*02*

Sometimes you need someone to watch over you, it's a kind of a feeling that every human being wants to feel, even the very independent ones. Independent or too scared to be dependent.

When you grow up in a household, where no one really likes you, to them you are just another burden to get rid off, unintentionally you become independent. Scared of showing emotions, what if they don't value, what if they find more reason to hate you. Eventually you grow walls around you not to protect yourself from outside, but also to keep safe what's still there inside.

That boy, there was something in his eyes. Something similar. Now that I could remember, his light brown eyes held so much emotions. There was a desperation. He wanted me to trust him.

But why?!

"Back to earth."

"Huh what?"

"Got to know about your saviour." Sam plopped down into bed beside me.

"Okay! How?"

"That's not important my love ,what important is, his name is Shravan Malhotra, hails from Delhi. Father Ramnath Malhotra, and mother Nirmala Malhotra, both the parents are big shot lawyers. Shravan mostly left on his own, that is hostel of school and now college. He is a genius but somehow never got the highest marks, which made his teachers think, he does it deliberately. Which means, he is abnormal." She took a long breath.

"Wow!" I was really impressed.

"Well I have my sources." She laughed. "But the thing is, Shravan Malhotra normally doesn't take interest in any girl. But suddenly why is he being so protective of you?

"What do you mean? He was there and he just helped me."

"You wish." She winked.

And I didn't like it.

"Let it be Sam." Why I didn't know, but I didn't want to talk about him. Veering off the topic, I sighed dramatically, "And I don't understand. Who gives this much of assignments on the first day of college?!"

"Well, professors." She laughed. "Lets go, it's already 9, dinner time."

It's 9! Oh!

"You go, and save a seat for me, I need to call Nanu."

"Cool. Come fast."

~^~

Unnecessarily calm so far, I would definitely describe a day like this. Half of the day had already gone. After yesterday's fiasco, I was all prepared for some brutal ambush, but no, there was none.

Maths class, and our lovely professor wanted to start with Differential Calculus. Calculus or callous we used to call it, an insensitive subject for insensitive people. And I was never an insensitive one so definitely it wasn't for me.

The very first class of it, and I was already feeling like banging my head on the table. With soft sighs and murmurs which were filled in the class, I was sure, at least I was not the only one to feel like this.

I looked around.

The only one who was looking at the board as if it was the sole responsible for his very existence, was Shravan Malhotra.

Again my thoughts drifted off. How weird it all had been. After yesterday's situation I thought he would come and talk or at least smile at me, but there he was pretending as if I didn't exist.

Who cares. With this thought I concentrated on my darling Calculus.

.

.

.

"I would die, 2nd day, and I am telling you I would die. Why did I ever want to be an engineer?!" Sam exasperated.

"Huh! Same thought, come on let's eat first. We can't be late for the next class."

"Shit!"

"What?" I stopped looking at her face. I had never seen someone to be this ashen in seconds.

And I turned around.

There they were, standing, looking at us or to be precise at me. I braced myself to face the worst.

Gathering all my courage I decided to stand up, only to be halted by a scraping sound of chair.

There sat in all his glory, The Shravan Malhotra.

"They are coming." Sam whispered.

"Canteen it is, anyone would come, what's new?" He was busy scrolling through his phone.

"Shravan...what are you saying?! They are coming here." Sam tried to reason.

"Toh let them."

We waited, waited and waited. Every single second felt like hours.

"So sitting with the bodyguard haan?!" Shekhar laughed, pulling out a chair to sit beside me.

"No...it's not like that." I mumbled. All I wanted to go away from this place, from this place to my safe adobe, to my nanu.

"Even if it is, I am failing to see what's it to you?" Shravan casually asked him, still looking into his phone.

"Shravan Malhotra, don't you think you are too interfering?"

"Again, even if it is, I am failing to see what's it to you?"

All me and Sam could do was sit there with our mouths almost a wide as a flying saucer, and listen to this exchange of words.

He has gone mad. Sam mouthed.

"So you think you can talk to us like this? What happened yesterday was just for fun. Don't make it an issue." Another boy from that group asked.

"We all know what it was. It was anything but an innocent fun." This time he looked straight into Shekhar's eyes.

"You are right. I like her." Shekhar suddenly looked at me, "I saw you asking the room that day, to our peon, and he told you how to get there, remember?" He sighed, "and you came back to ask him again. Clearly you forgot what he had instructed. The way said him thank you and sorry, I liked you instantly. I just told my friends to help me that's it, Suman."

"That complicates things." Sam muttered.

And me being me, again asked the most meaningless question of the day, "you like me because I didn't remember the instructions?!"

Shravan rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath, which I was sure would sound like infant.

"No, I mean, I like you, Suman. But yes you look cute when you are confused."

I literally gaped at him, "I think I have a class, I should go." I hastily collected my bag and grabbed Sam's hand and walked out of there.

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever seen." Shravan easily strode past us and stood in front of us, which made me and Sam stop.

"Why didn't you answer him back? You knew he was..."

"Lying?" I snapped.

"Yes..."

"See Shravan, I really don't want to get into all this. I am here to study, to become something in my life. I really don't have time to think about some boys who are busy making plans on how to make Suman's life miserable. And this all is happening to just because you created a scene yesterday."

"I was helping you."

"Did I ask?"

"No." He narrowed his eyes, those eyes which were too intense to gaze at, "no you didn't. It's my fault I guess as I stood before you to protect you from that vile of a man. Next time I won't interfere, and it's a promise."

"Thank you. I don't need a protector. I don't say anything that doesn't mean I can't."

Sam tugged my hand a little, as a reminder that we were on the way to our class, and also other students, who were really intrigued with our drama, looking at us.

"Interesting, I never knew, princess has fangs too." He smiled, "I don't care what you think of me or of that Shekhar. I did what I had too, and I will do what I want to. Do whatever you want, just know one thing I am watching over you..."

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