"You
must be mistaken Mrs Dare. I had clearly emailed you a FORTNIGHT back,
requesting you for that specific case file. What do you mean by
you've loaned it out?"
"I'm
extremely sorry sweetheart, but your email just slipped out of my mind! I mean
Mr Mallik had borrowed it last week and he needed to extend his loan by a
week-"
"So
WHAT Mrs Dare? You could have refused this person!"
"But
he was so persuasive darling! I mean he's one of the sweetest and nicest and
most good looking boys around, and when he flashed his charming smile at me, I
just had to give in!" gushed Mrs Dare, as her eyes took on a rather dreamy
look.
"So
you're trying to tell me that this person literally FLIRTED with you, and you
extended his loan just like that? Are you freaking kidding me Mrs Dare?"
spluttered the girl angrily, her voice rising by an octave.
Mrs Dare
turned a violent shade of pink as she bent to retrieve a pen that she'd just
dropped.
"Maanvi
darling, its nothing of the sort! He was just a nice boy!" said Mrs Dare
sweetly, as she rose up, cheeks still flaming.
Maanvi
had had enough. She picked up her things and stormed out of the library,
knocking out an entire shelf of books in the process.
The
racket she'd created was enough to arouse the attention of everyone in the
library, as they stared in astonishment at the retreating figure of the girl
who'd just left.
"Sam,
who was that? Or wait, let me rephrase myself. What was that?"
Sameer
stifled a guffaw as he turned to his best friend seated next to him, who was
staring open mouthedly at the door.
"That,
mere bhai, is Maanvi Chaudhary. She's a med student just like us. She
transferred here at the beginning of sophomore year."
"Sam,
I am a med student! Why don't I know this girl?!"
"That's
cause she's in Batch A, and you're in Batch C. No clashing lectures or
tutorials."
"Whoa.
Batch A? She's got to be bloody intelligent!"
"She's
here on a scholarship Armaan! She was in Pembrooke before this, and moved to
King's at the beginning of the year! One of the smartest -and loudest- people
I've ever met!"
"Abey
yaar, how the hell do you know so much about her? Have you been stalking
her?" winked Armaan, as he nudged Sameer in the ribs.
"Yeah
right! No dude, she's Rhea's roomie this year, so I do run into her now and
then."
"So
she's Rhea's roomie! No wonder you know her so well! But anyways, I have to
remember this girl! Maanvi Chaudhary! God knows what will this toofan mail do
next! I won't be surprised if she blows up the lab next!"
Sameer
and Armaan burst into laughter as they high-fived each other and resumed their
work, minds still reeling over Maanvi Chaudhary.
********************************
"Rhea,
I swear to God, if I find this Mr Mallik, I won't leave him in a position to
peruse those case files!" fumed Maanvi, as she typed ferociously, punching
each key as if they'd caused her bodily harm.
Rhea
grinned to herself as she imagined what the poor guy would have to go through
if he ever ran into Maanvi.
"Leave
it Maanvi! I mean, look for similar cases over the internet for your paper!
Don't tell me there are NO case files over the internet related to your
paper?" said Rhea, in an attempt to placate a furious Maanvi.
"What
do you think I've been trying to do for the past three weeks Rhe? I've been
hounding the internet to try and find similar cases, but clearly there's no
information out on the web! Ugh, why was I assigned such a complicated research
paper? I swear Rhea, when I meet that guy, I'm gonna kick him in the nuts! Main
bhi Hrishikesh ki sherni hoon! Agar usse kaat pees ke, chun chun ke, uss ke
chote chote, chote chote tukde karke usse hi nahi khila diya, toh mera naam
Maanvi Chaudhary nahi!" raged Maanvi, as she slammed her laptop shut.
*********************************
"Awww
baby, you're so sweet!" gushed Tina, as she stood on her tip toes and
planted a kiss on Armaan's lips.
Armaan
grinned against her lips while his tongue traced her upper lip lightly. As she
bit on his lower lip, Armaan dropped the files he was holding and pushed her to
the wall to kiss her thoroughly.
