Kyra's POV
My mind recalled yesterday's events as I walked to the academic office to collect my schedule as they advised me to
The party wasn't bad at all.
I was in my element,managing to strike some fun conversations with Aditi and her friends
Whispering a thank you,I scanned the received piece of paper to know about the classes I was enrolled in
One particular session content caught my eyes
Writing club??
Why did they enroll me in that??
I have no speck of interest in writing
"Excuse me!??" I raised my tone a little bit higher as I called out the person in-charge
"I don't understand why I am in the writing club",I elaborated my situation
"Because that's where you were enrolled in",she replied not averting her gaze from the computer
"That doesn't explain anything",I replied firmly
Her face showed signs of irritation as she sighed heavily
"Rishi? Aren't you the coordinator of the club?",the lady called out someone who was minding his own business
"Me? Yeah...",a puzzled voice came from behind me
"Then put some sense into this girl",she concluded,focusing back on her work
I turned away from the counter to meet the solution of my problem
My heart skipped a beat as my eyes fell on him.
It didn't take much to recognise him
From what I observed,he was feeling quite a few emotions
Annoyance at his luck of being here at the wrong moment
And a little reluctance before he finally accepted it, taking a deep breath
His eyes took a quick scan of me which was hard to notice
He looked no less good than last night
"Hmm..How can I help you?",he asked clearing his throat
Crap!!Getting back to the issue
"I'm not interested in joining the club",I said making my point clear
"You are missing the point,honey.You are not joining it you are already in it",he replied with a smile that annoyed the shit out of me right now
"What do you mean!?" I asked pissed off
"Before your break...",he paused as if he was searching for the right words
"You were literally in the writing club by your own will.I'm pretty confident that no one forced you",he replied shrugging off
I was lost for words as I stared at the arrogant douchebag in front of me
And they say don't judge a book by it's cover and right now I feel it.
I mentally cursed myself for shamelessly gazing at this guy last night.
I mean this guy??
Besides how is me being in the club even possible?
There must be some mistake
But I can't fight with that without letting him know the inside scoop
"Lost,Ms.Saxena?",he snapped his fingers in front of me pulling me out of my trance
"No!!",I shot back
"I'll take action against this!! I'll talk to-I'll...",I stammered not knowing what to say
"To who?",he mocked,chuckling softly
"You can't do anything about it.So just relax and enjoy your time",he said calmly as he walked away
I fumed in anger as I walked to my class
"Wow!!Who pissed you off this early in the morning?",Neha questioned looking at my face that was red due to the anger
"That guy!!!How dare he speak to me like that??"
"Does he think he own this place or something?Who is he to tell me what I should do!!??" I yelled letting it all out
"Okay.... Today's gonna be the end of someone ",she joked
The loud ringing of the bell brought our attention to the teacher in front of us
He skipped the small intro and dived into the subject as if there was no tomorrow
But that didn't last long as he was interrupted by Aditi abruptly running into the class
"Told ya,we'll be late but your dumbass didn't listen!!",she scowled not noticing the presence of the teacher
"Ms.Desai...It would be helpful if you tone it down a little and be seated",he called out as Aditi stiffened in shock and embarrassment
The boys following her behind tried hard to stifle their laugh
"Sure sir...",she replied with an awkward smile
She took the seat beside me as the guys choose to sit close to the window
"Bad start?",I asked chuckling
Her antics surely made my mood better
"I'm gonna give them both a piece of my mind later",she cursed as she sent daggers towards the two guys
Looking over at the direction of her gaze,I recognised Vivan.
He was giving me an acknowledging smile as I returned the same
Continuing in the same course,my eyes fell on that guy
The guy who was hugging Aditi.The one who got on my nerves
And the one I was drooling over last night for some odd reason
Okay!!!We can just cut that part out now
He was too focused on the class to be gazing at anyone or anything.
It shouldn't be bugging me like it does.
