Chapter - 43

Next day at university, while waiting for lecturer to come I keep drawing random patterns on my notebook lost in my thoughts. However, out of sudden I feel a hand on my shoulder, I immediately flinch back a little getting scared and same time only I look at the person who touched me. Seeing the person I got to know that the person is Carissa, taking a deep breath and putting a smile on my face I look back at her who is by now smiling brightly plus her eyes fill with excitement.

I tried my best to put a bright smile and same level of excitement on my face just like her, before both of us could speak anything or say something I heard Asher's voice.

Asher: Excuse me! 

Hearing, her I look past Carissa and she turn back to look at the girl who just spoke up...

Asher give me a bright smile, walk ahead of Carissa in a way that she has to step aside for Asher to come beside me. As usual she sit on the beside chair of my one, seeing this I roll my eyes mentally because this not something new for me as she is doing this from past three weeks. Though, I won't accept but her this actions give me a weird kind of warmth and belief that someone is really there for me, no matter how many times I try to push them away.

Well, soon my trance break hearing Carissa's voice...

Carissa: It's nice meeting you again after so much long time.

Me: Ohh same here.

Internally, huhhh not at all nice, talking to you over the call was so much better because in person seeing you here making me feel as if you are a typical girl who just like to gossip and care for her looks only.

Carissa: (With a tone which is more like taunting but I am not sure) I see you have a friend also, what's her name?

At this Asher look up at her once then me, I think what I see in her eyes is hope and I choose to accept it her as my friend say tell Carissa her name.

Me: She is Asher, my friend and Asher she is Carissa, I met her on the entrance exam day plus we have few conversation over the call too.

Carissa and Asher: Hey.

Hearing, this I see a tight smile on Carissa's face and when I look at Asher's I see her smiling genuinely. And for the first time in this whole month I got really happy seeing her smiling so, I decided not matter what I will try my best to be as normal with her as possible. Soon lecturer enter inside the room and all of the students settled down their chairs including Carissa too, at that moment only that body builder girl also get inside the car with dull and tired face. She come and sit beside Asher.

After a minute or so lecturer start teaching and no matter how hard I try I keep zoning out and keep hearing voices in my head...

what I thought and what came out? While talking on the call, I felt that the girl would be nice, she would pay less attention to useless things and pay more attention to useful things. But now see, her lifestyle is like that of other girls and her entire focus is on fashion or gossiping.

i guess that saying is right... not to judge book by it's cover. I mean just because over the call she seems to be interested in studies that doesn't mean she actually likes to do it.

i don't know why my heart felt relieved after seeing her smile today. Maybe I did the right thing. Her smile is so beautiful, maybe I can be friend with this girl.

that girl is looking dull today, I don't know what might have happened to her? Should I go to her and ask?

NO!! a big no, don't got all softie okay? No need to interfere in other's matter Okay?

A sudden shake of my hand break the trance, I look to my side only to find Asher looking at me with raised eyebrow...

Me: What?

Asher: The lecture was over five minutes back, everyone is moving out except you. Is everything okay?

Me: Ohh yeah everything is fine, I was just thinking something.

Asher: Okay come lets go for the next lecture.

And together we walk towards the next lecture, just like we finish first half of the lectures. Soon the lunch time started, we walk towards the canteen. As soon as we settled down there, Carissa and that body builder girl joined us too. While sitting there I can feel hostility vibes among four of us, Well, I guess to ease this vibes Asher choose to speak up...

Asher: Hey Carissa as you know my name so, I guess no need for introduction but here I will like you to introduce to one of my friend. She is Michiko (body builder girl)

Michiko and Carissa: Hey.

And I can clearly see both of them are least interested for this introductory session, however. Asher keep trying to make the vibes at ease by keep speaking some thing like where she is from? where Carissa is from? What are her subjects or our subjects are?

After sometime she choose to stop talking because I guess she is not getting the responses/answers the way she wanted and to some extent I feel about about it as I know how it feels when you you get one word responses from someone. This time I choose a way to ease up the environment, I take out lunch box from my bag and seeing me Asher too copied this behaviour. Soon we start devouring our lunches, however, for some second our actions halted for seconds hearing Carissa's voice...

Carissa: Umm I will go and order some food for me.

We just hummed then we keep devouring our food, once my lunch got over I close it and look at Asher who is eating it patiently plus sharing it with Michiko, not like me eating food in hurry and not sharing it at all but what can I do as I really don't like to share my food.