As fate
would have it, Maanvi and her friends happened to enter the same corridor at
the exact same moment Armaan was playing tonsil hockey with Tina. Maanvi
grimaced at the sight in front of her and turned pointedly away, while Sherry
and Charlene burst into giggles.
As Maanvi
passed Armaan and Tina, she realised that her one of her laces had come undone.
She bent down to tie her laces, and her gaze happened to fall on the array of
files and papers that Armaan had dropped. Shaking her head at the sight in
front of her, she tied her laces and straightened up, when her eyes fell on a
red colored file labeled "Case File 213".
The exact
same case files Maanvi had been looking for.
"Oh.
My. God. These are the exact same files I need for my paper!" exclaimed
Maanvi, as she bent down to pick up the file and flip through the pages.
Armaan
pulled away from Tina when he heard the giggles, only to find Maanvi flipping
through his files and her friends giggling away like idiots.
"Hey,
could you leave my stuff?" muttered Armaan, as he bent down to attack
Tina's lips once again.
Maanvi
stared incredulously at Armaan's back as he continued to make out with Tina.
"So
you're the absolute douchebag who extended the loan on these case files by
FLIRTING with Mrs Dare? And instead of working on them, you're shacking up with
a girl in this corridor? You son of a bitch!" screamed Maanvi, as Sherry
and Charlene looked on in shock.
Armaan
pulled away from Tina and turned to face Maanvi with dazed eyes. He couldn't
fathom for the life of him as to what had just happened.
"Excuse
me? Can't you see that I'm occupied right now? Could you stop screaming your
ass off uselessly?" snapped Armaan, as he wrapped an arm around Tina's
waist.
"Oh
I'm sorry! Would you forgive me for interrupting you while you were clearly
engaged in an interesting game of tonsil hockey?" spat Maanvi, her voice
dripping with sarcasm.
Armaan
stared incredulously at the girl in front of him, whose eyes seemed to be
shooting daggers at him.
"Look,
what's your problem?"
"Problem?
My problem? You're the idiot who extended the loan on the case files that I
need SO bloody desperately for my paper which is due like in FIVE days, and
thanks to you I can't even work on my paper and I've to spend every waking
minute of my day looking for alternative sources to those case files which is
proving to be highly unsuccessful, and you have the nerve to ask me what is MY
problem?" screamed Maanvi furiously, eyes blazing with anger.
To
Maanvi's immense surprise, Armaan began to laugh as he stared at her and shook
his head. He couldn't believe that HE was the one "toofan mail"
wanted to castrate!
"I
am guessing you're Maanvi Chaudhary?" asked Armaan, as he tried to control
his laughter.
"Erm
yes?! And how does that matter?"
"Bwahahahahahahaha
toofan mail! Yaar I've been wanting to meet you since I saw you yell at the
lovely librarian and then knock down an entire shelf as you left the
library!" chuckled Armaan, as he flashed a bright smile at Maanvi.
Maanvi
was momentarily dazed by Armaan's smile. She realised that he had the most
beautiful smile in the world, and she could feel her lips turning upwards as
she took in his smile.
She then
realised the situation she was in, and snapped out of her reverie.
"Toofan
mail? W T F?! Are you kidding me? Look Mr Mallik-"
"The
name's Armaan. Armaan Mallik." interrupted Armaan with a wink.
"Fine!
Look Mr Armaan Mallik, I need those case files for my paper, and since you seem
very busy with other stuff, I want that folder!"
Armaan
stared at Maanvi as if she'd sprouted another head.
"Erm
excuse me? Why should I give that folder to you when I need it as well? I need
that for MY paper which is due exactly 5 days from now, and I don't really have
a head-start on my project! So please, look for some alternate sources cause I
can't give you this file." replied Armaan curtly, as he bent down to pick
up his files and folders.
"Ajeeb
insaan ho! You don't seem to be doing much work, yet you want to hold on to
these case files!" fumed Maanvi.
