(ALMOST FIVE YEARS BACK.... )
The lectures were over for the day and it was time for all the students to return to their respective hostels, PG's or homes.
Kavya and Kirti were heading back to their hostel, walking slower than a snail because neither of them were excited to eat the lunch prepared in the mess of their hostel.
"Kirti, have you completed the assignment we got yesterday in Statistics class?", Kavya questioned thoughtfully as she recalled all the home assignments she has gotten in the last two days, somehow she has to complete all her assignments by today itself, she gets restless whenever any of her work is pending.
" Burger, French fries, pizza, noodles....wow", Kirti's delightful voice reached her ears.
Kavya immediately looked to her side and noticed Kirti having a dreamy look on her face as she drooled over the pictures of these foods items on Instagram.
"Oh I love you all so much, I wish you all were in my stomach right now", Kirti pouted and hugged her phone to her chest dramatically.
" Oh Drama Queen, stop dreaming, the horrible food prepared in our mess awaits you", Kavya teased her.
Kirti made a crybaby face on hearing her, "Kavu, I think I am surely gonna die someday if I kept on eating the food prepared in our hostel, Oh my God, what if I really die!That would be such dreadful news, I am sure it would definitely make it to the headlines of all news channels".
Kirti immediately plastered a stern look over her face, " Breaking News! A girl.....No, A smoking hot, extremely gorgeous young girl who could have become India's next top model died because of the deadly food prepared in her hostel."
Kavya rolled her eyes on hearing her and shook her head," You're really a Drama Queen Kiru."
" I know right ", Kirti winked at her and chuckled.
The girls continued to amble towards their hostel meanwhile talking about how boring their today's last lecture of economics was, they had to literally deter themselves from sleeping in the class.
Their discussion further went on to some random topics like how Kavya has to finish the last chapter of a novel she has been reading online and how Kirti has to get her curly hairs straightened before the fresher's party because she wants to look very hot and gorgeous on that day.
" Hey, Kirti..."
As they both were passing the parking lot of their college, someone yelled loudly from sideways, making Kavya and Kirti to stop in their way and look to their side.
Kirti roamed her gaze all around the parking lot. Since it was time for all the students to return to their homes so the parking lot was packed with people thereby making it hard for her to guess who just called out her name?
Kavya too looked around the crowd and suddenly she spotted a boy waving in their direction. The boy was dressed in a black leather jacket and blue jeans, he was wearing a black helmet over his head and leaning against the seat of a bike.
In the next second, that boy stood straight and sauntered towards them, walking right through the crowds.
The boy when reached at a little distance from them, instantly took off his helmet and wide opened his arms, " What's Up, Kiddo?", he exclaimed with a big smile.
Recognition flashed in Kirti's eyes while Kavya just looked at him in confusion, for her he was merely a stranger.
"Abeer Bhai", Kirti whispered surprisingly.
Kirti's faint voice reached Kavya's ears and she immediately glimpsed at Kirti, only to see a million-dollar smile on her face.
In the next second, Kirti ran up to him and literally jumped into his outstretched arms.
"You've got to be kidding me bro, what are you doing here?", Kirti asked excitedly.
" I took admission to M.Tech program in this college Kiddo", Abeer playfully ruffled her hair, giving her a toothful grin.
"Really! That's great but hey, don't mess with my hair", Kirti pouted in response and playfully punched on his shoulder.
With a playful grin, Abeer continued to annoy his sister by ruffling her hair again and again even after Kirti's continuous complaining, but suddenly his eyes shifted from Kirti to the girl standing a few lengths behind her.
"Beautiful" is the first word that came to his mind on seeing the enticing beauty standing in front of him, the girl was dressed in a simple pink Kurti and white leggings, with waist-long silky hair and beautiful honey brown eyes.
" Oops, I forgot to introduce you both", Kirti said in a regretful voice as she noticed her brother's gaze fixed on Kavya, who in turn was looking at him in confusion.
Kirti hastily walked back to Kavya and clutched her hand, dragging her to the place where Abeer was standing.
