Sanyukta used a fine capillary tube to drop some leaf extract on a Whatman paper strip. She was in her college laboratory taking her practical examination. She added another drop of the green extract on the paper strip before letting it dry. She then suspended the paper in a glass jar containing a solution of alcohol and water. This experiment was of one of Sanyukta's favourite. She watched carefully as the pigments rearranged themselves at different levels below the solvent front. 

The yellow stain of carotene rose the highest from the baseline managing to reach the solvent front, followed by the lighter yellow xanthophyll and the two shades of chlorophyll, light and dark green. She stared at the chromatograph as she marked the various levels using a pencil and worked out the retardation factor for the various pigments. As always her thoughts drifted to Randhir. There had been little contact between them in the weeks that went by after she met him in Mumbai. The chromatograph she had before her could well represent the distance separating her from Randhir. 

While it was certain that Randhir would transcend to the highest level achievable in real life she wondered if she had the strength and conviction to rise even to the level of the xanthophyll stain which hovered somewhat lower below the carotene. This is what her mother had always warned her about. Anju's own life symbolised the green chlorophyll smudge that had barely travelled from the point of origin. "I want the Rƒ factor representing my life to rise to unity just like his, though I don't know how to make that happen. Randhir is perfect, and here I'm only hoping to match him in some way!" She told herself wryly.

Done with their last practical examination of the year the class breathed a collective sigh of relief, thanking their stars that they were now free to celebrate Valentine's Day. They chatted animatedly comparing their performance at the exam. Sanyukta had done better than she had expected, though her classmate Shauna looked too excited about Valentine's to discuss science practicals. Shauna had been dating Trevor since school days. He had joined the merchant navy as a navigational cadet and luckily enough had managed to get off his ship in time for the 14th February. Their families belonged to the same parish and knew each other well. Shauna's mother was a famous seamstress and owned a chic boutique specialising in bridal wear and christening gowns. 

Shauna and her sister planned to assist their mother after finishing college. After marrying Trevor she would settle down in the same neighbourhood where she had grown up, just moving down the lane into Trevor's ancestral home. Sanyukta smiled to think how planned and sorted Shauna's life was, she had every reason to look forward to spending Valentine's with her boyfriend. "Are you not excited about Valentine's? What are your plans?" Shauna asked her. "No boyfriend and no plans, Shauna!" Sanyukta replied before Trevor could whisk his girlfriend off on his bike. 

Sanyukta dragged herself to the stone seat in the shade of the large tree in the college campus. As she bit into the sandwich she hurriedly put together in the morning she had vivid flashes of memories from last summer when she had eaten practically all her lunches with Randhir. "Most girls I know barely taste the food on their plate in my presence." He told her once, grinning to see her eat heartily. Perhaps he was hinting at how a girl's priorities changed as she grew out of her teens and began dating prospective partners. 

Sanyukta had not paid attention to his remark, the unsophisticated kid that she had been then. Now that she reflected she realised that before she got to know Randhir she hardly bothered to finish her meals like her mother had expected her to. Being around him put her at ease and had made a big difference to her appetite. Feeling slightly depressed she obliged a scrawny dog by sharing half her insipid sandwich with him. Food simply did not taste the same without Randhir around.

She picked up some fruit and vegetables on her way and got home in time for the maid who made her dinner. The maid always made a few spare rotis that Sanyukta could eat the following day for breakfast with eggs or with the leftover sabzi from dinner. Sanyukta did not even bother making tea, sticking to drinking milk instead. She has lost weight recently. Was it because her mother was absent, she was stressed over exams or was there some other reason, she wondered. 

Sanyukta's phone rang. Anju always called her between eight and nine in the evening so that they could speak unhindered. Anju wanted to know everything about her exam and they talked for quite some time. "Get enough sleep, Sanyu. Remember to snack on the dried fruit and almonds if you feel hungry between meals, and have milk daily. I will get home in time for your theory exams." Anju reminded her daughter before she hung up.

 Sanyukta had an early dinner, tidied up and went through her notes before going up to the roof. She had barely watched TV on for months. Even her gang of boys had drifted apart, each busy with his own life. Sanyukta looked around her. From where she stood she could see nobody, the residents were indoors having dinner or watching their favourite TV shows. 

