Lying is never the best option, but in some situations it is necessary.
~Unknown

Devansh

I kept looking at Samrat dragging away Jagruthi, through the glass door in the restaurant. She looks so cute in that shirt, with her hair up in a bun, a few strands of hair sticking to her face due to the heat.

"Why are you grinning like an Idiot?" Aarthav asked me as she disappeared.

"Nothing, I just spoke to Jagruthi and she is a nice person, you know." I told him with a proud smile. I talked to her again after so long, When she said everyone judged her I wanted to assure her I never did and my hand automatically went into hers. Her hands are like butter compared to mine, so soft and supple.

"Whatever you say man! Let's go they are waiting for us." Aarthav said pointing at Sahastra and Deeksha.

I went into the washroom and cleaned my hands and turns out the idiot asked out Deeksha and we made it a double date.

Sahastra is looking prettier than ever, and so does Deeksha, but Jagruthi looks ethereal like an Angel from heaven. She does everything with an amazement and excitement in her eyes, she was excited to pickup the trash on the road, I means who does that?

"What took you so long?" Sahastra asked me as I settled in before them.

Before Aarthav could reveal my conversation with Jagruthi, I intervened.

"You look pretty! You too Deeksha." I told them and continued looking at the menu dodging her question.

"Dude! That was supposed to my line." Aarthav said which made everyone laugh and changed the topic.

We talked, had our lunch and went out for a movie, it was fun date. As the day ended we walked towards her hostel to drop them off to part our ways.

"It was fun, thank you so much for taking me out." Sahastra said playing with the strap of her bag.

"I had fun too." I said back to her.

Was the fun part when I talked to Jagruthi?

"I know that I sound forthcoming, but I really like you and I don't wanna miss the chance of being with you. Would you like to continue this further?" She pleaded me with her eyes.

"I don't know Sahastra, I just said yes for the date because I didn't want to humiliate you before everyone. I don't think I have time and energy for a relationship." I told what I had in my mind all along because I don't want to lie to her.

I looked at her gobsmacked face, and tears starting to pool her eyes. I felt like a jerk, as a kid my mom always told me to never ever make a girl cry. According to my mom and her religious preaches, women are goddess and you should never hurt them and yet here I am making a girl cry.

"I am sorry that I hurt you, but that is the truth. It's not like I hate you, it's just I don't want to deviate myself from my goals." I tried to pacify her which ended up hurting her more cause the tear drops just fell down like freshly opened tap.

"No one ever rejected me to my face, and it hurts to see you do it. I get it that you don't like me yet but what's wrong with trying it out. Let's see if there is any potential in our relationship and I will never deviate you from your goals." She said to me again trying to stop her tears.

Talk about uncomfortable situations, what do I do now?

I told Jagruthi that I am on a date with Sahastra to know her expression, if she has the same feelings about me but she kept a stern face and and said good for me, I realized that she is not affected by my actions.

 The girl I want to have a chance with is not even sad or jealous that I am literally on a date with someone else.I said no yet here Sahastra is asking me to give us a chance, I looked at Sahastra who's looking at me with hope and tears, so I stood there analyzing my pros and cons of this relationship not wanting to hurt her more.

Pros
She eats like a regular person
She is funny, well educated, well mannered.
She is more than every thing a guy could ask for.

Cons
She is not the one for me.

"Please Devansh, give me one chance. I promise you won't regret it." She pleaded me again pushing he tears away.

That little mama's boy in me, didn't like the tears on her face, said these words out loud.

"Sure! But I have to warn you, that this is my first Rodeo."

She jumped on to me like she did the other day. Before I could break the hug, she placed her lips on my cheek.

Shouldn't you feel someone when a girl kisses you? I didn't, I didn't feel a thing. I felt more when I held Jagruthi's hand today.

Great, I am already regretting my decision now.

"Will call you tonight." She said in a shy tone and ran towards Deeksha and Aarathav.

I walked towards them, I don't understand her. She kissed me boldly and she is feeling shy now. I ruffled my hair in frustration and walked away with Aarthav to our hostel.

Aarathav went to the bathroom and I walked back to our room I saw Samrat on his bed doing something on his phone.

"How was the cleanup? And what club is it?" I asked him.

"It was great, and it's Randhir Bhaiyya's new club." He answered my question.

I don't know have much of a relationship with him. But I think Nidhi and he are together.

"How was your date with Sahastra?" He asked me spewing out Sahastra's name.

The way he said her name sounds like he hates her. How did he know that I was on a date?

"Janu..Sorry Jagruthi told me about it." He said at my question mark face at the word Janu.

He calls her Janu! Why?

Why do I care?

"It was fun, she said she likes me and wanted to give relationship a chance." I told him what happened still not able to digest the fact the he calls Jagruthi, Janu. I can tolerate Karthink bhaiyya calling her that but Samrat too. She is Janu to everyone in the world except me, great!