"Bhai, meet my best friend Kavya and Kavya, meet my most favourite cousin brother", Kirti exclaimed in excitement gazing both Kavya and Abeer, one by one.
Abeer, who was still lost in admiring Kavya came out of his trance as soon as he heard his sister's over-excited voice. Kirti's words registered in his mind and his lips twisted into a brief smile on knowing the name of the pretty girl standing in front of him.
Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl,
" Kavya", he whispered faintly as if testing how her name sounds from his mouth.
" Yes?", Kavya questioned back as she heard him muttering her name.
"Oh nothing", Abeer instantly replied her.
A sheepish smile tugged at his lips as he scratched the back of his head.
Was he too loud that she heard him?
" Well Hii Kavya, I am Abeer, Kirti's elder brother and M.Tech student in this college", Abeer stuck out his hand for a handshake.
With a little hesitation, Kavya greeted him back with a gentle handshake, " Hello sir, I am Kavya, a B.com student ", she answered him softly and immediately pulled her hand back.
" Sir! ", Kirti shrieked in displeasure and looked at Abeer with a frown, " Bhai, even though you are my senior here, I am still not going to call you Sir".
" Why Kirti? You are also a student here so you have to abide by the rules of this college.
By the way, you just hit me on my shoulder, I should give you some punishment for that.
All thanks to this college, finally I will be getting some respect from you ", Abeer said playfully, trying hard to hold back a chuckle on seeing her sister's angry face.
" You're talking as if I don't respect you", Kirti folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.
" Well, I ain't wrong. You just hit me in front of your friend", Abeer reasoned back wryly.
" Haww this is really a false accusation. You yourself messed up my hair first", Kirti answered with a frown.
Standing beside them, Kavya watched the two with adoration. Now, looking them together from up close, she could actually see some resemblance between the two even though they were cousins.
Both of them possessed the same black eyes, same wheaty complexion, same curly hair although Kirti had more wild curls than his brother.
Overall, both of them were two very good looking individuals and the way they both were playfully bickering with each other, somehow they reminded Kavya of her younger brother with whom she too gets in some silly fights, back at home.
" Oye kiddo! I know you respect me a lot, I was just teasing you ", Abeer exclaimed, giving a side hug to Kirti.
"Well, I am still angry at you bhai ", Kirti looked at Abeer with fake resentment, "But I can forgive you on one condition", she glimpsed at Abeer and noticed him giving her a puzzled look.
Kirti's eyes gleamed with mischief, " Bhai, get me a Pizza right now and maybe I can think about forgiving you", she smiled sheepishly at him.
" I knew you were up to something, Kirti ", Abeer replied back in return, giving Kirti a
' Are you serious' look.
" Seriously Bhai, I am so hungry that I could eat anyone right now. Please Bhai, I am starving, won't you listen to your adorable sister who is nearly dying from hunger ", Kirti pleaded, giving him a puppy dog look.
Abeer rolled his eyes at her sister's antics.
Oh, he knows for a fact that she will definitely eat his brains out if he dares to refuse her. Well, he has never denied his younger sister for anything so there's no way he will refuse her now!
Apart from that, he has an impression to make on Kirti's friend too. What would Kavya think about him, that he is such a bad brother!
" Okay Okay, just don't start your emotional blackmailing ", Abeer immediately glanced at his wristwatch and said," Well, I think our college canteen would be open right now, so hurry up".
" Thank you so much Bhai, you're the best", Kirti jumped in excitement and instantly gripped Kavya's hand, " Come on Kavya, let's rush to the canteen before it gets closed, else we will miss Abeer bhai's treat."
"Oh No Kirti, you go, I will be leaving for our hostel," Kavya answered reluctantly.
" But why Kavya?", Kirti questioned back glumly.
" Oh my God, I knew this was going to happen", Kirti suddenly shrieked, giving Kavya a horrified look, " Don't tell me that your taste buds have entirely died now and somehow you have started enjoying the food prepared in our hostel."
" Oh no, nothing like that Kirti," Kavya answered her back hesitantly.
" Then come with us Kavya ", Kirti requested her again with a pleading look.
