Love Takes Time {Completed} {#Wattys2017}

20. One Night Stand

                    It was annual break after sixth semester exams. Abhimanyu was watching TV with his sister sitting beside him as they waited for the guests to arrive for a party at their place. Their mom was there too, instructing the maids some last minute work.

Ria: So, who is the girl?

Abhimanyu: What girl? He asked confused.

Ria: Dad told you stayed in a five star resort. It showed in the transaction history of the joint account he has with you.

Abhimanyu: Oh, that! I went with my roommate, Yash.

When his mom heard this, she looked at him from where she was standing.

Ria: Oh, no! Dad told this to mom to make her happy and look what you did, you again made her sad. How is she now going to attend the guests happily? She teased him.

Mom: You know, Ria got a boyfriend.

Abhimanyu: So, what do I do? Good for her!

Abhimanyu gets up and goes to greet the first guest when many more start swarming in for the party.

                      Back to college and in a few days, third year toppers list was up on the notice board. It looked generally the same with Sunita(university topper) followed by Ram and Abhimanyu as the third year over all toppers. What shocked everyone was the name at the top in E&TC toppers list. Shanaya had topped E&TC in third year. Abhimanyu was pleasantly surprised. He felt very happy for her.

                   In Final Year, hostel rooms were shared by two instead of three and the toppers were offered their own rooms so that they could study better. Final year was very demanding with seminars and projects. Ram and Abhimanyu get their own rooms and Yash moves in a room with Rohit from his class. Shanaya shifts into a single room while her roommates Bela and Priyanka continue to share their old room.

                Third year E&TC plans a camping and trekking trip to Munnar for their class. Thirty students opt to go including Yash and Shanaya. They made arrangements with Vishwa tours to provide tents, meals and a guide. The travel company gave them a good concession because of their strength. On Saturday afternoon, they gathered at Alleppey bus stop to take a direct KSRTC bus to Munnar at 2 pm. Shanaya and Abhimanyu were shocked to see each other. Shanaya , because Abhimanyu and Ram were not in her class. She kept control on her emotions and didn't allow her heart go haywire at his sight. She completely ignored him as if he didn't exist. Abhimanyu wasn't expecting her because he thought she wouldn't be into adventure. She wasn't but she thought it was her only chance to go on a trip with her class and she didn't want to miss it. Rohit, who arranged the trip allowed Yash to bring his ex-roommates since he too was friends with them. Ram was happy that his friends finally planned a trip at the beginning of semester unlike around pretests.

               Girls sat in the front rows of bus and boys in the the back seats of the bus. After seven hours drive through sprawling tea plantations, picture-book towns, winding lanes they reached Munnar. From there, the travel agent took them to the camping site lit by electricity generated by micro turbine. The tents were already erect with campfire in center. It was very cold in night, so they sat around campfire eating dinner served by the agent, and played antakshari for sometime before going to sleep in their tents which were shared by two.

                 Shanaya woke up and came out of her tent to find no one. Everyone lay asleep as it was cold and misty outside. She shivered a little and then sat on a stump seat near the extinguished campfire, soaking the beautiful view of sun rays peeking from behind the hills with chirpy birds lending music to it.