"Good" he said and went back to his phone.

"Can I ask you something? Did Karthik bhaiyya really make Karan and his friends get expelled for 2 weeks?" I asked to put an answer to the gossip.

He looks shocked by my question. Did he not expect to get questioned like that?

"There is nothing going on between Karthik bhai and Janu, like your girlfriend says. And as of Karan and his friends they deserve to be expelled from the college completely not for two weeks, Janu got 3 stitches because of them." He said angrily and stormed off.

What happened to him? I thought we were having a nice chat like friends. What does he mean by no one will save you next time?

"What's wrong with him?" Aarthav came in looking at Samrat.

I shrugged my shoulders not wanting to reveal everything.

"Are you and Sahastra a thing now?" Aarthav asked me wiggling his eyebrows.

I said yes, When I enquired him about Deeksha, he said she was way too bitchy for his liking. I don't know what that means but whatever.

My phone buzzed with Sahastra's name flashing on it, Aarthav howled looking at the call. I picked it up and walked to the balcony to talk.

<————————->

I am in a library reading  for finals which are next month, explaining Aarathav and Charan some topics on Electrical Engineering. We are studying about simplifying resistor networks, its a really great topic but a bit hard to understand.

"Begin as far away as possible from the circuit location in question. And the you Replace series or parallel resistors with their equivalent resistor. Continue, moving left until a single equivalent resistor represents the entire resistor network." I explained on how to work a problem.

Aaarthav is looking at his phone, while Charan is listening to me. I smacked on Aarathav's head to concentrate.

"Ouch Dude! That was your girlfriend. She said you didn't walk her to the class today morning and when she called  you didn't pick up." He said looking at his phone reading her complaints.

I pulled my phone out a found 5 missed calls from Sahastra.

I'm a dead goat now!

It's been 2 months since that day. 2 months of having a girlfriend. I hope girlfriends do come with a manual like she did. According to Sahastra, I have to walk her to class, walk her back to hostel. Call her every night and morning and talk for an hour at-least. Take her out on weekends, and she has been coming to everyone off my cricket matches.

As per the sexual advances, I've never made one, just a few kisses on the cheek she sprung on me. It's been fun but it's taking too much time and energy, not that I'm losing my grades. But I can't be expected to be around her every minute of the day, or do I have to? I don't know, I am new to this relationship thing.

"You guys keep practicing, I will go to her class and apologize." I said sighing.

"I have some other work, why don't we regroup tonight in our room?" Charan said looking at his watch.

Everyone nodded, so Aarthav and me walked towards Sahastra's class. I asked him to tag along because she won't yell at me much with his by my side, He is going to be my guard.

We walked towards her room and found an empty classroom. Except for one person sitting in the corner with a book. Aarthav got excited seeing that person and jumped towards her and snatched the book revealing Manjula.

"What's the Angry Nerd doing here? Did you bunk a class? Did the sun rise in the west today? Am I flying?" He asked making fun of her and she looks furious.

I hope she doesn't hit him with that steel water bottle on the desk.

"Mind your business Ape, Give my book back." She yelled stomping her foot.

"What is the fun in that? So tell my why did the nerd bunk a class?" He asked curiously while I settled myself on the nearest bench.

"Why does every one think that? I can bunk a class and I did." She said with a thoughtful voice, quietly glancing at the door ready to leave from here.

"I can see that Angry Nerd." He said looking at her and tried to give her book back and then took it back before she could take it.

"Shut up Ape, have fun with that book. I have another one." She gave up and bent towards her bag to pickup another one.

"MANJUUU, I did it. I won the dare. Woohoo." Jagruthi screamed running into the room and bent down gasping for air.

Aarthav and me looked at each other for a second amazed at Jagruthi. She never spoke out loud for the past 1 year, and looking at her like that was puzzling for both of us. As soon as she saw us, her whole manner changed into a calm and quiet girl, she shows the world.

"Hello Queen!" Aarthav said smirking at her, which made her uncomfortable and she walked towards Manjula ignoring him.

She looks beautiful in our ugly beige uniform, the smile on her face always attracts me like bee to a sweet flower. I thought we could be friends after that day, but nothing changed. She kept her distance from me and everyone and I moved on with my life, that's what I keep thinking.

She looked at Manjula and they communicated with their eyes, while they were talking to each other Aarthav snatched the other book from her hand.

"Give her book back."

"Give me my book back."

Jagruthi and Manjula said to him at the same time.

"Only if you tell me what the dare is?" He said winking at Manjula.

"I am going bit him, just the jugular please. His dumb brain won't even know what hit him." Manjula said gritting her teeth.

"Hey! I am not dumb."Aarthav defended himself.

"You are so annoying, I just want to kill you." Manjula stomped her feet while I looked at Jagruthi who's amused by her friends actions just like I am with Aarthav's.

