Dedicated to nardhura

*

If there was a competition for sleeping all day, Arim Singh Bharadwaj would win it effortlessly, leaving many best of the best sleepyheads behind. He could sleep the entire day, like the entire day.

His whole joint family, which includes his grandfather, a widow aunt, her two kids, Arim's parents and he himself, were partially the reason behind this habit of his. Perks of being the youngest.

"I'm warning you, Arim. Wake up, or else-" he faintly heard his cousin sister, Nandita. His head buried beneath a pillow, which was covered by a duvet.

He let the threat pass, only for Nandita to pull the duvet away and splash the glass of water she held, right on his face.

"Di" he groaned lazily, being used to waking up this way. Even the cold water has lost its effect on him.

Nandita sighed, placing the empty glass on the side table before walking out. Arim rubbed his eyes, crawling to the edge of the bed and stepped down. With half-open eyes, he lazily walked to the washroom, where his Mom already hanged his neatly pressed fresh uniform.

His speed of getting out of washroom after a few minutes was exactly opposite to the speed he entered. Not bothering to dry his dripping wet hair, he took steps jumping, pulling a sock over his left leg. He buttoned his uniform shirt as he stood near the couch, fetching his uniform coat and wearing shoes at the same time.

Grabbing his school bag, he went downstairs, skipping steps on the way.

"Careful, Arim" he heard his father say.

Arim was among those teenage boys, who are cool with everyone but in front of their fathers, they couldn't even find their voice sometimes.

"Sorry" he whispered, running out of the house. A servant ran behind him, carrying a plate of sandwiches.

"This guy!" Arim's father shook his head, standing up to leave for office.

Grabbing a sandwich from the plate that servant offered him, Arim flashed him a grateful smile and cycled himself to school. Those busy hours of school of office, jammed the traffic on the road. So Arim took shortcuts, his daily route.

---

Chewing a piece of chewing gum, comfortably resting her back against a chair, Veronica looked at the guy, who was on his knees, his hands extended towards her, offering her a rose. There were some students around them, sitting and standing, watching the exchange.

"I.. I like..." That guy stuttered, looking nervous.

"Rejected" Veronica touched his forehead with her index finger and pushed him away, who nearly fell but balanced himself.

"You lack confidence. Not my kind of boyfriend material" she reasoned with an eye roll, flipping her brown dyed hair.

"I... I'm just nervous" that guy justified, standing up and uncomfortably pulling his collar.

"I understand. After all, you are standing before one of the most beautiful girls in the world. What say guys?"

Veronica White was one of those self-centred, self-obsessed people, who think everything starts and ends with them. She only befriends people whom she finds below herself, who runs around her, who acts as a puppet for her.

"Of course, babe. You are the most beautiful" said one of the girls from around and Veronica shrugged like 'tell me something I don't know'. That's when, her eyes caught a figure cycling in in hurry.

"Arim" she smiled, standing up.

He parked his bicycle at the parking and she said to her friends. "Watch me, guys. Someone's going to learn a new word today, 'smitten'." She winked at her friends and made her way towards Arim, who hurriedly locked his bicycle.

She reached exactly where she was aiming to and he was running towards her. At the perfect moment, Veronica twisted her ankle with an 'Ah!' and she let herself fall, wanting for a pair of arms to catch her.

But... Within a seconds, her body came in contact with a grassy ground.

Thud!

She gasped aloud, her eyes snapped open and she automatically turned her head to find Arim.

There he was, running towards classroom like there's no tomorrow. He did not even notice her. Bell rang at the same time and Veronica turned towards her group of friends, who were recovering from the shock and now, suppressing their laughter as they quickly rushed towards her.

Arim Singh Bharadwaj! Veronica sighed, standing up ignoring her friend's hand.

---

Arim was very much used to entering the classroom through window. He did the same today and landed on a bench, causing some noise, which made his best friends Rohan and Avi look up at him, along with most of their classmates.

Everyone was used to it and so, they resumed their work.

Avi and Rohan was playing something with their pens and Arim joined them, ignoring the bell they heard.

Arim felt something odd with his foot. It made him pause the childish game they were playing and look down at his legs.

He mentally gasped. He forgot to wear socks in his right leg.

Again.

---

"Why can't our relatives simply mind their own business?"

When it's the year of your board exams and there's a family function, where you get to meet most of your relatives and family friends, the above-quoted sentence keeps buzzing in your mind.

That is what was happening with Arim, Rohan and Avi, who were tired of answering every desi aunty and uncle, who couldn't stop asking about their future plans. It was Arim's Dada Saheb's (grandfather) birthday that day and there was a small, at least a namesake small get together at Bharadwaj mansion.

"B.Com"

"BBA"

"MBBS"

Avi, Arim and Rohan answered in order. But at Rohan's answer, Avi and Arim's head snapped at his direction.

"You want to be a doctor? That's amazing" a lady in her mid-fifties, clad in a designer black saree, holding her husband's hand, said, smiling in appreciation, looking at Rohan, who was giving her a cheeky smile.

"You're a commerce student, Rohan" Arim whispered, scratching his head and looking elsewhere.

"So?" Rohan whispered back, making Avi and Arim heave a defeated sigh.

Three of those best friends answered the same plan whenever anyone asked them about their further studies. And when they felt like they couldn't take it anymore, Arim smiled at the middle-aged man who was squeezing them with his questions and self-praising.

"We used to walk miles to reach school" he said.

"You belong to a rich family though" three of them communicated through eyes.

"Errr... Excuse us, uncle. We've planned for groups studies. We'll take your leave. Please enjoy" Arim smiled, elbowing both his friends to act along.

"Yes, uncle. It's my entrance exam in the coming months. I have a lot of preparation to do" Rohan sighed, sounding tired already.

"Entrance exam? What for?" that man asked, not letting them leave.

"For MBBS in accounts. Rohan is very interested in that subject" Avi answered, slapping on Rohan's back.

"Oh!" That man nodded in understanding before his face puzzled. "What?"

"Nevermind. Excuse us, uncle. Excuse us, please" Arim quickly pushed both his friends towards stairs, which took them to his rooms.

Once they entered and shut the door, three of them sighed in relief. Arim fell on the couch, Rohan threw himself on bed whereas Avi took the single sofa.

"I just want to get through this year, man. I'm tired of answering everyone about future plans" Rohan groaned from where he lay.

"I couldn't agree more" Arim nodded, standing up to near his guitar hanging on the wall adjacent to the balcony door.

"We need to think of something, guys. It's our final year in school. What are we actually going to do after this?" Avi sounded a little worried but Rohan and Arim were all cool, shrugging and brushing the tension off.

Arim fetched his guitar and sat on a bean bag near the bed. He played it, whereas Rohan and Avi busied themselves in their respective mobiles.

While playing a random tune, he lift his eyes which fell on Rohan's mobile screen. Rohan's back facing him. Arim looked elsewhere, only to snap his head back to his friend's mobile screen.

An unknown yet familiar name flashed on the screen, at Rohan's fb page, among 'people you may know'. Before Arim could react, Rohan scrolled it.

"Just a minute" he snatched Rohan's phone and scroll down. His eyes desperately searched the name.

And here it was, "Maira Singhal"

What Arim Singh Bharadwaj felt at the moment, couldn't be described in words.

A cute little face almost fading from his memories, flashed again. His heart skipped a beat, again.

"Maira Singhal" his heart whispered.

---

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