"Ajeeb
insaan ho Maanvi! You don't seem to understand that the case files are with ME,
so you need to find an alternative source for your information? Anyways, I am
not interested in wasting my time with you, so would you excuse me?" asked
Armaan, as he carefully sidestepped Maanvi and walked away, tugging Tina along
with him.
"The
NERVE of him! I am going to kill him! Urgh! I pray that he gets a zero for his
paper! Gadha kahinka!" fumed Maanvi, as she walked off from the corridor,
beckoning Sherry and Charlene to come along.
Little
did she know that her words would come to pass.
****************************************
"Bro,
I ran into that toofan mail yesterday! Apparently she wants the case files
which I have right now!" laughed Armaan, as he threw his bag and plopped
on his bed.
"No
way! You have those case files? Rhea was telling me how infuriated she is! Agar
tera kaam ho gaya ho, toh give the files to her. I mean its obvious that the
two of you are working on the same topic for your research paper, so help the
poor girl out a bit!"
"Help
HER? No freaking way dude. I would have thought of helping her if she hadn't
been so rude to me. Would you believe it, she interrupted Tina and me and then
yelled her lungs out at me! Insane creature! I will most certainly NOT give her
the files. In fact, I am gonna ensure that I return the folder on the day of
submission, so she cant even work on it overnight." replied Armaan, as he
grinned wickedly to himself.
"No
one messes with the great Dr Armaan Mallik bro!"
Sameer
shook his head in despair as he turned to his laptop.
******************************************
"Dude
these roller blades are bloody awesome! Where did you get it from Atul?"
asked Armaan, as he twirled around, experimenting with his new gift.
"I
found it in a thrift store while I was shopping with Angie, and I remembered
that you've been wanting these for a while so thought I'd pick it up for
you!" smiled Atul, as he watched his friend zoom around him.
"You're
seriously the best Champ! Tu jaanta nahi main tujhse kitna pyaar karta
hoon!" said Armaan, as he pretended to sniffle.
Atul
chuckled to himself as he watched his friend zoom around the hallway. He was
about to tell him to be careful when Armaan crashed into someone and both
toppled to the floor. He winced and ran over to where Armaan lay atop a girl.
"Get
off me you oaf! Can't you see where you're walking, or should I say, skating?
And bloody hell, don't you know that you're not exactly allowed to skate in the
hallway?"
Armaan's
eyes widened in surprise, and his entire body began to shake in mirth, as he
couldn't contain his laughter.
"How's
the paper going Maanvi?" asked Armaan with a laugh.
Maanvi's
eyes widened in shock as she turned to face Armaan. She was about to retort
when she found herself staring into his eyes. Blue and twinkling, Armaan's eyes
seemed to captivate Maanvi, as she was unable to form a coherent sentence.
Maanvi's
trance was broken by the sudden disappearance of those eyes which seemed to
have captivated her. Composing herself, and berating herself for thinking of
her nemesis in such a manner, Maanvi got up and turned to face Armaan.
"Aankhein
hain ya button? Can't you see where you're skating?" fumed Maanvi, as she
bent down to pick up her stuff.
"Oye!
I didn't plan on crashing into you, YOU came into my way! Anyways, I was
skating, but you were walking! And you're oh-so-smart, aren't you Ms Maanvi
Chaudhary? Why didn't you see where you were walking?" retorted Armaan, as
he got out of his roller blades.
"Urgh!
I don't know why do I even argue with you! And since you seem to be so free,
can you PLEASE give me those files? Anyways I doubt you're doing anything with
it." snapped Maanvi.
"Oh
I am. My air-conditioner isn't working too well these days, so I've been using
the papers from the folder to fan myself. Quite useful, I must say!"
replied Armaan, smirking as he took in Maanvi's scandalised expression.
"Urgh!
You! I can't believe-! Forget it! Move!" spluttered Maanvi, as she pushed
him and flurried out of the hallway, muttering to herself in anger.
"Yaar
Armaan, why are you troubling the girl? Sam told me about it, just give her the
files naa?" asked Atul concernedly.
