LOVE CURRICULUM : A Professional Affair

|2| Smiles

• Abir •

I got ready in a bit and settled into my car, driving towards the school. We needed to reach quickly today to collect all the information about the students taking their entrance exams.

Upon reaching the administrator's office, I went to the classroom I was assigned to. I saw Mishti already sitting there, chatting with someone. It was still early, and the students were currently doing their biometrics. I walked in with a folder of documents and our ID cards in my hands. She looked at me and smiled.

"Good morning, Abir sir."

"Morning, Mishti ma'am," I replied, placing the folder on the desk and settling onto the chair next to her. I handed her her ID card as she wore it around her neck, and I did the same.

She smiled at me and said, "I brought Fevicol and scissors since we might need them to paste the photographs."

"Yes, of course. Give me the sheet, and I'll fill it out quickly."

She handed me the sheet, and her scent comforted me as I inhaled that vanilla fragrance. My god. Lipgloss shined on her lips, and she was wearing a lovely kurta set.

She stepped out to grab water bottles for both of us. I guess she's not comfortable with me. When she came back, she handed me a water bottle and drank hers while I looked at her adoringly. I don't know what's happening to me.

Main pagal ho chuka hoon.

Soon enough, the students came in, and we started our work. Mishti pasted the photographs while I double-checked student identities. We were done checking and seating them when the answer and question sheets arrived. Mishti tore open the packet while I signed all the necessary documents. She handed me the question papers and asked me to distribute them. Our fingers touched, and I looked at her face, but she instantly looked away, realizing the place we were in.

She moved first to distribute the answer sheets, while I followed her with the question papers. After about ten minutes of students filling in their details and us double-checking them, their exam time started. We both settled down at our seats. She looked at everyone while I looked down to see the pattern of her suit. She chuckled, bringing a smile to my lips.

"Has kyun rahi hain aap?"

"Aap itne bore ho gaye ki ab suit ke patterns dekh rahe hain."

"Ji, bilkul. Bohot boring hai ye sab. I don't know why they are even giving entrance exams right after clearing their boards."

"I know, right? Tough for them," she said, smiling.

Her smile lit up the room, and for a moment, all the tediousness of the task vanished.

As the exam time drew to a close, Mishti and I got up from our seats to collect the answer sheets. She moved gracefully between the rows, collecting the sheets with ease, while I followed suit on the other side of the room.

"Alright, everyone," I said, raising my voice slightly to get the students' attention. "Please pass your answer sheets to the front."

Mishti and I met in the middle, our hands brushing briefly as we took the collected sheets from the front desks. I couldn't help but smile at the touch.