Lover Is A Day

Chapter 15

After he left, I made my bed and got ready for college. Just a few moments ago, he was in my room., and now he is not, yet my room feels soo different. I put butter on two slices of bread and called it breakfast and left for college.
In college, I crossed paths with him once before lectures, he was with his other friends. He gave me an obvious smile as and walked by. I sat through the entire lecture distracted, thinking about it.
Time passed and it was recess already. Like every day, I walked alone to the canteen and sat under an outbuilding to eat my lunch, on a long table. Occasionally Abhi and Mayur would join me, or they wouldn’t and I would spot them fooling around the campus. Or afterwards at the basketball practice. As of now, I focused on eating. And thought about him.
Suddenly, just as I was thinking of him., he appeared on my table out of nowhere.
‘What are you doing?’, he asked enthusiastically. I didn’t say anything, because it was obvious what I was doing.
‘…you’re eating’, he said almost to himself. I nodded. He sat on my table, infront to me. 
‘Thank you for letting me stay yesterday… that was really kind of you’, he said, fumbling with words a little, as if he didn’t know what to say.
‘You’re welcome’, I said
‘Do you want some juice?... or something sweet perhaps? I can treat you’
‘It’s fine-’ I felt a slight smack on my shoulder. It was Abhi, he sat next to me, and Mayur sat next to Shubham.
‘What are you guys talking about?’, Abhi asked ‘Oh and did you get home last night?’, he pointed at Shubham. I turned to look at Abhi.
‘I didn’t. I stayed with Raj last night, and went home in the morning’, Shubham replied.
‘And you still came to college?’ Mayur asked him.
Before he could answer, I cut in.
‘So, he was with you guys?’, I asked 
‘Yeah, didn’t he tell you?’, Abhi said
‘I actually just now remembered myself’, Shubham said
‘Wait, how do you guys know each other?’, I asked
‘We are both in the cricket team, remember?’, Mayur said
‘Mayur was hanging around with the rest of the team after practice, and I was just tagging along with them., then we saw this guy drinking all by himself’, Abhi said referring to Shubham.
‘You don’t miss a chance to drink do you?’, Mayur taunted Abhi
‘And so, we recognized him, and joined him’, Abhi continued.
I glanced at Shubham. He looked just as dumbfound as I was.
‘Now the question is, why were you drinking like that? And why did you not tell us your address when you were drunk? You just kept saying Raj’s name., so we dropped you at his place’, Abhi said
!!!
I looked at Shubham. He looked even more surprised. Clearly, he didn’t remember much, but this seemed soo specific.
‘I did?’, Shubham muttered to himself. Abhi nodded.
He was thinking of me when he was drunk...?
Our conversation came to a halt, when we heard chatter from an adjacent table and our attention got diverted. A few girls were sitting on that table. I spotted Zenna among them, and Neha next to her. Shubham turned back to look and Neha smiled at him. (He must have smiled back at her)
‘You should talk to her’, I said to Shubham when he turned back
‘Yes’, he said, keeping his head low.

When our lunch break came to an end, Abhi and Mayur left for classes. And almost all the other girls from that table diverged, except Neha. Shubham walked up to Neha, to talk., and they walked some distance from us.
Zenna came up, and stood next to me. We both squinted our eyes because of the sun as we watched them from afar.
‘What do you think they are talking?’, Zenna said
‘No idea’, I said
We both stood again in silence. Sometime later, both Shubham and Neha looked at us and smiled. Zenna smiled back. A stark contrast to her emotion-less demeaner just now. When they turned, she went back to being expressionless again.
‘They’re going to keep being friends’, she said
‘You think?’
‘Most definitely. That means we’re going to have to see each other more often’, she said
What’s that supposed to mean?

Their conversation ended, and Zenna sprinted away. And Shubham walked up to me.
He smiled and said
‘Let’s go’

Shubham convinced me to bunk lectures and that he will treat me to some restaurant. I denied saying that I had just eaten, and I wasn’t hungry (and I really wasn’t) He suggested coffee then instead, and in return he will tell me everything that happened between him and Neha. I wanted to show that I wasn’t interested., but I agreed, because I wanted to know.
But he talked anyways. His eyes sparkled as he spoke.
‘And so, we are staying friends with Neha’, he ended
He said ‘we’ implying him and I.  We had come to Café Coffee Day near our college, to spend time before I got back to college for after-lecture basketball practice.
‘Neha and I have been friends for a really long time now., and she said that she was already aware of my feelings. She was glad that I got it out and we could talk about it.’
I nodded, not having said anything. I looked in his eyes to see if he was hiding any hurt at all, but he wasn’t. I think the drinking incident was because of the initial rejection.
‘And so, we talked and nothing has changed between us.’, he said ‘Infact I’m glad that what happened, happened. Neha has been soo important to me-’
I felt a pang of jealousy.
‘But that doesn’t mean that I have to date her. Having her as a friend could be just as much good., better even’, he said
I wonder if he knows what Friendzone means.
He continued, ‘Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what I was thinking. I mean if she had said yes, then… it would have been weird between us.’, he said ‘And I don’t even… umm, Anyways-’
Huh? I wanted him to complete his statement.
‘She also let me on a secret. She told me who she has feelings for. But I won’t tell you that. Even though I was very surprised when I first heard that…’ he stopped
Oh, he is soo native, I thought. It’s cute almost.
‘I talk too much, don’t I? … you must be bored now’, he looked at his watch ‘Let’s go back, its about time for your practice’, he said
We got up and left the café. 
Before splitting our ways., I placed my hand on his head and truffled his hair a little, because I felt like doing so.
‘I can never get bored listening to you’, I said and walked away. I think I imagined this, but his pupils dilated.
Why did I do that!? I only wanted to say thank you for the coffee!

After practice, I sat down on a bench to drink water. And Abhi sat beside me, he wiped his face with a towel. He signaled and I passed my bottle to him.
‘It was getting late, and he was too drunk, so we asked him for his home address, but he just kept saying your name instead. So, we figured he must be tight with you and left him at your dorm’, Abhi said breathlessly
I had asked him the details of what had happened yesterday, during the game.
‘And by “left” you mean, you literally left him outside my door and ran away, without saying anything’, I said
‘Hey! we were getting late and our hostel has curfew you know!’, he said ‘And we had gotten caught once before trying to break in after curfew., we didn’t have time to explain to you everything that had happened’
I sighed.

Author's Note♡:
Love how at times I feel as if I've given up on writing this story, but then I just keep coming back to write it. So don't worry guys no matter how much i delay, i will never give up on this story, until i complete it. And now i feel like the plot is only beginning to thicken 🤫
So if you liked this chapter, then please like and comment., because it means alot to me.