I had been teaching her for almost two months now. Every Sunday I go to her room, sit with her for an hour or two and she just studies. Not an extra word... Only study.

In these two months, I am just her neighbour, her teacher and a random guy she picks and drops everyday.

No more progress, nothing!! I am frustrated with this... With myself.
I don't know where to start now. She seems so off limits sometimes.

Sometimes it seems that I should be happy the way everything is... Atleast she is talking to me and if I get too close and get attached to her it will hurt me only as we seemingly have no future together. And then sometimes my thoughts take a full 180° turn and I start feeling that I should talk to her... I want to know her more. She is an enigma.

I AM FRUSTRATED!

After that tattoo incident, next day she was quite normal... At least she looked like that. So I didn't push it and now we have no conversations... Like no real conversations. She speaks a few words or just nods and listens to what I have to say.

I didn't want to be like this with her. I am in a zone about which I don't know.

But yes, I got to know a few things about her... Of course by my good observation because she is never going to tell me anything.

I got to know that she has another tattoo on her neck of a dragon, she doesn't likes chocolates, she is just 23 and she loves adventures.

But the most intriguing and mysterious thing about her was that she had a lot of information about a woman... Sonam Jain. She has a diary with news clips and photographs and a lot of stuff about her. Its as if a serial killer is doing research and collecting information on his next victim. Out of curiosity, I searched Sonam Jain on Google and some social media sites but all I got to know was that she is just a social activist working for children and women welfare. Then how can she be a subject of interest to Sanyukta?

Well I am not a fool to ask her about it!

Crap, I am late by 15 minutes. I had to go and teach her again but now I am late by 15 minutes and she being very punctual must be waiting and now she will kill me because she hates waiting. Ok, Randhir this is not the time to have a panic attack. Getting up from the floor I rushed to change my clothes and ran to her apartment at the highest speed my legs could allow.

I was panting like a dog when Vidushi opened the door for me and she almost thought that I was going to die. Panicked she called out her friends and asked them to help me inside. As soon as I was inside their living room, Sanaya started calling the ambulance. "You don't need to do that. I am not dying." came my squeaky voice as I lied on their couch. "I just came all the way running because I was late for my classes with Sanyukta and I thought she was going to be angry."

There was a huge silence after listening to me after which I received a tight slap on my shoulder. "You jerk... you idiot... you dumb headed egg... you.... I thought you were going to die or something with the way you were panting. How come you got so tired when your apartment is practically a 30 second walk?" Vidushi shouted at me.

"I may have left gym long back and this much running had a huge toll on me." I said slowly not able to look at them.

That was until, I heard a deep laughter... quite unladylike if you see but good to hear. I looked up surprised to find it was Sanyukta laughing clutching her stomach and sitting at the floor. Soon all three of us joined her and this continued for a while.

After a while, we went to her room to start teaching and she was back at her expressionless, observing self. I taught her for an hour and then it was time to leave. But today, I had come here for another purpose. whatever happens, today I will ask for her phone number as this is the only way to shut the guys up.

"Done for the day." She exclaimed capping her pen and instead of asking for her number I just sat there looking at her setting her table.

"Yep... uh... umm... Sanyukta...!" Ok man up!

"Uh... Sanyukta... Actually... uh.." God, Randhir you are not proposing her. She sat back at her chair and looked at me.

Ok now she is looking at me. Now I am done for!

"Sanyukta... I can I... I should go. Bye." I decided to run out off the room but she held my hand making me sit. "What is it?"

"SanyuktaCanIHaveYourPhoneNumber?" I spoke so fast that all my words got mingled and she didn't get what I said. Now I will have to repeat it. Taking a deep breath I was preparing myself to say the same sentence again when she handed me her phone, "Yes, you can. Save yours and I will text you."

I typed my number and checked and re checked and re re checked after which I handed her phone back to her.

With a victory smile on my face I went back to my apartment but it was short lived because I realised that I didn't have her number and she hadn't texted me yet. It will be so awkward to remind her again. I was thinking about this when my phone vibrated.

This is her message for sure. I hurriedly opened the text only to see a spam message.

Damn, I hate myself now. With this I hid my face in my pillow shouting profanities at myself.

*30 spam messages later*

She is not going to text me. Why didn't it come to my mind at that time? She is going to think that I am a creep.

"Why are you banging your head against the wall?" Parth asked me concerned and I gave him a helpless look.

I told them about the cause of my misery and those brats instead of feeling sad for me or consoling me started laughing... I am friends with the real jackasses. That was when my phone vibrated again. No, I am not going to see it again. Nope... not at all. Aryan picked up my phone and scrolled through it. "So love struck... this is for you."

