PRISTINE SCARS

THANK YOU

" why'd you do that?"

They were walking from the cafeteria to the class, after that fiasco. Many people were staring at them.

"Why did I do what?"

Agni answered the question with a question.
Deepti sighed.

"What?oh okay....you're going that direction.
Then let me hog your memory for you mr.actor, you went to the girl you like who was sitting on the lap of your best friend and almost literally exploded. And would have had your ass handed to you if I hadn't intervened. "

" You really love to rub it in don't you?"

" Just reminding. So tell me now. Why?. I thought your 'shell' was hard..."

He looked at her.  I thought that too.  So why had he not controlled himself?

"I don't know"

"Hmm."

"Wha-?.. that's it?, That's your reaction? "

She grinned.

" I would have reacted otherwise if it had  been any made up excuse. 'i don't know' is a perfectly good response "

They reached the class room and sat at their seats beside each other. The Prof arrived late always, so they had time. That was both good and bad. They could talk more, on the other hand they had to tolerate the burning glares  from behind where Manik and co. Were sitting. To turn his mind away from them, he asked a question thats been bothering him..

"I've answered your question, so now my turn"

She shrugged."shoot"

" Why?"

She looked at him, a questioning look at her face.

"Why did you intervene?"

"Why, I shouldn't have?"

"You know in which meaning I asked."

" Jeez, relax man. You're always like a treat deprived dog. "

"So I'm a dog now?"

She rolled her eyes.
" Answer the question, you said it your self, you wanted to see 'that man', the man in thanking or something. I was that there, almost."

" Exactly, almost, that's not enough for me, and I know it's not enough for you too. I want to see him fully. Not as some repressed emotion that sometimes escapes during cracks...... I want to see him..... As you. "

" Not sure that's gonna happen. This is me."

She dismissed that with a wave of her hand.
" That was one of the reason. Wanna know the real, solid reason?"
He nodded. She looked at him directly in the eye and said
"You would have broken, right there, right then"

His eyes widened and stayed that way for some seconds. Then he finally released the breath he was holding subconsciously and smiled.

"You're right. I would have"

She nodded her head slowly after a brief pause, seemingly satisfied by what she heard. She then took out her sketchbook and began to sketch, he didn't attempt to see what she was working on. But he was curious.

"What are you working on?"

"Oh this?, The same one you got a hard on watching. "

" IT WAS..it was not.....that"  he bristled angrily.

" Alright, alright" she giggled.

"You still haven't finished it? "

"I do a sketch only when I feel like it. I've haven't had a chance or the impulse to do this one after that, till now"

" Who is it?"

" I don't know, it's still just the eyes, they could be familiar, but I can only say after I've completed it. "

He nodded and spent the next few mins scrolling through his Instagram feed. Then the prof came in and started his lecture and droned for half an hour before leaving , leaving them sometime till their next Prof came.

"You were sketching for half the class, and slept through the other half."

She shrugged. " It was boring.".

He found that senteny very funny for some Reason and started laughing , she joined in after some confused stares, giving into the infectious laughter. They calmed down after sometime.she lied down on the desk again.
"You're going to sleep again?"

"Yep, wake me if the Prof notices"

"Hmm"
He watched her as he closed her eyes and said the words as a whisper.

"Thank you deepti. You save me there "

And a wide smile formed on her face, showing him the words had reached.