A Promise Forever

Chapter 10

Mini

I spent the next day feeling highly excited and edgy about my first day at college. I couldn't sleep properly, eat properly or do anything for that matter without my mind drifting to it. And the biting cold was only intensifying my uneasiness. As much as I love this place, the first night here I got to learn that my body is definitely not made to survive in such harsh cold and Ela told me that it would only get worse in the coming months and that I had to get used to it if I was going to live here.

"Do you need anything else, Minu?" Ela asked as we were leaving for the campus. College was starting the next morning so I wanted to leave a day before to unpack my stuff in my dorm room and get used to it. I didn't want to be running around like a headless chicken on the first day.

"No, that's it.." I replied to him as I zipped my suitcase, not that I had taken out much from it as I had spent only a night at Ela's place. And if you are curious about it, then let me tell you I didn't dare to do anything stupid this time. When he suggested watching a movie on TV, I pretended to be sleepy by as early as eight, only to be tossing and turning on the bed the entire night.

"Alright. Let's get going then.." He walked closer to grab my bags from me and I didn't even bother to stop him because I knew he wouldn't let me carry any. As he got the bags by their straps, I observed how the muscles in his arms flexed giving a dull roar in my chest and a shiver down my spine.

God, he's gorgeous!

How is it possible for a man to be that good-looking?

"Minu.." He snapped his fingers in front of my eyes to gain my lost attention.

"Yeah..?"

"Shall we go now?"

"Yeah.." I trailed behind him to his jeep that I got to know he had bought last year. I was aware of his craze for jeeps and trucks and seeing him fulfill his dreams one by one made me happy for him.

After a twenty-minute drive, we entered the campus which was spectacular, and within seconds of seeing it, I fell in love with it.

Ela pulled the jeep in front of the women's hostel which was crowded with my parents who had come to drop off their kids but a particular group of girls caught my attention. The moment we stepped out of the jeep, they stopped their chit-chat to have a look at us, at Ela to be more specific. One of them even had the audacity to whistle at him loudly. To my relief, Ela didn't pay any heed to her and only indulged in helping me with my stuff.

"Are you sure you will be able to take them up? They are very heavy.." Since men weren't allowed inside the hostel premises, he had to let me carry my bags to my room.

"Yeah, don't worry.." I assured him and began to carry my bags two at a time before shooting a warning glare at the girls.

It took me almost three rounds to get my luggage settled. Feeling exhausted, I cursed myself for having packed so much stuff but I generally wasn't an over-packer and most of them were essentials.

When I reached the lobby, I saw Ela waiting there for me, spinning his jeep keys around his forefinger. He was wearing camouflage trouser pants and a white shirt. Tall and built, he was every woman's fantasy. I know this because I have seen it in their eyes many times and now I hated it to the point that I regretted bringing him here at all.

"All set?" He asked me, oblivious to all the pair of eyes ogling him. To my annoyance, a few of them were staff members. I will admit, I was jealous of all the attention he was getting from the opposite s*x. It made me territorial as hell. Is it wrong for wanting to gouge their eyes out?

"Minu.." He shook me by my shoulder.

"What?" I blinked up at him.

"I asked if everything's set.."

"Yeah, yeah.." letting away my jealousy, I huffed a big sigh, "Thank you.."

"What for?" He frowned.

"For escorting me to Srinagar during your break, for having me at your place and now bringing me here.." I told him as we walked back to his car. It was time for him to leave and moreover, I didn't want him anywhere around these hungry ladies to whom Ela probably looked like a full-meals. The sooner he leaves, the better but he had other plans. Plans that would make many of my nights sleepless. Plans that would make all these girls slack-jawed.

"Hey, come here.." Before I could realize what was going to happen, I was engulfed in his muscular arms that gave me instant goosebumps. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Minu. This is the least I can do for you, for all that your parents have done for me. Enjoy college life, make new friends, eat well, study well and most importantly be safe, okay?"

For a few seconds, I didn't dare to move, then slowly I raised my hands to clutch his shirt at his sides, burying my face into his chest. Tears welled in my eyes more than they did when I left my parents. All this while I had Ela with me and his presence was enough for me to not miss home but now that he had to leave, I was overwhelmed with sadness.

I had never been away from home and I had certainly no doubt that I was going to be homesick for the coming days.

Ela must have felt the dampness in his shirt because he moved back and took my face between his palms. "Minu, are you crying?" When he witnessed the tears leaking from my eyes, he sent a hand through his hair. "s**t, I didn't mean to make you cry.."

"I am going to miss amma, appa, Aadhi and.. you.." I could already bet my eyes were swollen and my face blotchy which comes with crying. I hated myself so much at that moment. I was proving to him what a big baby I still was.

Ela gripped me tightly but tenderly. When I thought he was going to release me, he touched the crown of my head with his mouth. It was the slightest of touch that I barely felt. There was nothing sensual about the kiss. It was just like he used to do while dropping me at school when I was a kid, or after he put me to bed after my bedtime story. It was an innocent kiss yet, the blood in my body clotted with the simple display of his affection.

"Minu.." His voice was smooth. Like warm chocolate pouring all over me and seeping into my bones, "I promise I will come to meet you on every visitor's day.." Pulling back a little he cupped my cheeks and made me look into his eyes. With a frown, he wiped the skin under my eyes and it might as well had a direct line to my heart because I felt a throb under his innocent touch.

