Chapter 4

"Arre yaar," Lavanya muttered, under her breath. "Does he ever shut up?!"

 

The Faculty of Management Studies at Delhi University was one of the best business schools of the country. And yet, its ace reputation did not stop its students from criticizing its overly strict professors, and their insanely difficult exams.

 

And so, it was almost routine for Lavanya Kashyap, a hot and happening student in her final year of the prestigious MBA program, to be complaining of old Professor Mehra, who taught for so long, that no one quite knew what life on campus was without him. He had an air of discipline that no one dared to disobey.

 

And that was perhaps why, Akash Singh, a fellow final year student, tried hard to ignore his best friend. 

 

"I mean who cares about business politics?" continued Lavanya. "I wonder how his wife puts up with him."

 

Akash maintained his stony silence, trying not let his eyes waver to the door. It was almost an hour since the class started and yet, the one person who he blatantly waited for - the one person who held together one of the tightest groups of friends in FMS - was oddly absent.

 

Khushi Kumari Gupta.

 

Or Krazy Kinetic Gupta as Lavanya had hilariously named her, for being both ridiculously smart and extremely ambitious. To Akash, she was only thing that made FMS worth attending. He still remembered, how she swooped in and rescued him from a couple of seniors, hell bent on ragging him on the first day of class.  And to this day, he didn't know what she said that made all of them turn a blind eye towards him.

 

From that moment on she became his savior - whether it was covering up his absences, or lending him her assignments, she was always just there. Akash often found himself wondering how on earth he managed to be friends with her or her childhood bestie, the quirky Lavanya. They were so different from him that it was practically a miracle they even got along.

 

While Khushi had many ambitions in life, Lavanya's only dreams were making it through the MBA program, so she could finally be free of her father's constant nagging. On the contrary, all that mattered to Akash was pursuing his passion for painting, which was inconveniently put on hold, courtesy to his family.

 

His thoughts, however, was suddenly interrupted by Lavanya. "Where the hell is Khushi? We were supposed to go shopping today... you know, to buy a dress for tomorrow. By the way, what color do you think she should wear? I was thinking pink, since she doesn't own anything in that. But-"

 

"Don't get you the hint?!" Akash hissed, irritated at her never-ending chatter. "I don't want to talk now!"

 

"Clearly I don't care what you want Akash. I am bored and I need entertainment."

 

"I swear Lavanya Kashyap, if you don't shut-up in the next two seconds, I will personally go and tell Anuj Chopra that you are into him and would die to date him."

 

Lavanya rolled her eyes. "Gosh Akash, stop being so dramatic! I couldn't care less what chipkoo Anuj thinks of me. Besides-"

 

"Miss Kashyap?" called Professor Mehra. "Your thoughts on the matter?"

 

Lavanya froze as all eyes in the room suddenly turned to her expectantly. "Ermmm... what?"

 

"You see Miss Kashyap," the Professor said coldly. "Paying attention in class is much more important than making it to class, which I know is a first for you. I hope this is the last time I have to see you act like a teenager."

 

And with that, he coolly resumed his lecture, mortifying Lavanya. It was only after the bell rang, signaling the end of class, did she talk again.

 

"He is such an ass!" she exclaimed, making her way out of the classroom. "It wasn't even like I was interrupting his lecture!"

 

"Yes, you were," replied Akash, who was personally enjoying her chagrin. It wasn't everyday that she got ousted - no one dared to punish the Trustee's daughter.

 

"No I wasn't! I h-"

 

She was, however, interrupted by the arrival of the much-awaited Khushi. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late - Did Mehra say anything?" 

 

"Thank god you are here!" exclaimed Lavanya. "You won't believe what-"

 

Akash cut across her. "What's wrong?"

 

Khushi wasn't surprised. Akash and Lavanya were the only ones apart from her brother, who could take one look at her and figure out something was wrong. And so, she answered in all honesty.

 

"Got into a fight with Ms,-trying-to-care-but-obviously-failing-Gupta."

