Once Upon a University Campus

An Unwilling Messenger

She had only lingered on near the campus gate long enough to see him drive away. Her heart was restless, instead of thumping it seemed to cry "Billuji, Billuji..." "Billuji Billuji".  As she walked back to her hostel, her feet pranced to the rhythm of her heart. A sweet perfume filled the moonlight air, should she care if the perfume was something someone wore as they walked past her or from the blooming night jasmine hidden from plain sights under the bushy undergrowth? A joyful heart needed no excuses, it just found everything beautiful, everything just perfect.

She tiptoed into her room when her phone buzzed. She had quickly curled up into her bed and covered herself with a blanket, lest it woke sumblering Sumo.

"How did you know?" It was him again.

"What? " she had innocently replied, fully knowing that he was referring to his pet name.

"You know what I mean" came his reply.

"Are you driving and texting?" She had replied.

"Distraction does not work with me. How did you know? BTW I reached home." He was insistent.

"Got to know by chance" She confessed, but was gracious enough not to out Khanna ji.

"Then you must also know that no one but my Daadi is allowed to call me that?" he replied

Annika got scared for a few minutes. These text messages were so impersonal. She was for a moment not sure if he was angry? Did he not want her to call him that? But then he did smile back at her, he did wait for her to wave back at him. Why this message now? Did she offend him, transgressed his personal space? She should not have done that. Should she apologize?

She typed and erased, typed and erased. She could not think of an appropriate apology.

"Typing typing everywhere, not a message to send?  Writing Iliad at this hour?" there was a smiley at the end of the message.

Annika was relieved. May be he is not angry. But she felt she should still go ahead apologize and never call him 'Billuji' ever again.

"Sorry" She replied.

"I was thinking of Iliad and you have a monosyllable? " He replied

"Is a longer apology necessary?" Annika replied innocuously.

"That is alright. I do not mind it this once actually. But you do know my full name. Don't you?"  He replied.

"Yes I know. Goodnight" She had put away her phone unsure of where this chatting was taking her.

"Goodnight. Saturday then" was what he had sent after she had put away her phone.

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The early summer afternoon was still and warm. Winds had forgotten to blow, yet it was comfortable, too early for the searing heat that would build over the the coming months. Those who were new to Delhi summers might have thought it to be uncomfortably warm. But those seasoned in Delhi summers would have thought of the afternoon to be quite nice, comfortable. It was early lunch hour, a hungry Annika had finished her lunch without waiting for Sumo. She was stepping out of her mess into the lobby that she saw Om walking in with his huge bags and a long poster case dangling from his right shoulder.

Annika was overjoyed to see him and ran to help him with his bags.

"Om you are back. I was not expecting you till late tonight" she grabbed one of the bags he was carrying.

"There was an artist at the workshop who was driving back to Delhi. I hitchhiked, we started early and here I am. Driving is way faster than train I should confess. One of these day I should start thinking about driving."