Hide & Seek

Hell, yeah! We Got Through!

"You are beaming meaning we won." Nicholas said as soon as he approached me the following day during lunch.

"And you are grinning because you already know." I said.
His grin broke into a wide smile as he linked his arms with mine and we walked to the cafeteria. His tie was loose, around his neck like always, blazer sleeves pulled up to the elbows and hair ruffled, the grin never wavering from his face, and God, he looked adorable.

"When did you heard?" He asked.

"This morning. Apparently, Miha wanted give this to us." I rummaged out a tiny cupcake from my pocket. Miha was positive will get to the finals and she had spent all weekend baking tiny size cookies and cupcakes and was all smug this morning while we couldn't but grin at the aftermath. God! I love that girl.

He nodded. "I got it too, but I already ate it. Can have that?"
I laughed and hand it to him.

We sat on our regular table. Miha was engrossed in her phone but smiled brightly at us while Eshani was in some dreamworld probably, doodling in her notebook of Hundred Secrets.

As Nicholas high-five them I asked, "Is this the moment when we jump and yell in excitement for getting throught?"

He smiled at me and leaned closer. "Yes. But we don't wanna make people think we are crazy."

I opened my lunch box. "Then we can do it in private."

"Absolutely." He nodded grimly.

The rest of our friends arrived and Miha passed around the second round of cupcakes. This time I didn't gave mine to Nicholas. Damn, his sweet teeth!

As our table filled with soft chattering and laughter, I pointed my sandwich at the file on Nicholas's lap. "Is that something you would like to discuss?"

He galnced down. "Oh, this," he pushed it before me. "This is my 'esplanade-of-effective-planning-towards-the-upcoming-flourish'"

I frowned. "What?"

"A scholarship. To Yale University. USA."

I stared at him. "What?"

"Yeah, big thing. I know."

At this moment my thoughts were ambivalent. The news that we got through to finalist was thrilling upon which this news pummeled me hard, splintering something inside me and pulling it. Like the time when me and Reya went to this vintage store, it had clearly written 'Push' over it but I kept pulling all the while Reya stiffled her laugh behind me until the owner herself let us in. How humiliating that was. Though, this time, there wasn't anyone to push it open for me, I had to figure it out on my own. So, I did what I should have. I beamed. "Thats...thats great. Why aren't you excited about it?"

He shrugged like it was no big deal. "My father sent the application. I'm unlikely to get in. And I don't want to go..."

Yeah, he wouldn't be getting in and....shit! What the hell was I thinking? He was nerd of our group, he so deserved it. I blinked and tilted my head. "Why not? Its a great opportunity. And you'll get in. You are great in Science."

He gave me look.

"Come on, wipe that look off your face. And Smile. Double good news today."

"One great news, another is a half possibility. Anyway," he took the file. "Whats yours?"

"Mine?." I took a bite of my sandwhich. "Whats mine.... 'espalande-of-effective -planning-towards-the-upcoming-flourish'?"

He luaghed. "Yes."

I chewed slowly. "Well, I'm not sure."

He raised his brows.

I swallowed. "Come on. Not everyone is like you. With a full-step-ahead-planned-future."

He scoffed and switched our lunch. "I don't have a step-ahead-planned-future."

I took my lunch back from him. "Oh, yes, yes you do."

He snatched the last sandwhich from me. "No. I do not."

"Nicholas!" This was both for my lunch and his denials. God, this guy!

He sighed in surrender. "Okay, whatever. Whats yours?"

I scowled at his lunch that he had switched back again without my noticing. His lunch looked pretty. Neat. And I didn't know what the hell it was. "I don't have any."

"Hey!" He groaned.

"No, I will one day."

"And how will you know it will be your one day." Now, why did I feel like I've heard that line before. Well, he was full of drama. Must have heard it from a drama.

I took a deep breath. He was not going to relinquish. "I don't know, okay. I'm going to study English Literature and I'll see. I know what I'm going to study and thats enough for now."

He chewed mimicking my placid look. "You think, but it won't be."

I closed my eyes, a little annoyed at the gravitas of this situation. "Are we seriously discussing this right now?"

"Well, you started it."

I opened my eyes. "Then, you should have never gone along with it."

"How could I not when you were aksing unswering questions. I couldn't control the impulses."

"Was I?"

"Oh, yes."

"You-"

"Hey, you two." Purav interupted. And I realised the entire table was watching at our exchange like a tennis match. "Seriously dude. I don't understand what is going on with you two. But there are people here. Let us in. We don't wanna feel left out. Don't we Miha?" He put a hand on her shoulder casualy and she jerked away.

"Whatever. They are quite into each other." She said scrolling down her phone."And the imperative thing to be done now is to eat your cheese."

"Its sandwhich."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I thought you eat cheese day and night."

"Haha. Funny Miha."

"Some misunderstanding you happend to have upon that."

"Oh, no no. He won't." Eshani put in. "Seemingly, he appears to know quite a lot about you."

Rishi smirked behind his notebook and Priya snorted to herself.

Purav glared at Eshani. And I discerned something being given away on that. "Thats due to the close proximity of our fragile friendship which I intend to vitalize ."

Nicholas shook his head. A small smile tugged on his lips. "No doubt on that."

"You know what William? Eat my cheese."

"On that that account, I will actually," he slanted over, snatched the sandwhich from Purav who gaped at him open mouthed.

"Can I say, my soul conviction about this legitmate situation is not to monopolize rather include but you all leave me no options." Shivangi said. And didn't have an ounce of an idea what she meant.

"Ofcourse we do," Nicholas said with his mouthful. "According to the theory of......"

And we all graoned.