"

"I meant my eating sound!"

"Maybe because you are forever eating and got immune to the sound." Rishabh tells her.

"Get lost!" Madhu says pissed off and walks off.

*******

Hearing the knock on the door, Madhu opens the door. She stops seeing packets of chips on the floor in the shape of a heart. She looks up and sees Rishabh cheekily winks at her with Dipali and Sultan sitting on the couch and watching them.

"Took you long enough!" Madhu mutters as she bend down and started picking the chips packets.

"Had to finish watching the movie." Rishabh tells her shrugging.

Madhu scowls at him.

Grinning, Rishabh tells her. "Check out what I got for our next movie section?"

"What?" Madhu asks frowning at him.

"Popcorn."

*******

Rishabh was in the middle of teaching when Abhay comes to the door. "Excuse me, sir? Can I come in?"

"You're late." Rishabh tells him shaking his head.

"I went to pay exam fees." Abhay tells him.

"You should have done it during break or after class. You shouldn't be doing it during class." Rishabh tells him in a dismissing tone.

Sighing, Abhay walks off.

*******

"Why didn't you let Abhay in?" Madhu asks Rishabh as she ran up to him after the period.

"Don't you have class?" Rishabh asks her.

"I've... but why didn't you let him in?"

"He was late. Now, you'll be late."

"Why can't you be a little friendly to your students?" Madhu asks him frowning.

"They are my students, Madhu. I am not their friend." Rishabh tells her.

"But you don't have to be so strict. Even you were a student once."

"What is the problem, Madhu?" Rishabh asks as he turned to her stopping.

"I want everyone to like you like I like you." Madhu tells him frowning.

Rishabh smiles hearing that.

"Remember, how I used to hate you because you were horrible to me."

"Didn't you deserve it?" Rishabh asks her grinning.

Madhu glares at him. "Did that help? Did I improve my grades because you were screaming at me?"

"You should be studying for your exams." Rishabh tells her.

"that I will... tell me, when you were a student, which teacher did you like the most? The strict one or the kind one."

Rishabh thoughtfully leans on the railing hearing her. he says with a shrug. "My father was the Principal of my college. he was very strict in college while at home he was a fun guy. I guess, I just followed how he was."

"If he wasn't your father, would you have considered him as your best teacher?"

Grinning, he tells her, "Everyone used to call him Rakshas."

"So, he was no better than you." Madhu mutters.

Rishabh smiles. "Okay, I will try to be not so strict."

Madhu smiles hearing that. "I love you."

Rishabh smiles even more. "Now, run before you are late for class."

"Okay, bye."

*******

Rishabh and Madhu were passionately kissing each other when they realize that Rishabh's mobile was ringing.

"Ignore it." Madhu tells him as she kissed him when he turned to check his phone.

"Let me just check who it is."

"Would be some kabib mein haddi." Madhu says.

Chuckling Rishabh checks the phone. "Oh, it is Ma." Rishabh tells her. "I've to take it, Madhu."

"Okay." Madhu sighs.

"Get off my lap." Rishabh tells her.

"Why?" Madhu asks frowning.

"It's a video call."

"So?"

Rishabh stops in shock. "Get off, Madhu. Ma will see." Rishabh says as he scooted her off his lap.

Madhu glares at him as she got off his lap. "She knows about us. Why are you acting like this?"

"Still..." Rishabh says as he adjusted their appearance and answered the call.

They spoke to Radha for a while then hangs up. Rishabh turns to Madhu and asks her curiously, "When are you going to tell your parents about us?"

"They are not here." Madhu shrugs.

"Yeah... I want to meet them when they get back."

"You already met them." Madhu reminds him, shocked.

"Yeah, but I want to tell them about us."

"Mama will come back soon but Papa has some work travel. We'll tell them when he gets back."

"Okay." Rishabh replies smiling, then he holds her ankles and pulls her over his lap and with a sexy smile, he asks, "Where were we?"

*******

One night, Madhu was studying when she gets a message from Rishabh.

Finished! *Phew*

Madhu quickly messages him, okay, send me the questions.

He replies immediately. You wish! Going to sleep. see you tomorrow.

Good night. Madhu replies and smiling she keeps the phone aside.

She was studying when she gets a message from Trishna. it was a photo of Trishna wearing a new tshirt.

Mukund gifted me this.

Nice. Gaurs replies.

I found it inside my bag. I didn't know when he kept it.

Madhu smiles, Mukund was an old fashioned romantic. Writing love letters and giving surprise gifts to Trishna.

I want to get him something. Will you come with me tomorrow for shopping?

Madhu sighs and messages her. Rishabh just told me that he finished setting the questions for the exams. I've to study.

Oh he is done? How is it this time? easy or hard?

I didn't ask him.

Hmmm okie... anyway, I'll go alone. You work hard on your surprise for him 😉

Madhu smiles. Then thinking of the Mukund's surprise, she wanted to surprise Rishabh.

She quickly tears out a page from her notebook and writes on it.

*******

Hearing the door bell, Rishabh wakes up. He sits up drowsily as he tried to listen if there was indeed a door bell.

Hearing the bell again, Rishabh goes to check.

"Madhu.... What happened?" Rishabh asks in concern.

"Did you sleep?" Madhu asks him smiling.

"Yeah... all okay?"

"Yes.... I realized that I never saw your bedroom."

"What?" Rishabh asks confused.

"Can you believe it? I've been coming here for so long and I never saw your bedroom." Madhu tells him as she pushed him aside and walk in.

"What?" Rishabh asks shocked as he followed her in. "Are you here to see my bedroom?"

"Of course not!"

"Then?"

"I am here to see my future bedroom." Madhu arrogantly tells him.

Hearing that Rishabh couldn't help the smile. He follows her as she walked into his bedroom.

Madhu stops in the middle of the room.

"So?" Rishabh asks her.

"I want water." Madhu tells him.

"What?" Rishabh asks shocked.

"I am thirsty. I want water."

"You serious?" Rishabh asks shocked.

"Yes... get me water."

Rishabh points at the water bottle kept on the side table. "There."

Madhu turns to look where he pointed and stops in shock for a second. She had expected him to go to the kitchen to get her water. Then recovering, she asks faking outrage. "You won't give me anything to eat?"

Rishabh sighs. "How can you eat so late at night?"

"I'm feeling hungry."

"Let me check what I have." Rishabh tells her as he walked out, lightly closing the door shut.

"You will find something." Madhu tells him smiling, lately, he kept his kitchen stocked so she would always have something to munch on when she visited him.

Madhu looks around and sees his study table. She runs to the table and takes out the letter she had kept in her pajama pocket. She picks one of the books on the table and keeps the letter inside and moves back excitedly.

