Blue sky was radiant with the sun, prettified by white clouds. Scorching sun rays were falling upon all of the female students, who were busy filling up the form for a subsidy as the government declared free education for women. The sweat was rolling down from everyone's body, but no one grumbled about it and pressed ahead with their work.

Ravi, Raj, and Sid were with Jayashri, their mutual friend. She was busy filling up the form; just for a gag, Ravi was picking on her under the impression that she might fumble and commit a mistake while filling her form. Jayashri yelled at the top of her lungs every time Ravi tried to disturb her, and she was indeed unable to concentrate on her task. Ravi, however, delighted in getting on her nerves that it didn't bother him much.

Sid was quietly observing it, but after a while, he broke the silence. "Stop it, man! No mistakes should be there in the form; the professor has warned."

Ravi glowered at him and didn't care to do so.

Jayashri put her pen down and, in a commanding tone, spoke up, "Yes, tell this stupid fellow to stop bugging me."

"Oh, he's just playing around," Raj interjected.

"You see, Ravi is an anti-feminist. That's why he can't bear this subsidy for girls." Sid's eyes lit up, and a broad grin beamed across his face.

While dashing off some info, Jayashri's pen ran out of ink. Her oval lips parted and made an "O" shape when she realized there was no other pen in her handbag; she looked at the boys to get her out from this tight spot.

"I guess I have one. Let me check it." Sid fished into his bag and got hold of one gel pen.

Jayashri thanked him, and without letting another minute to pass, she resumed filling up her form. But the pen wasn't working. She jiggled it so that the ink would get adjusted in the tip of that pen, but nothing happened.

Sid took the pen from her and waggled it with his power. At the same time, Nehali came along with her friends and sat aside exactly where Sid was wagging the pen. Some drops of ink splattered on Nehali's form. Of course, when she realized it, she stood up and screamed at him. "Gosh! You spilled ink on my application idiot."

Unknowable for what he had done, Sid was horrified to see that he made a mess. Creeps chilled his spine, and its effect appeared on his face.

"Oh my God! How am I gonna deal with this."

Sid thought in the next moment, she will grab his collar and take him to the principal office, but good she didn't do that. Bombarded with thoughts of getting suspended, Sid stood motionless. He wished to say sorry, but words came out from his mouth. Yesterday he'd spilled her soup and today her form. Fantastic! She must be hating him like anything.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Are you deaf as well?" Nehali snapped her finger near Sid's face; her other hand rested on her hip. And the snap of fingers did snap Sid out of his reverie.

"I'm, I'm, I'm extremely sorry. It happened by chance, I-I didn't mean it," he stuttered.

"You have to come with me. And you have to get me out of this shit." Nehali's rage transformed into tears, and it cascaded on her cheeks, but she wiped it off and said, "If I didn't get another form, then I will complain about you to the Principal."

Sid agreed to come along with Nehali; her friends also followed her to the office room.

As they came to the ground floor, Nehali and her friends stood in the queue to have another form because still some girls were waiting to get theirs. Sid stood aside from the line. Most of the time, he was looking down; don't know why maybe he was feeling guilty.

"I'm scared." Nehali shredded tears, because the uncertainty of getting another form was battering her mind. One of Nehali's friends looked at Sid with angry eyes. "Men will always be men. They only know how to hurt us."

Sid lowered his eyes and scratched his head, thinking, why the hell Nehali's friend was chewing him out? There was no need to spark the battle of the sexes over this issue. Sid was dead sure that maybe she must have a boyfriend, who might have cheated on her, and now that's the reason she has become a misandrist. Of course, Sid wanted to speak for himself, but he preferred to tolerate what Nehali and her friends were saying (and they say, India is no longer a tolerant country).

One by one, the queue decreased, and finally, Nehali's turn came up. Sid took out a hundred rupees from his pocket, but she warded it off. Why she did that!? He really couldn't understand it. Maybe she should have considered Sid's money to be untouchable or against her self-respect.

What mattered to her the most was to get another form — a near-impossible task. It's because the office lady was the goddess of laziness—she pleaded to the office lady. "Ma'am, I need another form, my previous form got spoiled by this stupid boy."

The office lady glared at Sid, but then turned her eyes towards Nehali and scolded her. "That's your bloody mistake. Why couldn't you take care of it by yourself, stupid girl!?"

Now, this insult turned on waterworks from Nehali's eyes, she requested, begged, wept, and pleaded. The goddess of laziness, however, was so rude, and in the end, she just acted like Nehali doesn't exist.

Nehali's bottom lip jutted out like a little kid, with a weepy face she turned around and set her angry brown eyes on Sid, mentally cursing him, and then brushed off. To see her suffer for no mistake hurt him, he bit his both lip and felt guilty for all he'd done to her, even though unintentionally.

He thought for a while and ferreted out that the only way to make the goddess of laziness agree on giving another form was, to converse in the regional language. He took a flyer to approach the office lady and fluently spoken with her in a local language, and it eased her up. You see, that's the benefit of talking with native people in their mother tongue, especially in India, when it comes to official work.

Sid successfully convinced her and caught hold of another form. A winning smile stretched across his lips; sometimes, he feels proud of the sharp intellect that he owns. But it was no time for self-glorification, he rushed off to search Nehali. Thankfully she wasn't far away; Sid ran into her on the third floor.

Nehali and her friends stared at him as if he's an extraterrestrial being. Their faces brightened to see another form in Sid's hand. "Well... I deserved those cusses you gave me, but now I've redeemed myself." He turned to her friend, "And please don't categorize all men as the same." She was the same girl who'd tongue-lashed him.

