THEME : A TEENAGE LOVE STORY

"Bus tu dekh iss saal maine thaan lia hai ke har ek singing competition mein main part lunga bhi; aur har ek mein first position la kar bhi dikhaunga",

says Angad, confidently.

"Oh really? Dekh iss baat ka mujhey koi shaq nahi hai ke teri awaaz bohot achi hai. Behtareen se behtareen singers ko takkar dene wali awaz. Par har baar first aana, I don't think tu ye kar payega Angad",

says Angad's classmate Prithvi.

"Hey Prithvi, Angad ke samne kabhi ye mat bolna ki wo kuch nahi kar sakta, you got that?",

warns Angad to his classmate, friend and competitor Prithvi.

Just then Angad through his peripheral vision sees a girl entering the class. He turns to look at her. And an ajnabi ehsaas runs through his heart!

In her sea green uniform, her hair tied up into a neatly done ponytail, with a few flicks falling on either side of her face, the girl adjusts her spectacle nervously and scans the room. The lines drawn on her forehead makes it clear that either it is being difficult for her to manage the burden of the bag she is carrying on her shoulders or she is simply nervous as it is her first day in this class.

After looking at her from head to toe Angad focuses back on Prithvi.

~*~*~

After two days

Thankfully the teacher is on a leave so they are having free time in the class. Kripa succeeded in making two friends on her first day itself because of her sweet nature.

Sitting at her seat, she was chatting with her friend and seat partner Anita when Angad reaches them. He remembers although his sole motive is to have his first words with Kripa but he must not rush. By the look of her, he could gauge her nature a wee bit. And he decides to go with his instincts. She doesn't like much attention; she doesn't like people hovering her unnecessarily. But what is this ajnabi ehsaas that dragged him to her seat, he doesn't understand!

Reaching their seat, Angad completely ignores Kripa and talks to Anita.

Kripa being a new comer, is gauging the reactions and natures of all her classmates, either by talking to them or simply by noticing them talking to others. She feels a ping a jealousy as the most charming guy of the class ignored her completely. This is the first time she felt like that on being ignored. What is this ajnabi ehsaas?

"Anita tu to janti hai na main vocals ki preparation mein busy hun aj kal to class ke beech mein hi jana parhta hai mujhey music class, isliye mera kaam pura nahi ho raha. Tu mera kaam kar degi please?",

asks Angad in a sugar coated voice.

Kripa senses a sweetness in his voice when he utters the line 'Tu mera kaam kar degi please?' She shoots up her glance towards him immediately. And a little smile plays on her lips.

Angad, completely oblivious to her reaction continues with his pursuing Anita. And Anita remains adamant that she won't.

"Angad, humesha main hi tera kaam karti hun. Yaar mujhey bhi itna saara homework karna parhta hai baad mein sara pressure mujh par aa jata hai!",

says an irritated Anita.

"Yaar...",

and before he could continue Kripa extends her hand, staring him with a smile on her face.

This comes as a surprise for Angad. She doesn't utter a single word. But her gesture is enough to tell Angad that she is ready to help him. He looks towards her, his eyes twinkling as finally he gets someone who is willing to help him.

Kripa doesn't understand why but a blush creeps on her cheeks as soon as she discovers the twinkling of his eyes. She hasn't felt this before, this feeling; this ajnabi ehsaas. But she won't lie herself by saying she didn't love it! It indeed made her feel uneasy as she started feeling it but within moments, she started enjoying this sensation. As she could proceed with her thoughts, Angad places his copy on her extended hand. They keep staring each other, both having a ping of smile on their faces.

"Ahmm... you can take my number. I mean kuch puchna ho...anything",

he proposes to her.

She takes his number and hence begins their friendship! Angad goes away thinking that although they didn't talk as such but nevertheless his motive here has been accomplished. They have taken their first step towards friendship. Can he name this ajnabi ehsaas, friendship, he wonders!

~*~*~

Next day

As the school hours end and Kripa enters her bus, she discovers that the bus is vacant, filled only with a few bags. She assumes that like always all her bus mates after placing their bags on their seats of the bus have gone down to spend few more moments with their friends before all the bus mates reach the bus successfully and the driver decides to commence the journey.

As she walks forth she reaches her regular seat. Surprisingly she finds a school bag placed there. Being a new comer in the bus, no one sits with her.
This gives her an ajnabi ehsaas. Not that she feels sad about it. She is not a girl who craves for many friends and attention. It is rather to her benefit, that way she can sit calmly and enjoy the beautiful scenarios outside as the bus runs. A frown comes on her face. But knowing that she cannot sit with someone else she chooses to take her regular seat thinking that the owner of the bag would pick it up and sit somewhere else whenever he/she returns back and finds her sitting there.