"Give
HER the files? That, that bandariya? No freaking way! She's so bloody rude and
annoying! I'm not gonna give her the files! Lets see how she does that paper of
hers! Anyways Champ, thank you SO much for these roller blades! Means a hell
lot to me!" said Armaan, as he leaned in to hug Atul, who returned his hug
rather half heartedly.
*************************************
Clutching
her coat closer to her, Maanvi walked through the alleyway between the library
and her dormitory. It was a chilly night, and she didn't feel too good. Not
only was she sure that she'd lose her scholarship cause she hadn't even started
on her paper, but her Beeji had just called to tell her that her Badi Beeji
wasn't too well, and she just had a few days in front of her.
Realising
that she was going to burst into tears, she hurried towards the stairs that
would take her to her room. As she hurriedly climbed the stairs, she slipped,
and fell down an entire flight of stairs. She crumpled on the ground and burst into fresh sobs, losing the will to
fight the battle.
And
that's how Armaan found Maanvi 2 hours later. Huddled in a dark staircase,
sobbing her eyes out.
"Maanvi?"
whispered Armaan, as he carefully made his way to her, arranging some of her
things that had scattered on the floor cause of her fall.
Maanvi
looked up at the sound of Armaan's voice, and wiped her tears angrily. She
tried to stand up on her own, but stumbled and was about to fall down. She shut
her eyes, expecting to feel the cold, hard floor beneath her.
Instead,
she felt herself being held tightly by a pair of strong arms.
She
opened her eyes to find herself staring into those very blue eyes that seemed
to hold her captive every time she looked into them. She felt the strong arms
beneath her scoop her and place her tenderly in an upright position on the
stairs, so she was now sitting down.
"Do
you feel okay Maanvi? I think you might have sprained your ankle." asked
Armaan, the concern evident in his voice, as he looked worriedly at Maanvi.
The sound
of his voice snapped Maanvi out of her trance, as she realised who was she
facing. And the sight of Armaan's face was enough to remind Maanvi of
everything.
"You're
asking me if I'm okay Armaan? Seriously? Considering most of my problems are
cause of you?! How very considerate!" lau ghed Maanvi coldly, as she leaned
back against the wall of the dimly lit stairway, eyes staring vacantly into
space.
"Look
Maanvi, I'm really sorry. I know I've been a jerk and I could have given you
those files, but you just annoyed me so I erm.. Anyways! You're on a
scholarship, don't worry! This wouldn't really affect you in any way, would
it?" smiled Armaan, trying to lighten her mood.
"Why
does everyone assume that just cause I'm on a scholarship, I can get away with
whatever rubbish I turn in?" cried Maanvi, as she turned to face him, eyes
shining with unshed tears.
"Cause
erm..isn't that how its like Maanvi?" asked Armaan curiously.
"NO!
I have to maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 to retain my full scholarship! Even if
I go down by so much as half a point, I shall have to let go of some of my
facilities! And frankly speaking, my family can't afford to pay for my
education, so this means I'll have to leave King's and go back to India!
Scholarship may be a prestige to many, but to me, it's a necessity. If I don't
submit my paper, my overall GPA will drop and fall to 3.45, and that would be
the end of my career." replied Maanvi, as she burst into quiet sobs.
Armaan
watched helplessly as the girl in front of him convulsed in quiet sobs. He
racked his brains to try and think of ways to cheer her up, but was unable to
do so.
Trying to
change to the topic to distract Maanvi, Armaan asked, "So where in India
are you from Maanvi?"
At the
mere mention of India, Maanvi's face seemed to light up. Turning to face Armaan
with a tear stained face and smudged kohl, she replied, "Hrishikesh. One
of the most amazing places in the world!"
Armaan
smiled as he saw her break into a watery smile at the mere mention of her
hometown and couldn't stop himself from smiling as well.
"Really?
That's pretty awesome! I've visited the place once, when I went rafting with a
couple of my friends."
