PART 1
"Alex! I want you to do something. Before she reaches her seat, get that
file which is kept there and make sure she doesn't come to know about it."
"A bait for the new fish?"
"Yeah, you got that right. Now don't waste time and get going!" Just as
she was talking to some of her new found friends, Alex whisked away the file
from her chair and got to him just in time.
~After the intro session was
over~
He watched as she furiously rummaged through the auditorium in search of
her file.
"Where did that thing go?"
"Can I help you pretty lady?" Ridhima looked up to see a one of the
seniors standing before her.
"Umm' no it's alright. I will manage. Thank you." She replied politely
and got back to her search.
"Are you looking for this?" He put forth the file he had asked Alex to
whisk away.
"Where did you find that thing? I was searching for it all over!" Ridhima
had jumped the moment she saw the file in his hands.
"I found it on the floor as I was going out and I thought it belonged to
you, so I '"
"Oh thank you so much!" She cut him off. "I would have been in a mess had
I not found that thing. Thank so much for your help."
"Anything for a beautiful girl like you'" He started walking ahead and as
an impulse she too started walking with him. "So what's your name?"
"Ridhima, Ridhima Gupta."
"Indian, are you?" She nodded her head in agreement. "Hmm' India is a
nice place isn't it?"
"Oh yes, of course. It's a wonderful place! I miss it so much!"
"Me too!"
"Have you been there?"
"I am an Indian you know, but I have been living here since I was ten."
"I should have guessed it, but for your American accent."
"Rahul!" Alex shouted from
the doorway. "You freak! We're getting late for the class!"
"I think I have to go now. See ya later!" He turned around to Alex and
winked at him with thumbs up.
"Has the fish been netted?" Alex grinned.
"That wasn't difficult at all. You should have looked at her face when I
returned the file to her. She was as happy as if she has been awarded!"
"What more can you expect from her?"
"Nothing!" They moved ahead to their class joking around for a while.
**************
"I never knew people here are so helpful. Nice hospitality I must say!"
Ridhima quipped as she walked out of the class with Anjali.
"Why, what happened? Did someone sweep Ms. Ridhima Gupta off her feet?" Anjali
asked arching her eyebrows.
"That won't happen so soon Anjali! Keep dreaming, okay?"
"Kyun, tumne hi toh kaha tha na ki 'you fall for boys easily'!"
"Tum hindi bhi bolti ho?"
"Ridhima, don't divert from the topic okay. And vaise bhi even if I live
in America this doesn't mean I can't speak Hindi!"
"Tumhe pata hai Anjali, you are neither speaking Hindi nor English.
You're speaking hinglish!"
"Hinglish?
"Yeah! A combination of hindi and English makes it hinglish!"
"Accha thike thike, don't divert from the topic now. Bata na kya hua?"
"Kuch khaas nahi. I had misplaced my file and a senior returned it to me.
How sweet!"
Anjali stopped in her tracks laughing as Ridhima continued walking ahead
of her. "How sweet!? Was that senior a he or a she?"
"Rahul was his name'" She laid emphasis on 'his'.
"Oh! The one who was talking to you in the auditorium?"
"Hmm'"
"I should have guessed. He was eyeing you all the way when you were
giving your introduction on the stage."
"Really?" Her head snapped towards
Anjali in an instant. Curiosity took the better of her.
"Look at you! I clearly understand you now. I never thought people can be
'this' honest about their feelings. I really thought you were making a fool out
of people when you gave that long speech of yours'" She continued telling her
of what she thought of her speech while she kept looking at her face grinning.
"Anji! Bas kar yaar! Enough for today. Keep the leftover part for some
other time. I like to hear people talk about me."
"You should have said that also. I am sure many people could have talked about
you endlessly, specially him." She made a weird face.
"Matlab?"
"Chhod. But you listen to me. Stay away from that freak, okay?"
"Why?"
"Why?! You're asking me that! Listen Ridhima he is seriously not a good
guy. Believe me."
"How do you know? You are new here as well, right?"
"Dekh Ridhima, I have been here all my life. This is not India. And even
though I am new here just like you, I just know it. You know the thing known as
gut feeling?"
"I think you're just over reacting." Anjali smacked her head as she heard
her say this. No use of making her
understand, at all!
"No wonder life can be so honest at times!" She dropped the topic then.
"Chill yaar Anjali! Aaj ke liye itna hi kafi hai. Meri baaki tareef kal
ke liye chhod de, thike?
"As you say' I think I have found my new hob even before I completed my
graduation!" She grinned at waved good bye to Ridhima.
*****************
~Next morning, university
gates~
"Where do I have to go now?" Ridhima shuffled through the pages of the university
brochure along with other documents in hope finding her way through.
"Need some help?" Ridhima's neck flung upwards as she saw a bright Rahul
come her way.
"Hey! Hi! How are you doing?"
"I am fine as always. You don't look alright though? Lost your way
through the class?" They were now inside the university gates and were making
their way up to the classes.
"Urmm' no' I mean yes! This is all so difficult. Why can't the things be
simpler?" She scrunched up her nose in confusion.