Smiling excitedly she looks around the room. His room was neat and organized just like him.

"Got chips." Rishabh tells her as he opened the door and walked in.

"I like our room." Madhu tells him smiling as she stared at the paintings on the wall. "But these paintings have to go."

"You didn't like them?" Rishabh asks curiously.

"We'll put my photo. Big one."

"Yours?" Rishabh asks chuckling.

"Fine! Both of ours." Madhu gives in.

Rishabh rolls his eyes as he closed the door.

Hearing the door close, Madhu turns to him. Realizing they were alone inside his bedroom, Madhu started feeling nervous. She had been alone with him, but never inside the bedroom and that was freaking her out.

"Madhu, you okay?"

Madhu nervously looks at the closed bedroom door then to the bed. She started shivering freaking out.

"Madhu?" Rishabh calls her curiously as he walked to her.

"I don't want to make love before marriage." Madhu blurts out.

"What?" Rishabh stops in shock.

Madhu worriedly looks at the door. "I love you, Rishabh but that..."

"Madhu... the stopper is not working. So, I closed the door otherwise it would slam shut." Rishabh tells her as he walked to her.

Madhu worriedly nods.

"Relax, Madhu. I didn't mean it like that." Rishabh tries to reassure her.

Madhu nods. "I'll go home." Madhu worriedly tells him.

"But why? Stay for sometime."

"No... no... I will see you tomorrow." Madhu tells him as her heart was slamming against her chest. She starts to walk out then she turns and grabs the chips packet from him without looking at his face. "I forgot this. Good night." Madhu tells him and runs out, leaving an amused Rishabh behind.

*******

Next day morning, Madhu and Rishabh step out of their flats at the same time.

"Got it?" Madhu asks him excitedly.

"What?" Rishabh asks her confused.

Realizing that he didn't find her note, she sighs disappointed.

"Got what?" Rishabh asks her again.

"Nothing." Madhu says shaking her head. "Let's go."

********

Rishabh walks into the class and smiles at Madhu. She also smiles at him. She notices that few of the students were looking at them. She ignores them. Even Rishabh ignores them. They have been getting these looks lately, people were noticing about them. Many knew that they were together now.

Madhu smiles seeing the way Rishabh was smiling and chatting with the students. Ever since, she told him, he had been making an effort and trying to build a relation with the students and not be strict like before.

"Professor Kundra, I hear you finished setting the question paper." Trishna says.

Rishabh grins and cheekily says, "I believe you heard from a very reliable source, Trishna."

Madhu grins seeing that Rishabh also was no longer conscious about people finding out about their relationship.

"Is it tough?" Trishna asks him.

"I am afraid, it is." Rishabh tells her.

The students groan.

"It's the new HOD rule. One exam should be hard and one should be easy. So, I thought if this exam is hard then for the semester exam it can be easy." Rishabh explains. "But please study hard everyone." Rishabh says his gaze ending on Madhu.

Madhu nervously looks down realizing that she has to work even more harder now as the exam was going to be tough.

*****

Madhu was studying when she hears the mobile ring. Seeing it was Rishabh, she answers excitedly. "Found it?"

"What?" Rishabh asks confused.

Madhu sighs, how long was it going to take him to find her note? If it was going to be like this then she will definitely forget about it by the time he finds it. "I thought it was Trishna... what's up?"

"Ah okay... what you doing? Coming over?" Rishabh asks her.

"No..." Madhu says disappointed as she noticed her study material.

"Busy?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yeah... I'll talk to you later."

"Okay then. See you later."

********

"You are so busy lately, you've no time for me." Rishabh complains to Madhu one day as he hungrily kissed her.

"What? I see you everyday." Madhu replies against his lip in shock.

"Only in college and then when we go and come from college." Rishabh tells her as he frowned at her.

"That I am busy with di." Madhu lies.

"Busy with what?"

"Erm... Di and I am watching Game of Thrones. You know the sequel... actually prequel is out. So, we need to watch that before we watch the prequel."

Rishabh looks at her confused. "Shouldn't you be watching the prequel first?"

"Erm..." Madhu looks at him confused. "We want to watch it in the order it is out. So, I am busy as we have to finish it before I go back home."

"Hmmm."

"Let's go. We are getting late for college." Madhu tells him as she turned to walk out of his flat.

"Madhu..." Rishabh gently calls her.

"Yeah?" Madhu turns to him.

"Exam is nearing, please study." Rishabh tells her.

"I will." Madhu quickly promises and turns to leave, so that he doesn't talk much on it and ruin her surprise.

"And... do make time for me, I miss you, love." Rishabh gently tells her.

Madhu turns to him and smiles hearing him. She leans up and kisses him hard. "You are my biggest distraction in my mission."

"Mission?" Rishabh asks chuckling. "Are you living, breathing, game of thrones?"

Madhu chuckles and walks off.

******

"Hey Madhu." Sweety calls her as she sat next to Madhu in class along with Ria.

Madhu curiously looks up at her. "Hey Sweety... what's up?" Madhu asks smiling.

"Is it true?" Sweety asks her in an excited whisper.

"What?" Madhu asks confused.

"That you and Professor Kundra are dating."

Madhu grins hearing that and blushing slightly, she confirms. "We love each other."

"Oh my God!" Sweety shouts in shock.

Madhu chuckles hearing that.

"But he used to scream at you always." Ria tells her shocked.

"Not anymore." Madhu smugly replies.

"But you and him." Ria says shocked. "He is so serious."

"But he is so hot." Sweety dreamily says.

"He is mine." Madhu tells her good-naturedly smiling.

Sweety chuckles hearing that. "I can't imagine him as a boyfriend. He is so strict."

"He is fun." Madhu tells her. Then seeing them not convinced, she says, "Ask Trishna. And he is not strict like before, right?"

"And we have you to thank?" Sweety cheekily asks her.

Madhu smugly nods.

*********

Few days after that, Madhu left for her house when her mother got back and she got busy with her studies. She met Rishabh in college and spent every free time she got to study.

The day the exams got over, Madhu was free while Rishabh got busy with the paper evaluations.

Rishabh was walking to the staff room when Madhu catches up with him.

"Now I am free, you are so busy." Madhu complains to him.

"I'm busy with correcting papers not watching game of thrones." Rishabh replies cheekily.

"When will you finish?"

"Almost done. Will finish by tonight."

"Corrected my paper?" Madhu asks nervously.

Rishabh looks at her surprised as she had never asked him before whether he corrected her papers. "Tonight. Kept it for last." Rishabh tells her, because even he was a little nervous about correcting her paper, fearing that she would not pass once again.

Madhu nods taking a deep breath. Then she asks him excitedly. "So, tomorrow, after class I'll come to your place?"

