"Hi!" Her voice was softer than earlier. "I'm Sambhavi,you can call me Sam."
I was mesmerized by the way she dealt with Ajay, I could never even dare to do that. She was more than 5.5 ft, she wore a black wide-leg jeans with a white over-sized t-shirt tucked in in an unclean manner. She wore a black baseball cap which elevated her style.
"Hi Sambhavi! I'm Vani. Thanks for your help, I would have been really embarassed if you didn't intervene. I really appreciate your help." I meant my words.
"I'm sure you were embarassed enough before I came to your rescue." And she laughed.
She teased me but somehow she made me feel at ease. The others were still at their seats after enjoying the drama, their eyes were on me and Sambhavi, I guessed they wondered what we were talking about. They were gosipping, most probably about me. Sambhavi caught me glancing at them, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the classroom.
"It's your first day, right? Howcome you joined late?"
"Umm, I used to live in Nainital with my grandma and uncle and aunt. My uncle and aunt celebrated their 25th marriage anniversary on Saturday, they didn't let me come here earlier because they knew I won't be able to make it once I'm here." I clarified.
"You had that function on Saturday and you came back yesterday and today you're here at college. Wow!" She laughed. "You sure know how to make things difficult for yourself! Did you even get any sleep?"
"Not really! I reached home in the evening and I was dead tired but couldn't sleep as I was nervous for today." I tend to get nervous and panicked whenever I need to go somewhere new.
"Huh, I feel you! So your family lives here?"
"Yeah! My mother and two younger siblings. My father passed away of an illness when I was 14."
"Sorry to hear that. Why did you live in Nainital, then?"
I sighed, "You can say, because my mother was embarrassed of me. I told my bestfriend that I liked girls and she told everyone, the news spread throughout the school and I was sent to Nainital to save her face in the society. I completed my school and graduation there."
"Then why did you come back?"
"My grandma passed away last year. My uncle and aunt loved me but I didn't wanna stay there anymore,I guess I missed my grandma there. I applied for DAV quite late without telling anyone. I somehow convinced my mother and came back."
"You sure have a difficult life however it's good that you're here," she sighed, "How's your relationship with your mother? Is she OK with your sexual orientation?"
"If she was Ok, I'd not need to convince her to come back, she would have been ready at once."
"What about your uncle and aunt?"
"They don't know anything."
She nodded her head, ever since that incident five years ago, I could not make friends or get comfortable with anyone. My best friend betrayed my trust and so I never could believe in friendship again.
"Why were you in the class earlier?" I was curious.
"Because I'm your classmate, dude " She giggled.
"You were not present in the first class, so I," she cut me in the middle, "I got stuck in the traffic. I wish I hadn't, that bastard would not have insulted you like that." There was anger in her voice.
"Why do you hate him so much?"
"Why do I hate him? He deserves to be hated. He thinks he's the boss, always bosses around people, walks with that shitty attitude, fucking loser. He bullies people who are weaker than him. If I was allowed to kill one, it'd be him for sure." She made me laugh out loud.
"Wait," I suddenly remembered, "Don't we have other classes?"
"Fuck them, let's go. I'll show you around!" I followed her.
I was tired after walking for so long. "Let's eat something, I didn't even have my breakfast."
"Are you? OK, even I skipped my breakfast. Let's go!"
She took a mouthful of her cheese sandwich."I craved it since morning, this is the yummiest you'll find here."
I took a bite from mine and as she said, it was scrumptious. The cheese melted in my mouth and the chewable veggies enhanced the taste. Both of us were starving so we didn't utter a single word for the next 15 minutes, all we did was 'satisfying our taste buds'.
"Let it be my treat, you can pay next time." We were at the billing counter and she insisted on paying but I wanted to pay as in to say thank you for her help.
"Vani, friends help each other, it's not even a big deal. You don't need to pay the bill just because I helped you. And, as I said, pay the next one. I ate too little today, next time I'll fast myself for 2 meals, then eat a banquet and I'll ask you to pay. OK?" She had a good sense of humour which I lacked completely.
"Tell me about your family." I was curious about what kind of environment she was brought up in that she turned out to be a queen like this.
She smiled first and then said, "I don't have a family. My mother died while giving me birth. My father had already abandoned us, so I grew up in an orphanage my mother used to work at. I moved out of there as soon as I passed school. Life in the orphanage was good, it was like a family but I, as a person, am challenging. I didn't want to be stuck in a safe and secure environment, I desired to explore the world. I craved to exist in the real world outside that small campus."
She had a proud smile on her face and realized she, too, had problems. I became her fan, I had never ever met anyone cooler than her. She was a total opposite of me and I, lowkey, longed to be like her.
"Umm," I diverted the direction of our conversation, "Earlier, you said 'friends help each other'. Are we already friends?
She looked at me with a suspicious gaze. "Are you into me? Don't tell me you fell in love with me and wanna be more than friends!" she almost screamed.
I was taken aback. "No! No! I didn't mean to say that.
Oh I'm sorry! I'm sorry if you," I was mid talking but she started laughing hysterically.
"Girl, I was just kidding!" and she continued laughing, holding her stomach with her hands.
"We just met and don't know each other well so I just,"
"How can you even say that we don't know each other? Did you ever tell all this to anyone else? Did you ever eat a sandwich at the college canteen with someone else?" she asked with a pouty face.
I shook my head in a 'No'.
"Vani, let's be friends." she extended her left hand.
"Are you left-handed?"
"Yes!" she stressed on the 's'. She was about to take her hand back and stretch the right one when I reached out for it and shook it.
"You don't need to!" I smiled.
I was glad to have met someone like her. She neither judged me nor questioned me and accepted me for who I was.
YOU ARE READING
YOU ARE MY 'SOULMATE'
Ficțiune generalăBeing timid and reserved, she had no friends; things were not always like this though, but they seemed to change when she attended her first class at her new college but her past followed her like a shadow and shattered her innocent soul. That's...
