The Rules Of Pursuit

50. Testing Times

I tried my best not to let my mind wander off to the memories of Valentine's evening. But everytime I spotted the small hickey on my collarbone I felt aroused, with the images of Avinash sucking me there flashing across my mind.

The trimester examinations seemed to arrive faster than we expected.

"Relax Naxi!" Avinash said, "We will pass, this trimester."

"I am not worried about passing." I huffed, revising the notes of Ethics for the seventieth time. "I want to top this time."

"Jeez!" Avi exclaimed, "that is too much pressure. I hope I live up to your expectations."

We were made to sit separately during the exam; therefore, Avinash was sitting on a desk behind. I prayed he had memorized the suggestions I had Whatsapped him last night.

As soon as Jeevan Rathore handed over our question papers, I plunged into my answer sheets and started to scribble furiously.

It made me fret, when Natasha asked for an extra sheet, merely fourty five minutes later. I sped up my hands and poured everything I had mugged up. Soon Natasha and I were competing for who-took-the-maximum-number-of-extra-sheets.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Avinash asking for an extra sheet. He must have mugged up the suggestions. I grinned to myself, realizing how much Avinash had improved academically.

By the time I finished writing, three of my pens had exhausted their ink and my answer sheet was the size of a manuscript.

"That went well."Avinash said stretching his back as we walked towards the cafeteria for lunch.

"One down, eight to go." Danish groaned, catching up with us. We had an hour to gobble our lunch and rush back for our Gadget Studies Paper, which was scheduled for the afternoon.

"Eat," Avinash barked. I hadn't noticed I hadn't taken a bite of my food and was instead dwindling my spoon, moving my food around, while my eyes ran over the Gadget Study notes.

"Just a moment." I muttered not looking up from the notebook.

"Hey!" I cried in surprise as Avi snatched the notebook away.

"You still have seven examinations left. And you won't be any good if you are lying sick in the infirmary." Avinash said sternly.

Making a face, I gobbled down the rice and tofu curry.

As I had expected, there were twenty marks assigned to 'the build and functions of Eraser'.

"Did they leak you the question paper?" Avinash whispered from behind. Indeed, most of the questions of Gadget Studies were from the ones I had suggested Avinash to study.

We had a day off before our next set of examinations, so I decided to skip my studies that afternoon and take a trip to the paradise. Since none of the other members of M4 replied to my invitation, I decided to ask the man who would never say no to me.

"I thought the Paradise was exclusively M4 property." Avinash said after a while, as we made our way through the snow to the hut.

"On paper, yes it is." I panted. It was difficult making this journey in ankle deep snow. "But Mandy has already violated the code, so I shouldn't be reprimanded if I brought company."

I clutched the stitch in my side, huffing and puffing due to the exertion of the walk. We hadn't exercised since classes were dismissed for the trimester examination. This really was a bad idea; I should have rather stuck to sleeping through the evening.

"Besides, none of my friends are coming here today, so they won't get to know." I tried to wink, but couldn't manage, and ended up blinking instead.