Jagruthi held her friend tight before she jumped on Aarthav and killed him.

"We made pact to do something interesting or something which we never did, once a semester. This time it was a dare for Manju to bunk a class, and for me it was sneak out of the class, after giving Manju a proxy attendance."  Jagruthi explained with a glint of happiness in her accomplishment.

"Good girls gone bad huh! So cute." Aarthav said smiling at Manjula while she just glared at him.

"Loco rata(crazy rat)." Jagruthi mumbled, sitting beside Manjula and looked at Manjula doing their eye communication.

"I told you not to tell him, he is just a jerk who enjoys others pain." Manjula hissed at him.

"If I am a jerk, you are a big jerk." He gave a silly comeback.

"Devansh! Control your friend before we kill him." Jagruthi told me but Manjula and Aarathav were busy staring no glaring at each other.

When his concentration was on Manjula, Jagruthi walked snatched the books from Aarthav's hands and ran and stood behind me using me as shield to protect her.

I could literally feel her on my back closer than ever, She smells like strawberries and Watermelon, her breathe on my neck giving me goosebumps.

Aarthav came towards us to take the book away and she bent a little to the side and held my shoulder for support and threw the book to Manjula. The moment she touched me unconsciously, my heart raced and my hair stood up straight. As soon as Manjula caught the book, did the same thing with the other one too. She jumped in excitement behind me and ran away to her friend.

I missed her touch, I missed the watermelon smell that hit me when she moved. I sat there enjoying her smile after so long, it's like a song which I can hear forever and never be bored of it.

What am I doing? 

I can't think like that, I have a girlfriend.

I looked Aarthav who had a defeated look on his face. These two fooled the great Aarthav Sidhartha, the man who pranks others. I laughed at their accomplishment.

"That's cheating!" Aarthav whined with a pout.

What's wrong with Aarthav today?

Does he like Manjula? He always flirts with girls, but when it comes to Manjula and Jagruthi, he gets all snarky, and now he is pouting at them.

"You deserve it." Manjula hit him on his shoulder with her book, packed her bag and were walking away when Jagruthi stopped near me.

"Our class is going on at the Einstein Hall, Sahastra will be there. You are here for her right? " She questioned me and I nodded looking at her mesmerizing face, her eyes and lips move.

"Bye Devansh, Bye Ape.." Jagruthi said to us and walked away with Manjula talking animatedly.

She is like magician doing exemplary tricks, and I am scared to move my eyes away from her and miss the magic. None of us spoke a word out till they vanished out of sight. 

How can one little person stir up so many feelings in me?

I huffed in confusion, I looked at my watch and 5 min more minutes till the class ends, so I stood up and tapped on Aarthav's shoulders to grab his attention.

"That was fun! Are they fun? Did I say that the nerd is fun?" Aarthav questioned his own words getting up from the chair.

"Something is definitely wrong with us today." He said and walked with to towards Einstein hall.

Nothing is wrong with us, it's them. They hypnotized us with their witty charm and cute anger, I am really regretting saying yes to Sahastra now.

I looked at her and there she is in all glory shooting daggers at me and Aarthav put his flirting and douche shield back on by the time we reached Sahastra's class. 

"Why didn't you pick my call?" Sahastra asked me as soon as she got out of the class.

I looked at Aarthav to guard me from her yelling, but he was busy talking to the other girls leaving me all alone.

"Stop looking at him and Answer my question?" She demanded placing her hands on her hips.

"I was preparing for the exams and my phone is on silent mode." I said to her justifying my actions. 

"You are already the topper. Can't you give a little more attention to your girlfriend?" She questioned me again with tears in her eyes.

Is she for real asking me that question?

I walk her to her class every morning, I stay with her during lunch break and snack break. I go out with her every evening. I call her every night before sleeping and she still needs a bit more attention.

Can some one freaking kill me now? And now she is crying. Oh my god!

"I'm sorry! I'll never repeat it again okay. I wanted to prepare myself for the exam. You know my goals right?" I consoled her holding her hand.

I didn't feel a thing when I held her hand. There were no goosebumps, heart races nothing. It was purely platonic. When Jagruthi held me today I felt a whole freaking amazon forest with a thunderstorm in my body.

When I look at Jagruthi, I feel..I feel comfort, warmth, happy and serene.

I should stop thinking about her, she spoke to me once after 4 months and I am back again in square one comparing her with Sahastra. I think too much, I am so sick of my own behavior I can't and shouldn't be doing this.

"I know. Never repeat it okay." She said pulling me out of my thoughts dragging me to the cafeteria.

Boys do weird things to not see girls cry, and our Devansh is one of them I guess.

And what do think about Aarthav and Manjula?

Do you think they will be a great match?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Don't forget to Vote and Comment.

Till then, Toodles.

Love,
sneha