Rishabh grins hearing that. "Yeah... wait, when do I get to meet your parents?" Rishabh asks her.

"Let's see. I am not sure whether I should tell them first or we should do it together."

"We should do it together."

"Hmmm... let me see. I will ask di 's opinion also."

"Okay." Rishabh nods then hearing the bell he tells her, "Go, you'll get late otherwise."

"Only you throw students out of the class because they are one minute late." Madhu rolls her eyes cheekily and walks off making Rishabh chuckle.

Rishabh continues to walk to the staff room when he hears two students whispering. "What's up with them?"

"Sweety said they are dating. Madhu told her it seems."

"But didn't Madhu hate him?"

Rishabh grins hearing that and was about to walk off when he hears the other reply. "That is what even I was wondering. Who knows, maybe Madhu is just trying to pass for her exams. You know, acting as if she is interested in him."

Rishabh stops in shock and turns to the students behind him furiously. Noticing that he caught them, they quickly hurries off. Pissed, Rishabh walks off, wanting so badly to punch those students for degrading Madhu like that.

********

The moment, he saw the handwriting, he knew it was Madhu's. Heart slamming against his chest, Rishabh takes the answer paper.

"Please pass, Madhu." Rishabh prays then taking a deep breath, he starts reading what she had written.

Rishabh frowns as he turned the pages again and again and checked. He keeps the answer sheets aside and looks through the rest of the sheets. That was Madhu's handwriting. He wouldn't make a mistake in that. He looks through the bunch of papers and then he picks the one he knew was Madhu's and stares in shock. 84 out of 100.

As he stared in shock, trying to make heads or tails of it, the student's voice resonated in his brains.

To pass for exams. Acting as if interested in him.

*********

"Hey!" Madhu excitedly says as she ran to Rishabh in the college parking lot. "Why did you ask me to meet you here so early?" Madhu asks as she hugged him.

Rishabh steps back from her as he accusingly looked at her.

"What happened?" Madhu asks him confused.

"This..." Rishabh extends her answer sheets.

"Is that my paper?" Madhu asks excitedly then she looks at him and seeing his expression, her smile drops and her heart skips a beat. she asks him "I failed?"

Rishabh scoffs loudly as he extended her the answer paper.

Madhu takes the paper and checks her mark. Seeing her marks, she squeals in excitement. "I can't believe that I got so much marks. You know, I have never got this high marks." Madhu excitedly says as she turned the paper to check.

"The highest that you've got is what... 9?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yeah." Madhu replies and looks at him, and seeing his expression, she asks him, confused. "Aren't you happy?"

"How did you get this mark, Madhu?"

"I studied, Rishabh. Like I promised you. Why are you asking me that?" Madhu asks him confused.

"You studied?" Rishabh scoffs.

"I did, Rishabh." Madhu tells him shocked. "Do you think I copied?"

"The day I told you I finished setting the question paper, you had come to my flat. Why did you come?" Rishabh asks her, his eyes filling up.

"To see you, why else would I come?" Madhu asks him shocked.

"You went to my room and left right after that. You were shivering."

"What?" Madhu asks shocked, trying to recollect the incident.

"I closed the bedroom door and you got scared about love making." Rishabh reminds her.

"I don't want to make love before marriage, Rishabh." Madhu tells him softly.

"Or where you there to steal the question paper?"

"What?" Madhu shouts in shock.

"You had asked me to tell you the questions for the exam."

"That I was just joking." Madhu argues in shock.

"Was this all to pass?" Rishabh asks her, blinking away his tears.

"What all?" Madhu asks hurt, her eyes filling up.

"Do you love me? Or are you acting?"

"You think I am acting?" Madhu asks her heart breaking, and tears falling down her face.

"You used to hate me, Madhu." Rishabh says in pain. "How did you suddenly start loving me? I should have known."

"What are you say, Rishabh?" Madhu asks him hurt. "I love you."

"Why did you come that day, Madhu?"

"To see you, Rishabh. Why else would I come?" Madhu argues hurt. "You think my love is an act?"

"You keep procrastinating when I talk about meeting your parents."

"They were not here."

"Ever since the night I set the question paper, you've been avoiding me, Madhu." Rishabh accuses her.

"I was studying!" Madhu angrily tells him. "I promised you I will pass, so I was studying."

"Or you got what you needed so you didn't have to continue being with me?"

"I was with you! I am always with you!"

Rishabh shakes his head. "Not like before that night. I've to report you, Madhu."

"What?" Madhu asks in shocked whisper.

"I've to inform the Principal everything. I don't care if they take action against me. I can't let this happen. It is unfair to other students who studied hard for their exams."

"I studied hard, Rishabh. I swear I did. I didn't cheat." Madhu tells him crying. "I love you, Rishabh. Please believe me."

"I don't believe you."

********

Madhu was in the Principal's room with Rishabh.

"I didn't cheat." Madhu argues as she cried. She turns to look at Rishabh helplessly, "Why won't you believe me?"

Rishabh gulps as he looked away.

Madhu turns to the Principal and tells him helplessly. "I love him. I went to see him, I didn't steal the question paper."

Principal looks at Rishabh confused, not knowing what to believe. Hearing the knock, he looks at the door.

His assistant pokes her head inside, "her parents' are here."

"Ask them to come." Principal tells her.

Madhu looks at Rishabh in shock. "Why are you doing this?"

"I called them." Principal informs her.

The door opens and Malik and Padmini walks in. Madhu turns to look at her parents and they glare at her angrily.

"Please sit." Principal says as he gestured to the seats.

Malik and Padmini sits down shamed face, and noticing Rishabh, they sigh embarrassed.

"This is Madhu's marks for her Economics exam." Principal says as he extended the answer sheets.

Malik takes it and dreadfully looks at it. Seeing the marks he stops in shock. "She passed?" Malik asks smiling happily.

"What?" Padmini asks shocked as she took the papers from him. "She passed!" Padmini exclaims in joy. "She passed!"

"Oh my God, never thought this day would come." Malik says laughing happily as he turned to look at Madhu. He stops in shock and confusion. "If you passed why are you crying?"

"What happened, Madhu?" Padmini asks confused as she walked to Madhu. "We thought you failed like usual and that is why they called us. But you passed."

Madhu hugs her and bursts into loud tears.

"What happened, Madhu?" Padmini asks as she hugged her worriedly.

"Madhu..." Malik quickly stands up then turning to Rishabh, he asks, "What happened?"

"You know about your daughter's closeness with Professor Kundra?" Principal asks him.

"Yeah, he is my son-in-law's friend. They are like family friends now." Malik replies confused.

Principal looks at Rishabh and Madhu awkwardly then he turns to look at Malik.

"What is the problem?" Malik asks.

"Seeing her marks, aren't you surprised?" Principal asks him.

