7
Rashmi stated drying her hairs in the sunlight and walked inside a few minutes later.
Sreya just walked out of her room.
“ Wow!” She said. Rashmi didn’t understand.
“ Your hairs are so pretty. You washed your hair after a long time?”
“ Haa didi”
Sreya said,” So the guys that were looking at you in the morning haven’t even seen the 50% beauty of yours”
Rashmi blushed again. Sreya went downstairs.
Rashmi recollected the stare the boy had as she dried her hair on the balcony.
It was as if he was looking at a miracle happening in front of his eyes. She walked to the mirror near the sink. She looked at her face. Soft cheeks, a perfect hairline, a cute nose and pink lips in the shape of a bow. She smiled to herself. She seemed to enjoy these new compliments.
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Sanju sat on one of the benches near the playground. Sunny stood looking at the sky.
“ What happened re?”
“ Nothing sanju. What?”
“ You seem quiet. Unusual around me. Something wrong?”
“ I saw a girl in your balcony today. She looked so cute and beautiful.”
“ Sreya?”
“ No. I remember her. This is someone else”
“ Oh, yesterday my third roommate came , maybe it’s her.”
“ Oh, which year is she in?”
“ She is also in first year. Computers.”
“ Thank god. Thought I missed another cute girl thinking she could be our senior.”
“ Haha. Sreya is fourth year yaar. You wasted time. “
“Yeah and her boyfriend being available all the time, she gave no fucks to any other guy.”
“ Don’t worry. You will find another girl.”
She sat beside sanju. “ So tell me about your roommate. What’s her name?”
“ Rashmi”
“ Damn. That’s a cute name. Also sounds hot.”
Sanju laughed. “ You’re a pervert. You see hot girls and say her name is hot and cute girls to cute name.”
“ I always tell that your name is very sanskari…don’t I? Yet you are…”
Sanju slapped his hand before he finished his sentence.
“ Did you really like her?”
“ Yeah. She seemed innocent yet had an aura. She seemed grounded even though she knows she has a lot of boast and show off.”
“ Your comparisons are pathetic!”
Sunny gave her a disappointing look. “ You take the air out of me so easily. Roaster!!”
Sanju turned towards him. “ Is it like love?”
“ Lol sanju, I had 3 relationships by now. I just experienced them for namesake but I don’t want to drop something like love so casually. But I’m interested yaar.”
Sanju smiled. “ You seem determined. Okay… Let’s make a deal.”
Sunny sat attentively. “ You message girls randomly on Instagram every week. I want you being your best behaviour for 1 month. And then, I’ll help you….”
Sunny couldn’t believe her. “ So for one week, no messaging?”
“ Yes.”
“ I know it’s not like I message every random girl every day. But once in while when I find an attractive girl, I send a request to talk.”
“ Yeah that second account business you do, even that. It’s a commitment I need to see from you. Only then I will help you.”
He was disappointed. “ Please sanju, don’t do this…”
Sanju got up and walked towards the hostel. She said,” Think about it and let me know. And haa, I already have your passwords with me, so just text me if you are up for it.”
Rashmi , sanju and sreya spent the Sunday exploring campus and having chit chat about the college and had meals together. Rashmi seemed to enjoy her second day at the hostel and before she hit the bed she whispered to herself,” I’m excited for tomorrow”.
The next morning, she got dressed in a light green top with white leggin and chunni for her first day.
Sreya told her all the best and sanju and Rashmi went to college together.
“ You need to go to the administrative block to check your section. They will tell you rashu”
Rashu took the route to the administrative block wearing her bag and they told her that she has been assigned to section 11.
She was asked to go to room number 202 and she waited for the elevator.
The jog yesterday after so long started showing their impact since she woke up. She skipped the jog today too. The elevator was taking too much time and she had to make it to the class soon.
She took the stairs and it was paining her legs at the knees and feet.
“ I should have taken it slow, one at a time kind of exercises…” She whispered to herself.
She climbed to the second floor and thanked god it was only second floor.