Adjusting herself on the seat she turns to her right and looks outside through the open window adjacent to her seat. The first person that grabs her attention is Angad, who is laughing and chatting with his group of friends. She doesn't realize when a smile comes on her face as she stares Angad through the window. As she gets out of her reverie, something hits her mind and a look horror replaces her smile. She turns her head with a jerk and looks towards the bag. Her eyes widen, as she realizes is no one else's but Angad's bag!

As she gets out of her state of shock, she blushes. Checking that no one is noticing her, she slowly touches his bag, rubbing her hand over it, she feels his presence around her and blushes further.

"Le jao agar le jana hai to..."

Angad's sudden voice skips Kripa's heartbeat. And as if it's some kinda reflex action, she removes her hand from his bag.

Laughing, he jokes,

"Kya hua automatic current generator hai kya mere bag mein?"

His question makes her blush to deepen. She looks towards him, narrowing her eyes. Her this look makes her to look all the more adorable and in return makes Angad to laugh out loud.

"Main baith jaun saath mein agar apko aitraaz na ho to madam?",

he asks her, smiling.

Plastering a smile, Kripa asks back,

"Kya bag rakhne se pehle mujhse pucha tha apne, sir?",

she stresses on 'sir'.

Shaking his head, blushing he takes his seat next to her.

He warns her humorously,

"Dekho this ride is going to be a roller coaster ride. Waise ab tak tumhe idea ho hi gya hoga ki kitne bumpy roads hain yahan. So agar kuch aisa waisa hua, chu-cha lia tumhe, so please mujhey blame mat karna!"

She couldn't believe that he actually said that and looks at him with her eyes and mouth wide open. But the fact that he looked so cute when he shook his head and blushed succeed in bringing a smile on her face.

"Don't worry main janti hun ki main apke saath ja rahi hun, to khudki safety mere haathon hi hai",

she replies back plastering a sweet smile on her face.

Angad laughs at her gesture.

As they commence with their journey, as warned by Angad, it becomes difficult for Kripa to maintain a certain distance from Angad. Unwillingly, sometimes Kripa's hand holds his hand to adjust herself properly on the seat as the bumpy road makes her to slightly slip off her seat; and sometimes the backs of their hands brush each other unwillingly as they hold the rod of the seat in front of them, a precaution from falling down.

She looks towards him, getting irritated, as she fails to maintain distance from him. This makes Angad to laugh. The bus gets a jerk that makes Kripa to bend forward, her head might even get collided with the rod she is holding, had not Angad held by her shoulder and pulled her back at the right moment. As if it's a reflex action, she turns to look towards him. Angad looks towards her too. At first the look of Angad was that of concern but as he discovers she is fine, a smile touches his lips and they enjoy an intimate eye lock.

Kripa secretly blushes as she feels a certain kind of lovely sensation ran throughout her body as he held her. Their secret eye lock deepens the blush. And as for Angad, he doesn't realize when, amidst enjoying the eye lock he starts tracing her shoulder that he is holding to give her support. The tracing does amazing things to Kripa's insides, feeling which she lowers her eyes.

Soon they reach comparatively smoother road and Angad let go off her shoulder. Kripa doesn't understand why the moment he unwraps his arm from around her shoulder, does her heart clenches? As if she didn't want him to loosen the hold ever! Angad looks towards Kripa, his eyes speak volumes about how he didn't want to let go off the hold he had on her shoulder. A jerk makes their eye contact to break. Both of them secretly realize how they were enjoying this ajnabi ehsaas of staring each other, and blush secretly.

~*~*~

At night

Kripa lies down on her bed. Taking her mobile she opens the contact list and scrolls down to Angad's number. Looking at his name she blushes and thinks about him. Unable to resist any longer she sends him a WhatsApp message, making sure that her profile picture is hidden....

*Hi 😊*

She doesn't disclose her name deliberately, just to annoy him. She assumes that he might take time to reply, wondering who is the person who messaged him? Or he might reply real quick too, asking - 'Who is this?' And her assumption does turn true! He messages her with in seconds. But to her utter surprise the question doesn't turn out to be what she expected! It rather turns out to be a casual reply.

*Hi 💖*

This gives her an ajnabi ehsaas as she wonders how can he reply so casually to a stranger that too attaching an emoji of heart? Forget about the fact that she felt jealous that he could send heart emoji to a girl; but what if it hadn't been her, that is - a girl, but a guy messaging him?

