Chapter-1: The Confession

4th January, 2015...

"Amara, hand me the shampoo," Aadhira requests with a fake smile.

"Don't be so stingy, Aadhira. It's just a shampoo." Amara says it with a sheepish smile, and Aadhira doesn't trust that smile at all.

"It's not just a shampoo. It's the Loreal Professional Series Expert Gold Quinoa + Protein Absolut Repair Shampoo."

"I agree it's a good one. But it's not that costly."

"It is if you're going to use three of those in three months. Usually I would use that bottle for 3 months, but since you started using it, each bottle only lasts 6 weeks. If you like it so much, just get one yourself."

"But I just bought a laptop cooling pad, and it cost me dearly. I can't use the remaining on irrelevant expenses."

"Do you think I am rich? I am using up my allowance too much on this. If I can't use this shampoo for the next 2 or 3 months, I won't be able to purchase it again. Also, if you're tight on money and think shampoo is an irrelevant expense, then buy something cheaper. I've already shared two bottles with you in the past two months. Look at this container." Aadhira points at the shampoo bottle, which will be her only hair product for the next few months. "Do you think it can last if used by two people?"

"Fine. You win. But at least let me use it until I buy a new one." Amara says it with a scowl.

"No. I'll let you use it until the end of the week. After that, you are on your own. Whether you buy one by then is your choice." Aadhira tries so hard not to smile, but she can't help feeling ridiculous over their fight. Aadhira doesn't mind Amara using her shampoo, but she knows better how tight she is on money and how cautious she must be if she's planning on managing the money she has for the next few months. She would be so embarrassed if she had to ask her parents for money just two months into the semester.

Coldhearted. Amara mouths. Whatever. Aadhira mouths back They then took a shower separately, as if nothing had happened, and got ready to leave for classes.

Classes started right after the registration, and Keshav and Aadhira's classes ended up across from each other. Aadhira introduced herself to him soon after the orientation. She observed that he doesn't talk much, especially with girls, though he has a lot of admirers, like Amara mentioned. Even a few of the seniors have approached him. After introducing herself to him more than once and trying to interact with him about a dozen times, he started talking back, and once the barrier had been broken, they became quick friends.

Aadhira enters the UB, where the first-year classes take place. Her room number is 504, while Keshav's is 505.

She waits for him on the second-floor staircase. A huge ramp in front of the building takes students directly from the ground floor to the second floor, and from there they can either take stairs or elevators. Students can also take the stairs or the elevators to the second floor, but Aadhira prefers the ramp because stairs take up energy and elevators are crowded. So, every day, she waits for him on the ramp to go to class together.

After a few minutes, Aadhira spots Keshav coming towards her and shakes her hand above her head to get his attention.

"Hi, what's your first class today?" Adhira starts a small conversation.

"It's programming using Matlab," he replies.

They continue the conversation until they arrive at their classes. As Keshav starts to leave for his class, Aadhira calls for him.

"Let's meet in the cafeteria after the classes." He nods and disappears into the classroom while she stands in the corridor, trying to slow down her racing heart.

By the time lunch break arrives, Aadhira holds her breath as she contemplates if she should even tell him. She immediately takes out her phone and calls Amara. She has very few friends on campus, and Amara is her closest. If she could trust anyone with advice, it would be her.

"What?" Amara's screeching voice emerges from the phone, making Aadhira jump. Aadhira can only hope the birds nearby didn't get a fright from her voice. She regains her stance and walks towards the cafeteria to meet Keshav.

"Stop shouting like a maniac. I didn't say we were getting married."

"But you're going to confess to him! I mean, you like him, but you barely just became friends."

"Which is good because if we really continue to be friends, then it will be even more troublesome to deal with these feelings."

"I guess so. But you know you can take things slow, right? You don't have to rush."

"I do. I'm just not sure if this feeling is real. What if I lose interest? I also think that I shouldn't dwell on this any longer. He has so many girls pining after him. How can I be carefree?"

"WHAT?!" There goes another poor bird's life.

"If you shout one more time, I'll hang up."

"Come one, Aadhi. You even say that you have doubts. Love is blind, but you shouldn't be blind to it. Think well before you tell him anything."

"Hmm. I will do that." Aadhira does not lack self-esteem, but when it's about Keshav, she tends to think a lot.

"No, you won't." Aadhira just laughs it off. Amara does know Aadhira well, and she does have a point. Is surging forward with this relationship truly a good thing?

As soon as she enters the cafeteria, Aadhira spots Keshav and hangs up the call to sit beside him.

"You came early. Did the class end so soon?" They usually teach until the last minute.

"I skipped the last period."

"Why?"

He clears his throat and slides his hand through his hair, making a few strands stand out. Somehow, he still looks good. "I just didn't feel like it."

"Let's get something to eat first," Aadhira suggests.