"Of course, I am. She used to fail."

"Exactly."

"What?" Malik asks confused. "What do you mean?"

"We think that she stole the question paper from Professor Kundra's house." Principal tells him.

Malik turns to Madhu in shock. "You cheated?"

"No, Papa. I didn't. I studied hard." Madhu tells him as she cried out. "I stayed up at night and studied."

"Stop crying, Madhu." Malik sternly tells her.

"Sshh.... Calm down, Madhu." Padmini gently tells her.

Malik turns to the Principal and Rishabh tells them. "My daughter has very rarely passed for her exams. At times, we have had to beg her teachers to promote her to the next class. But never has she ever cheated. Madhu might be lazy but she is not a cheat. If she makes a mistake, she has always accepted the mistake, how ever big or small it is. So, if she says she didn't cheat then we believe her."

"She has been studying hard." Padmini tells them. "I've seen her study. She stopped going out and used to stay at home and study."

Rishabh gulps in shock hearing that as he looked at Madhu in confusion.

"But how can you explain this mark?" Principal asks confused.

"We just explained!" Malik furiously reminds him.

"Instead of congratulating her for her good work, you are accusing her?" Padmini asks him angrily.

Principal looks at Rishabh for guidance.

Rishabh looks at Madhu helplessly, unable to make up his mind.

Seeing his confusion, Madhu tells her parents sadly. "I love someone. He wanted me to pass for my exams. He was so heartbroken when I failed last time. I studied for him, so he would be proud of me like I am of him."

Rishabh's heart breaks hearing that. His eyes fill up hearing that, realizing that Madhu had been telling him the truth. "I believe her." Rishabh whispers in guilt as he stared at Madhu.

Madhu accusingly looks at him as she gulped her sob.

"I am sorry, Madhu." Rishabh whispers as he started to walk towards her.

Hearing the door open, he stops and sees the HOD walk in.

"I've asked all the other Professors to correct her papers asap." Leela says.

Principal nods hearing that. "If she has really studied then she would definitely pass for those exams too."

Madhu worriedly looks at her parents and says, "I mostly studied for Economics. I won't get this mark for other papers."

"It doesn't matter." Malik reassures her.

"It matters." Leela says. "She was a regular visitor to his house."

"She went there to meet them and have her meals. Not steal question papers!" Padmini furiously tells her.

"I was wrong. Madhu didn't cheat." Rishabh regretfully says. "I shouldn't have accused her without any proof." Rishabh says filled with regret, wanting to hug and console Madhu, ask for her forgiveness for accusing her like this.

"Proof is her marks." Leela says.

"All this while, you had issues when she failed her exams. And now, she has passed with good marks, you have issue with that too?" Malik asks angrily.

"Nobody passes like this after failing miserably for so long." Leela says.

"Madhu worked hard for this marks." Rishabh argues.

"You are the one who came with this suspicion." Leela reminds him.

"And it is cleared now. I was wrong and Madhu was right." Rishabh argues.

"Your proof is she said she studied?"

"Yes." Rishabh furiously replies.

Leela shakes her head.

"Anyway we will know when her other marks come. If she passes for those paper we can know that she didn't cheat for this exam." Principal says.

"Not this high marks." Leela argues.

"What do you want her to do? Write the exams again?" Padmini asks angrily.

"Yes."

"Are you serious?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"Very. Prepare a question paper fast. She will rewrite her exam now." Leela declares.

"Is that necessary?" Principal asks.

"it is. If one of the students complaints then we will be in trouble." Leela tells him.

Principal nods giving in. "Professor Kundra..."

"No." Rishabh replies sternly.

"What do you mean no?" Leela asks frowning.

"It means no. I trust Madhu and I will not do this to her." Rishabh tells her.

"You are the one who accused her." Leela reminds him.

"I did and I was wrong!" Rishabh furiously tells her. "So, I am not going to to continue making this mistake. I will not take her test."

"Fine. There are is one more Economics Professor in our college." Leela tells him.

"Do you have some enmity with my daughter?" Malik asks her in shock.

"I don't. But it is our duty to make sure there is no cheating happens in the college. I find no joy in this." Leela tells him. "I am the HOD and it is my duty."

Malik furiously turns to Madhu and then holding her in a loving way, he tells her gently. "Madhu, you've to write this exam. If not for anything else, then to shut their mouth. They are accusing you of cheating and you've to prove them wrong."

"Why should I, Papa? I studied for this mark." Madhu tells him sadly.

"I know, Madhu. It is wrong to ask you to prove your innocence but at times, we have to, so no more fingers raises on us." Padmini tells her.

"Will you do it?" Malik asks her.

"Please don't, Madhu." Rishabh requests her regretfully. Hearing him, Madhu looks at him. "It was my mistake. You don't have to take the punishment for it. I am so sorry."

Madhu looks at him for a few seconds then she turns to Malik and nods. "I'll write, Papa."

"Madhu..." Rishabh calls her as he started to walk to her. "Please don't do that."

"I've to." Madhu tells him as she wiped her tears.

Rishabh helplessly looks at her, wanting to kill himself for the torture that Madhu had to go through because of him.

"I'll get the previous year's question paper. You can sit in the library and write the exam." Leela says.

Madhu looks at her then Rishabh then she finally looks at her parents and says, "I used the last few years question papers to prepare for this exam."

Padmini turns to Leela and asks her, "So, if she gets more marks for this exam then that would be considered, right?"

"Whatever she gets for this exam. Yes." Leela agrees. "come with me, Madhu."

"You can leave. We will inform you the result." Principal tells them.

"We are staying." Malik replies. "till she gets the result for this exam, we are staying."

*********

Rishabh helplessly waited outside as Madhu rewrote her exam. The guilt for the pain he had caused Madhu was killing him. He had acted without thinking and now, Madhu was paying the price for it. He had accused her of faking her love for him when she did all this because she loved him.

Seeing her walk out, Rishabh hurries to her. "Madhu..."

Madhu looks at him, then she walks by him as she walked to her parents.

Rishabh guiltily watches her walk off.

********

Rishabh looks at Madhu's mark sheet and sighs regretfully. She got the least for French, which she managed to scrape through with just 1 mark. Rest everything, she had scored between 50-60 marks. Fighting his tears, he walks to Madhu. Madhu looks up at him and he extends the mark sheet to her.

Madhu takes it and looks at it. As Rishabh watched her, he sees a drop of tear falling on the paper. Then he sees her shaking as she gripped the piece of paper.

"Madhu..." Padmini gently holds her, Madhu quickly hugs her and cries.

"I'm so sorry, Madhu." Rishabh tells her as he knelt down.

"Madhu, stop crying. Your Professor made a mistake and he is trying to apologize." Malik gently tells her.

