Hope seared within me, "Really?" "Yeah. But perhaps it was a blush of anger, because you pushed me aside." I pouted. "Great." "I'm kidding." Priyanku laughed as she patted my back. "I also noticed that she looked kind of nervous around you. Might be a good sign, I'm not sure. All I know is that you don't repel her." "Thanks." I muttered dryly. "You're a good guy Om. My favourite brother." "Your only brother." I reminded her. She shrugged, "And you're not exactly ugly. Ew, can't believe I just said that." Her nose crinkled. "Again. Thank you." I deadpanned. "Pssst." Priyanku whispered. "What?" I murmured back at her. "That girl is staring at you." I turned my head. "Crap. Riddhima." I forgot about her.
"So I take it the date went well?" I asked as I twirled my pencil in-between my fingers. Rudr nodded excitedly, "We're going out to dinner tomorrow. Thanks so much again, Om for agreeing to that date back then." I just shrugged as I stared at the case study in front of me. I hated homework. "What about you and Riddhima?" I looked up and met his eyes, "I only went as a favour for you. I'm not interested in Riddhima." Rudr nodded, "I understand. It's just that she really seemed to like you, and since you're not really dating anyo-," I interrupted my friend, "Actually, there's someone I already like." Rudr's eyebrows shot up. "Who?" I shifted in my seat as I glanced down at my papers, "Someone." I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell Rudr, even though he was my best friend. "I won't pry." Rudr said as he continued to look at me. "You like her a lot." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Was I that obvious? I nodded as I rubbed my left temple. It had already been a week since I last spoke to Gauri. After our brief meeting in the ice cream parlour I had followed Priyanku's advice and backed off. I now only saw several glimpses of Gauri in class. God, I missed her. At least when I was still hovering around her I had opportunities to hear her lovely voice. "You'll figure something out." Rudr said encouragingly. "Thanks." I muttered.
That was it. It had been two full weeks since I had last spoken to Gauri Kumari Sharma and I was seriously suffering from withdrawal. Even though I had backed off completely, I often found myself following her around from a distance and just staring at her like a total creepo. Thank God she hadn't realized or I had a full restraining order on my hands. I couldn't take this anymore. I had to talk to her, I had to do something. Should I tell her how I feel? After classes ended for the day I spotted her standing outside on campus all by herself.
This is it, Om. I prepared myself mentally. Go up to her and talk. "Hey." I said as I neared her. Gauri turned around at the sound of my voice and her eyes widened in surprise. "H-hi. Om." My heart fluttered. She knew my name. She was aware of the fact that I existed! She knew my name! "How are you?" I managed to ask her despite my giddiness. "Good." She gave me a small nod as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ears. God, what I wouldn't give to be able to run my hand through her silky hair. Easy Om, entering creepy territory here, I reminded myself. "You?" She asked me softly. She was so beautiful. Her dark brown eyes, her fair complexion, her cute nose, the faint blush on her cheeks… and her lips…I couldn't tear my gaze away from her pink full lips. "Are you okay?" She asked, pulling me from my trance. I blinked several times and tried to compose myself. I ran a hand nonchalantly through my shoulder-length hair and hoped that she hadn't realized what I was thinking of just seconds before. "Sorry." I said as I smiled at her shyly. "I'm good." I was doing very well now I was finally able to speak to her again. She raised one of her eyebrows but didn't say anything. "Wait. Where are you going?" I asked as she turned away. Anxiety swept over me. I couldn't let her leave just yet. I hadn't even told her what I was doing here. I wasn't even sure what I was doing here. Was I going to confess right now? Would she run away from me if I did? She looked back at me as she slightly bit her bottom lip, "I have to go. Mukesh is waiting for me." My eyes narrowed.
"You're hanging out with him? Mukesh's a jerk." Mukesh was probably the biggest jerk of our class. Scratch that, he was probably the biggest jerk on campus. She nervously grabbed the strap of her bag, "I need to give him something." "Do you like him?" I blurted out. She probably thought it was none of my business, but I really had to know even if I was afraid of hearing the answer. Was she going to give him a love letter in which she confessed her deep feelings for him? She shot me a surprised look, "What? No…," "Then why…?" I trailed off, confused. Why was she meeting up with Mukesh if she didn't like him? But I couldn't ignore the relief that surged through me as she said that she wasn't interested in him. "Richa asked me for a favour." She muttered. To her credit she didn't seem too excited about it. "Can I come with?" Shit. Was that a weird question? Why did I even want to be with her so badly? Duh, because I really, really liked her. She seemed a bit perplexed by my question, "O-okay?" "Cool." I said, feeling much more confident now that she had given me some kind of permission. I walked up towards her and took her hand in mine. Pretty bold move Om, I flinched inwardly. What if she was going to hit me over the head? I couldn't help but revel in the fact that I was actually holding Gauri Kumari Sharma's hand right now. Her small hand felt soft and warm in mine. I was almost getting sad at the prospect that I would have to let her go sometime later.
Why was I being such a creep? She stared at me with wide eyes. "W-what are you doing?" "Isn't it obvious?" I said, grinning at her. I was so glad that she wasn't hitting me over the head or inflicting some other kind of violence on me. "I'm coming with you to see Jerk face Mukesh." I said cheerfully. "O-okay." Gauri stuttered. But she didn't remove herself from my grasp. Somehow, that small fact made my heart feel elated. Together we walked, side by side and I had to admit that this had to be one of the best moments of my life. Never had I imagined that I was able to hold Gauri's hand in mine.
After a while, I spotted Mukesh standing with his friends at the school gate. Gauri removed her hand from my hold and my heart dropped a little. She rummaged through her backpack and retrieved a small notebook. I walked beside her as we neared Mukesh. I noticed that she had visibly tensed and was trying to calm herself by taking deep breaths. "Richa asked me to hand this to you." Gauri murmured softly as she held out the notebook to Mukesh. "What was that?" Mukesh laughed. His jerkface friends that were standing next to him also sniggered. I balled my hands into fists. Did he have to be so rude? Gauri blinked and I saw her face flush, "R-Richa asked me to give this to you." She tried to control her voice. "Still can't hear you." Mukesh grinned lazily as he crossed his arms over his chest. My insides boiled. It was official; Mukesh was the jerk of the century. I heard Gauri let out a shaky breath and I tried to calm her down by gently placing my hand against her back. I flashed her a soft smile as her eyes met mine. God, I could already see some moisture forming in her eyes. A sharp pain flashed through me as I noticed that she was close to crying. I took the notebook from her hand and slapped it against Mukesh's chest.
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Here it goes! One more part to go...