She stood pressing her knees before walking towards the class. “ Excuse me. Are you okay?”
A deep voice came from behind her and she turned back. It was sunny. To rashu, it was the boy who saw her starting the other day.
“ You seem to be tired. Are you alright?”
She was not sure how to respond. He spoke in a low voice, “ It’s okay if you don’t want to tell. I can call some lady, you need not be afraid.”
Rashmi didn’t understand what he meant. “ Periods are very normal. I’ll go call someone…”
Rashmi understood that he thought she was having the period cramps and as he turned to call someone, she held his hand. “ No no no…”
Sunny’s mouth went dry and he just looked at her. Rashmi was embarrassed.
She didn’t know a guy would speak so casually about periods in front of a girl.
She quicly said,” No, I’m not. I just climbed the stairs and I took a jog after a long time yesterday. So those pains kicked in.”
Sunny smiled. “ I’m Sundeep. First year mechanical.”
Rashmi just then saw the classroom 202 and quickly ran towards it. Sunny looked around to check if anyone saw the humiliation.
She went and sat to the right side. The boys were sitting to the left and girls to the right.
She took a seat and saw sanju. The class already started , so they just waved a hi to each other.
The lecturer started the attendance and sunny walked in. Rashmi saw him but he justed moved towards his chair and sat down. After the first lecture of the day, everyone moved around and had a short recess before the next lecture.
“ Hey you got assigned this section? Thought you will be assigned the last one left” asked sanju.
“ Yeah. I forgot to ask which section you were from. Lucky, we are in same class”
Sanju introduced Rashmi to ananya, she was 5’3, fair and had a lean body and wore a ponytail.
And also to Vaishnavi, she was slightly chubby, 5’2, light brown skin and braided hair.
Vaishnavi instantly asked, “ Your hair is so pretty. What do you use?”
Rashmi blushed. “ Just oil my hair every 3 days”
She felt comforted. Two guys approached them.
Rashmi looked at sunny and another guy who might have been 5’8. He was lean but fit and had a straight silky hair. She noticed how fair he was. She didn’t know men can be so fair other than in Korean drama.
Sanju introduced them as sunny and jatin.
Rashmi said a hello and looked at sunny. “ We already met”
Sanju was also shocked. “ Yeah, thanks for that” said Rashmi.
Sanju signalled sunny and he said he will explain later. Ananya said,” We kind of became a gang in this one week. You can totally join us….”
Rashmi smiled and felt surprised as they just met but they were welcoming her to their group.
Maybe that’s how people in college are. She has seen movies like student of the year, 3 idiots etc and always thought a gang was really cool since they talked about lot many things, always relied on each other.
She felt happy. Jatin said a hi and Rashmi then told them about her fever and why she was late to college. The classes went on for the rest of the day and Rashmi was very attentive.
It was 2PM and the last class just finished.
She packed her bag. “ Rashmi, let’s so eat together at the college canteen” said Vaishnavi.
Rashmi looked towards sanju. “ Even sanju is coming” said Vaishnavi.
Rashmi smiled and said okay.
The girls walked towards the college canteen.
“ Are sundeep and jatin not coming with us?” asked Rashmi.
Vaishnavi laughed. “ Jatin meets his girlfriend and comes to the canteen after the busses leave. His girlfriend stays with her grandparents.”
“ Sunny will join us in 30 minutes if everything goes well….”
Rashmi was shocked and asked,” what do you mean?”
“ There is a girl in class who is behind him for a few days now. She wanted to talk , so he asked us to go and told he will join later….”
Rashmi was surprised they were talking so casually and openly about these sorts of things and it was all new for her.
They had order some fast food and waited for the order to arrive.
Ananya asked,” So you stay in sanju’s room ?”
“Yes”
“ We can meet often then. I stay on 4th floor and Vaishnavi is on the 5th floor.”
Rashmi smiled. She seems to like them and could sense they enjoyed her company even though she sat reserved. The order came and all four started to eat when sunny came.
“ Hey!” he said and straight away took sanju’s spoon and ate a spoon.
