The Perfect Photo

Chapter 11

Tuesday night.

I was back in my hostel room after class. It was 9:30 PM and I was wondering whether I should be setting his picture as my wallpaper. Sounds incredibly cheesy but that was what was going through my mind. Till I was in class, I had something to keep me occupied and hence I had no thoughts of Pritam. But once I got back to my room the thoughts and confusions came back to me like a swarm of bees rushing back to their honeycomb.

I kept staring at that profile pic deciding if I should save it to my desktop. I had to shut this thing off and focus on my assignments. I haven't been working on them for a few days now.

Bing, sounded my phone and laptop together. I had received a message on my messenger. It was from Pritam.

'Hope you are back to your hostel. Thanks for your help yesterday. Just wanted to make sure, Will there be any more trouble?', it read.

My plans to start studying is now effectively spoiled.I pulled my laptop closer. My heart began to beat a bit faster as I started to type.

'Nope, you are not going to. If anything new develops just let me know, I'll take care of it', I said feeling heroic.

'I didn't know you were powerful in the college.'

Even I didn't know till then, and I wished he never had to find that out. I replied back with a tongue out smiley :P.

"Already ?", asked Neha from her bed.

"How did you know ?"

"I can see your face by the way. You are lit up like a Christmas tree."

I tilted my laptop screen a little towards me to see my reflection on the screen. I was indeed gleaming from end to end. I pushed the screen back to its original position.

'Let me know if there is anything I can do to thank you. I am in your debt', he had said.

Ah!!! A window of opportunity, I thought. If I play my cards right, I can probably manage to see him a few more times, spend a few more hours together. Maybe enough time for him to see something in me which he might like

I typed back. 'Yes, this is no ordinary thing that I have done for you. You can't get away doing one single thing and go about thinking that the debt has been repaid. You should ideally do multiple small favors till I feel that you have completely expressed your gratitude.'

I didn't get a response back for a while. I thought I might have crossed a line there asking him for something like that. The reply came. 'Don't you think what you are asking for can also be classified as ragging ?'

'Well, not if I just planted a seed in your brain and you do everything else of your own', I replied thankfully that my words were not misconstrued.

'Nice justification. If it is going to be many such small things, then I guess I'll start with one right away.'

Right away? Is he standing outside my door ready to surprise me? Foolish thinking, how can he get inside the girl's hostel.

'What can you do right now ?', I typed.

He forwarded me a link to a YouTube video. 'This is a video gone viral, and I would like to extend my first thank you by sharing it with you.'

The video title read PPAP. I opened it and saw the video having close to 180 million views. The video buffered on my laptop screen. 400 girls using a shared internet line does have its downsides. I wondered what this video had which has gotten him interested that he wanted to share it with me.

After a couple of seconds, it started playing, and I was not sure what I was seeing. It was a weird looking Asian guy dancing awkwardly and singing something stupid which went like this,

'I have a pen; I have an apple
Uh! Apple-Pen!

I have a pen; I have pineapple

Uh! Pineapple-Pen!

Apple-Pen, Pineapple-Pen

Uh! Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen

Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen'

I had a dafuq moment. How could he watch something so stupid and also share with me? Probably the worst 50 seconds of my life thus far.

'What the hell was that ?' I asked. 'I have never seen something so stupid in my life.'

'I know, and that has procured so many views. I guess even we should start doing such videos and maybe end up being YouTube sensations', he said

'I have an Asha,

Someone made her angry,

ugg hh hh...

Burnt to ashes..'

He was trying to be witty I guess. 'He he he. Btw, my name is Harsha and not Asha'

'Yeah, I know. But somehow the name Harsha doesn't sound as good. Asha seems better. You should consider changing your name. That would be my second gift for you.'

'I have a Pritam,
I have a fist,

Ugggghhh....,

Broken jaw.'

'I'm sorry if I have angered you', he replied. 'If you are free tomorrow, come by my classroom in the evening, and I can give it to you as a token of thanks.'

'Awesome!!! When do your classes get over?', I wondered if I was showing my excitement way too much.

'Around 3:30 in the evening.'

'Will see you then.'

'Cool. Till then, Have a great day.'

'You too... :)', I finished and closed the window,

That was a nice start, I felt. I get to meet him again.

"Neha", I called her.

"What now?", She asked lazily.

"We might have to go back to the first-year campus again tomorrow."

She sat up straight on the bed and gave me a sharp look. I turned the other way to avoid her see me blush awkwardly. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what is in store for tomorrow.