" I, I...", Kavya mumbled softly, somehow she was not able to decide what should she do right now? She felt a little awkward to join them.
"Come along with us Kavya," this time Abeer insisted her in a firm voice.
Kavya immediately shifted her gaze to Abeer and noticed him looking her with utter sincerity but then suddenly his lips curved into an amusing smile, " Think again, it's a golden chance Kavya, not every day do you get a treat from your seniors. If I were In your place, I would have immediately said yes", Abeer said with a humorous glint in his eyes.
With a hesitant smile, Kavya glimpsed both Kirti and Abeer one by one, the way they warmly asked her to join them, she felt that now she couldn't deny them, it would be so impolite of her to refuse her best friend and her senior.
" Okay, I will join you both", she answered them softly with a small smile.
" Heck Yeah! ", Kirti's eyes twinkled with excitement and she fist punched in air,
" Finally, Pizza my love, here I come ", she exclaimed with a ghost of a smile on her face.
Abeer and Kavya chuckled on seeing her overexcitement and with that, the three of them immediately headed towards the college canteen.
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" Oh God, I am so full ", Kirti announced with a pleased grin.
Abeer snickered on hearing her, "Of course you would be full after eating one full pizza, one sandwich and fries. Who knew, my sister would grow up to become an Eating machine?"
" Hehe, maybe I ate a lot right now but really bhai, I have never been so hungry in my entire life", Kirti answered him with a sheepish smile.
" I have never been so hungry in my entire life, Kiru, you say this line after every two hours ", Kavya teased her.
Kirti looked her with a rueful smile, " That's also true but what to do? I just love to eat and somehow tasty food always calls me towards it, I simply can't resist it."
For a small second, Kirti noticed Abeer's attention shifting on his phone and grabbing this opportunity she immediately leaned sideways towards Kavya and whispered in her ear, " Of course besides food, the other thing I can't resist is Abs, specifically Chris Hemsworth's abs, wish I could get him too ", Kirti drew back and winked at a Kavya, who was staring her in surprise.
Shifting her attention back to her brother, Kirti continued, " By the way, all thanks to you Abeer bhai we got saved from eating the boring food of our hostel today. Oh, how I wish I meet you every day at lunchtime."
" Really, that's your wish?", Abeer faked a look of surprise on his face but then he narrowed his eyes," Then I will make sure that the next time I see you in the lunchtime, I run away from you as fast as I can."
" Haww, that's so mean bhai, can't you understand my craving for tasty food", Kirti murmured dramatically.
"Okay Okay, I can understand that you love tasty food to a level that you're not even sparing Kavya's food. I saw you eating fries from her plate too", Abeer stated, looking at his sister playfully.
" She won't mind it bhai!", Kirti exclaimed with a flushed look and immediately gazed at Kavya with a questioning gaze, " Kavya you don't mind me eating your food, right?"
" Oh no, it's completely fine Kirti", Kavya answered her back with a small smile.
"See bhai she doesn't mind", Kirti said to Abeer with a joyful smile.
With a smirk, Kirti added, " Also Bhai, haven't you heard that saying, friends buy you food but best friends", she immediately took a fry from Kavya's plate and munched it in one go, "Eat your food", she said while winking at Kavya.
Kavya shook her head and chuckled in response.
From the corner of his eyes, Abeer gazed at Kavya, who was smiling softly at Kirti's words.
The three of them have taken seats in one corner of the outdoor canteen, where he sat across from Kirti at the table and Kavya was sitting just next to Kirti.
From the moment they had settled at their seats, he has been repeatedly catching glimpse of Kavya and every time he looked her, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looks, how softly she talks, how cutely she smiles.
Abeer thought of some topic to initiate a conversation with her, " So Kavya, why this college?"
Abeer noticed Kavya giving him a puzzled look on hearing his words and continued, "What I mean is that with B.com you could have opted for any other college, why did you choose Elite College?"
" Oh actually sir, I have a genuine interest in some subjects like commerce, management and finance so by pursuing B.com from such a renowned college, where with the proper guidance and right knowledge, I believe I will be groomed to work in a corporate world in future," Kavya answered him back politely.
