The love of my life

23. Ignorance is bliss

Daman was busy dictating notes to her class, as the sleepy college students struggled to keep their eyes open after a hefty lunch of hostel's Rajma chawal.

"The trial involves feeding the experimental feed to... The second year students so, they can focus in their class." She says replacing the word 'ruminant' to grab attention as some students look up.

"I know this is boring, but I try to make every lecture interesting as much as I can, but this lecture and the next two will be more of a cramming part." She says drawing attention from a few more.

"Now... The experimental feed to the ruminant in a..." She keeps on dictating adding in a joke, or a comment about a student here and there, to keep them awake as there is a knock on the door.

"Oh finally..." Muskaan, a bright student in the front row sighed as Daman turned to look at Ekansh standing in the open doorway.

"He's been standing there for like 15 minutes just staring at her, as if he was unsure about disturbing her." The girl next to her adds in a whisper, but Daman heard it and decided to ignore.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Shergill... I was here to put in a call for two students that auditioned for poetry writing..." Ekansh says as Daman nods.

"Raj and Navdesh..." She says as if already knowing as the two guys get up and leave the class.

Ekansh was somehow impressed at how well she knew her students, including their names and interests.
He murmured a "Thank you" and took the two guys towards his cabin.

It had been over a week since Samayra warned him about staying away from Daman, and he had tried his best to maintain his distance.

He didn't want to hurt her after what she had been through, but wasn't she the reason that he was here in the first place.

An assistant professor and already head of the literary wing, a position that had been idle for a while, thanks to the numerous medals he had in poetry writing, extempore and debates.

He was happy in his previous job, but he was not happy in his home. His mother would bring another match for him, as his father advised him how you need a life partner, if not for the youth but for the old age. He would tell him how you need a person to rely on, no matter what.

Varun and Anika had just welcomed their second child, a daughter and going to their house always made him realize how empty his own life was.

But he preferred this loneliness instead of trying to imagine his life with one of the girls that his mom suggested.

They just... Seemed so ordinary... In comparison to the woman who knew what he was thinking before he said it out loud.

She just... Got him... In a way no one else could and he knew it.

And here he was... Her colleague... Just another colleague.

He was done with the final submissions, then checked up on the work in clinics and then walked towards the parking.

"Yeah... No... Ahmmm... Okay... Mmmm... Ahaannn" Daman was talking to someone on the phone and he knew out of practise from the time that they lived together that it was her mother on the other end. She had the phone placed between her ear and her shoulder, with one hand holding her laptop bag and tiffin and the other holding a file cover and her purse.

She struggled to take the car keys out of her purse as he walked to her and tapped on the shoulder. She turned to look at me as he extended a hand, holding her laptop bag, tiffin and file as she fished for her keys in the purse.

"Yes Mom... I'll do it. Now I have to go pick up Tejas.. Bye..." She said disconnecting even as the sound from the other end hadn't stopped as she unlocked her car and kept the purse on the seat, holding out her hand for her belongings.

"Nice ride..." He said referring to her Mercedes C-class, intrigued at how she picked something so exquisite and yet costing almost her annual salary.

"Thank you... It was... Uh... It belongs to my husband." She said refraining from using past tense as he handed her the belongings.

"He had a great choice..." Ekansh says as Daman smiles.

"And he knew how to take care of them. He realized their value... And that's even better than just having a great choice. Anybody can have that, but treasuring something close to your heart... That's something..." She said with a sarcastic smile and his heart jumped all over again.

"Ummm... Are you free right now? Like I mean... Do you have any plans... I just... There's this cafe..." Ekansh says trying to mutter a complete sentence.

"I have a son waiting for me..."

"He can join too... I know this place..."

"Ekansh... Don't do this... Don't put yourself through that again..." she says keeping her stuff in the backseat ready to leave.

"I... I love you... I never stopped... I always did... And I always will." Ekansh says as Daman pauses with her hand still on the backdoor's handle.

She slowly turned to look at him, and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

"You are about 5 years too late." She said as he shook his head.

"One more chance." He begged as she removed his hand from her car door.

"I'm married." She said.

"You're a widow." He said and immediately regretted his choice of words. "I... I'm that... I mean... That's not..." He blabbered.

"That's exactly what you meant." She said sitting in her car and driving away as he stood there trying to make sense of what had just happened.

He knew one person who could help as she took a little too long to pick up the call.

"What do you want?" Samayra said, half irritated.

"I want her and I want her bad. I want her in my life and I want to see her smile. I want to see her laugh like she used to. I want to reverse every damage that I may have caused." He spoke frustrated.

"Well, you are about 5 years late." She said as well, about to disconnect.

"I love her." He spoke regretting why he never said it before.

"I'll help you." She says as he took a deep breath knowing there's more to it.

"But?"

"But I have two conditions. First, She should not know that I'm involved. That'll be self sabotage on your part and my murder."

"And second?"

"Don't half-ass it this time." She says as he chuckles.

"Done."