Love in micrometer

~ THE METRO GIRL ~

Agasthya

I made my way towards the microbiology lab, following Avi's directions. The crowd was thinning because of the lunch break. I saw a group of school children coming out of the lab very excited and happy. This brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart to see the kids getting an exposure towards science, something I as a student never got. There was a very fuzzy feeling in my stomach. I thought about all the things I ate today, which I narrowed in down to breakfast only. What is this feeling? I wondered. I experience this only when I have something big coming up. There is nothing less than life changing. Okay, that is an overstatement, but what I meant is it rarely happened.

I was excited as to what 'today' would bring along with it. I saw my students walking towards the canteen and I was happy to see them here. I hope that all these exhibits inspire them towards their liking. I tried calling Avi, but he was not taking the call. I stood at the door of the lab and saw Avi, who seemed to have seen a ghost. It was a very funny sight to see the talkative, hyperactive Avi in a corner silently. I was curious as to what made him seem that way.

"Avi", I called him. He jumped, and a bright smile bloomed on his face. I love seeing him like this. I hugged him and thanked him for inviting me. That is when I saw her. The bangle girl from the metro. This seemed like a conspiracy that the world was weaving against me. What are the odds? I hardly saw her thrice in the metro, only because I had to reach college early because of extra classes, and here I was remembering the colour of her bangles and her noticeable energy in the morning. I smiled, looking at her unknowingly.

Avi was very excited now,
"Priya and Siddhi, meet my best friend Agasthya", he said.

"WHAT?", they screamed together, catching me off guard.

The silence was very awkward. I had no idea how to respond. So, I just smiled at them. A man standing next to me forwarded his hand towards me and introduced himself.

"Hi, I am Shivamsha", he said.
"Agasthya, very nice to meet you", I shook his hand, and I swear I could feel his grip tighten, as if like a warning. I was overthinking, maybe.

I saw the girls still standing in shock staring at Avi, while Avi was looking at me smiling, and Shivamsha still gripping my fist, boring a hole into my life, probably. I was standing confused as to what was happening.