Upon hearing her, Abeer nodded in understanding, " Well Kavya, you did the right thing by preferring Elite college. Just like you I also opted to do my UG from this college and I am pretty confident that after completing my PG from here, I would be able to achieve the career I desire. Also, the subjects that I took.."
"Oh God, Stop!", Kirti intervened with a shriek,
"Jeez! If I haven't stopped these two right now then they would be really conversing about studies and careers and blah, blah, blah", she sighed.
Making a cranky face she looked both Kavya and Abeer one by one, "Seriously people, the only time I want to talk about studies is the night before my exams so please can you both change the topic!"
" Sure Kiddo, you are absolutely right. We could talk about something else", Abeer replied her back and smirked, " Kirti, how about we talk about that one time when you kept your phone on airplane mode only to see if it can fly."
Kirti gaped at him in embarrassment and muttered, "That was just one time, bhai!".
Kavya and Abeer just giggled in response.
All of a sudden, Kavya's phone which was kept on the table rang loudly, earning their attention.
"You have to receive it", Kirti mumbled with a soft smile as she looked at the name flashing on the screen.
" Yeah", Kavya nodded in return, looking Kirti with a small smile.
Kavya quickly rose to her feet, "Please excuse me", saying that she walked away from their table to a secluded corner for receiving the call.
Abeer stared at Kavya's retreating form, he saw her occupying a vacant spot under the shade of a tree which was present at some distance from their table.
A beautiful smile flickered on Kavya's face as soon as she started to talk with the person on the phone call, which didn't go unnoticed by Abeer.
A random thought popped in Abeer's mind.
Is it her boyfriend's call?
Naah.....In the little time he has spent with Kavya just now, somehow he didn't get that vibe from her that she is in relationship with someone.
But then again, he could be wrong too...
With the progressing time, Abeer began to get anxious, he desperately wanted to know if she is committed or single....
Suddenly, a thought came into his mind.
Of course, who would know Kavya's relationship status better than his sister?
Yes....why didn't he thought of this earlier?
Instead of impatiently wondering whether Kavya is single or not, he could simply know it from Kirti.
With that Abeer immediately looked at his sister and saw her going through her phone.
" Uhmmm", Abeer cleared his throat to gain Kirti's attention, " So Kirti, how are you coping with the hostel life?"
Kirti's eyes glimmered with enthusiasm, " Oh it's very cool bhai. I am really loving everything here, just not the deadly food made in mess. Also, l feel so lucky to have Kavya as my roommate, even though we are completely different from each other, we still have so much fun together."
Abeer gave her a brief smile, "Well, I am glad to hear that you're happy in your hostel and what about your studies?"
Kirti looked at him with a nervous smile,
" Hehe, just fine bhai. You know how much I hate to study but yeah, Kavya helps me a lot in completing my assignments, just like you she is also good in studies."
" Oh really? Well, that's good", Abeer answered her with an appreciating nod, " Actually, I am impressed by your friend Kiddo, I mean she is able to concentrate on studies even after being in a relationship, not everyone can do that."
" Relationship?", Kirti scrunched her brows in confusion.
" Umm.. yeah, Isn't she talking to her boyfriend right now?", Abeer asked her with eagerness.
" What? No! ", Kirti almost shrieked gazing her brother with wide eyes, " She is talking to her mother bhai, it's something she does every day, talking to her mother before and after her classes, just to tell and know that everything is fine."
" Oh, I see...", Abeer whispered with a slow nod of his head. Well, he was damn right about Kavya, she didn't have any boyfriend, just like he guessed.
A sudden message beep from his phone brought Abeer out of his reverie and he immediately reached for his phone kept on the table.
"Oh shit!", Abeer exclaimed loudly making Kirti look at him in shock, " What happened Bhai?", she asked in concern.
" Oh, didn't I told you that I took admission into M.Tech program here, so I was asked to submit some papers in the office by today itself but then I met you on the way and kind of forgot about submitting those papers. Now I need to hurry up before the office gets closed."
Abeer abruptly stood up from his chair, " Okay kiddo, I am leaving. You both also leave for your hostel, it's getting late now."