"Hai
naa? And have you visited Ganga Ghat? Di and I go there almost every day to
meet our parents! Its so beautiful and peaceful, and I feel like mumma-pappa
are sitting right beside me there!" gushed Maanvi happily, as she wiped
her face in an attempt to remove the tear stains. Unfortunately, she seemed to
be ruining her make up in the process.
Armaan
noticed this, and grabbed her wrist, not allowing her to touch her face. The
touch seemed to send tingles down both their arms, as they stared into each
others eyes unblinkingly.
"Yeh
bandariya toh sach mein khoobsoorat hai!" thought Armaan, as he took in
her face, as if trying to memorize it.
Like
always, Maanvi lost herself into those startlingly blue orbs that were Armaan's
eyes. His eyes always seemed to captivate Maanvi, and she couldn't bring
herself to think of anything else except those eyes. Oh, how she wanted to
drown in the depths of his eyes!
Almost at
the same time, Armaan and Maanvi realised the position they were in and turned
away from each other.
"Voh
erm, don't rub your face. Your kohl will get smudged." mumbled Armaan
awkwardly, as he played with his laces.
"Toh
erm Maanvi..tell me something about your family!" said Armaan cheerily,
trying to break the awkward silence that had just filled the stairway.
"Family?
Oh there's Badi Beeji, Beeji, Chachu-Chachi, Dabboo, unka beta, and of course!
My Jeevika Di!" replied Maanvi happily, as she remembered the fun moments
spent with her family.
"Pata
hai Armaan, Di is the best di in the whole world! She loves me more than
herself! Humara toh khoon ka rishta hai, aur hum ek doosre ke liye jaan de
sakte hain! Dabboo toh Dabba hai! He's a bit slow, but the best brother I could
have ever asked for! Chachu-Chachi toh love me more than Dabboo and treat me
like their own daughter! Beeji is really strict, lekin haan, I know she loves
me! Badi Beeji is the best! Its like we love to hate each other! We're always
at each other's throats! You know Armaan, she has the most beautiful kangans in
the world, and she just refuses to give them to me! Arrey yaar, mera haq banta
hai uss par! Ek naa ek din toh main-" trailed Maanvi, as the truth finally
hit her.
Her Badi
Beeji only had a few days left.
Armaan
chuckled to himself at the speed at which Maanvi was talking. It was clear that
she loved her family a lot, and they meant the world to her.
Puzzled
at the way she trailed off her monologue, Armaan asked, "Kya hua
Maanvi?"
Maanvi
looked up at Armaan, her eyes full of tears, as she choked, "Badi Beeji
can die anytime Armaan."
Armaan
stared in shock as Maanvi burst into fresh sobs and tried to hug herself.
Almost instinctively, he reached put and pulled her into an embrace and began
to rub her back in an attempt to soothe her. He rested his cheek on Maanvi's
head and closed his eyes, praying to God to give her the strength to stand up
and fight.
The two
of them stayed in that position for quite a while, till Maanvi realised where
she was, and who she was with. She pulled apart from the hug, and looked into
Armaan's eyes, as if daring him to say something to challenge her.
Instead,
he just reached out and wiped a lone tear from Maanvi's face. The gesture might
have been simple, but it conveyed everything what Armaan wanted to tell Maanvi
at that moment.
"Armaan,
mujhe waapas jaana hai. Can you help me to my room?" asked Maanvi quietly.
Armaan
nodded with a smile, as he swung her bookbag over his shoulder, and
effortlessly scooped her up into his arms and walked up the stairs.
"Which
floor Maanvi?"
"Armaan,
put me down this instant! Samajhte kya ho apne aap ko?" squealed Maanvi,
as she began to rain punches on his shoulder.
"Maanvi,
you're clearly not in a position to walk, so how else do you want me to take
you to your room? If you have any better way, please let me know, I'll do so.
Now stop whining like you always do, and tell me where's your room!"
snapped Armaan, tightening his hold on Maanvi.
"6th
floor, 21A" replied Maanvi sheepishly.