Rishabh nervously looks at Malik wondering whether he should correct him.

"Professor Kundra, they are calling you inside." One peon informs him.

Rishabh nods and looking at Madhu for a few seconds, he walks off.

*******

"Stop crying, Madhu. It is all going to be over soon." Padmini tells her.

"Yes, for the first time you passed for all the papers. We should party not cry like this." Malik tells her as he gently caressed her hair.

Madhu sniffs as she tried to fight her tears.

Wanting to distract her, Malik teasingly asks her, "By the way, you love someone and you never told us."

"Who is that boy, who managed to get our lazy and irresponsible daughter to want to be serious about her studies?" Padmini asks her. Then smiling at Malik, she says, "We already love this wonder boy."

Hearing them, Madhu bursts out into tears as she broke down completely.

"Madhu... baby.... What happened?" Malik asks shocked seeing her reaction. "Who is your boyfriend?"

"Oh my God..." Padmini whispers in shock as realization was quick. "You love your Professor Kundra?"

Madhu nods as she cried.

"And he thought you cheated?" Malik asks shocked and outraged.

"He thought I was acting as if I love him." Madhu tells them in anguish.

Malik and Padmini look at each other, helpless and angry seeing their daughter's condition.

********

They walk into the Principal's room. They sit down while Madhu stood behind them. Rishabh yearningly looks at her, hoping she would look at him. But Madhu was looking down.

"She got 96." Principal uncomfortably informs Malik and Padmini as he passed them her answer sheets.

Malik and Padmini accusingly looks at him.

"This mark will be recorded for her." Principal informs them.

"You can go to class, Madhu." Leela tells her.

"Class? You tortured our daughter for no fault of hers. Whole day the mental and emotional torture she went through, you expect her to go to class?" Malik asks angrily.

"You can take her home. Anyway, only one more hour is left." Principal tells him.

"And you're going to mark her present for the full day." Malik tells him angrily as he started to get up.

"We heard her Professor apologize to her, we didn't hear you both do that." Padmini tells them challengingly.

"What?" Leela asks in shock.

"You accused her of cheating and made her retake her exam. And she scored more marks and proved her innocence." Padmini points out to them.

"You are right. We are sorry, Madhu." Principal says.

"It's okay." Madhu replies.

Padmini pointedly looks at Leela. "We don't have whole day."

"Sorry." Leela mutters. "I was just doing my duty."

"You were torturing an innocent girl." Padmini reminds her.

"Innocent girl? You know about her relation with her professor?" Leela asks her.

Rishabh turns to Madhu's parents in shock hearing that. This was not how they had wanted her parents to find out about them. He worriedly looks at Madhu and sees her staring at Leela in shock.

"So, that was your problem?" Malik asks her in disbelief.

"There is no sanctity to teacher-student relation now." Leela says in disgust.

"My daughter loves someone." Malik angrily tells her. "Her life, her love, her decision and her relation. Who are you or this management or this college to dictate who she loves?"

Leela looks at him in shock.

"You bloody stay out of her personal life. If you so much as hissed at her private life, then I am going to rain down on you like hell. And there won't be much left of you to do your so called "duties". Let's go, Madhu." Malik warns furiously and gets up.

Holding Madhu's hand, they walk out.

******

Sultan opens the door for Rishabh. "Rishabh!" Sultan sighs uncomfortably.

"Is Madhu here?" Rishabh asks him.

"No." Sultan shakes his head in confusion.

Rishabh sighs disappointed. "I thought she would come here." Rishabh says in a disappointed whisper. He had hoped maybe that she would come here and they could talk.

"No, man. She is at her place." Sultan says then noticing Dipali furiously glaring at Rishabh, he tries to joke. "I would have invited you in, but I am scared my wife would poison you."

Rishabh humorlessly sighs as he looked at Dipali. "Is she okay?"

"Why do you care?" Dipali asks him angrily.

"I'm sorry, Dipali. I don't know what I was thinking." Rishabh regretfully tells her.

"She wanted to surprise you. She wanted you to be proud. And she worked her ass off. She pushed herself, for you. And you..." Dipali stops as she looked away.

"Dipali..." Sultan gently calls her to calm her down.

"I thought you were perfect for her. Calm, mature and caring. But you hurt her the most." Dipali accuses him. "God, she is an innocent girl. She says she hated you but she didn't even realize that hate is a strong emotion and she was only fed up with you. I thought you were mature enough to understand that. But you turned out to be the worst! Go away, Rishabh."

*******

"Rishabh is here to see you." Padmini informs Madhu.

"I don't want to see him." Madhu tells her as she sadly lay on the bed.

"You haven't done anything wrong then why are you hiding out here? Go and talk to him."

Madhu sadly gets up and walks out of the room.

She sees Rishabh waiting for her in the living room. Seeing her, he hurries to her. "Madhu..."

"Why did you come here?" Madhu asks him without looking at his face.

"I am so sorry, Madhu. Please forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking. When you scored so much, I don't know why I thought you cheated. When these thoughts started, it wouldn't stop. I am so sorry, Madhu."

"I am not angry with you for thinking I cheated. I understand that." Madhu tells him as fresh tears filled her eyes. She wipes her tears and says, "You thought I was acting. You have so little trust in me and my love?"

"Madhu, it is not that... I heard these students talking." Rishabh tells her about the conversation he had overheard. "And that time I knew they were wrong but that night when I corrected you papers, their words, it kept haunting me." Rishabh helplessly explains to her.

Madhu shakes her head. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters, Madhu. We love each other." Rishabh tells her as he held her hand.

Madhu shakes her head and frees her hands from him. "We jumped into this without thinking. This was wrong."

"Madhu, please don't say that." Rishabh quickly holds her hand.

"We will just stay away from each other." Madhu tells him as she freed herself and walks off, not listening to his pleas.

**********

Rishabh sighs helplessly as Madhu cut his call again. Sighing, he calls her again and she cuts his call again. Hearing a message notification, he sees that Madhu messaged him.

Please stop calling me. I don't want to talk.

Screaming in agony, Rishabh furiously throws his phone away then screaming, he starts throwing whatever he could get his hands on.

*********

"She is not talking to me." Rishabh helplessly tells Radha.

"Did you listen to her when she asked you to?" Radha gently asks him back.

Rishabh regretfully sighs.

"Give her time. You know she loves you." Radha tells him in a consoling way.

"Hmmm." Rishabh nods. "I've to go to college." Rishabh tells her as he started picking up the books from the floor.

"Okay... don't worry, everything will be fine." Radha tells him and hangs up.

Rishabh was keeping the old books when he notices a paper sticking out of it with a heart sign. Curious, he pulls it out. The page was filled with hearts.

