Chapter 1
I have a confession to make.
I have officially gone mad.🤣
I just couldn't help myself from not writing this.
So the thing is, am gonna divide the oneshot into two parts,basically.
Am posting the 1st part here and am gonna post the next part tomorrow.
Hope you guys like it. 😊
Commenting and Liking at your own free will..lol 😆
So here it goes...
It was all part of an elaborate plan.
So that he could tell her what she meant to him.
So that he could tell her that his whole world started with her and ended with her.
So that he could tell her how much he really really loved her.
Only Her.
He knew that it even hadn't been a year since they had known each other.
But his feelings for her were pretty deep.
If only he could get to know what she felt for him.
And for that he had a plan.
But, to make this plan of his a success, he needed help.
His moronic friends were absolutely of no use.
So he had to turn to the one person he knew who could totally help him.
His new-found friend.
She was a girl.
She would know her likes and dislikes.
And with his mind made up, he went to look for her.
He searched the college campus. The department room, recreation room, college canteen, even the terrace..everywhere she could possibly be.
But she was nowhere to be found.
It was about 1:15 pm. They had an hour break before the commencing of the next class.
Finally, it dawned upon him as to where she could really be.
Gosh, he hated going there. How was the place of use to him, anyway!!
But he had to talk to her otherwise his jittery nerves would make him go absolutely crazy.
So with bated breath, he walked into the dreaded place.
The Library.
"Urghh..lets just do this and get over with it..", he muttered.
His eyes scanned the library, searching for her.
Even the librarian glanced up from the paper she was reading to look at the new entrant.
And she passed him an amused smile.
The nerve of that lady.
But being the gentleman that he was, he just returned an awkward smile and hurried inside.
After about 5 minutes of searching, he finally caught a glimpse of her.
There she was.
Cooped up in a corner, with a huge book on Jacques Derrida's "Deconstruction" placed right in front of her.
And she was literally hovering over it, with her cutesy-broad-rimmed-black-spectacles sitting pretty on her pert nose.
But she looked distracted.
As if she was upset about something.
Her eyes were focused on the lines in the book.
But she wasn't really concentrating on them.
When he inched closer to her, he could see that her eyes were downcast.
Man, she really does seem distressed, he thought.
"I wonder what happened..but I really do need to talk to her and if she's disturbed regarding something then it's really not gonna help ", he mused.
He knew that he was being a selfish jerk but what he needed to talk about was really of prime importance as well.
And her opinion was an absolute MUST.
Or else everything will be doomed.
So he approached her cautiously.
She still wasn't aware of his presence.
He tapped her lightly on her shoulders.
She sat up with a jolt.
And that's when he saw it.
Her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Initially, she looked confused. As if she was dazed.
But when she looked closely that it was him, she greeted him with a faint smile.
Even if her eyes were speaking a different story.
He immediately asked her in a hushed voice, "Hey..what's wrong?? Are you feeling alright??"
And she lied..saying, "It's nothing Armaan..am absolutely okay."
And he said, "Shilpa..don't lie to me..I know something's wrong and you are hiding it from me. Don't do that na..we are friends right. You can tell me. It will make you feel better if you share."
He really wanted to know what was disturbing her.
And she really didn't want to tell him.
She didn't want to tell him that the reason was Him.
She was upset because she had expected too much.
She was upset that she couldn't reign in her feelings.
She was upset because she was behaving like an emotional fool.
She was upset because she knew that he didn't like her back.
She mentally kicked herself.
She knew better right.
That guys like him won't ever fall for girls like her.
Then why was she sad!
She gave a wry smile at the thought when he snapped his fingers to break her reverie.
"Hey, where were you lost??", he asked
Again that weak smile followed by a sigh from her.
"Its nothing Armaan, honestly. Its just that am really worried about the term paper. So much to study so little time." Again a lie.
But he knew better.
She was really stubborn.
Always locking her feelings in.
If only she could open up a bit.
And that reminded him of the plan.
Of course.
Involving her in the plan would help her take her mind off her problems for a bit.
So he proceeded to say, "Its okay Shilpa. I know you would complete the course paper on time. Don't bother your pretty little head about it so much, alright. Okay now listen, I wanted to ask your opinion regarding something."
"You can ask me anything, Armaan, you know it", she replied with a genuine heartwarming smile.
