-TWO-
1264 Words
Tuhin was already in the canteen when Miloni reached. His shy smile warmed her heart as she took a seat opposite him.
“Hi, you don’t mind sparing your time for this, do you?” asked Tuhin hesitantly.
“No! Here are the notes that you wanted. Do you want to take them home?”
“Wait!” Tuhin took his phone out and began to click pictures of the notes, murmuring, “this is an easier way of taking notes. Also, I will get an idea about the lecture but I won’t be copying the notes word by word.”
Miloni watched him as he focussed on his mobile camera. This close, Miloni found him more attractive. There was a gentleness in him that was not perceivable from distance. He had dark brown straight hair that was combed sideways and his brown glasses gave him a geeky look. His face shot up and he caught her staring at him. To Miloni’s surprise, his face turned mildly pink. Their glances clashed but the newness of the feeling did not let their glances linger on each other for long. They broke contact and turned away. Tuhin went back to snapping picture of the notes while Miloni let her eyes run around the canteen. There were many familiar faces and she waved at them. When her eyes spotted the couple on the last table, her gaze stayed longer. It was Arko with his girlfriend Bani. They were deep in conversation. Arko was facing her and Bani had her back to Miloni. Their hands were clasped and Bani was talking softly to Arko. Miloni turned away, somehow, the good feeling of the moment was lost and her mood turning to mild irritation for no reason.
Tuhin finished his task and asked the canteen boy to bring tea for them.
“I have to go…No tea for me,” Miloni responded sharply, gathering her books.
“Hey, please…it is my thank you for your help…” Tuhin pleaded. Torn between a vague sense of annoyance and attraction, she acquiesced and waited for tea.
“So, what do you plan after this semester?” he asked casually, trying hard not to blurt out his feelings to her.
“I want to join sports academy especially swimming but dad wants me to get basic graduation and then do whatever I want. I keep telling him that it would be too late then but he is adamant,’ sighing, Miloni talked about the one thing that frustrated her in her house.
“Why does he not want you to join sports academy?”
“He thinks that it would not help me in the long run while a basic education can get me a job.”
“He is right.”
The piping hot tea was accompanied by spicy lentil balls. They looked too tempting and Miloni took a bite but it singed her tongue and she dropped them back on the plate, “Jeez, it is too hot...” Miloni exclaimed while Tuhin, with a teasing smile on his face, broke the balls into two so that it would cool faster. Miloni noticed his strong arms then. The sleeves were folded and there was a light sprinkling of hair on the forearms. His fingers were long and artistic.
“Here, take these. They are not hot.”
Biting into them warily, Miloni watched Tuhin gulp down the tea.
“You are not having these?” she asked him
“Nope, they are too spicy for me.”
“Oh!” Miloni pondered his reason for ordering them. They were one of her favourites in the canteen and every time she visited the canteen with her friends, she ordered a plate of those delicious snack.
By the time she finished her tea, she had also cleaned the plate. She couldn’t resist from finishing them.
They stood up and sauntered unhurriedly to the exit. They passed Arko’s table but his eyes were glued on his girl friend’s face.
They met Sherry and Ajitha when they came out of the canteen.
“Hey, you guys finished? We are just going in,” Sherry volunteered, eyeing Miloni and Tuhin with mischief.
Tuhin nodded and with a courtesy smile, he strode back to the main building. The three girls watched him curiously.
“Where is Nithya?”
“She is busy flirting with that mad artist. She won’t leave him alone. I just don’t get what she sees in him,” Ajitha fretted as the three strolled towards a bench near a huge banyan tree. It was their favourite spot.
“So, what happened with Tuhin? Did he make a move?”
“He is too shy to make a move and even if he had, I would have turned him down,” Miloni replied, not able to identify the source of her annoyance.
“Why not? Don’t you find him attractive? He is cool, charming and a topper. What more do you want?”
“I don’t want anything right now. FYI, he hasn’t shown any interest so back off guys…”
“OHHHH ” both the girls chorused with a chuckle, “So why would he change to your optional class and why would he ask only you to help him out? Something is truly fishy…”
“Oh, come on…. don’t be silly,” Miloni snapped, vexed by her friends teasing. At the same time, she saw Arko and Bani come out of the canteen. Arko had his arm around her and she clung to him as they moved towards Arko’s car.
“Oh, Sherry, look at that! Arko and his girlfriend!” Ajitha exclaimed in excitement
“She is so into him! I wonder how long they will last,” Sherry smirked
“Not long. One month is his usual routine,”
By the time Arko and Bani disappeared from their view, Nithya joined them “Guess what!” she gushed.
“What?”
“He is taking me out tonight.”
“Who?” Miloni questioned and her friends stared at her as if she had lost her senses. She regarded their faces and snarled, “What?”
“Nothing! Let us go….” Sherry replied and they moved away from Arko’s sight.
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Arko pulled his long limbs out of the car and strolled towards the main building where his so-called friends were waiting. He had just dropped Bani back in her house and driven back to the campus only to see the group of girls leaving the campus.
“Hey Arko, wanna get lit tonight?”
“Uh? Who is hosting?”
“Who else but Revan. He just broke up with his nanny…”
A bellow of laughter sounded across the corridor and the guard asked them to step away from the building so that they wouldn’t disturb the ongoing classes.
Few of the boys piled on to Arko’s car as Arko drove toward the town hall.
“Wanna know the breaking news?” one of the boys in the back seat declared.
“What?” Arko quizzed looking at his friend through the rear-view mirror.
“I saw Miloni with that nerd in the canteen.”
“Which nerd? There are so many that Miloni is friends with…” Karan asked from the front seat.
“I think his name is Tuhin. The new guy who joined this year,” Sarang replied
“Poor guy. Miloni would put him in his place in two days. He is not her type,” Karan answered confidently.
Arko who was quiet all this time asked, “What would you know about her type?”
“Oh, I know! She likes the artsy kind, not geeks…” Karan replied with a wistful sigh and Arko shot him a look, the needle of the speedometer escalating swiftly. Arko’s friends straightened in their seats and viewed him with concern.
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- Writer
