What If Our Life Threads Bind?

Chapter 23.

I never was actually trying to make new friends here. In fact, I was actively trying not to make friends-trying to act uptight but not rude, no. But everyone around me really were trying to make friends.

One would see the same people while they were in the canteen, then on one class and then the other class....pretty soon you were nodding and smiling at each other. It was that easy. What was I supposed to say..? Don't talk to me?

This was exactly how I had started hanging out with Ashton, Chuck and Ansel. Well, it was weird at first when one day Margo and Spencer took a day off without warning me and I had to spend my entire day in the Library as I listened to The Monsters Of Verity duo-logy audio book.

Chuck and Ashton had taken seats on either side of me and I couldn't have told them to go away because it would have been really rude and it wasn't like they were irritating me or something. 

Slowly, it became a routine. We sat together in the library and read. It felt peaceful except the fact that Chuck would always cuss after every little thing, Ashton would always bring up some conversation that made my intervention in their talk inevitably and Ansel....well, he would just stare at me like I was an alien and had grown horns on my head instead of normal ears. 

A week later or so, Margo told me she had started talking to Chuck and Ashton on some network banking support group that they had joined together online. I simply nodded but then the text happened. They were texting like infuriating lovebirds. I wanted to ask Margo about her boyfriend, Matt....but it really isn't my business to mind so I let it slide.

 There was the day when they sat together with Margo and I in the cafeteria and had lunch. We were talking about the fun things we all did when we were in school. Ashton, Ansel and Chuck were from the same school and shared a lot of moments together. They were narrating the story of a day when they were caught leaking Principal's pictures on a presentation the teachers were supposed to conduct for the labor day.

Margo talked about kissing her professor's son on the investiture's ceremony in front of all the teachers. I decided on keeping my quiet- the stories in my memory were not half as funny and adventurous as they experienced them in their real life. Margo narrated the mask scene when she and I found Samuel and surrendered him to the Dean. I nodded. 

I got a text that day from Ansel when I came back from college. 

Ansel: Hey. 

It felt weird because Ansel was like me. He never was a person to talk. He just stared. Not that I would stare normally but still....

Me: Hi. What's up?

Ansel: Nothing, just...do you really think french fries go well with softies? 

I laughed at that. 

Me: Seriously? This is bothering you? It does go well in my opinion...its okay if you disagree. 

Ansel: No, I never really tried it. Maybe we could try together?

Is this a date?

Oh, get over yourself, Martha!

Me: Sure? After College?

Ansel: Deal done. 

Ansel: Btw...

Ansel: I had to tell you something, you know?

Me: Oh?

Ansel: Actually, I have been planning to talk to you since a long time back but I didn't have your number back then. So I asked Ashton since he has the student directory as a class rep and he mistakenly sent me your friend's number....

I gaped a little. 

Me: Margo's?

Ansel: Yes. Actually he got confused with the names and then I texted her and I realized its not you and that I really fucked up. Also, I didn't have the balls to tell you all this till now. 

Me: Lol XD

Me: I am sorry. But this is a lil funny XD

Ansel: Yeah yeah..laugh on. But at least we can text now?

Me: Sure. Yeah. 

As promised, Ansel and I went to the Fall Corner, an eating junction near our university. I felt a little twitchy but I had to tell myself to be calm. Its okay. This is not a date. This is just a day out with a friend who is trying to figure out if french fries go well together with Softies or not. "Mhmm...Good." He said, his mouth full and I smiled. 

I was about to say 'I told you so' when I saw Austin staring at me. I had to focus everything to not let myself glance back at him. He kept staring at me.

What kind of a friend stares and don't say hi? But okay...even I didn't say hi....so okay.

It felt like an open rebellion to be smiling at Ansel and not Austin. For a minute, I even considered asking Ansel to leave together so that I didn't have to pretend longer. I had been ignoring him for a week now and this had started to get into Margo's nerves, I could tell.

"Give it up. That wasn't embarrassing. You didn't kiss him....you shouldn't be ignoring him like you did kiss him." She kept saying in different styles. I did understand that I was being unreasonable, ignoring him at every step, taking the longer way back to the class, ignoring the mini ramp to ignore him- its not like I could ignore him forever. Better to just get it over with. 

I struggled a little as I braced myself for the action and then I looked at him. He was still staring at me  but then he looked away the way he always does when he tries to make an eye contact. Does he do that with everyone or just me? I smile at him and he smiles back a second later, finally catching my eye. 

Phew! Embarrassment averted. 

"You wanna order something else?" Ansel's voice brings me back to his attention. I shook my head then took a double take at my stomach. I am still hungry. 

"Death by Chocolate?"

"Right on." He smiles and I glance back at Austin and he's not there. But some girl is....staring at me and I think I have seen her before.