You're my Honeybunch Sugarplum

Pumpy-umpy-umpkin

You're my sweetie pie

You're my Cuppycake

Gumdrop Snoogums-Boogums

You're the Apple of my Eye

And I love you so and I want you to know

That I'll always be right here

And I love to sing sweet songs to you

Because you are so dear

I love you, Rishabh.

p.s you're my mutton biriyani too.

Rishabh chuckles as he started crying. How like Madhu to write the cupcake song as a love letter.

Then he stops realizing that she had come that night to keep this letter, because she hadn't come into his bedroom before or after that night.

He falls on the ground as he broke down.

***********

She didn't come to class that day or the next few days. Since, she was still not in the mood to talk to him, he hadn't attempted to meet her. So, everyday, he hopefully went to college to meet her.

"Good morning."

Rishabh looks up and sees one of his colleague. "Good morning."

"Your Madhu was in class today." He informs him as he walked to his table.

"She was?" Rishabh asks surprised as he checked his timetable and realized that after next hour, he had Madhu's class.

"Yeah." He says as he sat down. "I hope her marks doesn't go back to what it was. She had done so well in the last exam."

Rishabh nods as he stood up. The whole college pretty much knew, what all had happened.

He hurries to Madhu's class, eager to see her.

*********

She wasn't in class.

Rishabh looks around for the third time and couldn't find Madhu amongst the students. He turns to Trishna and asks her in confusion. "Madhu didn't come?"

"She did." Trishna uncomfortably replies.

Rishabh's heart skips realizing that she had decided to skip his class. "Where is she?"

"Library." Trishna replies.

Rishabh nods and starts taking the class though his mind was on Madhu. Ten minutes before the bell, he ends the class and hurries to the library.

He looks around the library and sees he slouching on the table, busy studying. He hurries to her.

"Madhu..." he softly calls her.

Madhu stills in shock and then she slowly looks up at him. Seeing him, her eyes fill up, even his.

He keeps the letter she had written for him. "I found it." Rishabh tells her fighting his tears.

Madhu looks at the paper, it took her a while but she finally remembered that she had gone to keep this letter.

"I wanted to make you feel special." Madhu whispers as she read through the lines. "I was so silly." Madhu whispers realizing what a silly letter she had written.

"This means the world to me, Madhu." Rishabh tells her.

Fighting her tears, Madhu gently pushes the letter back to him.

"Please stop punishing me." Rishabh pleads her as he sat opposite to her.

"I'm not punishing you."

"You are avoiding me. You are not talking to me."

"I told you, we should stay away from each other." Madhu tells him.

"Please don't do this, Madhu. I know what I did was wrong, but please don't punish me like this." Rishabh urges her.

"I am not punishing you. It is better that we end this."

"Why?"

"Tomorrow if I get good marks then again..."

"I won't, Madhu. I promise."

"What if, I accidentally see the question paper? I can't go through this again."

"Madhu, I will not misunderstand you again." Rishabh swears to her.

"I can't trust you." Madhu tells him as she fought tears. "You will lose faith in my love again. I can't go through this pain again."

"Madhu... please don't say that." Rishabh holds her hand seeing her get up.

"Please let me be, Professor Kundra."

"Am I not your Rishabh anymore?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

Madhu shakes her head in negative and walks off.

*********

Madhu was studying when she gets a message from Rishabh.

Madhu... I'll not trouble you in college but please don't skip my classes. You already have so many arrears to clear, please don't add more to it. Don't let what happened between us, affect your studies.

Madhu sighs seeing the message. She quickly messages him.

Okay.

Thank you. He replies.

********

Next day, she was in class. Rishabh sighed in relief though, he could see that she was looking depressed and was looking weakly. Since, he promised not to disturb her, he didn't say anything to her.

*********

"Madhu, come and have dinner." Padmini tells her as she stood by the door.

"I'll have later, Mama." Madhu replies as she continues to study.

"You didn't have dinner yesterday also."

"I wasn't hungry."

"Have dinner now."

"I am not hungry, Mama. You keep it on the dining table, I'll have it later."

"You are full time studying." Padmini gently tells her.

Madhu looks at her and says, "I've lots to study."

"But you are stressing yourself." Padmini gently tells her worriedly.

Madhu looks at her mother for a few seconds then looking away, she says, "I just want to be busy."

"Then go out with your friends. Spend some time with them." Padmini gently tells her.

Madhu stops as she thought of Mukund and Trishna, she couldn't imagine sitting with them and see them be so happy with each other, it would kill her. "I'll." Madhu lies.

Padmini sighs and starts to leave. "Don't forget to have dinner."

"Okay."

Morning, Padmini notices the food had been left untouched.

********

Rishabh was walking to the classroom when he notices Madhu coming from the opposite side. Seeing her, he stops.

"You've my class now, right?" Rishabh asks her curiously.

"I've to pay my fees. I was going for that. Today is the last day." Madhu tells him.

"Okay... pay and come fast." Rishabh tells her and starts to walk to the class.

Madhu stops in confusion."But you don't let students in if they are late."

"That was before." Rishabh tells her. "Come fast."

******

Rishabh was in the middle of the lecture when Madhu comes back.

Seeing her waiting at the door, he says, "Come in, Madhu."

Madhu walks in and walks to her seat.

"Oh my, Professor Kundra is letting a late comer in." Someone calls out jokingly.

There were a few chuckles while Rishabh ignored the comment and was about to resume the class when Abhay says loudly. "That is because it is Madhu. If we come, we will be kicked out. Madhu gets special consideration."

Rishabh stops hearing that. He looks at the class and there was an awkward silence. Rishabh looks at Madhu, and sees that the comment had made Madhu uncomfortable and she was disturbed.

He turns to Abhay and furiously stares at him. Without taking out his eyes from him, Rishabh says. "Everyone close your books."

Then he walks to the white board and starts writing questions on it. "Arjun, please go to the staff room and get papers from there." Rishabh tells her.

Arjun gets up and asks confused. "Are we going to have a test?"

"Yes and it will be counted for your internals."

********

Rishabh opens the door and stops in surprise seeing Sultan. Ever since his break up with Madhu, Sultan had been avoiding him.

"You look like shit." Sultan says in shock.

"I feel like it." Rishabh mutters as he walked back in.

Sultan closes the door and follows him. "What happened?"

"I did something horrible." Rishabh tells him filled with guilt.

"What happened?" Sultan asks him as he sat next to him.

"I am losing it, Sultan." Rishabh helplessly tells him. "I am losing control over myself."

Sultan curiously looks at him.

Rishabh looks away and says. "Today, I misused my position as a teacher."

"How?" Sultan asks confused.

Rishabh explains what had happened. "I know I was wrong. I knew it then but all I could do was if I didn't put a stop to it then they might target Madhu again."