**************************************
"There
you go Maanvi! You're in your bed, your book bag is on the floor and I've
bandaged your ankle. Koi aur seva hai Raajkumaari jee?" asked Armaan, as
he bowed with a flourish.
Maanvi
giggled as she shook her head, flashing him one of her radiant smiles.
"Thanks
for everything Armaan! I always thought that you're the most annoying person
that I've met, but clearly, you're not. When you want to, you can be a bit
nice!" said Maanvi cheekily, winking at Armaan.
Armaan
rolled his eyes at Maanvi and waved at her, as he turned to leave the room till
he remembered something and stopped midway.
Turning
to Maanvi, he asked guiltily, "Maanvi, is your paper done?"
"Nahi."
replied Maanvi curtly, as she remembered why she hated Armaan in the first
place.
"Toh
ab?"
"I
don't know! You've been quite 'helpful', so clearly I don't have a paper
written and that's gonna screw my GPA! I may even have to leave Kings after
this sem cause of that, aur mumma ka sapna adhoora reh jaayega. I'll never be
able to become a doctor." whispered Maanvi, as she turned away from
Armaan, pulling the covers to hide her tears.
Armaan
stared at Maanvi in horror as he realised the magnanimity of his actions.
"Goodbye
Armaan" choked Maanvi, as she turned to switch off the lamp beside her,
leaving Armaan staring into the darkness, contemplating over his stupidity.
*************************************
Maanvi rushed to LT7, with the hope that she
could catch her professor and explain her predicament to him. Prof McLauren was
a jolly old fellow, but extremely strict when It came to deadlines and
assignments. She was hoping that he'd understand her and grant her an extension
on her deadline.
As she
rushed into her class, Prof McLauren called out to her on his own. Praying
fervently to BhagwaanJee, she walked over to the professor.
"Maanvi,
I just flipped through your assignment, and it isn't bad at all! Granted, its
not up to your usual standards, but it did seem quite fine!" said Prof
McLauren kindly, as he smiled at her.
Maanvi's
mouth fell open in shock at the professor's remark. Here she was about to tell
him that she needed an extension on her paper, and he was telling her what he
thought about it! Composing herself, she decided to try and check out the
assignment.
"Erm
Professor, if you don't mind, could I have a look at the assignment? I erm,
want to check my citations." lied Maanvi smoothly.
"Of
course dear! Come by my office after this lecture and you can check it! But
mind you, you won't be allowed to change anything!"
Muttering
a grateful thanks to her professor, Maanvi rushed to grab a seat in the LT,
wondering to herself about the mysterious paper.
*************************************
"Thanks
a lot professor. I won't be changing anything, I was just afraid that my
citations weren't correct. Silly me! Thank you!" gushed Maanvi, as she
walked out of the professor's office, wondering to herself as to how did her
paper magically materialise out of thin air.
"Ajeeb
hai. Yeah the paper isn't that great, but I guess I can get a B+ for it and
that would keep my GPA intact! I'll have to work a bit harder for the exams,
but that's okay I guess! But who the heck did my assignment for me? And WHY did
that person do so?" mumbled Maanvi to herself, as she walked towards the
exit of the teacher's lounge.
"I'm
sorry Mr Mallik, but this is the limits. You'll have to leave the basketball
team."
Maanvi
overheard the sentence coming out from one of the cabins and froze in shock.
Armaan was the captain of King's basketball team, and everyone knew how much he
loved the game. She walked over to the source of the sound and found him
standing in a cabin with the sports coach and another professor whom she didn't
know.
Pretending
to tie her shoelace, she tried to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"This
is highly uncalled for Mr Mallik. You knew how important this assignment is to
you, and you still didn't submit it! I'm disgusted at your nonchalance. Your
wayward ways and nonchalance will soon get you expelled from King's, mind you
Mr Mallik! Now get out of this cabin! You'll get a zero for this paper!"
spat the professor.
