Abhimanyu, Ram and Yash celebrated going to Second Year in their now go to restaurant Blue Light. Many rooms were available after the final year students had passed out of the college. Option to change the room was given to fourth year, third year and then second year students in order, before the arrival of freshers. Abhimanyu, Ram and Yash decide to stick to their old room. The first few weeks of college were comparatively less busy so that students could settle down in their rooms and new year of studies.

            Freshers had started arriving. They were to have one week of ragging after a week into college. Like last year, this year also freshers were instructed to wear oily hair braided into piggy tails, plain kurta salwar with dupatta draped in a vee in front. Senior boys were very excited about the new batch of girls joining the college. It increased their chances of having a girlfriend as the number of girls in college were less than the number of boys.

                 Abhimanyu, Ram and Yash  also decided to have some fun ragging the freshers. They got some juniors  to  wash and iron their clothes everyday that entire week. They also told them to wake them up before they left for the college. That week, the freshers were supposed to collect outside the main building an hour before the college started to report to seniors. 

             It was the morning of Rakshabandhan. Many boy's who had sisters had brought their rakhi with them and some received it by mail. Abhimanyu had got his with him and in the morning he tied it on his wrist. He had plans to call his sister in the evening to wish her happy Rakshabandhan. He had given the Rakshabandhan gift to his sister before coming to college. Yash had no siblings and Ram had a younger brother. Ram and Yash see Abhi wearing a rakhi.

Yash: Oh wow, Abhi ! You got a rakhi from your sister. We must celebrate it. How about you  treat us  with some sweets on Rakshabandhan?

Ram: In the morning, they fry fresh hot jalebis in canteen. They are really good and crispy. He immediately suggests.

Ram: Yes Abhi,  we should celebrate rakhi from your sister.

Abhimanyu: You guys don't want to celebrate or anything, just want to eat jalebis with my money. He says with a smile.

Abhimanyu: Okay done. I'll pay for it but I'm not going to get it.

Ram agrees to get jalebis from canteen for the breakfast. He is back from the canteen after half an hour.

Ram: Hot Jalebis!He announces keeping the packet of jalebis on table. 

It's then that Yash noticed three raakhis on his wrist.

Yash: Who tied you those raakhis? He asks immediately, looking confused.

Ram: Freshers. He says making a sad face.

Yash and Abhi burst out laughing. They were laughing so hard that Yash's tummy ached.

Ram: It's okay, those girls were not good looking. I anyways wouldn't have pursued them.

 Yash and Abhimanyu laugh harder.  

Ram: Seniors outside are ragging freshers  telling them to tie Raakhi . Don't worry, your turn will also come.

Yash: Who knows which girl will when decide to sacrifice you on Rakshabandhan. That is why I say boys should not step out on the day of Rakshabandhan.

Abhimanyu: Good suggestion. Eat these jalebis now. I have a class and I'm going.

Ram still had to get ready so Abhimanyu leaves without him.

Yash: I'm skipping college today. I don't want to become anybody's brother. Abhi is really brave to go to college today.

Ram: What brave? Who will tie him a rakhi? It's easy to be brave when you are Abhi.

             When Abhimanyu reached the college, he saw the seniors having a lot of fun ragging freshers. They were asking fresh year girls to tie a rakhi on the boy they pointed to. They had lot of rope threads with them. Aman spotted Abhi coming and sent four freshers to tie him a rakhi. When the girls reached him to tie rakhi, they looked up at him and hesitated.

Aman shouted to them:Common! Tie it. He is in final year and anyways passing out of the college next year .

The girls kept standing staring at Abhimanyu not knowing what to do.

Abhimanyu shouted: Sir, are you ragging them or me. He smiled.

Aman laughed  and waved the girls to come back.

Fresher boys were the real victims. Many of them got tied rakhi by their batch mates as they couldn't refuse in front of seniors.

Abhimanyu came to room after lunch and found Yash sitting in his bed.

Abhimanyu: What happened, you didn't go to college today?

Yash: Because.......I don't want to become bhaiya, I only want to become girl's  saiyan(husband). He rhymed.

Abhimanyu: How many will be enough for you?

Yash: I am a man with a taste to variety. He declared.

Yash: I heard seniors are telling freshers to tie rakhi on anyone. Nobody tied rakhi on you?

Abhimanyu: It's not that bad. You can say no. It's bad for fresher boys though.

Yash: I can't wait to check out freshers in Fresher's party and then Dance party on Sunday. You?

Abhimanyu: Should be fun! He said looking uninterested.

Yash: You are boring man. You need some spice in your life. I am going to look a bomb for you. Just give me your size preferences.

Abhimanyu smiled and left for his class. Yash also decided to attend the practicals in the afternoon.

               After the ragging week ended, there was a freshers party in a big hall with no stage. That is where they held the fresher's party every year. It was a welcome party thrown by Second Year to First Year where the fresher's got to showcase their talent. Cultural secretary had asked Abhimanyu if he would like to anchor the event but he let Surya from Civil Engineering do it. Surya was also a member of cultural group that Abhimanyu was part of. Abhimanyu decided to enjoy standing in the audience.

             Shanaya had not seen Abhimanyu around, but she was sure to catch a glimpse of him in the Fresher's party tonight. She was so excited that her heart was beating faster at the mere thought of it. She didn't want to overdress or under dress. She kept away from anything that would get her noticed. So, she wore a black jeans with a pretty full sleeves maroon blouse. She knew many girls will come in jeans and it would be easy to blend in. Bela and Priyanka wore beautiful dresses. When they were ready to go, Shanaya excused herself saying she had an important assignment to finish and that she would join them later. She insisted that they should be going .Bela and Priyanka leave without her.

