The battle between my brain and heart is just on the next level, now. Sometimes I feel like the World Wars were just a trailer of what actually happens inside me. With every passing second, it's like I'm at a war with myself.

For instance, if I like a shirt, my brain would find faults in it and heart will oppose it as quickly as possible; in fact, the speed of light is not that fast. And due to the war between my head and heart, I end up not buying that shirt. See, that's my dilemma.

'I only do what's best for you.' Brain says.

'Brain, you can't interrupt the narration.' Heart says in reply to Brain.

Well, Heart, you're doing the same thing as well. Guys, just let me narrate, now.

Yeah, so as I was saying, my problems just grew from that day. Which day? Oh, well if you don't know my story then I think today is the right time to know me. I won't tell you what happened with me earlier, but I think the title is self explanatory. I once fell for a girl I met in an entrance exam and I didn't even get the chance to know her name. Don't laugh- you'll get plenty of chances to laugh in the following lines, because I found someone worth falling for- Again.

'I'm so looking forward to this trip.' Gulshan said getting inside the bus, followed by Mayank.

My college- Jagannath International Management School, or just, JIMS had planned a trip for the Journalism students to Ranthambor and almost every friend of mine was a part of it. Well, due to some reasons, I chose the Evening batch over the Morning batch- biggest reason being the distance of almost 30 miles between college and home. I never got the chance to talk to the Morning batch students but the trip was going to break the communication barrier.

'We're all set.' Divyansh gave me a mischievous wink and hopped into the bus.

After Apurva had got in, I climbed up and saw the most disappointed look on my friends' face.

'There's no place in the back.' Rishabh grumbled. 'Seats are taken by the third year and the morning batch.'

'God, I can't tell you how much I hate the morning batch.' I said and got nods in approval.

'How are we supposed to sit next to ma'am and do...You know!' Aditya said and his dreams of getting high in the bus got shattered, badly.

'Alright, everyone, settle down.' Shikha ma'am said from behind us and Divyansh walked up to her.

'Ma'am can you please ask the Morning batch and the third year students to come in the front and let us sit in the back?'

'Divyansh, how can I tell them where to sit? They are no longer school students.'

'Let us talk to them.' Neha said and Shikha ma'am nodded. Neha was the one who was most excited about this trip, because...Well, you get the idea.

Every one of us walked towards the back rows and I was about to initiate the conversation till my eyes got struck on something beautiful.

'Oh, not again.' Brain said.

'Well, she is cute- yeah, but not again!' Maybe, this was the only time when Brain and Heart agreed on something.

I had seen her before. She was a student from the morning batch- a first year student like me; but it was the first time that I had actually noticed her. It was like God had literally taken good amount of time while she was being made and maybe accidently, he put on too much cuteness in her. She was wearing a black jacket which was slightly ragged on the right arm and was adjusting her spectacles (why do I always fall for that?). She had turned towards the back rows and was listening to someone. After every ten seconds, she would lift her hand and pull her falling hair behind her ears. She was so cute. She was so adorable. She was someone worth falling for.

'Screw you!' Brain cussed me.

Hi guys my name is Nikhil Dwivedi and I have got the looks people die for. Nah, I'm just bluffing. I'm just as ordinary as Shahrukh Khan. I'm bluffing again.

Well, we didn't get the back row- but we did have fun. The ones, who wanted to get high, got their wish when both our teachers decided to take a nap (I bet, they knew what was going on).

So, that's how our trip started. It was an overnight journey and we made the most out of it.

'Room number 110.' Garima ma'am said and passed me the keys to the room that was given to us. 'Are you sure that all of you want to be in the same room?'

'Yes, definitely, ma'am!' All five of us chorused and she shrugged.

'Alright,' she said, 'suit yourself.'

Me, Aditya, Divyansh, Rishabh and Kunal were staying together and our other friends were staying in room number 109- so I don't think that it's necessary to mention here that we had fun.

Actually that would be an understatement.

'Go on and tell them about the trip.' Brain says.

'No! Now start with the cutie.' Heart says, 'The readers want to read about her. Now, don't delay anymore.'

C'mon, guys, please let me do the narration- that's what I'm here for. I am supposed to tell my readers the story and not you two- so just let me do my job. Now, don't you two dare interrupt the narration.

Oh, and by the way, I'm listening to my heart, right now. I'm going to tell you how the cutie and I met.

I woke up at 4 am and looked around the badly messed up room. I was sharing the bed with Aditya, Divyansh and Rishabh. Kunal was sleeping on the couch. We had celebrated the whole night and decided to sleep at 3. Now, three male adults sharing a queen size bed with you may not be the perfect description of "Good sleep", so I decided to put on a jacket and go to the pool area.

'Don't go outside, it's freezing.' Brain warned me.

'That's what the jacket is for, genius.' Heart snapped at Brain.

'But what's the need to stroll in this hotel at 4 in the morning?' Brain kept its point. 'Don't you want to sleep? I want some rest.'