A surge of gratitude washed over Nehali's heart because getting work done by the office lady-the goddess of laziness-was, not a child's play.

As soon as Sid handed the form to her, he walked off from the scene.

Then she turned towards her friends. "Um... I guess we were harsh with him."

******

As everything went back to normal, Nehali started filling up her form again, placing it on the second floor's balcony fence, which was broad enough that even a fat person can sleep on it without fear of falling. Lengthwise, it was at the belly height from the ground. There was a plastic roof connected to the balcony, made for the protection of college's campus from the rain. Nehali, with her two friends, was killing time there and simultaneously filling up the form.

To everyone's surprise, a bug flow of wind took place, blowing away whatever light-weighted object came across on its way. The wind attacked Nehali's form; it flew off and landed on the plastic roof.

Nehali stretched her arm to reach there, but it was way too far, then she climbed on the fence, maybe to walk on the plastic roof to get her form.

Another flick of wind caused the application form to slope downwards at the edge. Now, this was a twist in the story. Once again, the girl got into trouble, dattebayo (Naruto's way of saying "believe it").

She was about to step her foot on the plastic roof. But her ears pierced by the booming voice of a peon. "Get back! It's plastic. You will fall from there."

Nehali jumped off in fear, blame his roaring voice. Feeling pity for herself, no other option than speaking up for help left for her. "My form flew away there. Please give me a hand." She pointed her finger at the form.

The peon came there and caught a glimpse of the application. It was almost seven feet away from the fence to the roof's edge. He told Nehali to get another form. Horror climbed on Nehali's face due to that suggestion. No way, there's no way I'm going to beg to that lazy bitch again, Nehali thought. She took her shook head and forced peon to help her out.

Peon pondered for a minute; he placed his elbow on the palm while tapping his finger on his chin, pressurizing his mind to come up with an idea. Soon an idea popped up in his mind; he brought five feet long wooden stick with him.

He stretched his arm out to get that form by the help of a wooden stick, but still, the application form was little away. As the peon was performing his so-called idea to get the application form, Sid, Ravi, and Raj were passing. They saw how Nehali got into another trouble. The triad couldn't hold them back from bursting out into laughter.

Of course, this has to outburst Nehali's anger. She snapped at Sid only. "Don't laugh. It only signifies that you're a fool."

The laughing turned into a frown; Sid snapped back, "Hey, watch your mouth! That's karma: what goes around comes around thingy."

Nehali helplessly suppressed her anger. Tears welled up in her eyes; she stomped her feet on the ground, twice. And she pleadingly asked the trio for help. Enticed with her girlishness Raj decided to give a try to help her out, and but he failed. While scratching his chin, Sid came up with an idea. He even discussed it with Ravi and Raj.

He walked a few steps toward Nehali and said, "Can I borrow your hair-band? Rest assured, I'll give it back."

Nehali narrowed her eyes, thinking why in the world he needs that? But later on, she agreed and took off her hair-band. Her hair scattered in the air and a lock of hair caressed her cheekbone, which made her look more attractive by letting her hair open like that.

Sid took out a steel ruler from his bag and tied it tightly on the edge of the wooden stick with the help of Nehali's hair-band. Now stick's length extended.

"How are you going to pull it out from the edge of the roof?" Nehali snapped. "The stick ain't got no pincer, smart-ass." She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot.

Ravi shot a glare at her and took out a glue bottle from his bag, and he applied it to the edge of the ruler. Sid sat on the fence, and Raj grabbed Sid's left hand, and with his right hand, he held the wooden stick.

He stretched his body, depending on the support of Raj's grip from the other side. It reached exactly at the edge of the roof, where the form was stuck. Sid stamped the ruler on the application, and because it has glue, he kept it pressed for some time. When a minute passed, he delicately pulled that stick backward and the form-as planned-adhered on the ruler.

Nehali felt a lump of surprise at her throat. Her eyes doubled in size went big, and also her perfect-imprint lips parted in awe. He's brilliant but not an ass, though, she mentally admired him.

Sid freed the form and gave it back to Nehali. "Men will always be men." Although he said it to Nehali, he intended to taunt her friend. That girl who had mocked him quivered her bottom lip and twirled her shoulder, pretending like she doesn't even remember when she'd said that.

Nehali let silence to reign over her mouth. But in the bottom of her heart, she appreciated Sid's help. Ravi and Raj patted Sid's shoulder as they cheered for him, and then, they made a move.

While they were walking away, Sid turned around and caught a glimpse of Nehali; she connected her eyes with his and flashed a faint smile at him. In response, he also smiled back and turned around quickly.

"Man! She just smiled," he said excitedly to Ravi and Raj on what just happened.

"Oho! Play your cards right, smart-ass." Ravi winked, taunting Sid exactly like Nehali had said, "I'm dead sure she has developed a liking for you: try to increase your friendship with her and then propose her to be your girl."

Raj added, "Yes. Ravi's right, she has developed a liking for our smart-ass. I think she's a perfect match for you."

Sid glared at both of them. He dreaded to think that "smart-ass" would be his nickname as on now.

"Duh, whatever. Like marionette connected to my fingers and Nehali's my puppet." He ridiculed their suggestion because he knows the fact that things hardly go the way we plan, but in the end, he let out a mischievous chuckle. "She's ... yeah, she's not that bad, though."

******

A/n: I've tried to add some romance to the story for some refreshment to the readers. Tell me will this attraction is going to be an obstacle in the spiritual quest of Sid? Please vote, comment, and share your thoughts about this chapter.