One Last Time

Chapter 1 - The beginning of the end

It was almost 5.a.m. but I still haven't been able to catch a wink. Finally, I gave up and went to the balcony and as expected I found my best friend, standing at the adjacent balcony. We waved at each other and started playing Quiz Up. I won all the three matches we played after which, as if on cue, both our moms screamed out our names.

"Trisha!!" My mom screamed again as I ran into my room to change and to complete the usual school morning routine. Great! Now I feel sleepy. I washed my face repeatedly and finally barged out of my room, completely ready. 10 minutes later, I reached the bus stop and ran to hug my best friend, Jahnvi. "I won again babe!" I teased her again. "You always choose 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S.' as the topic! Try Percy for a change, let's see you win that!" She retorted.

I agree. I suck at Percy quizzes. I loved the books and the movies, I agree its a classic example of literature but it always slips through my mind! A little shocking seeing as to how I have always been called the Bookworm! Yes, I am Trisha Sharma, unnecessarily tall, hair a mixed brown and black and a milk chocolate complexion.

I grew up into a world full of castles and princesses with golden hair, courtesy to my mom who loves Disney movies. Disney is unfair to brown girls, it raised our expectations to such a height that we (read I) will settle for nothing less than Prince Charming.

Our bus or the Wall as we call it came rattling by. The name Wall is due to the graffiti all over its sides. Just as the bus startes moving, we heard someone screaming and all of us turned around to see a boy running after. He stepped into the bus and Jahnvi started nudging me to look up.

I looked up to see the cutest guy I had ever seen. I adjusted my specs and rubbed my eyes but he still looked the same! "Oh woah." I said. He turned to look at me and smiled. "He is looking right at you!" Jahnvi whispered urgently. "I know." I said, my voice all panicky.

"And yet, you are still staring at him!"

I looked down in a haste and cursed myself for the impeccable display of control. I could still feel his gaze as we got down. Jahnvi and I walked to our class and I struggled to curb the urge to turn and look at him again. Soon, we both entered our class and I noticed his presence behind me.

I finally turned around to see him smiling right at mw. "Hey." He said. I froze like a deer in front of headlights. His voice washed over me like warm honey. I mustered up the courage to squeak, "Hello."

"Its nice to know I am acquainted with someone in the new class."

I smiled and said, "I am sure you'll find everyone here worthy of your attention."

"Am I worth yours?" He asked and I could feel myself blush.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." I said and walked into the class. Jahnvi was sitting at our usual place and the moment I sat down she started pestering me for details. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"We just met! He flaunted a pick up line, I responded with witty remarks. That's it." I said.

"Oh cmon! Look at him! He's so cute!"

"Yes, that he is but I don't know him Jahnvi!"

Just then I heard someone say, "Anyone I know?" And we both turned around to see that he had taken up the seat right behind us.

Jahnvi nudged me but I just said, "Maybe."

"The name's Arnav Oberoi and yours?"

"Trisha." I replied.

"And your friend's?"

"Jahnvi... Arora." She said. He smiled at her and turned back to me. "So.." he began but then our class teacher entered and everyone shuffled back to their seats.

The teacher began scribbling some basic formulae on the board and I could see her lips moving but I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying, no matter how hard I tried, because of a certain Mr. Oberoi who kept telling me how he would have been the one to discover gravity if he had been born in the right era.

"...and 'Eureka' I would scream and run out with.. Well.. Nothing." He finished finally.

"That wasn't Newton."

"It would've certainly been me."

"How would you discover gravity in your bathtub?"

"Mug of water sweetie. The water falls on me when I pour it, not away. Why? Gravity!"

I rolled my eyes and went back to trying to concentrate but the honey voice kept pushing me into daydreams. Daydreams of a Sunday picnic with him, a night out under the stars, of long talks on the phone... And almost as if he read my mind, he whispered. "I know we just met but I need to tell you, there's something wrong with my phone."

"What?"

"It doesn't have your number in it. Help me fix it?"

"Na. I don't think so." I replied though I was dying to say yes. Jahnvi did a face palm and looked at me in surprise. "What are you doing?" She asked angrily. "What? I don't want him to think that I am desperate!" I replied.

She shrugged and we both looked back to the board. Before the next teacher arrived Arnav asked me if I could show him around. I thought for a moment and finally realized that nothing bad could come out of it. I would just be a student showing a new student around. "Okay." I said.

"So.. Um.. Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.

"Why is that always the first question everyone asks? Too personal and kind of shallow." I said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you would get so..."

"Still... No I don't. I prefer in having an identity first before I attach it to someone else's."

"You do realize that even if you don't put in this mean exterior, I won't think you are desperate. I know I am not a guy girls fall for." He said and as I looked into his blue eyes, I felt that just maybe he wasn't lying. Not a guy girls fall for? Ya right!

"I don't put on a mask, I am rude."

"I don't think so." He said and the next teacher entered the class and Arnav didn't say a word the entire period, at least not to me. The girls sitting in the next row kept talking to him and he did too and for some reason, I didn't like it.