Rags To Royals (Royal #1: Book 1) | ✔

45

-• a surprise •-

"I think I've a crush," Anagha mumbles, nibbling on the French fry, her eyes somewhere behind me.

I look over my shoulder and pause to see his silhouette against the dimming sky.

Shourya is relaxed in his seat, his long legs propped on the desk, feet crossed and eyes closed. The golden rays cascade gracefully on his face, his body stretched like ridges of sand dunes, all highs and lows defined. The contours of his face glow against the bright background, his pale skin almost translucent. He appears to be a celestial creature, doing this worldly place a favour by gracing us with his presence. How can someone look so pretentious and egoistic even when sleeping? He'd beat Agastya if narcissism was a competition.

"Did you forget to bring along your standards today?" I remark snidely and turn my head back to the front.

The girls snicker.

"Don't tell me I'm the only one!" Anagha rolls her eyes. "Just look at him. He looks otherworldly."

"He's Shourya." I remind her.

"I know right? That alone should be a huge red flag. But I still can't believe it." She murmurs with a defeated sigh.

"You're in the denial phase," I pat her shoulder sympathetically.

She looks over at us. "He's changed."

Kusum snorts the water into wrong pipe and ends up coughing. The remaining three of us pull away our tiffins from her spit radar. "I'll sue if anyone of you ever becomes a doctor," she pants, rubbing a hasty hand against her chest.

I chuckle sheepishly.

"And seriously? He's changed?" She glares at Anagha. "You can't get anymore cliche."

Anagha clicks her tongue. "C'mon! I can't be the only one to notice the difference! You know, everyone in the school is talking about it. Even the teachers. Just look at him," she sighs dreamily. "The accident has changed him."

"I don't know about the accident but plastic surgery has definitely changed him." Revathi steals a glance of him. "I heard renowned surgeons from South Korea were called to fix his face."

"Only if someone were to fix that attitude," I add bitterly.

"What's up with you?" Anagha questions me.

"What?"

"You've been particularly annoyed towards him from yesterday."

"I wonder why?" I muse sarcastically.

"Honestly, he didn't have to be so harsh about it." Revathi adds for my sake.

"And the fact that he sounded so sincere when he said that, makes it even more worse." Kusum chortles.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Anagha!" The three of us chorus, a warning in our tone.

"Fine, geez!" She raises her hands in surrender. "Just giving him the benefit of doubt."

"Don't," I state.

"Alright. He's an ass."

"Exactly." I nod and finish up the rest of my lunch. The bell rings, signalling the end of the break. I pack up my tiffin and scurry to my desk, shoving it in my backpack before the four of us rush to the bathroom to wash our hands. We return a minute later and the teacher beckons us inside.

I skim through the rest of the lectures barely present with my head. The theme of the party keeps bothering me. I've no idea what came to my mind that I blurted out masquerade. I try to assure myself that it was an instinctive response. Maybe I felt pressured and said the first thing that came into my head. But why specifically masquerade? I've no to answer to that, despite it being right in front of my eyes, or rather, currently underneath my bed.