Maanvi
froze in shock as she tried to comprehend the situation in front of her. She'd
clearly seen Armaan flaunting his assignment to Sameer the previous day, and
yet he hadn't submitted it? Seeing the door open, she quickly stood up and
waited for Armaan to walk out.
Grabbing
his hand, she dragged him out of the teacher's lounge and pushed him into a
deserted corridor.
"What
the hell Armaan? I thought you'd finished your assignment!" asked Maanvi
in shock.
"I
erm, lost the assignment Maanvi! Anyways, who cares? How are you? What did
McLauren say about your paper?" asked Armaan, trying to smile weakly at
Maanvi.
"You
WHAT? And don't tell me you don't care about this, you're out of the basketball
team! Everyone knows how much you love basketball! And McLauren seemed to like
the paper but-"
Maanvi
looked at Armaan in horror as the puzzle began to fall in place.
Armaan
losing his assignment and Maanvi's assignment magically appearing out of
nowhere. Maanvi's fateful words the first time she met him.
"Armaan
Mallik. Did you turn in your assignment under MY name?" asked Maanvi in
shock.
Armaan
looked everywhere but at Maanvi as he shook his head, "No! Why would I do
so?!"
"Armaan!
There's no other explanation! We're the only two people in our year working on
this assignment, and while you magically lose your assignment, I magically get
a completed paper! Tell me the truth!" cried Maanvi pleadingly.
Armaan
looked down at his hands as he realised he'd have to come clean with her.
"Yeah.
Well erm, I realised what a fool I'd been all this while by not giving the
files to you. So I erm-"
"So
what?! Why did you do this Armaan?! You lost your captaincy!" exclaimed
Maanvi.
"Maanvi,
I can try out for the team in the next sem, and I know I'll get in! But you? If
you didn't submit the assignment, you'd have to leave and go back cause of
whatever issues your scholarship would have had! I couldn't let that happen
Maanvi!" said Armaan, as he rubbed his eyes, surreptitiously trying to
hide the tears that were threatening to fall.
Maanvi
stared at Armaan in awe and astonishment as she realised what he'd done for
her. He'd sacrificed something he loved for a person he barely knew. Almost
immediately, she threw herself into his arms and engulfed him into a tight hug.
The hug
left Armaan staggering, as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
No words were spoken for the next 5 minutes, as the two of them remained in the
embrace.
Slowly,
Maanvi pulled away from the embrace, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"You're
really one of the best people I know Armaan. I wish we didn't have such a rocky
start. Thank you." said Maanvi softly.
Armaan
chuckled quietly as he ruffled her hair.
"So
lets start afresh? A new beginning? Lets pretend the past 5 days didn't happen.
Hello, I'm Armaan. Armaan Mallik. And you, my dear lady are very, very
beautiful. May I know your name?" said Armaan with a wink.
"Maanvi.
Maanvi Chaudhary!" laughed Maanvi, as she tried not to notice how he was
flirting with her.
"Maanvi
Jee! Agar aap aaj shaam ko free hain, toh coffee peene chalein? I know this
amazing place that sells awesome coffee! And please don't say no! Agar aap
jaisi khoobsoorat ladki ne mujhe naa keh diya, toh main toh mar hi
jaaoonga!" said Armaan, as he fell on his knees and grasped Maanvi's hand
in his own.
Maanvi
burst into peals of giggles as she nodded in assent.
"Wonderful!
So I'll meet you here at 4? See you Ms Maanvi Chaudhary!" said Armaan,
winking at Maanvi as he coolly sauntered out of the corridor.
Maanvi
smiled to herself as she thought about what had just happened, and turned to
walk out of the other end of the corridor, excitedly anticipating her coffee
date with Armaan.
***********************************
A/N: So only last night I got a PM letting me know that I've won 5th place for this OS, and I'm still quite dazed. I'd like to thank all of you who liked this OS, who read and commented, and those who didn't even like/comment but personally liked it. Thank you very much. This is the first time that my writing has gotten such recognition, so it really means a lot to me. Thanks a bunch everyone. Thank you so very much 😳
comment:
p_commentcount