*Kya tum jante ho main kon hun?*,

messages Kripa after thinking for some moments.

*Of course Kripa! 😊*

His reply succeeds in skipping her heartbeat. How does he know?

*Tumhe kaise pata?*,

she asks, doubting. Sitting up straight on her bed out of anxiety.

*😂😂😂😂*,

only this comes as a reply.

His reply irks her. How dare he tried to make fun of her? And in the heat of the situation, she replies out of embarrassment and anger,

*Hansna band karo aur mujhey jawab do, WORDS MEIN!*

*Ohhoo... someone is angry? 😉*,

replies Angad.

His reply makes Kripa to blush. She replies back,

*I am not being angry, just curious. Maine tumhe apna number nahi diya, fir tumhe kaise pata chala that it's me? 😦*

*Jasoosi kar raha hun tumhara. 😜😅*

His single line answer that too not a satisfactory one, irks Kripa further.

*Mujhey tumse baat hi nahi karni bye!😬*

Replying that she switches off her phone before he could pester her by yet another irritating reply of his.

As she thinks about the WhatsApp conversation she had with him, she realizes that although she wanted to know how did he manage to get her number, but somehow she didn't feel bad to discover him as an intruder!

~*~*~

Next morning as Kripa checks her mobile before leaving for school, she discovers 30 messages all by Angad. His name succeeds in bringing a smile on her face. After overall checking out his messages most of which were contained *acha sorry*, she blushes and switches off the mobile. Placing it back into her cupboard, she walks towards the breakfast table. After having her breakfast, she checks herself out into the mirror one last time, blushing, and leaves for her school.

As she walks towards her school bus she realizes how much she has started enjoying this ajnabi ehsaas that she is getting these days because of Angad.

Reaching into the bus she searches for Angad and finds him staring her with an infectious smile on his face. This smile; this stare is new, she realizes. This smile and stare are giving to her.... ajnabi ehsaas!

To her dismay, someone is already sitting next to Angad. It doesn't take time for a frown to come on her face. Reading her expression, Angad asks his friend to sit somewhere else. His gesture brings a smile on Kripa's face. Reaching him, she sits next to him, blushing.

As the bus moves forth, being careful that no one is looking towards them, Angad slowly holds her hand, looking straight forward.

'Haan tumse pyar hai... kaisa ye pyar hai...'

As they sit back straight, Angad, careful that no one notices them holds her hand. At first it skips Kripa's heartbeat the sudden skin to skin touch, but she doesn't pull back her hand and instead tightens the hold. Angad constantly rubs his thumb on the upper side of her hand, sending shivers down her spine once and again. Kripa then tries to get out of his hold out of shyness but he tightens the hold and continues with his sweet torture. Knowing that there is no use of trying again and again, Kripa gives up but surprisingly her giving up and losing this small secret game doesn't break her heart it rather succeeds in fluttering her heart!

~*~*~

As they reach school and gets down the bus, Angad makes use of the hustle bustle of the morning hours. Holding Kripa's hand, he pulls her with himself into the school and into a secluded area.

They stand with each other such that Kripa's back is against the wall and Angad is hovering her, with his left hand rested on the wall, he looks into her eyes intently, smiling. Kripa blushes as she stares back.

In hoarse whisper Angad asks Kripa,

"Mere last 30 messages ka reply kon dega?"

Kripa blushes on hearing his question.

"Main so gayi thi...",

she tells him, blushing, whispering.

"To ab de do!",

smiles Angad.

"Kya?",

she asks.

"Mere ek chotey se sawal ka jawab!",

he says, looking intently towards her.

Blushing, smiling, she says,

"Pucho..."

" 'Revolt of 1857' ki story kya hai?",

he asks her and immediately purses his lips as he anticipates what's coming up next.

At first Kripa knits her brows, thinking she has heard it wrong. She asks, confused,

"K...kya?"

Controlling his laughter, Angad stares her and nods his head into affirmative, giving her signal that she heard it right. Knowing that he is teasing her, finding her vulnerability amusing, Kripa narrows her eyes on him. And anticipating her next move Angad runs away laughing out of happiness and enjoyment of having teased the love of his life, his teenage life, and Kripa runs after him, her cheeks turned red out of blush and embarrassment! Soon she succeeds in getting hold of Angad, all thanks to Angad for deliberately decreasing his speed in order to get caught by her! They end up hugging each other laughing with all their hearts.

-THE END-

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