Dhruv emerged from the lab, removing his white coat as he glanced at his watch. "I'll definitely be late today," he muttered to himself, heading towards the classroom.
"Dhruv Sehgal," he stopped in his tracks and turned around to see his lab professor. "Yes, Prof. Bhattacharya," he replied, making his way towards the professor.
"Help me arrange the chemicals," his professor requested before returning to the lab. Dhruv sighed, then followed him inside, now certain that he would be arriving home late.
Two hours later, Dhruv finally found himself free. He made his way towards the parking lot, hopped on his bike, and headed towards the university gate.
Just as he was about to accelerate, his phone buzzed. With a sigh, he parked his bike by the sidewalk.
"Hello, yes maa?"
"Bring something to eat on your way back; your brother has arrived," his mother said from the other end.
"I'm already running late, and now you're delaying me even more!" He said, being annoyed.
"You're not late at all. Your brother is covering for you, teaching your students in your place…” his mother replied before ending the call.
"They're driving me crazy here; I'm going crazy trying to see someone, and their work just doesn't seem to finish," he said, frowning slightly, then restarted his bike.
Not long after, Dhruv reached home. He handed the snacks to his sister-in-law before heading to his room to freshen up. Once ready, he made his way to the study room.
The laughter of his students reached his ears as he slowly opened the door and walked in.
"Bhaiya, why don't you teach us math? Dhruv sir only knows how to tease me..." Kiara said, unaware of Dhruv standing behind her. His brother smiled at her before glancing at Dhruv, who stood behind her with a frown on his handsome face.
He leaned in, attempting to appear serious despite the mischievous glint in his eyes, and joked, "Alright, what else does Dhruv sir do?"
Kiara swiftly turned around, startled to find Dhruv right behind her, causing her to jump a little. "Rakshas! I mean, Dhruv sir! You scared me!" she exclaimed, theatrically holding a hand to her chest.
Laughter filled the room, and Dhruv's brother tried to contain his amusement, gently patting Kiara's head before exiting the study room.
Once his brother had left, Dhruv playfully tapped Kiara on the head. "Rakshas, huh?" he teased, before heading towards his desk, giving Kiara a playful glare. Kiara responded with a tight-lipped smile, looking away from him.
Dhruv began sorting through the test copies, calling each student one by one to collect their papers. "Kiara!" he called out. Kiara promptly stood up and walked over to him. "Two out of ten," he said, handing her the copy.
She opened her paper right in front of him and started reviewing her test. Suddenly, she burst into laughter. "I got marks for what I wrote, even though it was just to fill the space," she chuckled, glancing at Dhruv, who was now actually glaring at her, causing her to immediately fall silent.
She gestured a zipping motion across her mouth towards him before quickly running back to her bench. Dhruv couldn't help but shake his head at Kiara's antics. He pretended to look stern but failed miserably as a small smile crept onto his face.
After handing out the copies, Dhruv transitioned to the topic of genetics. He was engrossed in the explanation as he strolled among the benches, his gaze landing on Kiara, who was quietly playing with her pencil.
Gradually, he approached her and lightly hit her head. "Ouch! Why'd you do that?" she asked, rubbing the spot where he had smacked her.
"It was a mosquito. If it had bitten you, you would have died," he replied, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Kiara frowned at first, but then a smirk crossed her lips. "Oh, you care about me so much...?" she teased, causing his fleeting smile to vanish instantly.
"No, if you were bitten and got sick, I'd have one less student. And if there's one less student, the fees would decrease, right? Why would I care for you? Silly," he retorted, trying to sound nonchalant but failed to hide his reddened ears.
Dhruv quickly moved on to the next topic, avoiding her mischievous gaze. As the class concluded, Kiara gathered his things, as she was about to leave, paused at the door and glanced back at Dhruv, who was meticulously cleaning his spectacles. She couldn't resist the urge to tease him a bit more.
"What's your glasses prescription?" She asked.
Dhruv, taken aback by her question, lifted his gaze from his spectacles, a puzzled expression gracing his face. He blinked a few times and asked, "Why? Planning to gift me a new pair?"
Kiara chuckled, shaking her head. "No, just curious. How many fingers are these?" she asked, playfully showing her three fingers.
"Wait right there, I'll come and tell you!" Dhruv exclaimed, quickly rising from his chair.
"Arey, sorry! Bye-bye!" Kiara said with a wave before hurriedly leaving the room. Dhruv, left alone in the room, couldn't help but smile to himself.