“ Arey no yaar” sanju cried and slapped his hand. He smiled and ate another and then pulled a chair and sat next to sanju.
Rashmi just smiled to the scene. She felt surprised again how friendly he was with her and that too so casually in front of everyone. It was just like she saw friendships in college rom-com movies.
Vaishnavi asked,” So what happened?”
Sunny said,” arey no, why will I say yes. I already told her no, she was asking why and I just explained it to her.”
Ananya asked,” Tell na, what was the reason.”
Sunny smiled and said,” No. I told her and finished it. You need not know.”
Rashmi sensed that he kept some things to himself and kept the privacy not to hurt the girl.
The girls gave a disappointing sigh and got back to eating. Sunny tried to take a spoon from Vaishnavi and she hit his hand too.
“ I’ll order my own….” Said sunny and stood.
“ You can take from mine…” said Rashmi.
Sunny couldn’t believe he heard that. “ She took another spoon on the table and put it in her plate.”
Sunny’s happiness didn’t last long and sanju put her head down and laughed to herself.
He took the spoon and ate two spoons. Jatin came to the table.
“ Oy hero, finished your romance?! Now eat” said sanju.
Jatin just smiled and then went to order his plate. Sunny and jatin shared the food.
“ Hi Rashmi, hope the gang didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. They tend to be all excited and make us feel overwhelmed at once.” Said jatin.
Rashmi smiled, “ Not at all jatin. I felt welcomed”
Jatin returned the smile. “ I feel she too is your category too. Introvert.” Said Vaishnavi.
Jatin said,” Ha I sensed it in the morning itself. You guys overwhelm people so much”
Vaishnavi kicked his leg. “ OUCH”
They all laughed. Rashmi felt very different seeing them behave so candid and casual and not taking offence. She thought it would be difficult to talk to boys in gangs like this but the boys have been welcoming and very understanding. Very different from what she imagined they would be.
It indeed felt more welcoming than her first day at hostel.
The girls returned to the hostel after a while and jatin and sunny went their way towards the parking.
Rashmi had some questions but she still wasn’t that comfortable yet.
They refreshed and gathered in sanju’s room. They shared notes of all the classes and talked about professors and how the lectures were. Rashmi felt were happy hearing the gossip and with no one measuring the time spent, she felt freedom.
She got to know that Vaishnavi’s father owns a 3 shops in one of the biggest malls in Hyderabad and ananya’s dad works in IT as one of the delivery head and her mom is a HR department head.
Ananya’s parents had love marriage. Her father was from Gujarat and mother was from Hyderabad.
She felt happy they shared family conversations but it also made her realise they came from well off families. “ What does your father do rashu? “ asked ananya.
Rashmi said, “ My dad works in a bank. Mom is a housewife. But she worked before.”
“Oh Nice. You got a free seat right?” asked ananya.
Rashmi’s smile faded and she said,” Yes”
Ananya said,” That’s so cool re, My mom wanted me to score that but I told her I cannot”. She laughed.
Rashmi felt relieved they were candid about it and realised maybe she is thinking too much.
Sanju started observing her reactions and changed the topic to kpop music.
They were all fans of the emerging trend in India for BTS. They spoke about it for hours until dinner and sreya joined them at dinner. They enjoyed their company and bonded good in just a few hours.
Before she hit the bed, sreya helped her with skin care and reminded her about the jog and asked her to sleep early. She hit the bed and then looked at her phone, she had a call from Anusha and her mom. It was 11 PM and she decided she will call them tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Sanju in her room was texting sunny.
“ Day 1 seemed to go fine. You even rejected trisha. I’m impressed with your control yaar”
“ Shut up re, I would anyways reject her love proposal but your request made me not initiate my plan to try something else. I will prove how serious I am about Rashmi. Count every day now. But also keep your strategy ready. You owe me so much for just one day”
“ haha…I don’t need to stress my mind for just one day. Let me see how much you will hold back.”
Sanju knew sunny would not back off so easily and she had already started gathering whatever she think could help sunny pull Rashmi. She was the manipulator after all.
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