It had been three days since the girls had shifted here. They were almost settled with some of their luggage still to be managed.

And yes I had been looking at Sanyukta everyday... actually every moment I am free. Parth says that I am turning into a stalker and I do know that he is right but I can't help it. This Sanyu girl has some sort of magnetic aura around her. I know that stalking her like this will be dangerous for me but I am attracted to her like a moth to a flame. I know it will be dangerous but it has a thrill of her own. I can't help it.

She has a routine which she follows very diligently without fail. She has a disciplined nature like an army person. So, every morning she gets up at 7 am precisely. After brushing her teeth she does 30 push ups. Yes, she does that too. My friends have been making jokes on this saying that she will force me to get into shape if we get together.

I mean it's not like I have a bad shape or something but I don't exactly have an athletic body like Parth or Aryan. Aryan actually has a nice physique something the girls refer to as "Greek God" body and Parth even if he has a sweet tooth and he loves eating but he knows how to manage his weight. Everyday as soon as he gets time he likes hitting the gym and sweating all the extra calories out. I am the odd one in this group. I never had an obese body because my metabolism is naturally high but I left exercising and going to gym after that accident. Now I hate even casual, small exercises; you can call it as an after effect of the accident.

Ah! Look at me again diverting from the topic at hand. So, Sanyukta's routine. Yes, after her push ups she drinks some fruit juice and reads news paper at the same time. After a while, she takes bath and stands in the balcony for some time taking in the morning glow. Yesterday when she stood in the balcony, she had washed her hair and her long wet hair just stuck to her neckline. She was looking at some kids playing in the parking of her apartment and she gave a small nostalgic smile. She looked so much at peace at that moment. Her face was glowing due to the morning sun and she looked so magnificent that I almost clicked a pic of hers. I was enjoying the moment when suddenly her phone rang and her smile melted into the usual frown she has. With that, she went inside her room and I just stayed there replaying that moment over and over again.

Her college starts at 10 because she leaves everyday at 9 on her bike which she has named Phantom. Her college is just in front of mine and I always see her leaving on her bike when I am waiting for the bus but I never had the courage to say a simple 'Hi' to her. Pathetic, I know!

And for once I would thank my luck because she never closes her curtains. Maybe because she loves her balcony a bit too much. Also she hasn't seen me stalking her yet. Not that, I want her too. I want this to be a secret forever so I can look at her. Earlier I used to find peace looking out of the window at random things but now I find my peace by looking at a particular face who resides in front of my house.

I am pathetic, I know but I don't want my face to be broken from her punch if I she catches me looking at her all the while.

Her whole day goes pretty uneventful except when she comes to her balcony at night. At that time, she looks at the moon for some time and then does a... for the lack of a better word a 'ritual' where she touches her index finger to her forehead and then her chest, after which she kisses it and point it to the moon. After doing this she goes to her room to sleep. All I want to know is why she does this? She is so mysterious and intriguing.

As of my friends, Aryan has started talking to Sanaya. He is whipped more than a cake batter. I mean, he went to buy vegetables from the market when he saw her going there. He never does that, he hates buying from a roadside vendor. And also he carried her shopping bag all the way back. Woah, Aryan!

As of Parth, he has developed a sudden love for Yoga... this is what he says but we know that he goes to do Yoga everyday just to meet Vidushi who is a Yoga Trainer. She even came up for coffee once and was really surprised to know that Parth was a chef. Sanaya is a Legal Counsellor and Sanyukta is a qualified Commercial Pilot but as she wanted to study further so she left her job and joined the college.

Today I had a lot of free time because it was Sunday and I had nothing much to do except study. Sanyukta was also studying in her room when Vidushi and Sanaya suddenly barged into her rooms. They are actually perfect for these guys, even they don't know how to knock before entering someone's room.

'Sanyu, I... we were thinking to organise a house warming party to celebrate this house.' Vidushi started and this caught both mine and Sanyukta's attention at the same time. She looked up from her book at them.

'Ok. Go ahead. Tell me if you need some help.' With this, she turned her attention back to her book.

'Actually there is something else Sanyu!' Sanaya said hesitantly and Sanyukta closed her book and looked up at them.

'What is it?' She asked after silently scanning them from head to toe.

'Should we... can we call the boys... who live next to us? those who came to help us unloading. You remember them?' Sanaya asked and then looked back at the floor not being able to meet her eyes.

Are they scared of her? Why?

After a while of thinking, Sanyukta sighed, 'Ugh! whatever, call anybody you want to. Why will I have any problem?' Some sort of happiness and excitement came over me. We were going to the girl's house. They will invite us to the party.

'Actually Sanyu, you are coming with us to invite the guys.' I strained my ears to hear her answer, though it was not needed. Every word they spoke came crystal clear to me. Lack of privacy as you may call it.