I wonder what is wrong with me
I brought my thoughts back to the class but only for a little while
"So...are they your friends??",I asked in curiosity as Aditi was scribbling something in her notebook
"Who??",she asked puzzled
"The guys....",I was embarrassed about my pathetic behaviour at this point
"Yeah...you already know Vivan and...",she began
"And the other is your boyfriend?",I blurted out stupidly
But what Aditi did next was not something I expected to happen even in my wildest dreams.
Her obnoxious laugh interrupted our teacher's lesson and filled the silent classroom
The gaze of every single person in the room was now completely on us.
Most of them were just the usual: confused,weird and funny except one-It was filled with pure anger
"Both of you!!!OUT",he yelled at us which made us both jump out of our seats
"We're sorry....",I mouthed as I dragged behind the howling hyena
I let go of her once we reached the hallway
"What was so funny about that to get us both kicked out of the class!??",I asked irritated
"I-I'm sorry-i just can't....",she replied breaking into laughter again
"I seriously don't get why everyone comes to such an absurd conclusion",she added
"Sorry for getting us in trouble",she looked sincerely apologetic as she noticed my stiffened face
Once the initial tension and panic subsided,the event seemed hilarious
"I won't lie,that was wild",I replied grinning mischievously
"Gear up for more if you're gonna stick with me",she joked
As we were having a good laugh about our situation,a smooth resonant voice grabbed our attention
"You okay,Dee?",he questioned with concern.
I immediately averted my gaze from his direction
"Yeah...we were just...",Aditi glanced at me and shrugged it off
"I guess it's about time I introduce both of you formally...."
"So that there wouldn't be any misconceptions",Aditi said playfully as she eyed us both
He looked at her with confusion written all over his face
"Rishi,this is Kyra Saxena",Aditi said in her best formal tone
His eyes met mine again
But this time he gave an acknowledging nod
I don't think I need an introduction,right now.
I just wanna make him regret his fate of crossing paths with me this morning.
"I'm Rishi Sharma",he extended his hand,going along with Aditi's idea
"Sharma??Are you and Vivan.....",I asked confused as I shook his hands
"Yeah.....we're cousins",he replied casually
They both give off way different vibes from each other
"And they have been my friends since childhood",Aditi chimed in ,stressing the word friends
"You know.....just to clear the air",she added,smirking which made him furrow his eyebrows in suspicion
"Whatever... I'll just get going.See you later,Dee",Rishi said turning around to leave,not acknowledging my presence
That's not so nice of him
I glared at him as he walked further and further away from us
Once again the bell rang, marking the end of the first class
"Great start, I'd say",Aditi remarked with a sheepish smile
"What's the second hour?",I questioned fumbling with the piece of paper
"Oh, Entrepreneurship fundamentals",she replied frustratedly
"But we have good news!!"
"Tomorrow just two hours of this nonsense and the rest we get to do what we like",she added gleaming as it brought me confusion
Shoot!!Does it mean we have 3 hours of club events?
"That reminds me,what club you're in!?",she was really curious
"Well,writing club..",I said letting out a sigh of frustration
"Cool,I didn't know you were into writing"
"I didn't know that either",I muttered under my breath
"Did you say something?"
"Yeah...I think we're running late",I covered up forcing a smile
______________________________________
Vivan's POV
Finally it was the end of the day
I couldn't tolerate the amount of lecture I had to endure in a single day
I stuffed all my notebook into the tiny space that my locker had
Who needs it at home anyway?
"Let's get going",Aditi said in a tired tone
"Papa invited you guys",she added as she grabbed her books from the locker
"For tea talks?",I questioned smiling
I can see his love for chai and the conversations
"Right.Besides we can hang out",she chuckled
"Rishi? You're coming,right?",Aditi asked turning her attention towards him
He was starlet by her question as he turned his gaze,looking at us with puzzlement
"You didn't even listen,did you?",I said decoding his confusion
"Hang out?At my home?",she repeated, moving her hands around frantically
"Yeah...I was totally attentive",he replied with a sarcastic smile
"You should get yourself checked mister.I suspect you are actually going crazy",Aditi teased as she began walking away
I took one look at the direction he was looking at.