 

"Who? Your mom?" Lavanya asked.

 

"She is not my mom!"

 

"Okay! Relaaax! What's your problem with her anyway?"

 

Khushi ignored her question, knowing it was simply rhetoric and instead glanced at Akash, who silently asked her if she was okay. She simply nodded her head in assurance.

 

"Anyway," Lavanya said, changing the topic. "We have to go shopping."

 

"Why? I don't think your closet can hold any more dresses, even though clearly you are in a desperate need for them. What are you wearing?"

 

Akash followed Khushi's eyes to see Lavanya's attire - a backless neon green dress that like always looked too short to be allowed.

 

"How the hell did you even get through the gates wearing that?" he asked, unable to contain himself. As a general rule, he strictly stayed away from commenting on fashion, preferring to stay as a silent spectator on the countless shopping trips the girls made.

 

Lavanya rolled her eyes. "There is no dress code. Sheesh! Plus I don't think anyone has the guts to say anything to the trustee's daughter. And FYI Khushi, neon colors are so in."

 

"Yeah... for clubbing. Not for class!"

 

"Whatever... Aman liked it when I snapchatted him a picture this morning."

 

"But he always likes what you're wearing."

 

"And that's why I love him!"

 

It was Khushi's turn to roll her eyes.

 

Despite knowing Lavanya for more than six years, she, to this day, did not understand her obsession with boys or her so called love for Aman Mathur, a software engineer working in London. How the two got into a relationship and sustained it for four long years was something that never failed to boggle her mind. And the fact that both were polar opposites didn't help matters.

 

Khushi wondered if it was the long distance that made it possible. There was no other explanation why both of them rarely got into an argument or seemed happy to the point it looked unreal. She often found herself wondering if it was even a relationship - she wouldn't put it past Lavanya to take what was simply friendship, to be dating. She was too naive and everyone knew it.

 

Not that Khushi had much experience with relationships. She herself never believed in love to wish for a soul mate. Sure, she had flings with boys, sure she would ogle at a hot guy on the street, but she neither had the time nor the interest for commitment, assuming of course that it was even real thing.

 

Needless to say, all of these opinions stayed mostly, if not entirely, to herself. She lived with people, too far gone into the idea of "love", to voice anything. And that was, perhaps, the only reason she didn't have the heart to-

 

"Don't tell me Akash doesn't say the same thing to you every morning?" Lavanya asked, watching Khushi's cynical face.

 

Khushi glared at Lavanya, while Akash averted his eyes.  "It's not your business!"

 

"Of course it's my business! Given that it's your birt-"

 

Lavanya stopped mid-sentence, catching Akash's furious expression and quickly changed her sentence. "I mean, given you two have been dating for four months, I thought you would have made some progress... but guess not! You two are as boring as ever."

 

"Just because we don't tell you everything Lavs," Akash retorted. "Doesn't mean that we don't do anything!"

 

"Oh really? So you two have make-out sessions in the library then?"

 

Akash bit his lip, a bad habit that always gave his lies away. "How would you know? Maybe we did!"

 

Lavanya begin to laugh. "Don't even try to make that believable Akash. Because its not! I mean-"

 

She never finished her sentence, however, for she unseeingly crashed into a petite figure, sending both of them toppling to the ground.

 

"Ow!" Lavanya groaned, as she landed unceremoniously on her butt. And it was then that she finally noticed who came in her way. "Are you blind Sharma?!"

 

Payal Sharma, a quiet final year student at FMS, didn't answer. It was a well-known fact that she was at loggerheads with both Khushi and Lavanya, the reason for which no one knew till date. So she merely gathered her things and walked away, having no interest in indulging in what would surely be a nasty verbal fight.

 

"Wow... she mellowed down a lot. Remember how she used to argue in first year?" Lavanya said, dusting dirt off her dress.

 

Khushi nodded. "Anyway, let's get to class before little Miss Perfect gets us into trouble again."

