"Will you teach me English?" Senthil asked me out of the blue.

"What do you mean? You know English."

"I can't talk as good as you. Teach me."

"Sure."

Ramya again glared at me. She huffed loudly and turned her back on us.

"What's with her?" I asked. Senthil just shrugged.

Mohan sir promised to treat us all if we win. There was so much enthusiasm when he announced he will treat us to the biryani. Biryani is the lifeline of India.

Biryani comes in different flavors: chicken, mutton, egg, and vegetarian. Some people consider vegetarian biryani an insult to biryani. But hey for non-meat eaters like me it is 'The Biryani'

It's a belief that Muslims make the best biryani. I can only believe it because I have never tasted it as they only make non-veg biryani (chicken or mutton or camel if it's Eid).

Mohan sir took us to one such restaurant, the "Noor Biryani", which also considered veg biryani a joke. Since the mass of the crowd couldn't fit inside, all were served food under a tree in a banana leaf. I searched for Senthil, but he was nowhere to be seen.

It was depressing to watch them all eat like starving animals. Feeling bad that my animal was left to starve, I walked over to the bus and sat alone.

"I was searching for you," Senthil said as he spotted me.

"Me too."

He handed me a food parcel, I opened it to find a masala dosa.

"Oh my god! I have never been so happy to see a dosa in all my life, I am starving!"

He opened a similar package and started eating dosa with me.

"Why aren't you eating biryani? Don't tell me you don't like biryani!" I started hyperventilating.

How can one hate biryani! How can I have fallen in love with someone who doesn't eat biryani? I thought my taste in men was refined. I had come to terms with him not knowing Edward Cullen. Even though he hadn't read Harry Potter, at least he knew Harry Potter as 'some fellow who does magic tricks'.

"I love biryani, but I don't want to eat it without you."

I knew Senthil was serious about me, but I didn't realize he was this serious. Imagine having to give up biryani! That bewitching delicacy! It was like Jack giving up the wooden door for Rose.

My eyes welled as I said in a choked voice, "You don't have to do that, Senthil!"

"Don't worry, Ananya, it's just biryani. I want to be with you."

Did he say "just" biryani! How can he say such cheesy and romantic things? All I wanted to do now was jump and kiss him. But we were in the open, so I settled for "I love you".

"Love you more," he replied.

The journey back was irritable, Ramya spent the whole time either ignoring me or glaring at me.

Finally, I pulled her aside when we got down.

"Will you tell me what's bothering you?" I demanded.

She crossed her arms and continued glaring at me and said, "I never thought you would do something like that."

"Do what?" I asked in confusion.

"How could you do it to him?"

"There is a him?" I huffed.

What the hell was she talking about? Does she even know how it sounds, "do it to him"! I was depressed about not being able to "do" anything.

"You and him, back at school."

Hey, all I did was talk with Arun, did she like him or hate him? She is giving confusing signals, "I didn't know you liked him."

"Why would I like him?" Ramya scoffed.

Hating h-n-m school on principle was fine, but this was completely over the top; getting angry just for talking to them.

"Then I don't see why you are reacting like this."

"It's not about me!"