Second Year
"You bunking too?" My roommate asks. He's dressed in one of his best outfits and putting on a layer of sunscreen.
"There's an assignment that I haven't completed... so I'm calling in sick." I'm still lying in bed.
"Hey we're going to School... do you wanna join us?"
By 'School' he means they're going to the nearby Girl's School to try and woo some chicks from there. Being in an only-boys college drives many engineering students to such desperate depths that they go and hit on schoolgirls. There have been instances where the police have gotten involved resulting in the boys getting suspended; but with no girls on campus, it is a risk that most are willing to take.
"I don't wanna risk it dude!" I reply.
"No risk, no reward man!" He shakes his head "Know how many guys have got a girl this way?"
"Yeah. I do." Many boys have gotten girlfriends from the school. I guess Indian parents send their daughters to Girl's Schools hoping that they won't engage in relationships with the opposite sex. But they don't take into account that while there are no boys in school, there are boys outside who are eager to cater to the girl's needs and many such meeting/dating arrangements crop up around the school.
"You'll pass out single and a virgin if you play it safe all along!"
"That's perfectly alright with me." My heart is only for Noora. She will come around... I just know it!
"Suit yourself!" He straps on his wristwatch and leaves.
I take my phone. I have trouble connecting to the Hostel Wi-Fi but when I do I immediately open the Facebook app. I check my messages and then the notifications. Today is the birthday of two of my friends. I wish them on their timelines. Then I do what I had intended to do when I took the phone: check Noora's profile. What I see makes my heart sink.
I immediately call Dalbir. He picks up on the last ring.
"Dude I'm in class right now..." he sounds annoyed "... this better be important!"
Dalbir is doing his B. Tech in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. Incidentally Kharagpur also happens to be Pari's hometown.
"Did you see Noora's Facebook post?" I ask.
"Okay I guess this is in fact important. One minute... Let me get out of class." He disconnects the call.
I wonder if he is being sarcastic but his call a few minutes later says otherwise.
"Okay I saw the post." He states when I pick up. The post is a collection of photos of Noora with her boyfriend vacationing in some resort.
"And?" I enquire.
"Well it looks more like Honeymoon before marriage." He laughs.
"What!" I gasp unable to comprehend what he is implying.
"You do know that they are all set to get married, don't you?"
"WHAT!" I scream in disbelief. My thoughts freeze and I'm not sure if it is a withdrawal symptom or from the utter shock I just received.
"Okay... so you don't know... well let me back it up for you a little..."
"Gimme a minute..." I can't continue to listen to this anymore! "I need some time."
"I can't. I'm super busy, man. So if I go back to class I can't really tell when I'd be free next."
"Okay tell me!"
YOU ARE READING
Taken for Granted
Romance"By the way, did you do it?" "No." I shake my head. I was supposed to confess my feelings to Noora today. But, like the past nine hundred and ninety nine times, I couldn't build up the courage to do it. "Dude! Are you really gonna keep pushing it?"...
