2 years later...
Krish
"Babe, calm down, I am not running late. In fact, I'm on my way to the college now." I reassure Kavi, as I take a seat in the last row of the transport bus. The past two years were a rollercoaster, with pressure to perform well in exams increasing day by day. Since, I was a Science student and a good one at that, everyone had great expectations from me. But through all the ups and downs, there was one constant- My Kavi.
She is the reason I was able to cope with all the pressure from home and school. Being a commerce student, she had it comparatively easy, though she will scowl if I ever tell that to her face. Despite being in different classes, our bond grew only stronger. Throughout 11th and 12th grade, she used to come over to my class during breaks, just to check up on me. Ofcourse, this led to people speculating about our relationship and why I was with her but neither of us cared enough to let it affect us.
"I know but you know I worry, especially when I am not with you. I miss you." She sighs through phone, her voice jolts me out of my reverie.
"I miss you too, Kavi. I wish you were with me right now, it's been so many days." Since the classes ended and board exams started, we haven't been able to meet all that much and it's killing us both. I was so accustomed to seeing her everyday that for the first few weeks, it was unbearable but we both knew we couldn't risk meeting without proper planning. Both our parents were unaware of our relationship for now and it is for the best until the time is right.
"But it's okay, just few more years and then I can see you whenever I want, as you will be with me" I tell her as I let my thoughts wander for a little while to our future plans.
After 12th, I knew I wanted to do something related to the film industry, while Kavi had decided to go for Bcom. So we both knew going to the same college wasn't really an option as there was only one college in the city that provides a bachelor's degree in Visual communication and it was a boy's college. The plan now, is to meet whenever possible but atleast once a week and once my studies were done, I will find a job and ask for her hand from her parents.
"You need to stop saying stuff like that over phone or mom is going to suspect something when she sees me blushing" she says and I could hear her smile. I smile and picture her blushing in my head. "Okay, listen, have you prepared for your interview?" she asks in a serious and concerned tone.
"Yeah babe, I have. Don't worry I will get through, I am confident." I tell her as the bus stops at my destination. I get up from my seat and Wade through the crowd to get down. "Listen, I reached college and I won't be able to use my phone until I am outside. I will call you after I am done. I love you."
I cut the call after she says a series of 'bye', 'i love you', and 'good luck'. I keep my phone inside and walk the 10 Metres to the college gate. I sigh with satisfaction as I look at the entrance. St. Joseph's College for arts and sciences, one of the prestigious colleges of the country and a dream of mine since high school. I had heard from my seniors about how beautiful and magestic this place was but those words gave no justice to the sheer vastness of the campus and its architecture. The entrance was frame with tall black gates that were decorated with gold leaves and flowers. In the middle of the gate was the college logo- an open book with a torch shining in the middle.
More than a little awed, I walk inside, gawking at everything I can as pride filled my heart. This is where my future will start and this is certainly where I belonged, I could feel it in my bones. I walk around in a daze, not really paying attention to where I was going. I can back to my senses as I reach at a crossroads that were shielded from sunlight by a thick foliage of branches. The view was absolutely stunning but I realised that I was lost. So I looked around to find someone to ask for directions. I see a middle-aged man coming from the direction I was facing, so I walk up to him.
"Sir, can you please guide me to the department of Visual communication?" I ask him politely. He looks at me up and down and opens his mouth, "You here for the admission interviews?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm.. fine. Go straight down this road and take a turn at the last left, you will see the entrance" He said with an air of disdain. I looked at where he pointed and realised I was facing the direction all along. I quickly thank him and walk ahead.
I had seen pictures of the department on the internet yesterday, but the building in front of me was far more beautiful than in the pictures. Almost the entire building was covered with tinted windows that you see at an MNC and the pillars were covered with reddish marble. The entrance had wooden frames that were carved beautifully with a floral design. I bridge the distance between me and the entrance and look up in awe but before I could gawk anymore, I was pushed inside by the crowd.
I focus my gaze around me and see around thousands standing across the hall and chatting with one another. The was a huge line of students in the centre of the room to get a card. I turn to my right and see a guy standing there, "Hey, any clue why they're all standing in line?" I ask him.
"We are supposed to get a badge of sorts for the interview and test from that guy" he says, pointing at the man standing at the end of the line, behind a desk. Quickly thanking him, I join the line at the very end and wait.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting inside a theatre of sorts called the audio-visual room, with a bunch of other guys and a lot of girls. When I walked into the department I hadn't really noticed how many girls were there but as I stood in the line surveying my surroundings, I realised there were quite a lot. Essentially, a boy's college, St. Joseph's allowed the admission of girls in bachelor's in certain programmes, like VISCOM and French Literature and all of master's programmes. But even then, there was always a scarcity of girls in this college and that was fine with Krish and more than fine with Kavi. Though not exactly an overly jealous type, she still did get jealous when girls were fawning over him, for he was blessed with good looks. So he was quite surprised to see the number of girls in the department but as soon as he entered the air conditioned room, he realised that most of them were his seniors and PG students and there were only a dozen or so girls for admission this year.
They were all asked to wait for the number to be called, as only a few are called at a time. The interview took place in the floor above them and couldn't afford to seat more than a dozen at a time. And since his number was 401 and right now the count has reached only 300, he had some time with him to relax and collect his thoughts. So that's what he was doing, when he heard the door open and felt a breeze caress him. He almost looked up but stopped himself at the last moment. And then he heard a crash and a girl's loud voice saying, "Oops! I'm so sorry."
This time, curiosity got the better of him and he looked up and saw a girl was bending to pick something up from the ground, helping the guy. It seems, she crashed into him in a rush and the tray with empty glasses of tea fell down. She had long curly hair that probably reached her mid-back and it covered her face completely. He felt something he hadn't felt in years, curiosity to see her face. So he kept looking as she got up with the tray in her hand, hoping to catch a glance of her face but her hair was still covering her face. But he kept looking at her, knowing she will have to turn to walk inside. He saw her handing the tray back to the guy in front of her. By now, the guys inside the room were laughing at her and the guy whom she crashed into but it didn't seem she minded even a bit. She kept talking to him for a few more seconds and before he could brace himself, he heard the most beautiful sound he had heard in his life, her laughter. She was throwing her head back and laughing. Her face was exposed but it was still unclear due to the position but one could clearly see that she was beautiful. At that, the entire room fell silent and one look told him that everyone was enraptured by her open-hearted laughter. As she laughed, Krish could see her long neck with what looked like smooth skin. He had an itch to trace along it with his fingers.
With that thought, he came back to his senses and averted his eyes, his heart filled with guilt but his greedy mind still wanted to see her face and so kept looking up at intervals.
The guy with the tray had left and she was now looking down at her hands and dress, her hair covering her face once again. He told himself that once she entered the room and he sees her face, he would be alright. But instead of coming inside, she opened the door the went out. He sighed with disappointment before his guilt was back.