"Yeah, I know", he passed her a sheepish smile. He continued to say," Okay the thing is, I really wanted to know what you feel about first dates. As in your ideas."
OhDearLord.
This was it.
He was gonna talk to her about taking her' on a date.
"Could this get any worse, God! If yes, then please shoot me dead right figging now", she thought, sighing inwardly.
As soon as she heard the word date', he saw that her face fell immediately.
So he began to say in a rush, "It was just that I was thinking whether to take..." when he was interrupted by her.
And the name she took stunned him.
"Riddhima", she said in a disconcerted voice.
But she quickly covered it up by saying in quite a bright tone, "That's absolutely wonderful, Armaan. It really is. Am so glad you are going to take her out on a date. Have you thought about the arrangements yet."
"Wait what", he said inwardly. "What did she really know?? How much did she really know??"
And then his lips turned up in a dazzling smile.
Well, ofcourse.
If she knew then it made everything more easy and exciting.
So he said in a cheerful voice, "Yeah, I was thinking of asking her' out and I really needed your opinion."
Shilpa tried valiantly to hide the disappointment in her voice and the hurt in her eyes and she was about to speak when she glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was almost time for their next class.
She immediately got up, before the tears that had formed in her eyes threatened to spill and gathered her belongings and spoke to him a hasty manner, telling him that she was going for the lecture now and that to meet her at the Corner Coffee Shop at 4:00 pm so that they could discuss what needed to be discussed.
And with that she literally ran out of the library, without giving him a backward glance.
And he was left there standing alone, confused and amused.
But something about her behavior was worrying him.
Brushing these thoughts aside, he stepped out of the library and began to walk towards his classroom in a leisurely manner, with a new hope in his heart and a merry smile on his face.
4:14 pm.
Corner Coffee Shop.
He was seated comfortably in the lounger that was placed at the corner, getting impatient waiting for her.
2 donuts. One chocolate crme- her favourite and another sugar-glazed- his favourite, were placed in front of him along with 2 huge mugs of deliciously frothy coffee.
Which were getting cold now.
Where was she?? Why was it taking her so much time to come there??
He was getting restless, and he was about to call her for the nth time now when he saw her entering the coffee shop, waving someone with a backward glance and an adorable smile.
Then she moved forth, after she spotted him and her face dulled a bit but she again replaced that look with a sweet smile.
She got near him and took the lounger opposite to him and began apologizing saying that she really was sorry for being late but in her defense she had a really important work to do.
When he responded by saying that it was okay and that she shouldn't apologize, he also added by asking who she was waving to, as he really was curious to know.
And again one of those beaming smile from her.
Who was the person who was making her grin like that??
Now he was way more than curious to know.
The date-plan miles away from his mind.
And then she said a name that stabbed his heart just a wee bit.
"Oh, it was just Sid..he dropped me off here. I told him that I was perfectly capable of walking the few distance from the class to the coffee shop but he was adamant to not let me walk alone. Hehe..he's so cute", she finished saying.
"My God, talk about a total 360 degree turn from the dejected mood she was in 2 hours back. Woaah..that Sid really is a charmer." Armaan reflected.
And he again felt a twinge..that of jealousy in his heart.
And he tried real hard to push it away but it wasn't going.
So he compelled himself to think about the date.
Yes, the date. That was what she was here for right, Shilpa thought.
Armaan glanced her way and saw her playing with the charms of her bracelet watch.
She looks so cute, he thought. Wait what!! OMG what am I doing!! Plan, Armaan..focus.
Now. The Plan. Right. Planning for the Plan. Right Right.
"So where do you think you want to go for your 1st date??", he flung the question at her out of the blue.
And all she could do was stare agape at him, with her bespectacled-big-sparkling-eyes.
"I beg your pardon!!" was all she could say.
"What I meant was where would you want your guy to take you to for your 1st date!! Its just that I needed ideas, you know, for my date with.."
And before he could complete the sentence, she again said, "With Riddhima, I know."
Was that a note of sadness he could detect in her voice? But he thought of letting it go. He had better things to think of.
So he added with a bright smile, "Yeah my date with her. See, I just wanted to know your opinion about where to take her. You would know better na."