'What? No!'

'Yes!'

'No!'

'Yes!'

Please Sanyukta please agree. Please! I mentally made this wish hoping she would hear it. I know she won't but what's the problem in trying.

Sighing again, Sanyukta said, " Ok. I will go but you will have to accompany me. I am not going there alone."

'I knew you would agree Sanyu. Thank you!' With this Vidushi tried to hug her, at which she pulled back not letting her touch her.

'Maintain a distance of one arm please.'

'Oh Sanyu, you are such a spoil sport. I hate you.' With this Vidushi stomped out of her room and Sanaya followed her face palming herself. Sanyukta just rolled her eyes and continued studying.

I ran out of my room and gave the news to my friends who had just woken up. This had such a miraculous effect on them that Parth, the guy who gets grumpy as soon as he wakes up actually left his bed with a huge grin and Aryan completed all his morning routine in half hour.

After an hour, all three of us were devotedly sitting in front of our door... no actually, only me and Parth were sitting Aryan was standing over a table and looking out at the main entrance through the ventilator above our door.

'I am telling you... the girls aren't coming. They have changed their plans. Randhir has heard something wrong. Ran, are you sure they said they were coming today itself?' Parth whined for the fifth time and I resisted the urge to punch him.

'I have heard correctly and they will come. Sanyukta is also coming to invite us. Now Mr. Whiny please stop whining and Aryan, please stop looking out of the ventilator like a mole and get down the table.' I said grinding my teeth, trying hard to stop myself from shouting at them.

'They aren't coming Randhir. It's been an hour since you gave us the news.' Parth whined again.

'Aryan, ask him to zip his mouth or I will...'

'Shut up guys! The girls are here. Now help me get down before Sanaya sees me like this.'

I suppressed a smile at this and Parth looked at me mischievously.

'I think you should stay there. You look good there.' Parth said to him and his eyes widened.

'What? No. You can't do this to me. Enough jokes. Now help me out or...'

'Or... you will jump?' I said teasing him further. All of us knew that Aryan was scared of heights. He can't even look down from the terrace so he wouldn't jump from the table at any cost.

Before Aryan could say something, the doorbell rang and Parth said, 'Ok now shut up Aryan or Sanaya will know that you are scared of heights. What will she think?' This made Aryan shut up effectively and I opened the door after taking a deep breath. The girl I had been stalking all this while is here to invite me to a party at her house. But instead of her, I saw only Sanaya looking at me with a smile. I looked past her at the stairs but there was no trace of Sanyukta. Did she not come? What a waste of time. All my excitement went out of the window that instant.

'Hi... Randhir!' Sanaya said and I realized that I had completely ignored her presence. Coming back to my mind, I greeted her. Parth also gave her a small smile.

'Hi Parth... Where is Aryan?' She asked looking inside the house whatever her vision allowed her to look at because of both of us almost blocking the door.

'Oh he... Sanaya. He is weird. He stays out till late at night at pubs and bars and is very irresponsible. Today he hasn't come home yet. I mean how careless can he be?' Parth said this with so much sincerity that I almost believed him. That is when we heard a crash. Turning back to see the source of noise, I found Aryan rubbing his knees as he got up from the floor. Thankfully, Sanaya didn't see any of his very un - model like deed. But did he just jump? It must have taken him a lot of guts to do this. Attraction to a girl can do miracles.

'Maybe before filling up Sanaya against me, you guys could have bothered to check my room.' He said with a tight smile and had a strong hold on our arms which told us that today was the day both of us were going to die.

'By the way, Hi Sanaya. Why don't you come in?'

'Actually no Aryan but thanks for asking. I just came here to ask you guys something.' They were talking when I finally say the face I wanted to see all this while. Sanyukta came up the stairs doing something in her phone and playing with the keys of Phantom.

She stood beside Sanaya, not looking up from her phone, until Sanaya stomped at her foot.

'Oh hi guys!' She said finally keeping her phone in her pocket.

'She is Sanyukta, if you don't remember. Actually, are you guys free today evening? We are having a house warming party today at 7 pm, so if you are free please do come.'

'Yes, Do try to come.' Sanyukta also added and we nodded our confirmations.

After this, they left, Sanyukta without a word but Sanaya did say bye to us.

I kept waving at them even when they had left and that is when Aryan punched me and then Parth. Yeah, we deserved it but it hurt bad.

Later we went to our rooms to decide what to wear.

--------------

After a lot of anxious glances and checking to see if they were working correctly, finally it was 7 pm.

All the day I had been listening to the girls having small arguments about what to do and how to decorate the house. Sanyukta gave her opinion only when asked otherwise she just observed them. I also got to know that Sanyukta can't cook and she wants a partner who can cook. Thankfully, I can cook. And now I will ask Parth to teach me some new dishes.

