When starts align

Part 10

Karthik was engrossed in his sessions until he was distracted by a ping on his phone. If it were anyone else he would have just gone back to focusing to his lecture but this was not anyone, it was Tara.

"Nee enaku ... special", he had confessed and the twinkle in her eyes were still fresh.

"Good Morning Karthik! Na ok. Neenga? :-)", he read the text over and over again and for some reason he could imagine how she would sound if she said that to him in person.

Her lips would curve into a shy smile making her cheeks a beautiful shade of pink. Her eyes would struggle to make eye contact with his. Her fingers would play with her curls. Her delicate voice would put him in a state of trance.

Its been exactly 13 hours and 38 minutes since he last saw her. Yes he knew the minute that he had left her home after a dinner that he would never forget. He never thought that someone could make him feel so special. He had all her attention and he loved every bit of it.

Those glances that she sneaked. Being a reflection in her eyes was something he could never describe in words. It was ecstatic.

Texting just did not make sense. He wanted to see her. Be with her. Hold her hands.

"Ennada lover madri feel panra", his mind mocked.

"Unaku adhu sonna puriyaadhu... anubhavicha dan puriyum", his heart replied.

"Ennalam kadha udran da... orey nal la ipdi aitiye pangu", he was truly confused by how quick she had invaded his whole being.

The next 45 minutes were complete torture. For him to wait until the session was over felt like years.

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"Na sathyama solren... You sound like heaven. I still cannot believe that I am not dreaming. Semmaya padna", Aakash truly was touched by her voice, the way she had sung, the conviction she had towards her craft, the passion that gleamed through.

When it came to music, he was always honest.

"Thank you", she was moved by his appreciation but she was not sure why Vasisht had her perform to him and Ritesh.

Maybe they were part of the Culturals team as well but that did not add up because Keerthana never mentioned that there were more people.

The confused expression on her face was more than evident.

"Aakash leads our music band and they are one of the best in the country. The Best in my opinion. I assumed that you know this because you guys knew each other", Vasisht explained.

"Soli mudinjuchu", Ritesh inaudibly into Aakash's ears.

"Adhu dan eppovo therinjurche... manage panuvom", he answered back in a low tone.

If she had gotten to know this yesterday, maybe she would have been shocked but today she just was indifferent.

She knew him for less than 48 hours. He wasn't her friend by any means. He tried to be a friendly face to a fresher just like every senior she had met on campus including Keerthana and Vasisht.

Yes she somehow had felt really easy to connect with him but he saw her as yet another fresher which was not completely unexpected.

Aakash could not help but notice that.

"Oh. That's great to know", she mumbled under her breath with a cordial smile that further frustrated him.

The conversation went on for a few minutes and then Ritesh asked for their tickets to the fest which Mithun handed over.