Arshi FF : Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat

Chapter 4

11/3/23

Wednesday

Why God, why me? It was, without a doubt, the most excruciatingly embarrassing moment of my entire existence. Even if that fall was predestined to be a part of my daily misfortunes, why, oh why, did it have to unravel right before his very eyes? Not that I have a secret crush on him like Nidhi seems to believe, but who in their right state of mind would want to land on their butt in front of a gentleman like that. Again, I am not implying that I find him attractive, but yeah, he is easy on the eye, and we believe in giving credit where it is due. Right?

Also, his association with politics and allegiance to the left wing are major turn-offs. Baba would burn me at the stake if he found out that I was going out with a communist. Again, that's purely a hypothetical situation. Nobody is interested in anybody to think of that possibility. For all we know, he might already be happily committed. It's highly unlikely to look like that and be single. Not that I care, just making an observation.

K.

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"Aman! Drop Kripa at the Union Office, and come right back here. We have so many pending tasks to complete," Arnav said while carefully mixing the paint with his brush.

"Ok boss!" replied Aman with an exaggerated bow, then deftly fished for his keys in his pocket. 

Arnav climbed the ladder, clutching a paint can in one hand and a brush in the other. An image of a clenched fist with the caption "DOWN WITH FASCISM" was in the making. As he worked, he noticed Azaan on the brink of dozing off while painting the letter "M." To jolt Azaan awake, Arnav playfully shook the brush, causing it to sprinkle paint on the unsuspecting artist.

"Need me to lay down a mat for you?" offered Arnav mockingly.

"Bhaijaaaaaan! Whyyyyyy?? How will  I get it off my shirt!" Azaan protested struggling to rub off the stain whilst the latter stood unfazed.

Why don't you return to the hostel? Why stick to me like glue? If you want to serve, do it for a cause, for the people, not for me," Arnav chided a  pouting Azaan.

"Says the person who stood watching while a girl fell two feet away from him," a voice came from behind the duo. Arnav turned to face a smirking Akash Doshi walking towards them.

"Seriously Arnav! you won't touch a girl even if it's to help her back to her feet? What sort of activism is this? They don't bite, you know! Well, sometimes they do, but how will you know?!" Doshi quipped, with his ugly smirk still in place. 

Doshi's minions who tagged along were the only people laughing at his unsavoury jokes. The rest of them looked at them with a look of displeasure and irritation.

"I know why you are here Doshi. I also know what you are trying to do. You want a reaction from me, if not a fight, so that you can whine and weep in front of your equally clueless followers, on the harassments you suffered in the hands of the commies. How long will you cash on me? I've never seen you even hang a poster on the wall. Rather than hurling tactless comments at me, perhaps you should consider writing your own speeches, instead of having them penned for you." Arnav responded firmly.

"Not everyone can be a born poet, Arnav. When I can buy meaningless words to hoodwink losers like you, why should I rack my brains?" replied Akash smugly.

"Spoken like the privileged ass that you are! It's a pity that the likes of you are ruling the country."

"Oh! look who is playing the minority card. But I am pretty secular, bro. Assalamualaikkum!" Akash bent in mock respect.

"Leave Doshi!" Arnav's voice grew ominously low.

"Is this your Ammi's Mehr that you are asking me to leave?" sneered Akash taking a step closer to Arnav, only to be pushed with a force that sent him reeling.

What started as a minor scuffle quickly grew into a chaotic melee, with fists flying and bodies colliding.

Aman didn't bother to stop his vehicle; instead, he leapt out of it with the engine still revving and sprinted toward one of Doshi's henchmen, clutching a hockey stick.

The fight continued for several minutes, with participants on both sides engaging in aggressive and physical clashes. Some students were restrained by their friends, while others joined the fray. Amid the chaos, banners were torn, slogans drowned in the commotion, and the pristine campus square became a scene of turmoil. Campus security and concerned onlookers rushed to the scene, attempting to restore order and separate the students. The sound of sirens in the distance signalled the arrival of police, alerting the students in the brawl. They scrambled in all directions to evade getting caught. The students tripped over each other, bumped into obstacles, and stumbled in their haste to flee. 

Arnav, Aman and Azaan dashed towards the nearest building with two policemen in tow. Azaan's  injured leg, a causality of the earlier fight was slowing them down as they desperately sought refuge under the stairwell. Arnav knew that he had to act quickly if he wanted to keep his younger cousin out of the mess he had no hand in. 

As footsteps approached them and the urgency of their situation became increasingly palpable, Arnav made a split-second decision. He bolted out of their hiding spot, drawing the attention of the pursuing officers, who pivoted and gave chase.

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2 AM, Library

It was one of those days when Khushi Gupta sat with a 'problem,' an equation she could not remove herself from, no matter how much she wished to. She glared at the figures on paper for ten minutes straight as if  harsh parenting would render a quick solution. 

Khushi looked around to find herself alone in the reading room. Where are the PhD scholars who practically live here? She wondered. Usually, she spotted at least two of them in here at odd hours.

Khushi unplugged her charger and started gathering her belongings, preparing to leave the room. Just as she was walking toward the exit, a man suddenly burst into the room from the opposite side, swiftly shutting the door and turning off the lights. Startled, Khushi's grip on her water bottle weakened, and she attempted to scream, but her voice felt trapped in her throat. 

Realizing that he was not alone, Arnav turned to the lady behind him who was bathed in darkness as he was. Recognizing how unsafe and scary this might look from her perspective, he gently approached her to alleviate her fears and to explain his presence. 

All at once, they heard the thudding footsteps and the harsh metallic thumps of clubs striking the doors. The tension was unbearable, and the shriek Khushi had been suppressing burst forth from her lips. Arnav reacted swiftly, moving toward her to cover her mouth with his right hand, while his left arm cradled the back of her head.

"Shhhhh....." whispered Arnav urgently, his eyes locked with the stricken gaze of the woman before him. "Relax. Relax. Relax" he mumbled soothingly, and slowly released her from his grip. As he stepped back, a ray of light from a nearby glass window fell upon their faces, revealing each other's identities to one another.

"Arnav?!"

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Thank you for reading.

Do let me know your thoughts on the chapter.

Next update is gonna be the first of many arshilicious interactions ;) 

Stay tuned.

Love,

Dorothea