Above her in the night sky the moon glowed through a blanket of clouds which looked like a pile of virgin wool. There was a chilly breeze about and it carried the delicate scent of manoranjini blossoms also known as ylang ylang. It was a perfect night for those in love but it just made her feel more restless and lonely. Why did they invent Valentine's Day, she asked herself!

 She was tempted to call Randhir but hesitated, imagining it would be inappropriate. He is carotene, and I am only chlorophyll b, she said aloud. Nevertheless she sent him a message telling him how she had performed in her exams. She checked her phone for the nth time hoping there was a reply from him but there was none. Finally she decided she had stayed up long enough and was about to go downstairs to sleep when her phone rang. She nearly dropped it when she saw the caller's name flashing on the screen.

"How are you Randhir? It has been a while."

"Sorry, I was busy. And I didn't want to distract you in the midst of your practical examinations. How have you been?"

"What do you think? I am missing Mom terribly, wish she was home with me."

"Missing just Mom?" She could sense him smirk.

"Who else am I allowed to miss?"

"The one you are complaining about to the poor moon on Valentine's Eve!"

"As if! I am not such a hopeless romantic."

"Does it mean you are not on your roof staring at the moon and sighing deeply? I haven't forgotten how you undergo a total metamorphosis after downing a couple of drinks, Mowgli!" Randhir chuckled.

"If you must know I am on the roof but I was mulling over my practical exams. Like I already told you I did very well. How have you been?" She smiled happily, her mood having transformed to hear Randhir's voice.

"Frankly, right now I am quite frustrated because of my flatmate. I was hoping to finish something important but could not. He sneaked in his girl earlier this evening and they have had some of the raciest and titillatingly noisy sex in his room until they decided they were ravenously hungry and stepped out ten minutes ago to grab a bite. That's why I could not call you earlier. I did not want you to hear the Swedish action film in the background. As it is I could barely concentrate on my work."

"I guess people feel entitled to that, Valentine's Eve and all that!"

"My naive girl, Valentine's of interest to teenage readers of chick lit and merchandise sellers. What happened here was just an opportunistic sex marathon, and it had nothing to do with romance, unless eating whipped cream off each other is one's idea of it!"

"Anyway, thank you for the chocolate hamper you sent me, it was delivered last Thursday. I had messaged you to say thanks."

"That was meant to wish you luck for your practical exams. Mowgli, you can never imagine how I am spending Valentine's this year!"

Sanyukta's heart sank. Did that mean he had found a girlfriend in Mumbai?

"Sorry, I won't know until you tell me!" She prayed silently.

"My parents are here to attend my cousin's wedding. Can there be anything more clichéd than couples getting married on Valentine's day? People have to cancel their personal plans to attend someone else's wedding. Not that I had any plans but Parth was smart enough to come up with some examination excuse to squirm out."

"Obviously, Vidushi would kill him if he stayed away from Goa during Valentine's! Randhir, I thought you would be at your parent's home, now that they are in Mumbai!"

"They are at the wedding house tonight attending the haldi function. I took a rain check with a promise to attend tomorrow. I just hope the venue is not decorated with heart shaped balloons or red roses, that would be too mawkish!"

"I can imagine that! Hey, my last theory paper is on the 17th March. I hope to catch a break before continuing my CET and NEET preps. When do you plan to return to Goa?"

"Not before my exams get over, in April or May. A PG degree in finance is way too demanding! Ok now Mowgli, you better go to bed. I need to return to my laptop too! Just stay focused and watch your health!"

"I will, thank you! Good night, Randhir!" She chirped before hanging up.

She was practically walking on clouds as she made her way downstairs. Gotta make this feeling last until I see him again, she noted. She laughed as she recalled his thoughts about Valentine's. And yet he had sent her a candy hamper a week ago, saying it was meant to cheer her before her exams. She could not tell how he felt about her, especially after knowing that she was drawn to him. She brushed her teeth and crawled into bed wondering if she was capable of lucid dreaming a sequence that involved Randhir.