|the naive rebel|
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v| say hi to my love
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word count- 1370

we are at 600+ views *squeals*

i realise how contrary the gif and my 'squeal' was but, that is ina for you!

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INAAYAT
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"Are you well versed with permutation?"

Mishti slurps her liquid dal (pulses) which resembles water. And water doesn't taste of anything.

Right.

I feel foolish to reply about a chapter I have never learnt or seen in my entire life except for once when Ditu was ranting about it in her first year.

"Yeah," I reply confidently knowing that I would have to render Aditi sleepless to help me understand the basics. I have a prominent feeling that I am not going to pass any examination here which is contrary to my no-fail record.

"Can you help me with that?" She pauses eating her food and turns towards me. Waiting for a positive reply. Before I answer her question my gaze falls at the two empty steel bowls that lie before her. She had gulped two bowls of the water pulses already and is now completing the third one.

How was she even eating- drinking this?

"I can try," I smile at her and she nods in acknowledgement. The entire afternoon we had conversed about our lives, mainly hers.

She is the only child of her parents who are both engineers. She wasn't forced to take this stream and was offered a way out of their family legacy but she chose to continue with it.

She had dozed off while we were discussing and conversing. I have a hunch that I am way too boring for her.

After she had slept I sneaked out of the room to explore the campus. My father had asked me to survey the entire campus nicely so that I know the safest hiding spots and the escape spots if an emergency breaks out.

The campus is huge and spacious with a perfect amount of lush greenery. The college building and the hostels are extremely near and adjacent to each other. I had taken a saunter around the campus, the scorching sun was right over my head making it a little uncomfortable to handle the heat.

The campus has its own playing ground, a swimming pool and an activity building. The security guard had informed me about the importance of the activity building. Some major events or functions were scheduled there. While I was in front of the activity building, my main focus was at the huge campus library that stood tall and magnetically attracted me towards it.

Library for a reader is like pure and pious water in a hot burning desert. Books for me are an escape from reality and helps me fly to a land full of fantasies and romances and sometimes even to a dangerous games of thrill and horror.

To my dismay, the library was shut then and I had therefore decided to come back after I was done with my dinner

I inform Mishti about being done with dinner and that I have to go to the library. She smiles and I get up from my chair, taking the empty plate along. I drop the plate in the tin drum before leaving the mess area.

The corridor is dark and has only two tube lights that miserably fail to complete its purpose. The silence resonates around and the small sounds of spoons scraping against the plates are heard.

The mess area is on the third floor of our hostel. I glide down the staircase and accidentally skip a step in between thus landing on the ground with a huge thud.

I was wondering where the love of my life had vanished. Never mind, it's back. My clumsiness is back. Woohoo!

"Ouch," The word slips from my mouth and I start reciting a prayer for my injury when I hear a masculine scowl.

I raise my eyes to find a stranger standing right in front of me leaning on the tiled wall. His fingers tucked in his jean's pockets and he looks down at me with a confusing gleam. The almost negligible amount of light that manages to enter the black space from the window helps me look at the person.

"Did you hurt yourself?" He asks and I manage to hastily stand up. Wincing at the piercing tug at my ankle, I still try standing upright.

"No, I am fine." I shoo his concern away and then narrow my eyes at the boy who is a clear trespasser in the girl's hostel.

"You fell off the entire length, are you seriously okay?" The person repeats looking at the staircase behind me.

"Ah, it's usual. I am fine." I unconsciously reply only to receive a gaping look.

Tip: never say that to anybody.

"You aren't allowed to enter the girl's hostel, are you?" My eyebrows raise at his carefree attitude. A sly smirk makes its way on his lips as he snickers.

"You are a new student, aren't you?" He reframes my sentence. In a reply, I just curtly nod at him and his smirk widens dangerously.

"Explains it."

"Girl. Nikhil Mehta doesn't follow rules." His tone screams proud and I roll my eyes at his silly attitude. Mustering a disappointed look, "Typical clichè, typical rule breaker. Grow up." I comment as I leave the floor and him, behind.

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A library is a beautiful place, radiating positive vibes. The wooden shelves and the white reading tables add to their value. The perfect combination of white reading lights and yellow book lights helps to make the place aesthetically pleasing. The hall is partially empty with some students studying silently in the corner most tables while some are scanning and picking up books from the different rows.

I successfully skip to the non-fiction section and select a book after reading its prologue. Once I have picked the book, I move towards the long reading table. Settling my side bag on the chair next to me, I dive into the world of words.

The sudden notification from my phone disturbs my concentration and I grumpily fish for my phone. The calendar notification screaming 'Exams' lights my wallpaper and I feel a sink in my heart.

I am missing out on my semester examinations because of this unplanned forced activity. My Principal was kind enough to let me skip those exams for this activity when my dad spoke to her. I would have to complete all my examinations once I return back and only then I would get my degree.

I decide to issue some course books on my way out so that I am in regular touch with my real academic course. Getting up I decide to search for some literature books.

The section for literary course books is extremely small and easily the most unused section of the library in an Engineering college. I carefully choose some books and return to the once empty table I was sitting on. I can spot another student sitting right opposite my seat and I contemplate going back.

Shaking my head, I slowly walk to the table and sit. The person looks perplexed at my dramatic entry and I awkwardly face him before staring at my book.

I can see he is studying from a thick Mechanics book before him. He subtly glances at my preferred novel, too.

Judged badly.

Should I also keep some thick book open?

Some show?

Truth be told, I wouldn't even understand a letter from these books. Raising my eyelids a little to check out the person. He looks studious enough with the thick black-rimmed spectacles that rest on his nose and the oversized black sweatshirt he is wearing.

Points for stereotyping.

"Can you not?" His sudden speech startles me and I hurriedly look at my book again.

"What?"

He looks abashed and gulps a huge gob of air before he opens his mouth again. He stammers a little, repeating his words before he manages to complete it.

"Stare at me."

What the fuck.

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I hope you liked the chapter :-)

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love!
until the next,
keep dodging the bullets,
ऊ.