Author's POV
21 Sep. 2024
The noisy beats of “Kala Chashma” at 7 A.M. pulled her from her deep sleep. She groans as the alarm disturbs her dreamy sleep. Reluctantly, she wakes up from her sleep and sits up. She switches off the alarm and then gets up from the bed. She pulls aside the curtains from the window making the early ray of morning casting a soft glow on her dusky skin. Hridya smiles softly and then looks at the clock. She has an exam today. She quickly goes to the bathroom and freshens up as she has to do the last-minute revision for the exam. After going about her morning routine and bathing, she sits for the revision quickly going through the notes before she leaves for the breakfast. At around 8 A.M. there is a knock on her door and she puts her notes aside and goes to open the door knowing very well who it can be. She opens the door and there stands her ex-roommate turned neighbour cum friend: Noor Grewal. She smiles and turns to the room adjacent to hers and after a while a girl emerges from there: Dhairya Vashisth, her another friend. The three of them make their way to girls’ mess.
“Bhai kuch ni aata, abhi toh sab pda hai mera revise krna” speaks Dhairya like usual.
[Bro, I know nothing. I have so much left to revise.]
“Bhn mera toh khud rehta hai” Noor adds.
[Same here bro.]
She smiles listening to them as it was a usual occurrence for her to see them worried and ranting like this before exams. She wasn’t a topper herself but she did not use to worry like this before exam. Her mantra is I have prepared to the best of my knowledge and I will give my best.
“Haan isko dekho hasti rahegi bas” Dhairya speaks. “Tera toh ho gya hoga sab as usual. Sab se pehle lights off karke so jati hai poore hostel mein ye ladki.”
[Look at her, always keeps smiling. You must have done everything like usual. In the entire hostel you are the one to turn off your lights early.]
“Haan bas ab cases yaad krne rehte hain.” She responds with a slight smile.
[Yes, only the case laws are left to be memorised.]
“Haan karle karle yaad ache se. kya pata kab koi aage baithne wala puch le ki iss case mein kya hua tha…..” Dhairya gives her a knowing look and teases her as they stand in the queue to take their food in the plates.
[Of course, of course. Do it properly. Who knows certain someone sitting ahead of you might ask about what was held in this case?]
And that teasing look from her friends is enough to make her blush. She tries to act nonchalant but her friends know her well enough to believe that act.
“Sharma gayi ladki…” Dhairya grins mischievously nudging Noor to look at her. Noor teases her too despite the stern glare that she gives them betraying her true feelings.
[She is getting shy now.]
“Waise ek baat toh hai, hum log exams mein preshaan hote hain par ye madam akeli hongi jo wait karti hain ki exams jaldi aayein.” Dhairya says as they take their seats on the bench.
[You know, we get worried about exams but she might be the only one who waits for exams to happen early.]
“After all exams mein hi toh humare jiju se baat karne ka mauka milta hai.” Noor adds giving a playfull look to her.
[After all, only in exams she gets to talk to our brother-in-law.]
“Bas kro yaar….”she tries to stop them from teasing her but the red hue on her cheeks belies her true feelings that the word “jiju” has caused.
[Enough guys.]
“Sharma toh dekho kaise rahi hai.” Dhairya gives a teasing smile. “Bs bs kya hota hai Hridya humein ache se pta hai andar se jitni khush ho rhi ho na tum uske baare mein soch soch kar.” Dhairya gives a high five to Noor and they both laugh.
[Look how she is blushing. We know very well Hridya how happy you are from inside thinking about this.]
“Acha thik hai…ab khana kha lo, late ho jayenge exam ke liye.” Hridya says to them supressing her blush and tries to brush off her friends’ comments.
[Okay fine. Now finish your food or else we will get late for the exam.]
Noor and Dhairya chuckles silently sharing glances at her and Hridya gives them a fake glare.
After breakfast the three of them returns to their room to get ready for the exam. Hridya quickly memorises the case laws and gets ready wearing a blue wide leg jean with white knee length kurti. She slips into her shoes and after one last glance at her notes she keeps them aside and leaves her room after taking her identity card and stationary supplies. She locks her room and goes to Noor’s room where her other friends were getting ready.
“Bs kuch aisa waisa na aa jaye aaj exam mein….”, says Avika Bansal, the last member left to be introduced from the group.
[I hope they don’t ask random things in exam.]
“Haan kuch ni bharosa inka pta chle short type question ko long answer mein puch rkha ho…”, Dhairya says.
[Yeah, who knows they might have asked short questions in a long answer type.]
“Chalo ab toh dekha jayega jo hoga.” Hridya says. “Tum jaldi kro, late ho jayenge.”
[Let’s see now what happens. You guys hurry up or we will get late.]
“Haan bhai jaldi krlo, ab tumhari wajah se jiju ke saath iski baatein miss ho jaynegi wrna.” Dhairya adds with a teasing laugh.
[Yeah guys, hurry up or else she will miss her conversation with brother-in-law.]
“Aisa kuch nhi hai, sheets pe margins bhi draw krne hote hain time lgta hai usme.” Hridya says covering up her earlier statements.
[It’s not like that. I have to draw margins on the sheet. It takes time.]
“Haan bs bs rehne de, pta humein terko apni baat krne ki pdi hai uske saath.” Avika says giving her a no nonsense look.
[We know very well that you don’t want to miss talking to him.]
“Acha thik hai na…chal lo fer ab.” Hridya says like a child who has been caught in his lies.
[Okay fine, now let’s go.]
“Haan ye bol na seedhe seedhe.” Avika says. “Bs ho gya almost chlte hain.”
[See, Caught You. Almost done. Let’s go.]
After locking their rooms, the four of them leaves the hostel for academic block of the university. They reached the entrance and checks their sitting plan. Hridya as usual has to sit in different class, Avika and Noor in one class and Dhairya in another. Dhairya wishes all the best to three of them and went to her own class while Hridya, Noor and Avika walks to the opposite direction to their own classes.
“Hridya exam pe focus krna hai, thik hai? Aas paas, aage peeche, especially aage walon pe jyada dhyaan ni dena, thik hai?” Avika whispers to her feigning seriousness.
[Hridya you have to focus on exam, okay? Don’t look around, behind and especially at the front, okay?]
“Haan haan meri maa bs kro ab…”, Hridya says. “All the best.” She says to her friends and goes to her own class on the second floor. She checks her roll number in the sitting plan outside and then goes inside.
[Okay okay. Please stop now.]
And there he is, roll number 30 aka Avyukt Singh aka her crush aka her one-sided love, sitting on his desk, his focus solely on the sheet lying before him on the desk probably drawing margins. Hridya walks to her own seat which was right behind him because she is roll number 31. Destiny Right?
With each step she takes to her seat, her heart races like a bullet train. She herself doesn’t understand how he has the same effect on her every time. Even after 3 years, her heart still beats like the same it did when she saw him first time. As she nears her desk, Avyukt looks up from his sheet and their eyes meet. He smiles slightly at her and Hridya returns his smile with her own a silent acknowledgement passing between them as happens in every exam. She takes her seat behind him trying to calm her racing heart and her fumbling legs. She quickly takes out her pencil and scale to draw margins on the sheet to distract herself. She flips through the pages drawing margins and writing down her details on the sheet. Just as she puts down her pen Avyukt’s voice startles her.
“What were the facts of Sanjay Bhatia v. state?”
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