"Hmmm... you were wrong, Rishabh. What are you going to do?"

"I should apologize to them for what I did but a part of me knows that if I do that then they would continue to do this. And I can't let Madhu go through that."

"One boy did that, Rishabh. Not all the students." Sultan points out.

"I know." Rishabh helplessly sighs.

Sultan looks at him thoughtfully. "What happened between you two, Rishabh?" Shivery asks helplessly.

"I am trying to figure that out." Rishabh says helplessly.

"The families knew each other and she is your student, because of that Madhu and you took your time before taking a decision right? Then what was the confusion?"

Rishabh shrugs. "Some boys were gossiping and I let it get into my head."

They remained silent for a while then Rishabh says reminiscing. "Madhu didn't ask me whether I love her, she had asked me whether I wanted her to be mine forever."

Sultan nods.

"And that is the moment I realized how much I wanted her to be mine. That I wanted to belong to her and wanted her to belong to me. That is the moment I realized that I love her. And I forgot all that when I heard a gossip."

"You should sort it out with Madhu." Sultan tells him. "She is also miserable. Full time studying. Dipali was saying she doesn't eat much."

Rishabh gulps hearing that. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"I guess she needs time." Sultan tells him patting on his shoulder as he got up and leaves.

******

Hearing his mobile ring, Rishabh answers the call.

"Ma... "

"Rishu... what happened?" Radha asks in concern.

Rishabh sighs and helplessly tells her what had happened in class.

"You know, the students are going to keep a grudge on Madhu for this." Radha tells him in shock.

Rishabh's heart skips a beat hearing that. "What am I going to do, Ma? I feel like just taking a break from college."

"Do you want to run away?" Radha asks him in shock.

"I feel like it, Ma. Without Madhu, I feel like I losing my grip on things."

"You haven't lost Madhu, Rishu." Radha tells him.

"She doesn't even talk to me."

Radha sighs and says, "I am not supposed to tell you this."

"What?" Rishabh asks confused.

"Madhu had called me. She said that you were upset and that I should call you."

"She did?" Rishabh asks surprised.

"She did." Radha smiles hearing his joy.

"Sultan came today." Rishabh whispers in surprise. "Madhu called him too?"

"I don't know... maybe." Radha replies.

"I think she did." Rishabh smiles.

"So, see, nothing is lost. You just be a little patient and let Madhu take her time and decide."

*********

"Hi..." Rishabh says as he noticed Madhu.

Madhu stops in surprise noticing Rishabh. They rarely talked to each other now.

"Thanks for sending Sultan and calling Ma." Rishabh tells her smiling.

Madhu stops in shock hearing that. "That.."

"You don't have to explain." Rishabh tells her. "I understand. You still love me but you have reservations. Take your time. I'll wait."

********

"Professor Kundra, did you correct the papers?" Sweety asks him.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and sees her anxious. He looks back at the class and says regretfully, "I am sorry. I misplaced your answer papers."

He could see the relief on many students' face.

"Next monday, we can have a retest. Modules 4 and 5." Rishabh says.

********

"How is everything going, Madhu?" Malik asks Madhu conversationally as they sat down for dinner.

Madhu looks at her father and smiles softly. "All good, Papa."

"How is Trishna and Mukund?" Padmini asks. "They haven't come over in a long while."

"They are fine... I see them in college." Madhu replies as she took a roti and started eating.

"You should invite them home someday."

Madhu nods.

Malik and Padmini look at each other seeing Madhu's silence.

Hearing the chair scrapping sound, they both look up and sees Madhu getting up.

"You are done?" Padmini asks shocked seeing the half roti left on the plate.

"I'm full." Madhu tells her and leaves the table.

Malik and Padmini sighs sadly.

*******

Later that evening, Malik and Padmini visited Dipali.

"Madhu is so silent now. Very reserved." Padmini tells her sadly.

"I know, she doesn't talk to me also much." Dipali says worriedly. "Always busy studying."

"It is like she doesn't want to think about anything else, so she keeps herself engrossed with her studies." Padmini tells her.

Dipali sadly sighs.

"We were thinking that Madhu needs a change. So, we are considering sending her to your Bua for a few days." Malik tells her.

"What?" Dipali asks in shock.

"She likes it there. Always wants to visit her for vacation. So, maybe it will change her mood."

"Papa..." Dipali starts reasoning with him. "I'm so mad at Rishabh. I feel like hitting him for what happened. But the moment Madhu and he sorts out their issue, he is going to be my dear friend again."

"Seriously?" Sultan asks exasperated.

"Yeah, I am mad at him because Madhu is hurt." Dipali tells him.

"Dipali, what are you saying? You think Madhu and Rishabh will get back together? Madhu was really hurt after what he did." Malik asks confused. "And it's been a month or so."

"They love each other, Papa. And I have seen how happy they were with each other. Rishabh was so good with Madhu." Dipali tells them.

"Then why haven't they solved it?" Padmini asks confused.

"Madhu is not talking to Rishabh and here, my husband told Rishabh to give Madhu space and time." Dipali says glaring at Sultan.

"Time and space?" Malik asks shocked. "So, they don't talk and just procrastinate the issue?"

Sultan awkwardly looks at everyone. "Rishabh said Madhu wasn't ready to talk to him... so, I thought..." Sultan ends with a shrug.

Malik shakes his head in exasperation. "We should get them to talk to each other."

"How?"

*******

"But di's birthday is in three weeks." Madhu says confused.

"Sultan wants to throw a surprise party for her. He says he is going to be out of town that time." Padmini tells her.

"But..." Madhu looks at her confused.

"We've to go in the evening." Padmini tells her and leaves.

******

"I don't think Dipali would want me there." Rishabh tells Sultan.

"Come on, you are our friend." Sultan tells him.

"I really don't think, Dipali would be happy to see me. Specially when Madhu and their parents are there."

"I don't want to hear all that. You are coming and that is it!" Sultan tells him and hurriedly leaves.

*********

There were very few people for the party. Rishabh noticed Dipali's family, Sultan's parents and their very close friends. Rishabh watches Madhu as she stood by her sister's side, silently.

After the cake was cut, Rishabh watched as Madhu went into the guest bedroom. Rishabh sighs seeing that.

"My daughter was not like this." Malik tells him as he stood next to him.

Rishabh turns to Malik and guiltily looks at him.

"If there is a party, she would be in the middle of it." Malik says. "Now, she prefers to stay alone."

"I didn't want any of this to happen." Rishabh tells him.

"But you are not doing anything to change it." Malik accuses him.

"I don't know what to do." Rishabh helplessly tells him.

"Don't you love her?"

"I do."

"Then go and talk to her."

"She asked me to give her space."