"Which company now?" I asked him helplessly.

"Your neighbour's company." With this he flung the phone towards me and I caught it before it could touch the floor. If my phone broke before I could have read her message Aryan would have been dead.

It was a simple message. "Hi, Sanyukta here." Nothing special or fancy but this made my heart jump. This was still better than any I love you, I would ever hear.

                  ----------------

So, I may not have slept a single wink last night because I had been busy looking at the three lettered message. Yes, boys do this too. Don't judge me.

In the morning, I got ready for the college and went downstairs to meet Sanyukta.

"Hey."

"Hi." A concerned look came in her eyes which went away as soon as it came. "Did you not sleep?"

"Yeah, sort of. Was completing the assignment."

"Oh." came her mono syllable answer as I sat behind her and we drove off to college.

As I got down at my college gate, she stopped me, "So I got to know that you don't know how to ride bikes." It was spoken as a statement but was more of a question.

"Yeah, I kind of have a phobia of bikes but now i want to get over it."

"You wanna learn?"

"Yeah. But who has got the time to teach me?" I said breezily.

"I can teach you if you want."

"Yeah... what? You...?" I hid my surprise, "Only if it's not a problem."

"So this Saturday, at the forest beside the lake."

With this, she left and I looked up at the sky.

Thank You God. This is gonna be a new start.

                  -----------------

This Saturday, i woke up early and got ready to meet Sanyukta.

"Hey, wanna have a call of duty match?" Aryan called out to me and I denied, "No I have to go out."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yes."

"With?"

"Sanyukta." I stated shyly and they hooted like hooligans.

"Good going brother. Look at us we aren't able to talk to them yet and you are already going on outings." Parth patted me and I smiled.

I may look happy and excited from outside but inside I am very very nervous because it's Sanyukta we are talking about. If even as a mere scratch comes on her Phantom she will surely kill me and no one will know about my whereabouts because I would be dead in a forest.

We reached the lake while I was thinking all this and making plans on how to save myself in dangerous situations. There she got off the bike and made me sit in the front. After we were settled, she started telling me about the parts of her bike.

"This is the accelerator, gear, brake.... why are you so tense?" She looked at me concerned. Holding my shoulders, she patted me slowly, "Chill... loosen up. It will be good. You won't get hurt. Trust me, I am here for you." This made me smile and I loosened under her touch. I started acting under her instructions and Phantom moved a little. Encouraged, I tried harder and we were successful in getting our first round.

Half an hour later, I was tired from this training. Sanyukta seemed tired too because she got down and stretched herself. The adrenaline pump I had felt at the starting of the training came to an end.

"Practice hard. You will learn easily." Sanyukta said to me and I looked at the lake behind her. Sun was about to set and this gave a golden colour to the lake. "Uh... Sanyukta... if you don't mind can we sit at the lake for a while?" I was surprised that i spoke without fumbling. She looked behind herself and then back at me, "Sure."

Today she seemed more approachable or more friendly or maybe it was just my over worked brain.

"You know when I was a kid my dadu used to bring me at a lake near my hometown. We used to sit there for hours talking about things. He used to tell me stories. Dadu had a huge effect on my childhood. I miss all of that. Back at the village life was more easy, more friendly, more comfortable. There is Ma to save me from every problem life throws at me. It has been a long time since I went there. In cities like this, it becomes difficult to take time out for yourself amidst this competition." I don't know what I was blabbering about but I felt that maybe... just maybe if I open up to her she will open up to me too and tell me something about her life.

She was silent for a while with a distant look in her eyes and I thought that I have made a fool of myself after telling her all this. As I couldn't come up with anything, I fell silent and looked at the sun setting behind the clouds and the birds chirping.

I don't know how long we sat there but when Sanyukta got up, it was sunset. "Randhir, lets go." Complying I got up and stretched. Sitting behind her, I noticed that unlike everyday she didn't had a frown on her face. Instead her face was calm and expressionless but calm as if she felt on ease with something.

Soon we were back at my apartment.

"You want to come in?" I looked at her hoping she would say yes.

"No. Some other time." She smiled and I turned to go disappointed.

"Randhir, listen." I turned to her and she looked as if debating with herself, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes... why?"

"I... uh... I..." What? Is she fumbling? This is new. I have always seen her as so confident.

"Do you want to accompany me to the old age home?" I looked at her surprised. She wants my company? "You can say no if you want." She added hurriedly.

"Yes, I would love to." I said quickly scared that she will take back her offer.

"I will text you the details. Goodnight." With this she went to her apartment.

I was going through the day's events when Sanaya came to my room.

