SanDhir SS: Just Because! Chapter 5, pg 57 - Page 41

Dedicated to Sush and Swagata (di 😆)

*Chapter Five~ Locha-e-Ulfat*

Stress. The mechanism via which the human body reacts to challenges faced around them. The sympathetic nervous system reacts accordingly, in which humans can react to the stimulus via either a fight or a flight response. Stress, a contributing factor to illnesses such as heart diseases and obesity.

Hm? And I thought we were meant to heal those with such diseases. Ironical isn't it that the first person I am going to be treating, whose illness is stress related, is going to be myself.

Damn you exams and unnecessary crap I am never going to use in my life! The Stress! I thought as I shoved last nights' rice and daal in my mouth.

I saw my mom come up to me and place her hand on my forehead.

"What?"

"Sanyu are you alright? You are actually earlier than Ankit today? Are you sure you don't have a fever?"

"Mother I am fine alright! I am absolutely fine! And no I don't have a fever!" I snorted and continued shoving rice in my mouth.

"Are you sure? Have you even slept?" She looked horrified at the sight of mammoth dark circles under my eyes.

"Welcome to the next seven years of my life Mother India... And where is your ladla? I mean I am getting late!"

"I am here man! You are actually early today! Mark my words Mom; I am sure she has a boyfriend or something!" Ankit said grabbing his car keys and running out of the house.

Rolling my eyes, I walked as slowly as I could.

Oh see, I thought I saw a turtle walk past

~*~

Munching on a muesli bar, I walked hurriedly to one of the libraries at university. Melbourne weather is an epitome of bi-polar characteristics.

Sunny in the morning yet raining cats and dogs by lunch time. Make up your mind Melbourne, I swear! I cursed as I popped the hoodie on my head as it started to rain a little heavier.

As I walked into the library I could see the toll of exams on everyone. Walking past the several tables I could distinctly smell the pungent blend of caffeine and deodorant. Also making me realise that finding a place in this library was going to be a struggle, as I walked around in circles.

Finally finding a seat on a secluded table surrounded by aisles, I saw the hooded figure drowning in books.

Quite literally in fact, as he had his head on one book while another book lay on top. Moreover his hands were sprawled over all the other books around him.

Well you know what they, if you sleep on a book, hopefully all the knowledge seeps in! I should try that tonight, I snorted as I got to taking the books out of my bag and burying my head in immunology.

Oh! The Joy!

Actually not as bad as some of the other topics, I thought to myself as I started to flick through the pages. I wish I had a photographic memory I thought, as I batted my eyes quite a few times to see if it worked.

"You look like an idiot. Stop doing that" I heard someone's sleepy voice in front of me.

Why can't you just leave me alone! I groaned out of exasperation.

"Oh! The irony! I should be the one""

Before he could complete his sentence, I had already burst out laughing.

"What? Have you actually lost it today?"

"Say that again!" I said while clutching my stomach in laughter.

"What? Irony?" Randhir said, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"Yep!" I pursued my lips trying to prevent myself from laughing out of loud again. To little avail, as I burst out laughing.

"Can you please stop laughing, otherwise we will be kicked out of this library and then I will kill you!" Randhir said gritting his teeth and failing to sound serious at the death threat.

"EYE-ON-EE" I mimicked his accent and started to burst out laughing again.

"What?" His face clearly showed the confusion.

"You Americans are just silly! Pronounce it the way it is spelled right? Not EYE-ON-EE, say I-R-NI. Come on I know you can do this, it's quite simple actually, I-R-NI" I said while trying to hold my laughter.

"Whatever! Get back to what you were doing. You don't need to teach an American anything" Randhir said while he pushed away his sea of books only to get out a mammoth book instead.

"Typical of an American actually... Why can't you just be like the rest of the world and use "s" instead of "z" in some of your words? You like being special or are just plain weird" I said hoping to provoke a response from Randhir, but to my disappointment, he just gave me THE look.

THE look is where basically Mr Shekhawat looks at you, cocks his eyebrows and looks away, translating into either "Are you serious right now?" or "I am too superior for this petty argument"

Damn! I could write a book on his looks, I thought to myself while chuckling.

"Aah! Typical again. Can't solve it, so we shall then walk away from it. The EYE-ON-EE" I said.

Before I could even make a sound of laughter escape from my voice box, his one glare was enough to shut me up and all of the sudden the number of tiles on the ceiling looked so fascinating to me.

"Like you Australians are any better! Think you are the wealthiest nation of all, next minute can't even afford to cope without the introduction of taxes" Randhir said.

"Excuse me! I am an Indian at heart! Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani!" I said while giving him a fake smile.

"Oh really? Who is the... Who is the... Ah Shit!"

"Fast please, I don't have all the time in this world... Oh wait, I am sorry, phaast please" mimicking the American way of saying "fast"

They just have to be that bit "special" don't they? I thought to myself, as Randhir flicked the pages of his books rather loudly.

"Hey Sanyukta! What's up? Look what I got you, your favourite muffin just as I had promised!" Parth came and sat by my side while putting down a large chocolate muffin in front of me.

The best thing about having the opposite sex as friends, is well, you can practically manipulate them into buying anything for you. All it takes is a little melodrama, a little bit of "puppy face" action and some hardcore blackmailing skills, and there you have it, your favourite muffin right in front of your very eyes.