           "In all likelihood she should be there today,"  Abhimanyu thought. Abhimanyu's heart was hopeful that he might get to see her at the event. He reached the venue before time so that he doesn't miss Shanaya walk in. Very soon the hall is  jammed with almost all the first and second year students. He could not see the door anymore. He looked back and tried to scan the room to locate her. It was impossible to look at every face in that crowded room. He doubted she was there.

          Shanaya had decided to go little late and stand back in the crowd so that Abhimanyu doesn't see her. She wanted to see him but didn't want him to see her. When she reached the hall, event had started and it was so crowded that it was impossible to move. She somehow excused her way through the room until she spotted  Abhimanyu at the end of front row curve. She could clearly see him from where she was standing. "Thank God, he is so tall," she thought. She was sure she couldn't be seen from his place.

           The anchor, Surya, welcomed the freshers and started the event by inviting a girl who sang songs in the regional language . Many wonderful performances followed. A boy played a violin, one did stand up comedy and other a hip-hop dance. Shanaya couldn't see a thing on stage but she was happy that she could see Abhimanyu from there. She could freely stare at him in the crowd without getting caught. That is why she didn't want to come with her roommates. She stared and stared at him throughout the function .She saw he was enjoying himself swaying and tapping to music.

           After the performances by freshers were over, anchor Surya said, "How can we end our Freshers Party without a performance from our second year star performer. Girl's and Boy's give a big hand for Abhimanyu Singh from Computer Science." Abhimanyu was shocked. He wasn't expecting this but since Surya had announced, he decided to do it. Abhimanyu walked to Surya for a guitar. Surya gave him one that belonged to the college.

           Abhimanyu was suddenly out of  Shanaya's sight. She wondered where did he go. Shanaya had no idea what was going in the event. She had become deaf and blind to everything around her but him as her eyes were fixed on him all the while. 

       Abhimanyu took the mike from Surya and said, "Thank you everyone for the loud cheer. I am as shocked as you all are at me performing on the fresher's night. Thank God! I did't die of a heart attack at what my fellow mate just threw at me." He joked. "Give me a minute to think what  I can sing for you," he said. A few seconds later, he said, "This is a song in my head these days or if I may say the only lyrics I remember." He smiled. "I am going to replace the f word(fucking) with loving though, " he said feeling shy and then smiled with a mischief in his eyes. Everybody cheered and screamed as loud as they could.

                 The hall went quiet when he started strumming his guitar. He started singing, "Climb on board, We'll go slow and high tempo, Light and dark , Hold me hard and mellow," Pillow Talk by Zayn Malik. Girls were going crazy screaming out their lungs. Shanaya couldn't see him but she felt so happy and proud at the same time like when somebody  your own performs and the crowd can't stop cheering and screaming. Her mouth stretched and froze in the longest smile for so long that it ached. Her heart became so heavy with happiness that it couldn't contain it anymore and burst out in tears that she held back in her eyes. She couldn't believe how much she already loves him. Few things are forever and she knew, love for him, was one of those.

            "How could anyone be so charming and handsome at the same time. What would I not give to get a man like him. We should make clones of him and give one to every girl."  Shanaya overheard a fresher say to her friend. When Surya was thanking everyone for the evening , Shanaya hurriedly walked out of the room. She thought how she again missed a chance to see him singing with his guitar. 

          After the event was over, many seniors and freshers chose to hang outside in the campus. When Bela and Priyanka saw Shanaya walk to hostel, they shouted to call her to sit with them on a bench. The bench was on the way between main building and canteen that further lead to boy's hostel. It was dark there. Many couples in college preferred such dark corners. They were talking when Shanaya saw Abhimanyu standing in a group of boys who were checking out every fresher that passed by. She couldn't tell if he was also checking out them but she didn't like it.

          Next day was the dance party like they always used to have one after Fresher's party. Shanaya decides to skip it. She didn't want to see Abhimanyu dance with the other girls. Abhimanyu decides to attend the dance party in hope that he might get to see Shanaya there. This time he goes early like Yash last year so that he doesn't miss her if she came. He danced with few girls who asked him, but his eyes kept looking out for her. Shanaya doesn't turn up. When he was sure that anybody who had wanted to come was there by now, he decides to go back to his room. Ram and Yash return late in the night to find Abhimanyu reading a novel.

Yash:  Abhi, why did you come back so soon? Should have stayed back, it was a lot more fun in the end. I danced with many freshers. You should have seen what impression I left on them, Dude. They were in awe of my looks. I wish you stayed back to feel jealous of me. He said with a naughty smile.

Ram: Hey buddy, Can you believe it, I danced with five girls today, three freshers and two from our class. Abhi, can you guess who?

Abhimanyu: Pragya and Puja. He said with a straight face uninterested.

Ram: How do you know? he asked excitedly.

Abhimanyu: It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that. They are the one's who are always following you. "Can you teach us this? Can you teach us that?" he said trying to imitate the girls.

Yash: What happened to you? Did you not find any fresher good? Did girl's refuse to dance with you? He laughed.

Ram: I really think  there aren't many good looking freshers this year. Our second year batch girls are better.

Ram: Abhi, why do you look upset? What happened?

Abhimanyu: Nothing, just into my novel.

                Yash and Ram discussed who not from the dance party. Abhimanyu didn't participate in their discussion as his heart ached that the only girl he went for didn't turn up. He had not seen her in a year. The image of her had started to blur. He tried to keep his masterpiece fresh by visiting it every night but now no matter how much he tried, time had taken its toll. He had hoped to re-touch the fading image tonight. But guess, his masterpiece will have to wait longer to get back it's brightness.

Link to song.

https://youtu.be/r7DZVL5vG60