The day had left her head spinning, her body weary from a strange feeling taking place in her heart and from the stress of being unable to paint.
When Mrs. Maurya suggested finding an amusement, the only thought that crossed her mind was Karan's astonishment after eating an apple and later moaning in the washroom.
Though she found this peculiar occurrence strange and arousing at the same time, she wasn't certain if he truly excited her. Still, despite her doubts, she found herself unconsciously sketching an image of a bitten apple on her working table in the dim light of the lamp on her table, eating an apple as well.
As her fingers curved the apple on the paper, her mind flew from being doubtful to imaginative about how Karan must have looked in that moment. Was his face flushed and warm? Were his eyes teary, lips reddened, and ears hot? What was he thinking, pleasuring himself in a washroom like that?
Was he truly who he portrayed himself to be? No ordinary person would masturbate in a college, let alone someone as quiet and passive as him.
The unusual questions not only troubled her mind but also stirred something within her body. Unbeknownst to her, her body began exhibiting the same reactions she had been questioning about Karan.
As her thoughts raced along with her writhing body on the chair, frustration took over, causing her exhausted and stimulated body to abandon her artwork and slump onto her bed.
She breathed heavily, gazing up at the wooden ceiling, telling herself to stop her head to imagine further. Somehow, she managed to push aside those lewd thoughts, again focusing on the internal debate instead.
She debated whether to heed Mrs. Maurya's advice or not, and whether Karan was genuinely her amusement or if his peculiar deed simply intrigued her and nothing else.
Exhausted by her questions and doubts, she chose to sleep, postponing her decision until morning. It is said one must make a decision with a clear and fresh mind and a good night's sleep is better than any trip.
The following morning, as she walked through the bustling college corridor, she pondered for a while, slowly arriving at a resolution. Her deep sleep had given her a fresh perspective, allowing her to decide what to do. Now she knew what step to take.
As always, it was a chilly morning, gradually growing colder, but the presence of students around her provided warmth. With her decision made, she began searching for Karan, looking here and there in the busy crowd.
Her eyes eventually found him talking with Nitin. They seemed to be talking about something very serious. She did not take his worried face seriously, her head being enough for the seriousness.
Done and decided she was stepping closer to the pale-skinned guy who was explaining something with worry to his friend until a sequence of whimpers echoed in her head and slowed her feet.
The whimpers came with more effects; her hands fisted up, her body stiffened and her vision of Karan altered into a different light.
'What was his face like when he was pleasuring himself?' The question reverberated in her mind like a loud bell as his smile thawed her heart. 'I want to know.' A whisper crossed her head, with her final steps halting before the two of them.
They greeted her with smiles, but her face remained distant and stunned, as if in a dream. "Are you okay?" Nitin quickly noticed and asked, finally breaking through the whispers in her mind.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. Hi!" She smiled, shaking off the effect, glancing at Karan's concerned face, which she mistook for his usual demeanor. "Are you heading to class?" she inquired, now composed a bit, ignoring Karan as if her heart would leap out of her chest if she didn't, unaware of Karan's feelings.
Nitin gently nodded, indicating that their conversation was mundane when she asked, dispelling Triya's suspicions. The conversation between her and Nitin continued as he answered and questioned, sharing everything with Triya. Karan trailed behind them like a lost puppy, watching her with longing eyes.
He had always felt like an outcast, isolated and alone, so being ignored was nothing new to him. However, he didn't realize that Triya's attention was fixed on him, even though she was engrossed in conversation with Nitin. And eventually, they reached the classroom.
As they entered, Nitin walked ahead to his seat, not looking back, as he had already hailed his farewell to Triya. And before Karan could follow him, she stopped him by grasping his wrist, and pulled him outside, letting Nitin walk on obliviously.
"W-what?" Astonished by her actions, he stammered, looking at her with wide eyes. It was the first time he had seen her like that without his guard up. His heart was pumping more blood than it should, his body stiffened in its place against the wall, his hands started sweating in the chill weather and his lips drying along with his eyes popping out.
