AFTER YOU

CHAPTER IV: WITHOUT ANY REASON, I FALL FOR YOU.

"Bro! Come on!? You mean to say she came to you?" Abir asked, giving me a clumsy expression.

"Yes," I replied.

He shrugged. "Whatever! Lie everywhere." He stood up and approached the canteen's order area.

"I do not lie! Asshole." I said it while he was walking there.

"Whatever!" He laughed.

"Ass..." I murmured and grabbed my phone.

Suddenly there was a firm pat behind my head. "Ouch!" I said. I looked back and it was Shruti. "Oh, well! You, too, don't be an ass." I hugged her tightly. "How are you doing?"

"So far, so good. How about you?" She gave a smile.

"Well! Handsome!" I said. She gave a hearty laugh. Well! Yes, Shruti, she is Abir's girlfriend. The self claimed cute couples. They started dating from the school days when they were in ninth grade.

"So?" She raised her eyebrows.

"So!?" I replied, puzzled.

"How were things? Your vacation? Trip and all?"

"Trip!? What trip?"

"What trip?!" She appeared confused and concerned. "You, Abir, and friends went on the trip, right?"

"Me? Abir!?"

Just as she was about to respond, Abir smacked into the conversation. "What's happening?"

"Abir," she exclaimed angrily. "You guys went on the trip, exactly right?" Abir looked at me. His face became paler and red. I could read his face; he was asking for help. To lie about a trip in which I did not take part. His expression indicated that he was on his knees, begging with me for help.
I cleared my throat. "Oh! Yes, that trip!" I pointed my finger at the air. Abir looked relieved. "Goa was all fun." Abir spit all the water out of his mouth.

"Goa!? But you all went to Shim..."

Before she could finish, Abir abruptly interrupted with a cracked voice and said, "Yes, yes, baby! Of course, we went to Shimla."

Just as he was about to tell more lies. She angrily grabbed his hand, "You aren't lying, right? You better not. Last time when you did you know the consequences."

Now there's nothing else left to say Abir gave me a death stare and sat down, playing the victim card after failing to persuade me. He, now a concerned and responsible boyfriend, began creating fake narrative about the trip and manipulating Shruti, as my friend is an expert at gaslighting.
It was something he did every day. I am tired of watching this drama on a daily basis. I put my headphones on to avoid the drama. As I listened to songs, I had flashbacks to the beautiful girl, whose name was Diksha, her beautiful eyes, and everything about her was perfect. I was listening to a song when I heard Abir say, "Beautiful!" to my back. When I turned around, it was the same girl; just as I was about to turn around, our gazes met, and she raised her eyebrows and waved her hand. I turned around. My heart rate accelerated.

"Is she approaching us?" Shruti looked at me and spoke. "Do you know her?"

I said nothing. "Hey!" She was here. "Can I join you guys?"

"Why not?!" Abir said. Shruti punched him hard in the stomach. "Ouch! C'mon, baby! We should be friendly to everyone."

Shruti gritted her teeth and replied, "Hello! I am Shruti. Do you and Abhinash know each other?"

"Hello, Diksha here." She smiled. "We met earlier. Actually, I am a newcomer here, but Abhinash helped me find my class." She said this while looking at me.

"Geez!" Abir exclaimed, resulting in a punch from Shruti again.

"Strange! Abhinash's helping girls." Shruti murmured. "Abhinash!?" Shruti called me. "Are you there?"

"Ya, ya," I stammered. "Please! Have a seat." I pulled out the chair.

"Thank you!" She smiled.

Shruti pointed to Abir and said, "So, Diksha, meet Abir." Abir, a wannabe cool guy, winked at her and raised his fingers in gesture.

"All right! Are you guys placing an order?" Diksha asked, ignoring Abir perfectly.

"Well! Yeah," I replied. "How about you? Should I order something?"

"It is fine; I did that."

"Oh! Okay," I said, smiling.

She gave a smile. Damn gorgeous and wonderful, I thought. The light in her eyes reflects the beauty. No amount of darkness could hide it. Remembering me with one of my prose, I wrote:

As the sun sets, you light up my world.
You turn into moonlight, and my entire path comes through.
I look at you so often,
Without any reason I find myself drawn to you.