|| With You || A MaNan Collection Of Short Stories

|| In Plain Sight (2) ||

“Manik bhai?”, if the disbelief was not evident in my voice it was definitely there on my face. Not only was I thinking about why Manik bhai is here but also why at this time. “What happened?”

“Don't you think I should ask you that?”Manik bhai eyed the wooden roller in my hand and then the horrifying look on my face which was slowly turning into embarrassment. Why will a thief come in the morning? I can be extremely paranoid sometimes.

“Anyway, Lavi asked me to drop this here”, he put forth a brown paper bag which he apparently was holding from sometime but I noticed now only. “She said you needed it today”. I took that bag from it which had an orange stole. What the hell. Is this mine? I don't remember owning it but I do remember seeing it in Lavi's wardrobe.

“Are you leaving for college?”he asked me and I nodded mindlessly, still trying to figure out the mystery behind the orange stole. “I didn't see your scooty downstairs. How are you going?”.

Oh duck! I had to figure out how to make it to college in twenty minutes, seventeen now. “Dammit! I had to take a metro but it's too late now I'll never be able to make it to the first lecture”, I hate missing classical literature class because if I miss one class in between it feels like the professor has jumped from algebra to calculus in one day that I was absent.

“Come I'll give you a ride”, Manik bhai offered generously and I almost got the flashback of the conversation from Saturday, which I forced out of my mind because I do need his help. I don't wanna be late and if I think all this I'll never be able to be alone with him forget sitting in his car, ALONE. “Thank you so much!!”.

Manik bhai waits for me patiently as I lock the entrance and then opens his car door for me. Have I told he is a proper gentleman? Well he is. The kinds which won't let you lift a finger not because you cannot do something but because they don't want you to take pains. He's a sweetheart.

“Nandini, can I request something?” bhai lowered the music that I had started earlier before turning to look at me at a red light. “Ya sure". I was honestly prepared to hear something like Can you lend me this book? Or can you do this project or something. Even though he has never asked that, this is what a senior requests for. But nothing could have prepared me for what he asked next.

“Don't call me Bhai. You're not my sister and we're practically college mates”, What in the heavens? “Wh...why? What happened?”, I tried my best to not let my shock and nervousness show in my voice.

“Well Lavi yesterday pointed out something really interesting”, Oh my god. Why are they both behind my back hanging like monkeys? “ None of my college juniors call me Bhai. Then why should you?”.

He did have a point. I have never seen anyone call him with the prefix before. Maybe he is right! Why should I be the special one? “Yeah. You're right, Manik bh...no Manik”. It did feel a little weird to not call him that but I'll adjust to it. Guess what Lavi did is not that bad.

“You adapt pretty quickly haa”, he winked and lord forbid my heart did go on a beeeep beeeep. “That's how I remain a nerd throughout school”.

We reached college within the stipulated time but I was late for the class. By the time I reached the lecture hall, the professor had already started the class and if I knock he'll give me that death stare which will embarrass me to my bones.

Did I not tell Manik bha...sorry Manik tagged along to drop me off? He did. “Prof Shastri is male version of Medusa. You don't want to turn into a statue, do you?” I barely managed to keep my giggle in or else I would have been literally turned to stone by him. Fortunately, Manik pulled me out of the corridor to the cafeteria.