December quickly approached. The placement exam was on the last Sunday of the year. Vira took Saka for the exam. He met up with Grandma Poom and chatted with her for a bit. It was a three-hour exam, and Vira had nothing better to do.
After a while, he checked his watch and excused himself. It was time to pick Saka up.
As he stood waiting outside the examination center, he heard someone call his name in a shrill voice. The color drained from his face.
He pretended not to see her, but he couldn't ignore the hand that clutched his arm.
Forcing a smile on his face, he turned and said, "Fiza! Jolly seeing you here!"
Fiza was the girl he had dated for a week, thanks to his grandmother. She had been quite keen on him, but he ran away from her.
She studied at the same college as him, though she graduated in material science. She threw money to get things done and had scant respect for those who weren't classified as elite or in the same circle as her.
"Jolly, bumping into you here!"
"Small world," Vira mumbled.
Saka spotted Vira chatting with a dark-eyed beauty. He felt irritated. He walked to where Vira stood and cleared his throat.
Fiza looked at the kid standing in front of her. He looked like eye candy, but his clothes were extremely local. Not rich.
She looked at Vira, "Who is the kid?"
"No need to be nosy," Vira laughed to remove the bite from his comment, and responded.
"I am guessing it's your student."
"What gave it away?" He looked genuinely surprised by that brilliant deduction she had made.
Saka got irritated. Vira had had no qualms in introducing Saka as his boyfriend so far, but now, Vira didn't bother correcting this lady? He failed to notice the sarcasm in Vira's tone.
"I will wait near the car, Maw." Saka bowed and walked.
Vira realized Saka was mad at him. What for, he couldn't figure out.
He extracted himself from Fiza's grasp, and muttering an unintelligible excuse, followed Saka to the car.
Once inside, Vira didn't start the car. He turned towards Saka. "So, how did it go?"
"Reasonably well."
Vira smiled. "I knew you would do well."
Saka smiled, but then, remembering he was mad at Vira, turned away.
"Where do you want to go now? Lunch bar? Cafe?"
"Cafe, I want something sweet."
Vira responded with, "I, too, am craving something sweet. Must be the cold. I should have something around."
He checked his pockets one by one. Saka watched him, surprised by Vira's action.
Then Vira said, "Ah! There it is!" while looking straight at Saka. Before Saka could react, Vira gently kissed him on the lips.
Saka gasped, but Vira had a naughty smile on his face. "I got my cravings satiated."
Saka blushed and gasped, "Vira!"
Vira smirked as he started the car. They drove to his usual haunt, Raindrop.
Saka seemed to be in a better mood, short-lived though.
"Vira!" Vira gritted his teeth. Was Fiza stalking him or what?
She came and sat next to him. "I had a feeling you'd come here."
"This was your usual spot after exams, right?" she gushed.
Saka rolled his eyes. She was flirting with Vira openly.
Another girl stood at their table. "This is my niece. I came with her." The girl smiled shyly.
Vira nodded his head, acknowledging her presence.
"Come sit here," he said, and before Fiza or Saka could register what was happening, Vira got up and sat right next to Saka.
Fiza was irritated, but she shamelessly smiled. She looked at her niece, who seemed amused by Vira's action. "Vira is a bit shy, like that," she told her niece in an "I-know-him" tone.
"I'm allergic to idiots," he mumbled, his face frozen in a smile. Saka heard the comment. His lips twitched. He felt relieved. So this lady wasn't some old flame.
"You boy, what do you do?"
Before Saka could answer, Vira replied, "What do you think a student does? Study, of course."
She was starting to get irritated. Making small conversations wasn't her thing.
"Vira, let me get straight to the point. Six years ago, we broke up; we were both immature."
Vira corrected her, "We were mature enough to know that, after a week of dating, we weren't really meant to be."
Saka and Fiza's niece sipped their coffee while enjoying the exchange. Now that he was sure there wasn't even a shadow of love between them, he was immensely enjoying himself.
"I think we should give it another chance." She continued.
"It is not possible." Vira stoically refused. Her niece giggled. Vira was one of the few guys who went against his aunt.
"Why not? We are compatible." Fiza was exasperated.
"In what way?" Vira asked.
"We are rich, equal in status, our families know other..."
Vira cut her short. "I am not looking for a business partner."
She gritted her teeth. "Now I remember why I said you'll never find a girlfriend this birth and next."
Vira smirked. "Indeed. Your curse seems to be working."
Saka looked at Vira. For the first time, he realized he didn't know what he was to Vira. He had rejected Vira's offer to be his boyfriend, and Vira did not want a long-term commitment. They weren't engaged, obviously. So they were really nothing.
As these thoughts stuck in Saka's head, he felt his heart sink. He was a nobody to Vira.
Vira sensed the shift in Saka's mood. He was surprised by how aware he was on Saka. It scared him sometimes, that Saka was this precious to him. If Saka was taken away from him, would he be able to live?
He had asked this to his grandma. She laughed and told him something. "It is exactly because of that, that you will live. You don't want to worry him right?"
He smiled as he thought about his grandma's words.
"Are you going to die alone?" Fiza asked him, exasperated by his insipid reaction
"No." Vira replied.
"Are you playing hard to get?"
"Trust me, not with you." Vira shrugged.
Her niece choked on the hot chocolate, as she tried her best not to laugh.
She took a deep breath. Her temper had risen beyond control, especially since she was being made a fool in front of her niece.
"Vira, let me be honest with you. Not many damaged goods have buyers. You are so darn lucky to have met a person like me, perfect in every sense, willing to take you. Throwing away such an opportunity twice, will make you an idiot."