Inquest (Completed)

Fleeting days and a meet

With January, both Krupa's and Dhruv's preliminary-exams (prelims) arrived. Conversation was limited to wishing luck and asking how the paper was. Dhruv didn't mind. Prelims lasted for two weeks, followed  by some exam procedures and about a month's holiday for preparing for the final exams.

Dhruv made Krupa his motivation. Whenever he felt lazy, he reminded himself: "I have to excel. For Krupa...". It worked well for him in the sense that it pushed him to study. He wondered whether he'd ever tell her about all this.

In the meanwhile, Dhruv had to register for engineering entrance exams which would be conducted in April and May. And Krupa had an exam in May.

___

Krupa's final exams ended earlier than Dhruv's. Since they both would immediately get busy revising and studying for their entrance exams as soon as their final exams were over, Krupa suggested that they meet on the day that Dhruv's exam ended.

"Do you think we could meet up once before we get engrossed in our entrance-exam-preparations? If you can... No pressure..."

He agreed. But it took more convincing to make his parents agree. This time, his father was home too. His sister wasn't.

"I want to go to meet a friend on 23rd, directly after my exam." Dhruv said at the dining table, when the other two seemed to be in a good mood. It was dinnertime on the 20th of March.

"You know your exam ends at 1, right? Where do you want to go in the afternoon heat?" His mother asked.

"Whom are you meeting again?" -his father asked.

"Um... A friend from school... And we would be meeting in a mall so don't worry about the heat ma..." Dhruv answered carefully.

"He has a name, right? This friend of yours?" His father probed further.

Dhruv was undecided whether to lie or tell the truth. He knew the possibility to meet her would diminish if he were to tell the truth. But getting caught seemed worse.

"Actually she's a girl; her name is Krupa," Dhruv said.

"You're going to meet a girl? Alone? In a mall?" It was his mother this time, worked up. His father looked at him with knotted eyebrows.

"It's not what you think Ma... There's nothing between us, we're just friends..."

"Wasn't she the one whose birthday you attended? Did she ask you to meet or did you ask?" His mother continued, worried.

"Yes ... But I'm telling you... We're just friends..." Dhruv persisted.

"This is the first time I've ever heard you say that you want to meet a girl, alone!" His mother persisted too, and she was better at it.

"Let him be..." His father interrupted, "your mother is concerned for you. Just be careful. It may seem normal to you but it's not... If there's anyone else with you that's fine, but not alone..."

"There's the two of us, how can we be 'alone'"? Dhruv argued.

"You see? He's got a crush on her!" His mother spoke, addressing his father.

"Is your mother right, Dhruv?" His father asked sternly. Two sets of eyes focussed on him.

Dhruv frowned, a rapid stream of thoughts in his head. Did he have a crush on Krupa? No. Dhruv loved her. A crush was an understatement, and hence, false. After all, you never know when you would meet the person again. So he could not forsake this chance.

"No... We're just friends..."

His parents warned him:"Be careful with people, sometimes they pretend to be your friend only to get what they want...", "Don't fall prey to such people..."

After telling him to call home after his exam would get over, his parents agreed. Later he let out a sigh of relief. He wondered how Krupa's parents allowed her to meet him, 'alone' as his parents called it. But he didn't ask her.

___

After his last exam, he first informed at home how his exam was, then walked a bit till he reached the bus stop. He updated Krupa on his location and how much time it would take to reach the place. Krupa was going to take a rickshaw to the mall.

They met at the main entrance. Dhruv raised his hand when he saw Krupa approaching, scanning the entrance for Dhruv. She spotted him right away. She was wearing a black T-shirt with light blue jeans, with a pair of sunglasses which she removed and kept in her sling purse as she approached him. He wore a light purple full-sleeve t-shirt with prussian-blue jeans. He held his backpack's straps near his chest, nervous, but smiling.

"How was your last paper?" Krupa asked.

"It was nice..."

"So what next..? Wait, you said you're giving entrance exams, right?"

"Yes, JEE is on 2nd April... And then another in May..."

"Ohh, then when does your 'actual' vacation begin?"

The two were heading towards the food court, taking the escalator. They stood on the same step, facing each other, at an appropriate distance.

"I don't know... If I qualify JEE Mains, then there's the second exam in May... But I don't think I'll qualify..."

"Don't lose hope, Dhruv... You never know..."

"Okay... Thanks... I guess... Anyway, what do you wanna do after 12th?"

"C.A. Yep. Chartered Accountant... So, my vacation also pass by due to my exam preparations... As I have to give some exams and qualify for it..."

"Ohh, so when would these exams begin?"

They had reached the food-court. They scanned around, wondering where to buy from.

"The first attempt is in May, so I'll be busy too..."

"Okay..."

The two decided to buy veg-hot dogs. They reached the corresponding shop and looked at the menu displayed on a screen on the top of the wall opposite them. Dhruv wanted a proper non-veg hot-dog, but he didn't say so, as Krupa was vegetarian.

They gave the order, paid and stood waiting. After some moments of silence where Dhruv blankly stared at the floor thinking about alternate timelines and possibilities, Krupa started with something:

"Dhruv, there's this project that a friend of mine is working on... So... Um... It's like surveying teenagers... By asking them some basic questions... Nothing too personal..."

"Okay..."

"So... Would you like to join the survey? Just a handful of questions... No pressure... You can say no... Your choice..."

"I don't mind... I'm curious what you're gonna ask... Is it like the Truth-Dare thing?

"No no no... Simple ones... Like trying to understand someone's perspective..."

"Okay then... Ask away..."

"First, let's find a place to sit..."

They collected their orders and found a place to sit after searching for a bit.

"Are you hungry...? We'll eat first and then start..." Krupa said.

"Okay..." Dhruv adjusted his specs.

They ate in silence, while Dhruv got lost imagining what kind of a survey it would be, hoping that there won't be any questions about love interests.

___