His last statement has brought a wave of cheers from the students. He has given answers to all the comments, sneering and questions in everyone's mind about himself with this line of his. Many people stood up while clapping for the best student of this year.
Even the teachers and professors stood up and clapped for him while he walked down the stage toward his seat.
After the award ceremony, chief guest addressed the students and then departed. Before departure, the chief guest did not forget to send an olive branch toward the top 20 students of today.
After the ceremony ended, students who are graduating were called outside to take the pictures with the director and faculty members. Akash looked at Arushi who is toward his right where girls are arranged to stand and thought how good it would have been if she was beside him. If she were his girlfriend he would have asked the faculty members to arrange her to stand beside him but he has no right now.
Pictures were taken with different arrangements. All student in one, girls only, top 20 and top 10 and in all of them Arushi stood away from Akash. Akash felt hurt and pained that there won't be any of them standing side by side. He is sure that his smile will look fake in all those photos.
After photos were taken all the students dispersed to meet their family and friends and teacher. Akash also met his professors and said them goodbye with the promise of visiting again sometime.
He sat on the stairs in front of the institute's main building and looked at the jubilant atmosphere in front. He wished to look at everything, the garden in front, his friends who are leaving and especially her before he says bye to past 2 years of his.
Many parents and family members are meeting to the students and also some are meeting to the teachers together. Some parents and family members are seating in the garden across the building and are eating or looking at the degree and certificate of their children. Some friends are saying goodbye to each other. The happiness of going home can be seen on all the graduates.
Arushi is also smiling and talking to her friends without paying any attention to Akash who is sitting on the stairs.
He is dazed while looking at her smiling face. She is beautiful and also smart and witty. He remembers when he attended the class on the first day.
She was the first person he looked at the moment he entered the class. The class was noisy and the teacher was also not there but he did not hear anything. He was infatuated the moment he saw that girl laughing on something which her desk mate said. It was the love on first sight.
In the first semester, he sat on one of the benches in the last row and looked at her occasionally. He remembers her smile, laugh, answers to professors and witty remarks on things. But she never looked at him. Why would she? There were many admirers of her, even some seniors proposed her.
He always felt afraid whenever he saw some boy standing on the campus road, in the canteen or in the garden in front of her with a rose. He felt afraid that she will accept.
She paid attention to him when he scored highest in his first-semester exam and broke the records of past. His project report scored first and was bought by a well-known company. She talked to him and knew that he was also from Pune. Although he always knew that she was from Pune.
She talked with him occasionally after the 1st-semester exam. He was too proud to show his infatuation toward her but he was always patient toward her and gave her time whenever she asked for it, either in accompanying to the library or to solve her doubts. Neither she said, nor he said but both knew that there was some feeling of liking.
He remembers that it was just a few days before the second-semester exam. That day was the anniversary of his father's death. He was feeling down. He talked with his mother and promised her that he will do everything to fulfill the dreams of his father and make his younger sister also proud. He talked to his grandmother and promised her that he will become the best and let everyone know whose son is he.
That was the day when Arushi met him in the garden and said she liked him. He was sad and feeling depressed because his grandmother and his mother have high expectations from him. He answered her "I also like you but can you please wait a few years before we proceed forward from here. I don't wish to be in a love relationship until I prove myself to my family."
It was his indirect acceptance of her proposal but as a proud girl, she felt like her pride was hurt and she stopped talking to him. Semester exam was done and everyone went home but she still did not contact him. She has put his number on the blacklist. He was also too prideful to go and beg her to talk through her friends. There were also no replies of his text or emails.
When she came back from vacation, on the first day of the 3rd semester he came to know through the whisper of classmates that she was engaged to a senior who has just passed out of the same college that year. His family visited her family and they got engaged after a meeting. Akash became of a topic of ridicule and jeering due to her engagement. Everyone said different things and laughed at him because he failed in pursuing the girl.
He smiled mockingly and consoled himself thinking when he remembered his own grandmother "A girl who is too prideful is not good for my family. She will remain headstrong and cause conflicts in family and my grandmother will never like such type of girl." And he stood up to leave for the hostel.