Hope he knows what he's doing
______________________________________
"I know and I can't believe she is yelling at me like that",I said laughing after Ashok Uncle shared how much of a sleepy head Aditi is
"Yeah....but I'm not the one to be late to class",Aditi said in an irritated tone as she went off to her room
"She is just like her mother.But a little moodier",uncle said with a hearty smile
I could feel how much he misses his better half
Ashok Desai,the man has everything -a blooming business, luxurious cars,big fancy houses.
Money is never a problem in his household or life
But you couldn't never feel it in his attitude and behaviour.He likes to keep it simple.
He wanted the same for Aditi-not to be an arrogant spoiled rich daughter
"I'm so glad she has you boys to keep her on track..."
"....I was so worried that she would miss out on so much without her mother"
He spoke with a sense of gratitude and affection towards us
"It's nothing,uncle.Actually we are lucky to have an energy ball around us",I replied smiling
"Good to hear,beta.Just know that I see you both no different from my daughter"
"You will always be welcomed here",he said gently patting our shoulders
"Does that mean free chai for life?" Rishi joked lightening up the atmosphere
"Ofcourse!! What's a get-together without some chai?",uncle laughed
"Oh well,then I'm in",Rishi said in a playful tone as we all shared a laugh
"Papa!!You are supposed to take care of your business.Not chit chat with these jobless boys",Aditi intervened our conversation
"You are no less jobless than us",I countered as she shut me up with a glare
"Chal,let's get upstairs and leave uncle with his work.Or else no more free chai",Rishi declared,pestering us to clear the room
Walking upstairs,I glanced at the stair way filled with photographs.
It was certainly a memory lane.
We were little,goofy with the mud all over our face
Then,a little grown up but still crazy enough to mess up an entire kitchen
It was the testimony of our failed attempt in baking a strawberry cheesecake
I chuckled remembering those moments,searching for more
A particular photo caught my attention: Aditi's 16th birthday
It was a photo of me handing my present to her while she couldn't smile any wider
My gift wasn't that extraordinary,just a basic bracelet with entwined circles on it
But she seemed to have found more deeper meaning in the circles–representing our friendship
I shifted my gaze back to my hand where her return gift rested and my lips curved into a smile
I'm bound to this idiot for life
______________________________________
Rishi's POV
"Careful...the cola ain't going nowhere",Aditi slammed Vivan's head slightly who was chucking down the drink like it was his last
We were all set on the little rooftop space—Our spot
The view was everything: the dazzling city beneath and the sparkling stars above
All it missed tonight was the moon
"Says the one who I'm protecting it from",he grinned as he guarded the drink away from Aditi's attempt to reach it
"Stop this guys!! You are embarrassing yourselves," I laughed
Vivan,simply shrugged and grinned, unapologetic for his antics.
"Embarrassing???—That reminds me of something",Aditi spoke with a smug smile
Vivan raised an eyebrow at her being intrigued
"Remember the time you sang that song in front of the entire college?",Aditi squealed, throwing her head back due to laughing
"Quite a day it was",I remarked not being able to hide my smile
The crowds unconfined giggles and laughter surrounded me as I stood paralyzed in front of nearly hundred students
My confident self thought that singing Bailando,a song in a language I'm least expertised in was the best way to win over that special someone
There she stood with an expression mixed with amusement and shock on hearing her favourite song being murdered
I resorted to solitude in the crowd to ease my chagrin
But her voice followed me behind
"Rishi!!",she called out
"Must have been second hand embarrassment to you",I sighed turning around
"Your performance?",she questioned amused as I nodded
"Top class",she said with a smile that I've always loved
"Re-Really?",I stuttered in disbelief
Her eyes and smile having no hint of lies surprised me
Besides I know she wasn't the one to compliment unless she truly means it
She reached out to her bag, pulling out a pair of headphones
"Now if you don't mind....",she said, proceeding to gently place one end of it against my ear
We had to step in closer,credits to the headphones' limited length.
She gently took my hand in hers and I didn't hold anything back
This was everything I've been waiting for
Our foreheads touching, a smile played on our lips as our eyes spoke a thousand stories
The room was filled with some other loud music and a bunch of irrevelant people
But for me it was just us swaying to her—nah,our favourite song