"Randhir can I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked sitting up.

"It's about Sanyukta." I could feel myself tensing at the mention of her name.

"Yes? What about her?"

"What have you said to her?"

"Huh?" I asked even more confused.

"After your little outing she is very silent. Good silent. She looks calm. Not that it is bad but you know she is unpredictable."

"Yeah, I understand but it was nothing serious. We just sat by the lake and I was telling her about my hometown."

"You told her about your family and hometown?"

"Yes, why? I shouldn't?"

"No. It's okay. Just she doesn't talks a lot about families. Anyway, then?"

"Then she dropped me home and asked me to accompany her to the old age home." I said and her eyes widened to an extent that I was scared that they were going to fall out of their sockets.

"She did? She actually did? You realise how lucky you are." She must have noticed the confusion on my face as she continued, "She always goes there alone. Not even me and Vidushi are allowed with her. If she has asked you, you must be real special to her. For once today there was a readable expression on her face. Thank You Randhir. I know you like her, but do know that she has gone through a lot so if you dare to hurt her in anyway, me and Vidushi will kill you if Sanyu doesn't."

I laughed at her threat, "Right now, you have killed Aryan with your looks." I can actually feel Aryan hovering around my room.

"I know... Ask him to try harder." Smiling she got up and left the room.

Thinking about what she just said I went to the window only to see Sanyukta standing in her balcony with her wallet in her hand. She looked at the moon and then at the wallet again. It seemed as if she was looking at some picture in it. With a melancholic smile, she completed her ritual and went back to her room.

Sanyukta!!!!

                 --------------

I was zipping up my jacket when my phone vibrated with a text from Sanyukta.

"Ready?"

"As much as I can ever be." I typed and hit send.

Getting downstairs, I found her waiting for me and we went off to our destination.

Looking at the big black gate, on which there was a board saying Second Innings Home, I knew this was our destination.

We entered inside and the watchman greeted her and looked at me surprised. That means she is a regular visitor here and often alone.

Once inside we saw a number of people doing something or other. Some ladies were sipping their teas and gossiping. Some were knitting sweaters and some men were either reading newspapers or talking about politics. One of them noticed us and shouted happily, "Sanyu is here."

Everybody else left their work and crowded beside us. "Sanyu, see I knit a sweater for you. Check its fittings." "Sanyu did you bring my toffees?" There was a huge commotion and instead of getting annoyed Sanyukta laughed with them.

"Ok, who is this guy beside you?" Someone asked and an uncle poked his walking stick in my chest.

"Is he your boyfriend?" He asked sceptically and she laughed. "No, he is just a friend. But he is not that bad for a boyfriend material." She looked at me and winked and went away with others. This was a whole other Sanyukta I was looking at.

"What's your name?"

"Randhir Shekhawat Sir." I said breaking my eyes from Sanyukta and looking at the uncle who was scanning me and actually rating me.

"You like her?"

"What? No." I said horrified.

"Yes, you do. Do you think I have no experience. I have also been in your age. That women you see who gave Sanyu a sweater is my wife. We also had a love story like that. I will tell it some other time." He cleared his throat, "So you like her. But if you ever hurt her let me tell you I have served in military all my ,life and it wont take me a minute to shoot you."

"Don't worry uncle. She is too precious for me to hurt."

"As much as I am impressed with you but you cant call me uncle as of now. Call me Sir." He said in his thunder voice and I felt my heart jumping.

"Ok Sir."

That is when Sanyukta came to us maybe noticing my misery and my fear and gave twirl in her new sweater. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful." I said earning a glare from the Sir sitting beside me.

"Ok, Mr. Sharma you don't need to scare him like this or he wont come back here again." She said slowly and later waved a goodbye to everyone as we started for outside. There she gave a 100 rupee note to the watchman who saluted both of us with a weird smile on his face as he looked at me.

"This Mr. Sharma is scary... I was almost sure that he was going to shoot me." I said letting out a breath of relief.

"He is like that with everyone but once you get to know him, he is too good." She smiled and we went to her Phantom, "So did you like it? I brought you here because you were missing your dadu and hometown so this was the best I can do."

"I loved it. Meeting them was so..." I trailed off thinking about a better word.

"Refreshing?"

"Yes. Can we come here next time too?"

"Sure."

"Sometimes I think we are so alike Sanyukta." I said in the heat of the moment and she stopped looking at me with the black eyes of hers.

"No Randhir... we are poles apart!"

        __________________________

               AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys,
Finally new chapter.
Next: Sanyukta and the gang go on an outing. But something happens.

Until then,
Love Love ♥️
A.S.