"Eee! Thank You So much Parth! You are actually the best! I love you man!!" I said while poking Parth in his tummy, earning a chuckle from him.

"Listen you know what happened between..." I heard Parth start his daily ramblings of "Who, what, when, where and why" of university.

It's a miracle how this boy knows practically what is going on in the entire cohort. I rolled my eyes.

"So don't tell anyone yea" Parth said as he finished his story about God knows what. To be honest, you cannot expect a girl to concentrate when the most delicious thing in the entire planet is in front of her.

Chocolate!

"Yep! Got it... Wait before you run off, I wanted to ask you this, can you even stay without gossiping for maybe even a day?" I said while wiping my mouth of the chocolate sauce.

Rolling his eyes Parth said, "Yes I can infact!"

"Really! Can I please witness this 8^th Wonder of the Modern World?"

"Maybe someday if you are lucky baby" Parth winked and then left the library with his bag.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" I said while crazily wiping every corner of my mouth.

"Why were you flirting?" Randhir said, his face holding no signs of mockery.

"Are you serious right now? I wasn't flirting! And even if I was, who are you to intrude anyways!" I rolled my eyes.

One thing you have to hate, when someone besides your parents scold you for your ways! Like you didn't help conceive me nor did you push me out of your uterus! So please stop it! I thought to myself, as I flicked open my phone and started playing 'Temple Run'

"And here I thought we had exams in front of us!" Randhir said while he himself lay buried under questions.

"Mind your business alright!"

"Really? I won't what will you do?"

"Doesn't provoke me Mr I-Am-An-American citizen" I said while still playing the game on my phone.

Before the blink of an eye, Randhir yanked the phone and held it in front of my face.

"What the hell was that for! Give it back you loser! Give it back!" I got up from my chair to run over to his side, but alas, my stubby legs don't carry my weight that fast, as I saw Randhir get up and effortlessly walk around to the other side.

"Give it back!"

"Nope! What will you do about it? Cry cry!"

"Give it back you loser!" I managed to push his shoulder, though he had already gotten hold of my arm.

Damn it! I thought as I practically landed on top of him, as I held the backrest of the chair in order to avoid falling onto him quite literally.

"Give it ba"" My voice got stuck in my throat as I felt his hand move the strands of my hair away from his face.

He raised his hand to stroke my cheek gently. He then slowly leaned over to place a gentle kiss right on my nose.

As if I was under some sort of intoxication, a small smile crept up my lips involuntarily, while he continued to stroke my cheek, leaning in as slowly as possible.

Weird as to how a single stroke of his hand, managed to send shivers down my spine, as I shivered slightly in a well heated library.

Not knowing what had come over me, I too, slowly leaned in closer to his lips. Merely a few centimetres apart, Randhir began to close the gap between our lips.

*Dog barks*

Springing apart at the sound of my notifications tone from my phone, I quickly grabbed my phone, my bag and books while trying to avoid eye contact with the person who sat in front of me, practically motionless.

Feeling the heat in my cheeks, I was mentally cursing and slapping myself at the foolery that was just about to happen in the eat of the moment.

In a library.

Talk about the stress! Actually forget that, talk about the nuisance that my hormones were creating at this very moment! Calm down pituitary gland! Stop excreting oestrogen in to my already "on-overdrive" glands!

Pituitary Gland; Thou art a heartless bitch, I thought to myself, as sweat beads formed on my forehead in the middle of winter.

~*~

Walking in to the exam hall, I actively prayed recited the "Hanuman Chalisa" that my mother had taught me to recite when in situations that requires all: the brain and the heart.

Though the lords where not going to save me today, as I walked past Randhir, who effortlessly smirked his signature smirk as if nothing had just happened between us!

As I took my seat behind him, my brain only resorted to one solution- He was trying to make me fail this exam! We will see Mr Shekhawat! You wait and watch! I thought to myself as writing time commenced!

~*~

Oh Shit! I thought to myself as the train arrived at the platform. After validating my ticket, I bolted, well tried to at least, near the train tracks in order to catch the train before the doors close on me.

Though my luck, is like saying Juliet had a brain, non-existent in every form, as I felt myself slip on untied shoelaces.

I braced myself for the fall and the aftermath of it as the train tracks beckoned my ill fate, but it never came, instead I just found a pair of hands holding mine.

As I opened my eyes I saw Randhir practically about to save me just so he himself could kill me for my stupidity.

Before he could even say anything, I bent down to do my shoelaces and got up and offered him a grateful smile.

"Are you mad? What kind of an university student runs without having tied their shoelaces! You know I was right, you are stupid and belong in a mental institute! What's wrong with you? If something had happened to you, do you even know..." He left his sentence halfway, as he dragged me a safe distance away from the end of the station, away from the tracks.

To say that his concern was a little surprising wouldn't be a total lie. But I was liking this change in his behaviour, I thought dreamily, as I continued to listen to his lecture about tying shoelaces correctly.

Well tried to anyways.

~*~

That was massive wasn't it? 2333 words! If only my assignments were this easy to type *sobs*

Okies, I am so efficient in updating aren't I? 🤣

Would love to know what you think awaits these two!

Love,

Pari

PS: Posting the banner again (below) because I want to ask you this, does anything in the banner seem a little out of place? Is it a clue for the story?

Cue- Dramatic buildup *dun dun dun*🤣