"So, you would let her be miserable?" Malik asks him angrily.

"No." Rishabh whispers.

"Then go and talk to her. Sort out the issues between you both." Malik orders him.

Rishabh nods and starts to walk to them room when Malik holds his hand. Rishabh turns to him curiously.

"One more time you hurt my daughter, I'll kill you."

Rishabh nods then he couldn't help the smile that escaped his lips.

********

Hearing the door open, Madhu curiously looks up from her book. Seeing Rishabh she stands up in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Madhu asks him.

"I came to talk to you, Madhu." Rishabh tells her as he walked to her.

"There isn't anything to talk about." Madhu tells him sadly.

"I know what I did was wrong but is it so unforgivable, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her sadly.

Madhu looks down sadly.

"I know you still love me, Madhu. And I love you too. Can't you please forgive me?" Rishabh asks her.

"How could you think that I was acting?" Madhu asks him her eyes filling up.

"I don't know." Rishabh says helplessly. "When I heard those boys and like they said when you scored so well for your exams, I couldn't help think of it. Then I remembered how you used to hate me, and I think I just go insecure. You are such a fun and vibrant person and I am a boring lecturer, I couldn't help wonder how you could love me."

"Because in my eyes, you were the best." Madhu tells him angrily as her tears spilled.

"I'm sorry, Madhu. I got insecure and I got so confused." Rishabh tells her as he cupped her faces. "Please forgive me, Madhu."

"You broke my heart." Madhu complains to him as she broke into tears.

"I am so sorry, love."

Hearing him, Madhu hugs him and cries.

"Please don't cry, Madhu." Rishabh pleads her.

"If I hadn't hid from you about studying then you wouldn't have misunderstood." Madhu laments.

"You wanted to surprise me."

"And I shocked you instead." Madhu wails.

Hearing her, Rishabh bursts out laughing.

Madhu stops in shock hearing him laugh. "You are laughing?" Madhu asks angrily as she wiped her tears.

"You are so funny, honey." Rishabh tells her still laughing.

"Get lost!" Madhu says angrily as she pushed him and walked out of the room.

Madhu opens the door and stops in shock seeing her family curiously outside the door and Radha also with them.

"Ma? When did you come?" Madhu asks surprised.

"Ma?" Rishabh asks curiously as he followed Madhu out. "When did you come?" Rishabh asks shocked seeing her there.

"That is what I asked!" Madhu points out to him. "You are so dumb, how are you my professor?"

Rishabh rolls his eyes.

"I see, you guys are fine now." Malik asks.

"Yes." Rishabh replies grinning.

"You all planned this?" Madhu asks shocked.

"We had to do something." Padmini says.

"Even you?" Rishabh asks Radha.

"Malik and Radha called me told me what they were planning. So, I thought even I will come." Radha tells them smiling.

Rishabh and Madhu smiles hearing that.

Malik walks to them and tells them gently. "Radha was talking about your marriage. But I told her, it is both your decision. If you two feel that you both need time to get married then take your time. There is no hurry."

Madhu and Rishabh nods hearing that.

"You both might have lots to talk about, you guys talk." Dipali tells them then turning to Rishabh, she warns him. "If you do anything stupid again, I'll slap you senseless."

Rishabh grins hearing that. "I've wisened up."

"Good."

Everyone starts to move away, when Malik warns Rishabh. "Remember what I told you?"

"Yes." Rishabh replies with a smile.

Malik nods and smiling he also walks away.

"So, what do you think?" Rishabh asks Madhu. "You are still studying... but I don't think that would be a problem in marriage..." Rishabh starts as he turned to Madhu. He stops seeing Madhu staring ahead, lost in thoughts. "Madhu, what do you think?"

"What?" Madhu asks confused.

"About marriage."

"You know what?" Madhu asks him.

"What?" Rishabh asks curiously.

"I'm hungry." Madhu tells him as she turned to stare ahead again.

Rishabh follows her gaze and sees that she was looking at the food counter.

"I'm starving." Madhu tells him as she walked off to the food counter.

Rishabh follows her to the food counter and smiles seeing Madhu stuffing her mouth with food. Finally, his Madhu was back.

*******

A year later

"I love you." Rishabh sighs as he hugged Madhu and pulled her close to him.

Madhu hugs him and says, "I'm hungry."

"So fast?" Rishabh asks with a sexy smile as he rolled over and gently nibbled on her lips.

"Rishabh... I'm very hungry." Madhu tells him as she kissed him.

Rishabh leans up and asks confused. "Not for me?"

Madhu looks at him in shock. "Erm for food."

Rishabh sighs with a loud groan.

"After that for you." Madhu quickly tries to appease him.

Rishabh gives her an exasperated look.

"I need energy, right?"

Rishabh shakes his head as he sat up. "Come, lets go find something for you to eat."

"I'll go by myself."

"First night and leave my wife alone for even a second?" Rishabh asks her.

Grinning Madhu sits up and asks, "Or you want to make sure that I don't get distracted with all the food in the kitchen and not come back fast?"

Rishabh chuckles as he picked his kurta pants and shook off all the flower petals. He wore his pant and starts looking for his kurta.

"Let's go." Madhu tells him.

"I can't find my..." Rishabh stops seeing her wearing just his kurta.

"What? I am not going to wear my wedding dress to go to kitchen." Madhu tells him shaking her head and walks off.

Rishabh sighs as he watched Madhu ransacked the kitchen as she ate the banana.

"What are you looking for?" Rishabh asks her.

"That fried rice was nice. Where do you think Ma kept it?" Madhu asks as she poked her head inside the fridge.

"The fridge was full and I heard her ask Dipali whether she could keep a few stuff in their fridge." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu groans loudly.

"What are you two..." Radha stops in shock seeing both Madhu and Rishabh partially dressed.

"Erm... Ma." Rishabh awkwardly looks at her.

Radha embarrassed looks away.

Oblivious Madhu, asks her curiously. "Ma, where is the fried rice?"

"Green container." Radha says and quickly hurries off.

"Great!" Madhu says excitedly as she picked it up. "You want som...?" Madhu stops realizing Radha already left.

"Hurry." Rishabh whispers to her.

"What happe..." Madhu gasps and asks in shock. "Do you think Ma understood we came to snack in between sex?"

"Just know this, Madhu. If a burglar comes into our house, Ma is not going to come out of her room and check, because she would be terrified that she would find us instead."

*** The End ***

I know the story was a going haywire after a point, I've been writing this story for almost 3 weeks now, and at some point, I kind of lost interest in the story. I guess it shows in the story. Very sorry about that.

The reason, why they got married while Madhu was still studying was because the other two Professor-Student stories, they were married while Madhu was still his student, so thought to keep it like that.

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- Lazy