" Yes bhai, Bye", Kirti answered with a nod.
Before leaving, Abeer gave one quick glance to Kavya and found her totally engrossed in talking to her mother on the phone.
" What happened Bhai?", Kirti asked him with arched brows.
Shifting his attention back on his sister, Abeer smiled awkwardly, " Oh nothing, Bye Kiddo, I will catch you later". With that, Abeer hurried
from the canteen towards the office.
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"Oh Yes, I will make sure to submit those forms. Okay then, Bye Mummy ", Kavya disconnected the call and walked back to her table. She noticed only Kirti sitting at the table, looking at something on her phone.
" Hey Kiru", Kavya called out as she settled on the chair opposite to her.
" Hey", Kirti shifted her gaze from her phone to Kavya, " Done with the conversation, how's everyone in your house?" Kirti asked.
" Everyone's fine", Kavya replied her back, "Mummy was asking about you, apparently the tip you gave her for getting a clear skin worked and now all the women of my colony want to take beauty lessons from you Kiru madam", Kavya said amusedly.
On hearing her, Kirti giggled in response.
Kavya quickly roamed her gaze all around the canteen, " By the way, did Abeer sir left?", she questioned.
" Yeah, he had to urgently leave because of some work ", Kirti responded back.
Kavya nodded briefly, " Oh, well convey my gratitude to your brother for giving us a treat today. Also, shall we leave now Kiru ?"
" Yeah, let's just finish these two slices of Pizza and then leave for our hostel", Kirti quickly held out one pizza slice to Kavya,
" Here you go, munch on it, you haven't even taken a single bite from this pizza".
With a polite nod, Kavya carefully took the pizza slice from Kirti's hand.
The moment she took her very first bite of Pizza slice, all the colours drained from her face.
" Oh God, Was there pepper in it?", Kavya immediately questioned Kirti, gazing her with a horrified look.
"Umm yeah...why?", Kirti asked her back in confusion.
Mortified to hear that there was pepper in it, Kavya immediately spits out the piece from her mouth," I am allergic to pepper", she answered in a panicked voice.
Even though Kavya spitted the piece out but the traces of pepper left on her tongue started to show it's effect and in the very next second, the insides of her mouth and throat started to itch painfully.
Rubbing her throat with one hand, Kavya quickly stood up from her chair in restlessness.
Her breathing quickened and unshed tears started to accumulate in her eyes.
Kavya squeezed her eyes shut when the itchiness in her throat elevated further and soon she started to cough loudly.
" Hey what happened Kavya?", Kirti quickly came by her side, looking at her with concern.
Kirti gasped with widened eyes when she noticed a single tear streaming down Kavya's cheeks as she rubbed her throat hastily.
" Water....give me water....", Kavya mumbled, coughing in between.
Upon hearing her, Kirti quickly searched all over the table and clicked her tongue in annoyance when she couldn't find any water bottle, " Wait Kavya....I am bringing water for you", with that she hastily rushed towards the canteen counter to fetch a water bottle for Kavya.
Within a fraction of seconds, Kavya noticed someone's presence in front of her.
Since she was already in a terrible condition and her eyes were loaded with tears, she couldn't see the person properly.
Through her blurred vision, Kavya noticed a hand holding out a water bottle towards her.
Without even delaying for a second, Kavya literally grabbed the water bottle from the outstretched hand and drank down the whole water in one gulp.
As soon as the ripples of water glid through her throat, she felt the itchiness in her throat slowly subsiding.
Relief flooded through her as the pain in her throat totally perished and she breathed a sigh of relief.
With her eyes still closed, Kavya immediately palmed her heart trying to calm down her rapid breathing.
" Are You Okay....?"
All of a sudden a very rough and manly voice rang in her ears, almost startling her.
This voice, she has heard this voice before...
In the next second, Kavya fluttered open her eyes and literally froze on her spot.
Her beautiful honey brown eyes widened in shock on seeing Vikram standing right in front her and that too so close that there was barely a few inches present between them.........
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Thank you 💖
The story will go in two time zones, back and forth between past and present.....following few chapters would also be of the past.
