Hope to Love

Chapter 15 - Fuck Up!

Abhimanyu

"Hey, Chubbs," I call her. She turns and looks at me in confusion, "Are you sure about the boyfriend thing?"

"What?" she asks, but slowly smiles and chuckles at my words.

I am quite proud of her. She can smile even after everything that has happened.

And just like that, making her smile becomes my utmost priority. Her smile is the most precious thing in this world.

"I thought you liked Rudra?" I ask her. To be sure.

"No. I don't." She looks horrified by the thought.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. 100% sure." She nods rapidly. She mutters something coherent like 'all yours'.

"Okay." I shrug and start walking.

She quickly joins me. "He is really a good friend, but not in a boyfriend sort of way. I promise. You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay." I keep walking slowly, "What about Shaurya?"

"No. He is my best friend." She frowns.

"Any other boy I need to know about?"

It is the best way to start with her. Directly discussing her family to extract information about her will be an impossible task.

Obviously, this is convenient for me to get to know her more. Especially, her dating history.

She stares at me, narrowing her eyes. Then, finally deciding something, she shakes her head and asks, "Does a childhood boyfriend count?" She asks, her voice almost a whisper.

That stuns me, and I turn to face her.

She is worrying her lower lip, looking damn innocent.

"What age are we talking about?"

"Maybe ten or eleven." She answers and quickly continues, "we were bench partners and had recently discovered the boyfriend, girlfriend concept. He asked me, and because he helped me with drawing and studies and didn't call me fat, I said yes. But the next year our places changed and he made new friends, and Shaurya joined Mihika and me. So, no other boy became my friend after that. I swear."

This girl never ceases to surprise me. Right when I think, Yeah, I got her figured, she'll reveal yet another side of her.

Leaving me dumbfounded.

Her confession makes me lose my shit, making me laugh so hard, my stomach hurt.

"What the hell is going on with you two?" Mihika's voice comes through.

I glance around, and everyone is outside the canteen.

"I thought you might have killed her." Chirag says.

"Actually, for a second, even I thought that." Sneha adds.

"Are you okay, Avni?" Shaurya asks from his place. All thanks to Sneha for holding his hand.

"Yes." Chubbs says with a frown.

"What happened?" Nirvaan asks her.

"He asked me about boys." My dumbo answers honestly.

"What?" Mihika squeals and starts laughing. "I thought it was about... Never mind."

"What about boys?" Rudra raises his eyebrow.

"Nothing. Let's go." I say, smiling at her.

"No." Nirvaan is rather amused by the scene, "Fire, tell us what happened."