I took a minute to admire his looks. His eyes seemed to be doing the same to me and I felt myself getting hot under his scrutiny. Biting my lower lip, I stared up at his lips, the very lips I had kissed once. I might have apologized for doing it but a bigger part of me still wanted to take a taste of them and if we weren't surrounded by so many people, I might have committed the same mistake once more in my life.

However, the fear that things would never be the same between us came creeping into my brain. Or worse, Ela would hate me forever stopped me from moving an inch forward.

"Ela.." My voice was almost a whimper. He must have been in some sort of a trance until then, not realizing how dangerously close our lips were that I could practically smell the coffee that he had at home before driving me here. And when he did, he took a huge step back with a groan.

Was he staring at my lips? And would he have kissed me if I hadn't interrupted him? Should I have let him cross that delicate line from which we couldn't come back?

As much as it sounds exciting, that was impossible. Ela wouldn't do something so reckless with so many eyes around us. I'm not even sure if he even wanted to kiss. It could be one of my stupid fantasies. I tried to ignore the racing in my heart and took control of the situation when he didn't attempt to utter a single word. "Will you really come to visit me?"

"What makes you think I will not?" He asked me straightening the wriggles on his shirt that I caused and there were even a few wet spots from my tears on it.

"Won't you have anything else to do on a Sunday?" I grabbed on to the hold that he doesn't change his mind.

"In what other better way can I spend my Sunday than visiting you?"

I swallowed as his words wash over me and spread like a wildfire throughout my body. As much as my brain was celebrating his confession, it was also curious to find out something that was very much related to it. "Don't you have to meet Veena? I mean you guys have off only on Sundays, right? You would have plans with her.." Even saying it, gave me physical pain but I couldn't be selfish when it came to Ela. If he wanted to see her, I had no intention of being a barrier between them. She's his fiance and she would require some of his time at least. I would need all of his time with me if I was her.

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as if he remembered about her only after I mentioned, or something much more crucial that he had forgotten to do, "She will be posted straight to Dehradun after her vacation. So, she won't be coming here."

I don't understand why that small information made me that happy. Maybe because I wouldn't have to constantly worry about them being together in the same city, god knows doing what. Even if my brain had come to agree to the fact that he's engaged to her, my heart could not.

I suppressed the smile on my lips and tried to keep a straight face. "Oh.. So at what time can I expect you here next Sunday?"

"How about ten?"

With a subtle grin, I nod. "Ten is perfect!!"

"Great!" He shoved his hands into his pant pockets while rocking himself to and fro on his heels. "You won't cry after I leave, right?"

That made me chuckle, "I won't.."

For the first time in all these years, he smiled back at me, a genuine, beautiful smile that's sure to make me fall in love with him again and again.

"Bye, Minu. See you in a week.." Why did it feel like he was going to count the days just like I was going to?

After playfully ruffling my hair, he began to walk away turning back a couple of times before climbing into his jeep. I waved at him as he drove off.

"Boyfriend?" I twirled around to a chubby girl whose eyes were glinting with a spirit of inquiry. She was possibly one of the spectators but unlike them, I could sense good vibes radiating from her.

Was he my boyfriend?

No, not yet

I still didn't understand why I was holding on to that hope.

"No.." I shook my head, taking my eyes back to Ela's jeep that just disappeared out of the sight.

"Then brother?" She spoke, following my gaze.

God, No. Definitely a big NO. I wanted to puke hearing that word in the same sentence as Ela's name because, for me, Ela was more than a brother. If the universe turned out to my advantage, he would be my soulmate, the one true love of my life.

Anyway, it was too soon to admit that to her. I didn't want to give her any more details in our first meeting. What I had for Ela wasn't for everyone, at least not for a stranger.

"It's complicated.." I added in a whisper.

As if hearing my thoughts, she reached out her hand for me, "I'm Yamini Singh.."

"Hi, I'm Minmini Nilay. You can call me Mini.."

"Nice meeting you, Mini.." We shook hands as we made our way inside the hostel building that was going to be my home for the next six years or so. As we walked in, several eyes turned on me and I instantly wanted to dig a hole underneath me so that I could hide somewhere. In an attempt to ignore them, I kept walking up the stairs with Yamini.

"Want to come in?" I asked when we reached my room and she didn't hesitate with it.

"Sure. Why not?"

Yamini was very talkative but in a good way. I got to know it within five minutes of meeting her. Somewhere into our conversation, I found out that her room is two doors next to mine. She's from Delhi and she's the only daughter of her parents. Her dad's a soldier and mom an army doctor and she wanted to continue the family legacy by getting into the armed medical forces. She has a boyfriend, Amar who joined AFMC just for her. To make it short she was nice and I liked her instantly.

"What's his name?" She was perched on my bed twirling her phone between her fingers.

"Whose?"

"The guy who is not your boyfriend?" She said it in quotes with a conspiratorial wink.

"Uhm.. Ela. Elamaran.." I had a hard time not blushing while saying his name.

Her eyes dropped to my wrist before I could have even thought about hiding it from her, "Is that why you have that tattoo?"

Is it that obvious? Then how is it that my parents or my brother did not find it out?

Even though it was too late, I hid it under the sleeve of my sweater. I wasn't going to admit that to her so easily so I lied, "I don't know what you are talking about. It's M. M for Mini. See.." I drew my finger on the pattern.

In response, she let out a big 'Ohh' which said clearly she didn't believe me. "I totally believe you girl.."

And to my own surprise, I burst out laughing at her. She reminded me of Navira, cool, level-headed, and frank as hell and something in me told me she was going to be a great company.

A/N:

Hey guys,

A few more days and I will be back to giving regular updates. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Love,

SwaRam