"Right. What do you want? I'll get it for you."

"No, just sit here. I'll get the food." He raises an eyebrow and then resigns himself to the task assigned to him. Aadhira always took initiative, so Keshav had nothing to worry about.

For the next half an hour, they eat the food, which is samosa and vada-pau, and then take a walk around campus. As they reach the library, Aadhira breaks the silence.

"Let's sit there." She points towards a nearby bench in front of the central library. He smiles as they take a seat.

"Tonight, I have a match; would you like to?"

"I like you." He coughs loudly and bends at his waist, with one hand on his chest and the other covering his mouth.

"What?!" The shock is clear on his face as his mind goes blank. What did he just hear?

"I said I like you. I think it was love at first sight, and I never felt this way." As soon as the words are out, Aadhira wonders if this is too fast for him. He had too many girls confess to him in the past few months, even seniors. Aadhira might not even stand a chance, but that doesn't necessarily mean she'll just give up altogether.

"I didn't think you liked me. I am sorry, I don't..."

"Don't stress yourself. I am a straightforward person, and I hope I didn't offend you. This might be out of the blue, but I don't think you're that oblivious to my feelings. I don't mind if you don't like me. Different people love in different ways. Some people take their time to get to know each other." At this point, Aadhira was just rambling about whatever occurred to her.

"No, it's not that. I know you know how you feel. But I think you are not sure. Yes, you might feel infatuated, but that's not how love should be. You should take time thinking about it yourself."

Aadhira tilts her head in amusement. She thought she would either be rejected or accepted, but she didn't expect him to consider her feelings. He wants her to be sure about her feelings. What does that mean? She is left speechless, and she rarely is. After thinking it over, she understands that just saying something doesn't own up to anything. So She gives him a nod.

"Fine. Though I know I like you. Maybe you're right. I still think it's you who needs time to think. So, let me pursue you." Again, he lifts an eyebrow. He does that a lot when he's with Aadhira.

"You're going to pursue me? What if, later, you realize you don't like me and regret chasing me for nothing?"

"I won't. I know myself. This is my first time feeling this way. If I don't try it, I will regret it more." Then he goes silent, and she lets him think about it.

Later, she walked him to his hostel, though he insisted he should be the one to walk her back to the hostel. Aadhira is the one who confessed, and she is the one to own up to her feelings, so she should be the one to walk him home. It's better for her to get bonus points if he's going to consider her confession. Throughout the brief journey to the hostel, Aadhira couldn't help the smile that barged onto her lips, seeing him getting awkward by her side.

Why is he feeling shy now? After getting to the hostel, he rushes inside and doesn't even look back. Aadhira goes back to her room, only to find it empty. Amara said she was done with her classes. So she should be in the hostel room. She decides to give her a call, and she picks up right away.

"Hello. Aadhi, did something happen?" She whispers into the phone. Aadhira could hear some sounds in the background but couldn't tell what they were.

"Why are you whispering? Where are you? Didn't you say you'd be in the room?"

"I am at the TP Ganesan auditorium. There's an award-giving ceremony going on here. I'm about to come out. I can't talk right now. Meet me at the auditorium's entrance, okay? Bye."

"Hey, but-" Aadhira doesn't get to say anything as Amara hangs up. Since she doesn't have much to do, Aadhira decides to go find her and get something to drink.

After a ten-minute walk, Aadhira arrives at the auditorium. A crowd has gathered there, and Aadhira's curiosity is piqued. That's when she hears the grunts and the panting. She could tell by the sounds that someone was fighting but couldn't see who it was. Aadhira, being a curious person by nature, went ahead to watch the scene.

The crowd is immense, and it seems like people are trying to hold themselves off from falling into the fight scene. As talented as she is at interfering in other people's business, she managed to get to the front, and it's a tough task to hold herself while the crowd pushes her around. As a sane person, she knows not to go into a fight that's raging with testosterone.

Aadhira hears her name being called and turns her head to find Amara standing at the other end of the circled crowd. That moment of distraction cost her dearly as the crowd jerked forward, and before she even knew it, she was pushed toward the center. Aadhira could feel her body trying to control the fall and failing to hold much balance, trying to shield itself. Fortunately, something cushioned her fall, and it wasn't the ground but a human.

She slowly opens her eyes in embarrassment to find a man lying under her. His right cheek is bruised, and a faint stain of blood lies on the corner of his lips. His face looks like it's carved out of anger and determination, which are clearly directed elsewhere as he breathes heavily under her.

Meanwhile, the tension in the crowd grew as people gasped at her fall. Everyone's now staring at them, and Aadhira can't hold back the embarrassment anymore. It all happened so fast that it was hard to keep track of anything that was happening. Amara screams Aadhira's name, and Aadhira turns her head back with a jerk and sees a fist coming right at the guy under her, or, to be more precise, coming right at the both of them.