My Ex - Crush

Episode 3

Deepika's POV:

I silently placed my phone back into my bag. Nobody would ever think Arjun could be the one! How could someone so easygoing score the same as me? I had completely misjudged him. What a fool I had been!

Meera and Lavanya were still chattering about who could have matched my score, but they eventually gave up. One by one, students began entering the classroom. I bent down to retrieve my scale from my desk storage, but to my surprise, it was empty. I checked again, my heart sinking as I realized my T-scale was missing. Panic started to creep in.

"What happened?" Meera asked, noticing my distress.

"My T-scale is missing," I said, quickly glancing over my storage compartment again. "I left it here, I swear!"

"Let’s search for it together," Meera offered, and soon Lavanya joined in too.

I started pacing around the classroom, checking every nook and cranny. Meera and Lavanya were doing the same, but there was no sign of my T-scale. My anxiety spiked as the minutes ticked by. I needed the scale for drafting in the next class. If I didn’t have it, I’d be in serious trouble.

Just as I reached the last row, Arjun walked in.

"What are you searching for?" he asked, curious.

"My T-scale," I replied, my voice filled with nerves. "I usually leave it at my drafting table, but now it’s gone, and I have no idea how."

"Calm down," he said in a steady voice, his usual confidence strangely reassuring.

But how could I calm down? The Building Construction professor was infamous for being strict, and if I didn’t have my scale, I’d surely get kicked out. I could feel sweat trickling down my back. No one would lend me theirs because everyone needed their own. I was completely stuck.

"Here, hold this!" Arjun said suddenly, thrusting his T-scale into my hands before running out of the classroom.

I barely had time to process what had happened. Where was he going? There were only a few minutes left before Shrini Sir, our professor, would walk in. I glanced nervously at the door. Arjun wasn’t back yet, and the professor was known for locking the door once class began.

Just as I was about to call Arjun, the professor entered.

"Everyone, move to your drafting tables!" he barked.

The classroom went dead silent, and we all scrambled to our places. My eyes kept darting toward the door. Arjun still wasn’t back. For helping me, he was about to get into trouble, and I couldn’t stop the guilt from gnawing at me.

The professor began taking attendance, and still, no sign of Arjun. My heart sank when his name came up, but then, in the nick of time, Arjun ran in, breathless and holding another T-scale. He looked like he had sprinted up two floors.

"May I come in, Sir?" he asked, panting.

"No, you may not," Shrini Sir replied, not even looking up. He continued with the attendance as Arjun stood outside the door, drenched in sweat.

After finishing the attendance, Sir turned to Arjun, his expression stern. "You’re just in your first semester, and you already have no discipline! Always late for submissions, never taking anything seriously! What kind of architect will you become?" he shouted.

I stood up shakily, ready to take the blame, but Arjun shot me a quick glance and shook his head. His silent gesture told me to sit down, but my guilt was overwhelming.

"Sorry, Sir," Arjun muttered.

"You need to learn a lesson today! You may not enter my class. You can either stand here or roam around the campus like you were before I arrived," Sir said before turning back to the blackboard.