And she gave him a wry smile and began, "Armaan, me and Riddhima are two totally different individuals. She belongs to a different league altogether. Whereas Me, well, am just me."
[ Author's Note: Yes, it suddenly struck me that I have bored you enough with the OS without giving proper info about the characters. So I got an idea to stop the whole thing altogether and give a neat description of them all right in the middle. Am that awesome. Lol :P
While Shilpa is someone who is an out and out nerd. But just because she wears huge black framed specs doesn't mean that she's a total gawaar' ( for the lack of a better word :P). She's trendy in her own way, with her jeans and kurtis and not salwaar kameez only (that is such a misconception that geeks are only supposed to wear that.) But she has her own insecurities and that is because she fell for the one guy who she knew could never be hers. Okay so I have blabbered enough with my nonsense now back to the OS ]
Armaan shot her a confused look so she quickly began to explain, "Look, Riddhima is someone who likes pomp and splendor. She wants the whole world at her feet and I am not saying that it's a bad thing but that's just the way she is. Whereas am someone who likes the simple things in life. Riddhima likes fine-dining and extravagant gestures. Arriving at her doorstep with carnations and a box of dark chocolates, taking her out for candle-Iight dinner in a posh restaurant..she likes all these. Oh, and do dress up classy. Wear your favourite cologne. And please get rid of that stubble. Am telling you all this because I have been her closest friend for about 8 months and I can assure you that if you do things the grand way, then she will be totally impressed. And I am pretty sure you are gonna do exactly that." She added with that beautiful smile of hers.
And Armaan just listened to everything she said carefully, registering her words. He always appreciated her deep understanding of people, her insights. She wasn't judgmental. It's just that she knew how to read people well. But there was also very little that he knew about her mainly because she revealed so less about her real self. So he again surprised her by asking, "And you..how would you like your first date to be?"
She was about to spurt out the coffee but managed in time as she began to say wistfully,
"As I said, I like things simple. I don't like all that grandiose stuff for the simple reason that I have never felt an inclination towards them. I don't like getting all decked up with make-up and glitter. I absolutely abhor proper etiquettes at the dining table. So for me, my ideal date would be some place comfortable. Where I can be just myself. Suppose, here, you know, right at this coffee shop. I could chat away for hours with just pastries and donuts and loads and loads of caffeine. Haha..or maybe a burger or pizza joint. I looove junk food. Comfort food is my thing. And that's that. Oh and ofcourse good company and a cozy environment. What else do I need, right!", she finished her sentence with a dreamy look while all Armaan could do was take it all in.
But she snapped out of her reverie, embarrassed that she had revealed too much and began speaking,
"So when are you asking her out?? Do it soon okay, as she is always busy. Either a show or a student's-council meetings, you know na how she has to manage all that stuff."
And Armaan sighed and said, "Yeah, I was thinking of asking her out today itself. Let's see if she'll agree or not."
"Oh of course she will. Just be your charming self and there is now way in hell she's going to refuse you" she added with a twinkling grin.
"Yeah, I'll try to do that. Anyways, am gonna go now. I have got loads of stuffs to do. Am gonna give her a call and see if she's free", he added with a wink.
And she just felt like melting in a puddle of mush and she had to mentally kick herself to snap out of her Armaan-mania.
There was no way in hell she was gonna behave like a love-sick-teenager in front of him when she was well too aware of the fact that she stood no chance in front of diva-licious but endearing Riddhima.
As she was lost in her thoughts, Armaan broke in by saying, "So you gonna stay here or what??"
"No I was just leaving..anyways, here's my half of the bill..dont forget to pay..Oh and all the very best for your evening. I hope everything goes well. Do give me a call regarding the date-status report..haha" and with that she left like a breeze.
This paying half part of the bill annoyed him to no end. Every time they hung out together, she always insisted on splitting the amount in half. Once when he asked her during a movie night as to why she did that, she replied casually that she didn't like anybody paying for her when she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own.
And then he had gone ahead and asked her what she would do if somebody asked her out. She just replied nonchalantly that there was a fat chance of that happening and that she would think about it if anybody asked her out, ever!
He found Shilpa to be an enigma.
Someone who was out of his reach.
He got up from his lounger, paid his half and her half of the bill and strolled out casually, walking towards his car.
Now, to set the ball rolling.
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