 

And with that, the three of them sped off to their next class.

 

* * *

 

"How about this?" Lavanya asked, holding up a gold sequined dress. "It suits your complexion."

 

Khushi didn't reply, instead choosing to check her emails on her phone. It was well into the afternoon, and as promised she was dragged into a nearby boutique by her best friend on the excuse of buying a dress. She wouldn't have minded the sudden plan, had there been fewer things on her to-do list. The days until their graduation were numbered and she had to set her future - not play dress up!

 

"Khushiii! What's the point of shopping if you aren't even going to attempt to look at dresses?"

 

"I told you - I don't need a dress. I have enough."

 

"You never have enough dresses, so stop being boring and just pick one!"

 

Khushi finally looked up. "What's your problem Lavs? Why don't you just pick one dress and we will leave? Either way, Bhaiyya wants me to come see him."

 

"B-But this is important! If not for you, then for Akash! He spent so much time planning for tomorr-"

 

Khushi raised an eyebrow. "Planning for what?"

 

"Erm... a date? Like a real one, and not the fake ones you go to."

 

"Why do I feel like that's not what you were gonna say originally?"

 

"Because you are crazy, Ms. Krazy Kinetic Gupta!"

 

Khushi  rolled her eyes. "That doesn't even rhyme Lavs."

 

"It sounds good to me and the best part is that it annoys the hell out of you!" she answered, sticking her tongue out.

 

Khushi let out a sigh, knowing that there was no point arguing. "Anyway, what were you saying about the date? Akash wants to take me out on date tomorrow?"

 

"I think... he didn't really confirm."

 

"Then I am sure it's all in your head."

 

"Have some trust!"

 

Khushi frowned and folded her arms. "And why would I do that? All you do pull that poor guy's leg! Whatever I tell you about us, is for you to keep it to yourself, and not go blabbering about it especially to him!"

 

"What did I say?!"

 

"Why would you bring up the kissing thing with him? I told you we are going slow-"

 

Lavanya's smirk vanished, as she seriously looked at her best friend. "Are you?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I mean that it's been four months Khushi and you act as if he is your BFF, not your BF!"

 

"That's cause he is my best friend!"

 

"Then why don't you just end this fake relationship. You are clearly not in love with him!"

 

"And what makes you think that holding hands, going on dates and kissing will prove that we like each other?"

 

"Oh please!" she said, holding up her hand. "You know very well that I don't believe a relationship stands on those things. If it was, then I would have broken up with Aman a million years ago!"

 

"Then what's your point?"

 

"My point is that he is love with you Khushi. Or he thinks he is.  And even though we don't really get along, I care for him, as much as I do for you. So I am not going to just sit here and see him put all his energy into making this work, when it isn't."

 

Khushi was quiet.

 

"And the longer you wait, the more it's going to hurt. So, just end it. For everyone's sake."

 

"And what makes you think that ending it won't hurt him? This is Akash - he won't be able to accept it. Why do you think I said yes to him in the first place? And besides, what is wrong with us anyway? I mean I am trying right? I am trying to keep him happy!"

 

"That's what I am saying! You shouldn't have to try... love just happens. You can't force it."

 

Khushi took a deep breath. "I don't know about love Lavs. If it existed, then there will be no unhappy couple in this world. Relationships exist on compatibility and last I checked, Akash and me get along perfectly."

 

"Yeah, like friends. I don't know why it's so hard for you see that it is eating him up to see you treat him like a friend."

 

Khushi looked at the floor, not being able to meet Lavanya's eyes. She knew her relationship with Akash was nowhere close to being a permanent commitment, but she also knew that her feelings for him will not change had there been another guy in his place. So, what really was going wrong here?

 

"Look," Lavanya said, interrupting her thoughts. "All I am saying is that Akash is a very nice guy and he deserves to know the truth. But if you are going to be stubborn and feel like this relationship is meant to be, then you have to work harder. If not, you will not even have him as a friend."

 

Khushi didn't know what to say.