P A S T

T R I P T I

I was sleeping inside the library with my cheek pressed against the table.

The place was quiet because I came early. I didn't even intend to but my parents are out of town for some company thing, the house was feeling empty...and I was bored.

"Didn't expect you here, Miss sassy"

His voice cut through the silence, low and annoyingly familiar.

I jerked awake while blinking rapidly as my vision adjusted.

Oh god. Not again.

I looked up and saw him casually sitting beside me, leaning back in the chair as if he owns the entire row. I straightened immediately and glared at him.

"Fvck you" I said.

"Excuse me? Where is hi hello?" he asked being amused.

"Hi...my foot" I said and snapped open the book in front of me.

The library was painfully empty, every table was unoccupied still he chose to sit beside me ?

And I hate that he was sitting so close that I can feel the warmth of his arm behind me.

But am I going to stand and walk away? No.

I came here first.

"Sounds good" he said, finally shifting his attention to his own book.

I stared at the page but couldn't help the irritation bubbling up.

"Why are you sitting beside me?" I asked.

"Because you are smelling nice" he said, still not looking up.

"Bastard" I muttered and leaned forward so he wouldn't hear the hot embarrassment that rose on my neck. I forced my focus back to my book.

"Ah...faster"

I froze.

He froze.

We both slowly turned to each other with the same expression, wide eyes, horrified.

Don't tell me someone is getting fvcked here in the library.

"I-I..... love maths" he said quickly and then he shoved his headphones on and bent over his notebook as if solving equations was a matter of national urgency.

I bit my lips as I tried to focus on my work but the embarrassing sounds in the background kept stabbing into the silence. My pen hovered uselessly above the page.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye and sighed before gently taking off his headphones and leaned closer to place them over my ears.

The sudden nearness made my breath hitch, his shoulder brushed mine and his scent filled the tiny space between us.

Our eyes met.

He said something, his lips moved slowly but the music was too loudly for me to catch even a word.

He smiled and then sat back and returned to his studies like nothing happened.

He is good.

But still, fvck him.

My eyes dropped to the worksheet again.

I fumbled over a question, rereading it for what felt like the 10th time. It wasn't like I hate studying.

I just think studies hates me.

He reached out and gently pushed one side of the headphone off my ear.

"Want help?" he whispered.

Only then did I notice that a few students had entered the library.

"Can you help?" I whispered back.

He nodded and shifted closer, his arm brushed against mine as he began explaining the problem with slow and patient gestures.

"But we can use 3.1 in this right?" I asked absentmindedly while biting the end of my pen.

"Calm down, calm down" he muttered to himself.

"Angel, I am telling you this 12th time. We can't use this value....." he said and my brain stopped listening to anything else after that one word.

Angel.

"Did you get it?" he asked as he leaned in a little, his eyes focused entirely on me.

"Huh? Yeah. I need to go to my classroom" I stammered.

I fumbled for my bag so fast that I nearly dropped it and practically bolted out of the library.

Why was I feeling suffocated around him?

Maybe I hate him that much.

But didn't Arushi say... he actually helped me. Maybe I should feel sorry for my behaviour.

Maybe.

I need to be calm from now on.

Now I'll practice meditation for straight two hours because one hour isn't helping me.

_________________

A B H I N A V

At the football ground, we, the three of us were waiting on the rough grass.

Two hours.

Two full hours.

"Abhinav... this isn't right. We are here for the past 2 hours and Prince the captain isn't here" Akshay said in irritation. He kicked a pebble away like it had personally offended him.

"He might be fvcking around" Karan said while lazily bouncing the football on his knee, like this was the most normal explanation in the universe.

I couldn't hold it anymore and burst into laughter.

"Seriously... he is so much into juniors" Akshay added and dropped to sit beside me on the ground.

"Yeah that new fresher girl too" Karan commented without looking up.

I stopped laughing instantly and looked at him in confusion.

Is he talking about that sassy girl?

"She is a brat too. She shouldn't be picking fights with him" Akshay said while rolling his eyes like he personally supervised her decisions.

"Uh... she isn't wrong either..." I muttered.

"Look who is defending her" Karan smirked.

"Uhmmmmm... I saw him with her in the library" Akshay added with a big grin while nudging my shoulder.

"I am not into juniors" I said immediately being offended by the assumption.

"You aren't into juniors... seniors and classmates. Then please elaborate who you are into?" Karan asked.

"Don't tell me Abhinav you are a gay" Akshay said dramatically while putting a hand on his chest as if ready to faint on the grass.

"I am into studies... I have a lot more things to do than going behind a girl" I said while rolling my eyes so hard it hurt.

The two idiots exchanged a look like they didn't believe a single word.

"Speaking of fact... she is here" Akshay said while nudging my shoulder hard enough to pull my attention. I turned my head as he pointed ahead.

There she was, walking into the ground with her friend. She glanced around the field.

She looks... different outside the library. More confident. Livelier.

"Well... she is beautiful. If Prince will be satisfied then I'll ask her out" Akshay grinned.

"What if she isn't into this?" I asked.

The way she reacted inside the library, flustered, jumpy, it doesn't match someone who wants those kind of things.

"You remember what Prince did last time?" Karan said seriously. That memory alone made my jaw clench.

I nodded slowly, my eyes drifted back to her.

Maybe she felt my stare because her eyes met mine almost immediately.

And then she smiled.

Is she on high?

Karan and Akshay both turned toward me at the same time.

"I... don't know her" I stammered, heat rushed to my face as I abruptly stood up.

I tried focusing on the football instead, on anything other than a girl who somehow managed to distract me without my permission.

But she didn't leave.

She walked right up to me and stopped only when she stood in front of me.

By my guess she was around 5'6". Still, I had to look down, as my 6'4" frame was towering over her.

"Yes?" I asked being confused.

"This is yours" she said softly while holding out my headphone, the one I'd bought with months of savings. Her fingers brushed mine lightly as she handed it over.

"Anything else?" I asked when she didn't move aside.

"Uhm... I think thank you?" she said.

I bit back a smile and nodded.

"Are you ready for tonight's match?" a mate asked from behind me.

"Of course" I nodded with confidence. I turned to her again before she could walk off.

"You can come too... it will be fun" I said.

"No... sorry. I hate football" she said and walked away, her friend catched up beside her as she disappeared from the field.

And just like that, I was staring again.