"I'm sorry for pulling you away like that. But I wondered if you could help me with something." Direct as always, she asked while standing in front of him, too close to be called friends, her eyes unwavering, while he felt his knees go weak. "My help? With what?" He wondered why she would seek his assistance instead of Prisha's.
"Mrs. Maurya advised me to follow what amuses me. And I think I might be amused by you. That's why," she stated matter-of-factly. Her straightforwardness had shocked many before, but never like this.
"What?" His calm tone betrayed him, revealing the turmoil in his heart, matching his wide-eyed astonishment. It was almost like a sinking feeling. "Don't worry. You just have to help me until I find a better amusement," she declared simply, oblivious to the sharp pain stabbing at his heart.
"Oh. So, you need my help for a while," his disappointed tone surprised her this time as his eyes wandered down. She had expected him to decline and not sulk. It was a peculiar encounter for her as well, for two reasons. One she didn't expect to have such thoughts once again just by seeing him and second, how he reacted to her request.
"So, you're not going to help?" She posed another question, receiving a hasty response. "No! I mean, yes. I will!"
"Oh, thank god! Meet me after college, okay? I'll be waiting by the gate for you," she stated, pausing for a while to stare at his wondering eyes and hurried away before saying something unexpected again. "I never realized your eyes were brown. They're beautiful.
He couldn't digest the unexpected turn of events, and stood there for a while in shock, still contemplating her words and eyes on him. All of a sudden, his life had taken a weird turn of events. And he did not hate it at all.
He then spent the rest of the day quieter than ever, rethinking and revisiting the feeling that crossed him just by standing near her, not even questioning what would he do after she found another amusement. "Are you okay?" Siya asked, finally pulling him out of his thoughts during lunchtime, sitting right in front of him.
"Yeah. You've been acting strangely all day. Is yesterday taking a toll on you?" Prisha chimed in, stopping Triya's hand, which was about to take the apple to her mouth. "No. I mean. I'm fine. Everything's fine." With a warm but suspicious word, he smiled, adjusting himself to the seat.
"That's good. You seemed really sick after eating that apple," Jay remarked, a tall guy with a fit build, curly hair, fair skin, and a jovial nature. "Do you have an allergy or something?" he added, eliciting a simple nod from Karan. "Yes."
However, his eyes contradicted his words, making both Nitin and him appear uncomfortable, sweating in the chilled weather.
"So, that's why you rushed to the washroom?" Triya suddenly asked, capturing everyone's attention, as she had never directed a question at him before. Only Triya and Karan knew what was brewing between them.
"Yeah," he nodded, his eyes fixated on the apple in her hand, feeling dizzy just from the sight of it, evident from his expression. "Hmm. I thought it might be something else. So, whatever happened in the washroom was because of an apple?" She probed further, framing her question in a peculiar manner that puzzled everyone.
"Yes. It was because of an apple," he stammered, bewildered by her question. His response left the seed of doubt in her mind, making her wonder why he was lying.
Only for her knowledge, he wasn't allergic to apples, and who jerks because of an allergy? Her continuous pondering led her to the conclusion that he might have gone to the washroom after eating an apple. And for sure, he was hiding something weird.
"So, I was wondering, when did you find out about your allergy?" Triya asked, her gaze piercing, observing his hesitant steps matching hers on the sideways of the road in the alley, his hands clutching his bag's strings, and his eyes fixed on the path.
"I've always had it," he replied softly, his words barely audible over the cold breeze. "Hmm. How does it work? I mean, what exactly happens when you eat apples?" She continued her questioning, not allowing him an easy escape, which he desperately desired.
"I—it's just—" he stuttered, struggling to find the right words, forgetting to hide his flustered and timid demeanor. "It suddenly got cold," she interrupted for some reason, her mysterious expression evident in her eyes.
Being cut off in the middle of the conversation had never felt better. He was grateful for the interruption, feeling like she had saved him from falling off a cliff even if she was the one who was pushing him off of it.
"Do you know how to make tea or something warm?" Her question caused his eyes to land on her calm eyes with a question, but all he managed to say was. "Yes."
"That's good. We might need something hot and I can't cook."
*****
END OF THE CHAPTER
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