Aryan had gone to buy flowers for the girls because it was awkward to go to their house for the first time without anything.

We were outside their door at 7:30 pm and Parth ranged the bell after giving a final touch to himself. Vidushi opened the door. She was in a blue dress looking chic as always. She invited us in with a beautiful smile and accepted the flowers from Parth with a thank you. The look in Parth's eyes was of pure admiration.

Behind her was Sanaya, she was in a red dress herself and Aryan was just whipped. She had let her hair down and the dress was hugging her at all right places. I was excited. Will Sanyukta also be in a dress?

'Sanyu... the guys are here.' Vidushi called out to Sanyukta who came out of her room in a white shirt, denim jacket and dark blue jeans. Nothing different, yet she looked mesmerizing. She nodded at us and sat next to Vidushi. Sanaya handed cranberry juice to all of us and we started talking about random things.

Party started quite decently until after an hour or so Aryan and Sanaya were singing at the karaoke. Actually only Sanaya was singing, Aryan was just murdering the song with his bad voice. Parth was helping Vidushi in the kitchen and I was sitting next to Sanyukta and talking to her.

We were talking about her career as a pilot when her phone rang. As it was next to me. I handed it to her and her face stoned.

Why? It was just her father calling. I also noticed something weird. Her father's contact was saved by the name 'Father' not Dad or Papa or something like that. She clutched her phone tightly and got up with a dangerous look in her eyes. She went to her room. That is when, Sanaya came out of the kitchen and came to me, "Randhir, what happened to her?" Her voice sounded tense.

'Nothing, she just had a call from her father and went to her room.' Something shifted in the eyes of Sanaya and she looked tense. Giving a quick glance to Sanyukta's closed door she nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Half an hour had passed since Sanyukta had shut herself in. She hadn't come out yet, not even when Sanaya and Vidushi called her to eat. We decided to leave and got up. I kept looking at the door just to see her once before going back but she didn't come out. The other girls had also gone silent as if one call from her father had given them a reason to fret on. Greeting each other we left. All the way back the guys were talking about the girls and the party but I kept thinking about Sanyukta. I don't know why but I had a bad feeling about this.

As soon as I went to my room, I rushed to the window and saw her standing in the balcony with her phone still in her hand. It looked like she had just got off the phone. I was far away so I wasn't really sure but it seemed as if her eyes were red. Had she been crying? Is she okay? She kept her phone in her pocket and then looked here and there as if searching for something. She went to her room and opened the drawer of her study table. From there she took out a pack... I knew what it was. It was something I had always been told to stay away from. It was a packet of cigarette. She too out a lighter and lighted her cigarette and stood in the balcony, looking at the smoke rising from the lighted end.

I was looking at her wide eyed when Aryan entered my room asking for something.

'God, Randhir give yourself a break. you just met... what? Is she smoking? Is that a cigarette? Did you know?' He looked at me wide eyed and I shook my head in negative.

'Dude, I don't think she is not the one for you. Just think about it. You guys are poles apart. You are like Lord Rama reincarnated and she... Just think about it.' Patting my shoulder he went out of my room and I turned my attention back to her. Now Vidushi and Sanaya had joined her.

'Sanyu.. smoking again?'

'Hmm.'

'Are you okay?'

'I have been better.'

'What did he say?' I guess the 'He' was her father.

'Same old stuff. I am getting out of hand. He will get me married. I should attend the family function... you know typical dad stuff.' She gave an unamused chuckle at this and again kept the cigarette on her lips.

'It's okay. You will get over it. We are here.' Vidushi said and Sanaya also joined her who rubbed her shoulder.

'I know.'

'No more cigarettes now!'

'Ok.'

'I have kept a pastry for you on your table.'

'I hate chocolate pastry.'

'And that's why it's vanilla. If you want to eat something, everything is in the fridge. Do sleep or else you will get sick.' Sanaya said being the caring friend as always.

'Hmm.' She gave a mono syllable reaction and Sanaya and Vidushi left without a word.

Sanyukta threw the now burnt cigarette and looked at the moon. Today, instead of doing her ritual she got angry suddenly and gritted her teeth. Slamming her hand on the iron railing, she shouted, "Why? Why? Why did you leave me? Was I that bad to be with?"

In the same fit of anger she turned to her room and fell on her bed without changing her clothes. This was so unlike her.

All this while Aryan's words came to me. 'She is not the one.' Isn't she? Then why am I attracted to her? What do I do? Should I close the window? Should I give up? I think that would be best.

Thinking all this, I didn't know when I fell in a deep slumber.

                       ********
                AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys,

Hope you liked the chapter.

Next: Randhir decides to close the window and also close anything he felt for Sanyukta. Sanyukta gives him a lift on her Phantom and asks her to be her Maths teacher.

Until then,
Love Love ♥️
A.S.