"Um, Ah! Ugh! Chook gaya."

(Um,Ah! Ugh! Missed it.)

Ishita was making paper balls and was aiming at Raman to get his attention but unfortunately as if he understood her plan, he would duck his head or walk away missing the shot.

"This is not fair!" Ishita says and pouts. Today again her friend's didn't come. It was as if they were planning to skip college together and prank Ishita.

"Cutie!" Ishita yells and stands up with a jerk and this time her chair falls down and the class bursts into laughter.

"Sorry." Ishita apologizes and smiles sheepishly.

"Cutie!" Raman ignores Ishita and continues teaching but no one listened to him as they were too shocked when Ishita called Raman 'cutie'.

"What Ishita?" Raman asks finally.

The class gasps when they hear him not using 'Ms.'.

"Do you have any doubts?" Raman asks ignoring the looks students were giving him.

"Yes, Mere pass doubt hai." Ishita nods her head and smiles.

(Yes, I have one doubt.)

"Toh please batao?"

(Then please tell?)

"Apki age kya hai?"

(What's your age?)

The class laughs again making Raman fume.

"Is this your doubt?" Raman scolds angrily.

"No." Ishita says shaking her head.

"Mera doubt ye hai ki aap 23 ke hain ya 25?"

(My doubt is that are you 23 or 25?.)

Raman looks at Ishita for a minute before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"That's not something you should know." Raman gives her a tight smile before shushing her and the class and continuing teaching.

"Ahem." Raman clears his throat after clearing the doubts of one topic.

"Students! Mai ye batana chahta hoon that there will be a test held tomorrow and it will be on the topics you were taught earlier. Mai kisi ko fail hota nahi dekhna chahta. Anyways, agar koi fail hota bhi hai toh there will be a re-test where you can try once more and if you fail that too, I'll take you to the dean."

(Students! I wanted to tell you all that-----------------------. I don't want to see anyone getting failed. Anyways, even if someone fails then there---------.)

Ishita grins and whispers a YES which was too loud to be a whisper. Everybody looks at Ishita as if she had grown two horns. Raman frowns and doubts her behaviour but nonetheless ignores it.

The class ends and everybody leaves but Ishita was the last one to leave while Raman was placing his books in order.

"Cutie!"

Raman freezes on his track.

"Yes Ishita?" He asks trying to be calm.

"Apne question ka answer nahi diya. What's your age?"

(You didn't answer my question. What's your age?)

"As I said that's not something you should know."

"Please? Apko paisa nahi lag raha hai batane ka. Please. Please." Ishita makes a cute puppy face making him melt a bit.

(Please? It's not costing you anything to tell. Please. Please)

"I'm 25." Raman says with a sigh.

"And I'm 20. You're only 5 years older than me. Koi baat nahi It's okay. Hum manage kar lenge–" Ishita rants.

(-----------. No worries! It's okay. Well manage–)

"Ssh! Ishita. Calm down. There's nothing happening between us and can you please stop calling me Cutie? It's really very irritating. I'm already fet up with you. Please just leave me alone."
Raman leaves.

"Itna lecture dene ki zaroorat nahi thi kyuki mai apka peecha hi nahi chodne wali." Ishita says naughtily and leaves too.

(You didn't have to give me a lecture 'cause I'm not leaving you anyway.)

*******

Next day, Ishita sits on her chair while Raman distributes the papers. He looks at Ishita and gives her the question paper.

Ishita looks at him with a dreamy smile. He shakes his head at her childish acts and continues distributing.

'Damn it! Kitne easy answers hai. Ayyo Murgan! Attention paane ke liye kya-kya karna padta hai!' Ishita says to herself.

(Damn it! The questions are so easy. Oh god! For attention I have to do so much.)

Raman looks at his watch and then back at the class.

"Now you all can write."

Everyone starts writing except Ishita who was casually looking here and there and sometimes at Raman who looked dashing as ever in his black shirt with his top two buttons left open and sleeves rolled up revealing his muscled arms. His black trousers and black watch added more to his handsomeness.

Raman's eyes lock on Ishita's who immediately looks down and writes the date and her name on her sheet.

The bell rings and Raman collects the papers and notices Ishita had written only one answer and that top of half marks.

Ishita leaves the classroom grinning, not even caring she'll fail this time.

Raman also walks out and Ishita notices him.

"Cutie!" Ishita waves at him while he looks away and starts walking but Ishita follows anyways.

"Hey Cutie!" Ishita runs trying to match his long strides.

"Mujhe apka number kaise mil sakta hai?" Ishita grins but he walks into the staff room.

(Can I get your number?)

"Huh! It's okay Cutie. Run away as much you want. I'll still get time to spend with you."

With an evil grin, Ishita turns around to walk into the cafeteria of the college.

For the next week, everything went on the same. Ishita calling him cutie in front of everyone, ogling at him, making him angry, getting scolded by him, asking him his number and address and then making him pisses off again.

"Ms. Isha, you did great! I'm glad you've performed well." Raman congratulates Isha and then looks at the next name.

"Ishita." Raman pauses and looks at the sheet where there was just one word answer and half marks out of 30.

"You need to pay attention instead of looking around. I'm disappointed. Agar Tumne re-test mai accha nahi kiya. Toh I swear I'll take you to Dean." Raman scolds her.

(------. If you don't do well in re-test.------.)

"Yes Cutie!" Ishita says with a grin.

"The re-test will be held tomorrow. Mai kisi ko dobaara fail hota nahi dekhna chahta." Raman leaves the class and everyone starts gossiping.

(-----. I don't want to see anyone getting failed again.)

"Ishu! Seriously? Tum fail hui? I can't believe this." Mihir says with disbelief.

(You failed?)

"Jaan, Mai ye toh jaanta hoon tumhare dimaag mai kuch toh chal raha hai." Romi says with a frown.

(I know this much that something is going on in your mind.)

"Ishi! Tum mujhse kucch toh chupa rahi ho!" Mihika exclaims.

( I know you're hiding something from me.)

"Calm down guys! Aisa kucch nahi hai. Maine Bas prepare nahi kiya tha." Ishita lies. Even though she hated lying to them, she had to do it anyway.

(It's nothing like that. I just didn't prepare.)

*****

Next day, Raman distributes the papers to the failures and keeps his eyes on Ishita.

Ishita bites his lips wishing she writes all the answers but for gaining something she had to loose something.

This time Ishita writes an answer worth 1 mark.

Raman recollects the paper and sighs when he sees Ishita's paper.

"Ab toh iss Ladki ko Dean ke pass le jaana hi padega."

(Now I'll have to take this girl to the dean.)

For the rest of the day, Ishita continued to run around Raman like a puppy while Raman was just smirking thinking what punishment the dean would give Ishita.