My Ex - Crush

Episode 31

Deepika’s POV:

Here we go again.

This idiot Rahul...

It hasn’t been ten minutes since he arrived, and he’s already tried to sneak a peek at Joshitha’s neckline six times whenever she bends toward her notes.

He has been trying to flirt with every girl here and throw double meaning jokes amongst boys. Urgh, my friends were never this distracted in our group studies.

I bit my lip, trying to keep my focus on explaining the process of mixing cement, water, and sand, but Rahul was making it impossible to concentrate.

Arjun and Vinoth sat opposite me in the group, and we were gathered in the portico’s shade, going over the syllabus for the structures exam. I had no idea who invited Rahul, but I regretted it.

“Hey, why do we add in extra water?” Lavanya asked me, thankfully distracting me from my irritation.

“So, in the mortar, we have aggregates like sand and stone. When we add water to the mixture, they tend to absorb some of it, so we need to add extra to achieve the right cement-water ratio,” I explained.

“Got it,” Sanjay nodded, satisfied.

Rahul chuckled, and I could feel my blood boiling. I gave him a sharp look, trying to signal that this wasn’t the time for his nonsense.

“Excuse me, but what you said just now is so wrong,” Rahul said, barely suppressing his laughter.

Manoj gave him a light slap on the back, but Rahul only stifled his smile.

“Where was I wrong?” I asked, trying to stay calm. Arjun looked up, immediately sensing the tension.

“About the extra water. It makes no sense,” Rahul said, waving off my explanation like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard.

“Can you elaborate on your doubt?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

“See, we all know the story of the thirsty crow. When the crow threw stones in the narrow pot, the water came up. So, basically, the water didn’t get absorbed,” Rahul said, bursting into loud laughter.

“Yeah, then why the extra water?” Vinoth asked, confused.

“Deepika, don’t act like a know-it-all. Admit that you were wrong about the concept,” Rahul said, mocking me.

I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my anger in check.

“Shut up and just listen, Rahul,” Arjun said sharply, stepping in to defend me.

“Yeah, Deepika was right,” Meera added, glaring at Rahul.

“You guys are fools, just blindly following her like sheep—baah, baah, baah, stupid shepard, baaaaaaahhhhh” Rahul taunted, standing up.

That was the last straw.

I stood up too, my fists clenched.

“I’ve never met an obnoxious idiot like you in my entire life! And you compare the cement-water ratio to a crow story? Fine, let me explain some basic fluid dynamics to you. Any dry aggregate will absorb moisture from water, reducing the water level,” I said, grabbing my water bottle. I poured some water on the dry soil nearby, watching as it was quickly absorbed.

“See? Dry aggregates absorb water. And in your little story, where do you think your ‘intelligent’ crow picked up those stones from? A wet pond or dry land? Your childish crow story doesn’t apply here. Grow up! Idiot!” I snapped, crossing my arms.