After likely ten minutes or so, when her lunch box is almost empty Carissa come back with a Chinese platter. As soon as she settled down on the chair, she start devouring her food with earphones plugged in. Seeing this, we both keep our lunch boxes in the table then take our pending assignment and start doing it.

Just like this lunch time got over and again we got busy attending our lectures, one thing that remain same is that we four have almost same subjects except the last one which is of foreign language. As only we three that is me, Asher and Michiko have Germain in foreign language while Carissa has French language and honestly, during I am at peace because her presence with us is somewhat suffocating.

And I guess it not just me who feel this way because I can feel both of them also feeling the same because the moment this last lecture started and seeing her walking away from us I see them taking a deep relaxing breath. While this lecture is going on I feel vibration of my phone, which is just beside my notebook and keeping it there only I unlocked the screen, open the messages app the start reading the message which is of Vihaa...

Vihaa: Hey I will be outside of the university gate, see you soon. We will go home together.

Me: Okay.

I locked the screen of my phone with a smile on my face and try to re-focus my mind on studying German but couldn't because now I am excited to meet Vihaa and let her know what all happened today in the university. As soon as the lecture got we all leave the room hurriedly, I guess all are pretty tired and exhausted and going back home is the best option for all of us.

Well, after bidding my good byes to Asher and Michiko I walk outside of the university and seeing Vihaa in her car, like an excited child I hurriedly go near her then sit in the car. Once I got settled down in the car she started driving again, a minute or two passed in silence but me being excited like a child, start speaking...

Me: How come you are here, today?

Vihaa: I have some work to do near by the university, surprisingly it got finished early so, I thought to pick you up.

Me: Okay.

Vihaa: How was your day?

Me: It was okay and what about yours?

Vihaa: Good, now tell me what all happened today?

Me: (Surprised and with eye brows raised) How do you know I want to tell you something?

Vihaa: (Smiling) The way you come to running me, sit inside the car. All I can see is excitement within you. So, go on and tell me.

And listening to this I start telling what all happened, including little details to and she does listen to me patiently. Once my little story of the day got over, I took a deep breath then drink some water from my bottle. While I am drinking the water, Vihaa started speaking...

Vihaa: Wow too much things happened in a day.

Me: (Closing the cap of the bottle, keeping it back in my bag) Umm not exactly, some of my observations has been there from a past month. However, I am surprised with Carissa's nature because on call I thought of her to be something else.

Vihaa: (Thinking for a minute I guess) Hmmm see, I think on call she sounded different because, she was on bed rest and ill so, in such situations the person will keep her/his focus on studies only rather then gossiping around.

Me: Yeah okay. But do you think doing friendship with Asher is a write thing?

Vihaa: As much as I come to know from your talk I can say she seems to be good. Look, I have told you before also don't feel hesitant to try new things, if you feel scared to try then take some time, observe people or situations, think properly and then chooses whether you want to do it or not.

Me: Okay.

Just like this we keep talking about other topics too till we reach back home, I come to know where she is thinking to do her marriage shopping from, where her venue will be and the type of food she is going to keep on her wedding. 

After reaching home, I directly walk inside my room washroom and start getting fresh, once done I walk out side of the room towards the kitchen to have a cup of coffee. Fortunately, during this time I found none of ladies out of their room which I am glad about because I am not at all in the mood to talk to them or any body else to be frank as all I want to now is to, enjoy my coffee with some soft music playing in the background.

Soon with a cup of coffee I walk inside my room and do what I thought of doing it. After sometime when coffee got finished, I start completing my assignments while listening to music and just like this don't when time passed and dinner time come. My focus break hearing mother's voice....

Mother: Siya!! come dinner is ready. 

Me: Coming mother!

I got up from the chair, closing the cap of of the pen and after pausing the music I walk outside of the room for dinner. And again to my luck no scene happened, once my dinner got over I walk back inside my room with a water bottle in my hand. At first I keep the bottle aside on the study table then I pick up my diary, settling down on the beside chair I start writing my thoughts in it plus what I learned from Vihaa...

living a normal life is not easy when series of incidents have been taken place in your life. I mean, once you have been betrayed in a friendship, it is not at all easy to make a new friendship again. Because you have no trust in, will this be the right thing to do or not? One side is your heart which tells you that it will not be difficult to do this and the other side is your mind which does not want you to do it. But still you choose to do it because that one beautiful smile from that one person will be so captivating that you will find some peace of your own.

She was right to never judge someone/something so quickly because who knows what they really are. It is better to take your time, observe your surroundings, think wisely then take a decision. 

Later, with these thoughts in my mind, I called it a night in the granny's room and before falling asleep I have this hope in my life for something better for tomorrow.