"They can be simpler with a little help. Just don't scrunch your nose like
that. You look awful!" he commented making weird faces at her.
"Hawwww'.! You're so mean Rahul. Get lost, okay. I don't need any help. I
am absolutely okay and I will find my way to the class." Walking in the
corridor, she did not realize when her head went bang against the pillar and
there she was on the floor. All her papers lying around and she was rubbing her
head where she hit the pillar. Rahul stood their looking at her grinning.
"Now, do you need any help?" He extended his hand for her to get up.
"Thanks, but no thanks!" She left his hand hanging in mid air while she
gathered her stuff and stood up herself. Without giving a second glance to him
she walked to where she could see Anjali standing.
"Attitude! We will see to it'" He smirked to himself.
"Hey buddy! How are you today and how is the fish behaving?" Alex turned
up.
"Have to say, the fish has a lot of attitude."
"Let me guess' you are the fixer?"
"That will happen soon enough."
***************
The lecturer was writing something on the board and Ridhima was paying
full attention to her. She did not see other people around her who had already
dozed off. You can say that she was the only one listening to her attentively.
She was brought out of the problem she was deeply engrossed into when a crushed
ball of paper hit her head.
"Oww! Why am I being hit on my head since the morning? They should know
it hurts!" She took hold of the ball and opening it she tried to read the small
words scribbled onto it.
"What' no where' were you' this morning?" With much effort she read the
first sentence. "In my bed of course! I was sleeping you fool!" She mumbled
under breath cursing the one who sent this to her. She then looked up around
the room to see who had sent her that. Three seats ahead Anjali sat looking at
her intently, her head turned fully towards her. Ridhima grinned looking her expressions
and then scribbled on the note and threw it back to her.
"I was in my bed sleeping. Where do you expect me to be? Dancing in the
classrooms?" Anjali could not help but laugh at the last sentence. Joey who was
sitting next to her looked at her with his eyes still dropping. "Oh sorry, it's
nothing. Don't worry, you carry on." She whispered to him and in response he
nodded and went back to his beauty sleep.
"Oh! I was not talking of early morning. I mean when you came to the
college." Ridhima read the reply.
"What was I doing? I was trying to figure out the classroom in this
puzzle."
"Tu mujhse mil nahi sakti thi kya?"
"I was coming to you but you had walked away in nick of time. What do I do
then? Voh toh accha tha ki mujhe Alex ne class dikha di varna main toh abhi bhi
class dhoondh rahi hoti!" As she threw back the crushed paper back to Anjali,
it missed her and landed right next to the lecturer's feet. She bent down and
picked it up and scanned the class in search of the culprits.
"May I know whose conversation has been disrupted?" Her voice echoed
through the large room and most the people who were catching up on some sleep
woke up. Wasting no time Anjali stood up.
"Sorry Ma'am. It won't happen again." Even though she was saying sorry, you
could not miss the underlying grin her face had.
"We will see to it. Whom were you talking to?" Even the lecturer was
surprised at such honesty. It came as a surprise to her. Anjali looked back at Ridhima
who was sitting there with the most sober expression she could manage. She shook
as Anjali turned around to look at her grinning as widely as she could.
"Oh! Ms. Gupta. I thought you were busy solving the problem. Don't worry
you can do that outside the class as well.
*****************
"You know what Anjali, I have a record of never having being punished in
the class ever since I was a small child and you broke that record today! I so
hate you!" Ridhima was just short of shouting in the corridor. Anjali was
looking at her as if she saw a madwoman.
"Get used to it girl. With me around, you will have a lot of that."
"You will have a lot of
that!" She mimicked
Anjali in a dreadfully funny tone, courtesy her anger.
"Will you please shut up? We have other interesting things to talk about
rather than looking at the boring faces in the room.
"I am waiting Anjali. There should be a reason why you brought me out in
a decent manner like this!"
"Let's walk!"
"What?" She said aghast. "Are you insane?"
"I am perfectly alright Ridhima. Just control your volume. I don't want
the lecturer at my heels. It's only the second day."
"What were you thinking when you did what you did a few minutes back?"
"I was thinking of having some fun!" She said in a calm tone patting the
back of Ridhima's head. "Now cool down, just let this bell ring and we're
bunking the rest of the day, got it?"
**********************So this is the first part. I have one thing to say. I am sorry if I caused any offence as the name of the university chosen by me is Stanford and I discovered lately that it is the same as used in another FF by Nj. This is just a coincidence. I started reading it and I have to say it's a wonderful story.
And for those of you who had thought that the man in question was Armaan, well here is the surprise for you, and that includes Swancy as well.
I hope you enjoy reading the part. Please don't forget to leave your comments or criticisms. Please hit the 'like' button as well. Thanks for the lovely comments you gave me. It made my day!
Love you!
Swatzz
P.S. Guju_girl Please empty your inbox so that I can PM you. You have exceeded the no. of messages you are allowed to receive. That's what IF told me. :D
Edited by Enigma_Swati - 14 years ago
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