'Can't you see how these animals were sleeping on the bed?' Heart said at once. 'We need to get some fresh air and I don't think that it would be that cool outside.'

As I stepped outside the room, I realized that Heart can be pretty senseless sometimes. It was so fucking cold that I almost thought my blood was frozen.

'Genius.' Brain said.

I rubbed my arms as I finally reached the pool and to my surprise, I wasn't the only person out of my bed.

Making out from the shadows, I realized that the person there was a girl and she was sitting on a chair, facing the pool.

'Don't go there,' Brain warned. 'She might think that you're a creep trying to get close to her at such an odd hour.'

'Be a gentleman and politely ask her if she minds your presence.' Heart said.

'I can bet that she doesn't care.' Brain said. 'But it's you who'll come out as a creep.'

'Don't listen to him and go and ask her.' Heart said and I moved towards that girl.

'Excuse me?' I said and the girl was completely shaken, maybe because I scared her. 'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-!'

Then she turned to me and I realized that she was the same, cute, girl whom I noticed in the bus, last night.

She didn't say anything and I, myself, was quiet for some time. It was then my brain slapped me hard and woke me up.

'Um...uh, I was wondering if-if I can sit here?' I said and she stared at me.

'Why would I have a problem with that?' She said this the cutest way possible.

'Um, most of the girls would have thought I was stalking them and might have called the teachers. So, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay if I sit here. Tell me if you are uncomfortable, though- I'll leave, right away. It's just that five guys are sleeping in one room and it's hell lot uncomfortable in there, so I just decided to sit in here and maybe listen to some songs.'

'It's completely fine,' she said and brought a smile on her face- though her voice was fairly heavy for her built and I suspected the reason to be common cold or heavy tears. 'I have seen you in the Evening batch.'

'You have?' I asked to which she nodded, 'That's great.'

'Don't you dare to make a move, now!' Brain was clearly stopping me in a very bad way.

'Hey, I'm just talking, alright?' Heart replied and I agreed with Heart. 'Besides that, you don't want to know why is she crying?'

'I...I...' Brain said and Heart knew that it had won, this time.

'Now, shush and let me do the talking.' Heart said.

'Yeah, but nothing more than a casual chat.'

'I promise!'

With this, I went forward and took the chair that was kept next to the cutie.

'So, do you always get up so early and sit in the cold?' I began the conversation.

'No!' She chuckled a bit and then looked at me. 'I...I just don't like being around a bunch of people.'

'Ma'am, you just travelled almost 450 kilometers with this bunch of people.'

She again smiled but didn't say anything.

'I just needed some air.' She said after a pause of three seconds.

'Okay.' I smiled back at her and waited for a couple of seconds to speak again. 'Mind if I ask you something?'

'What?'

'Your voice- are you having cold?' I played safe, avoiding the "crying" part.

'Um, ye-yeah- a bit.' She said and her hesitation made it more clear that she had cried- now I wasn't that shameless that I would jump on into her personal life and ask her the reason behind her tears.

'Don't you think, you should be inside a blanket right now and not sitting here, in the open?'

She gave me a smile and shrugged her shoulders like a kid.

'I mean, I'm not telling you to go in- you are big enough to take your decisions.'

'You're so defensive.' She laughed.

'I just prefer playing it safe; it's hard to know who gets offended.'

She gave a good and long laugh on that and I joined her.

'You seem sensible,' she said and sniffled, 'I wouldn't get offended by you.'

The way she shrugged while talking and with all the sniffling going around told me that she obviously was having cold and she badly needed a blanket at this time.

'Go on,' Heart said, 'give her your jacket.'

'Wait, are you mad?' Brain said, 'First, you bring me out at such a temperature, at such an hour and then, you want me to give someone I barely know the only thing that's keeping me alive right now. Are you serious? I'm not giving her my jacket.'

Go on and cuss me all you want but this time I didn't play the gentleman and didn't listen to my heart. What? Offering jacket to a girl at a freezing hour looks good only on Shahrukh Khan and no matter how much I love him, I don't want to die a virgin.

'Look,' I said, trying to choose my words carefully. 'I know that this may sound like I'm intruding in your personal life, but what are you doing here at such an hour? You should sleep or your cold will get worse.'

She didn't say anything and just ignored eye contact.

'I mean, it's not that I-' I began but she stood up, interrupting me.

'My boyfriend just dumped me. He texted me a couple of hours after we came in here and that's how ended everything. The reason he gave me was that I was too caring and he needed some space. Now I am out here, alone and trying to give myself some space but you don't like it, do you?'

'Hey, I'm so sorry if you think that I'm-' I was interrupted again.

'Please excuse me.' With this, she left me alone near the pool and suddenly, I realized that the cold wasn't bothering me now.

'Well, that...' Heart said, 'That was...'

'Let's not talk about that.' Brain said, 'At least, now we know why she was crying.'

'Why are you so heartless, Brain?' I muttered and adjusted the chair.

'Is that supposed to be a joke?' Brain almost puked at my face.

Okay, my joke wasn't that bad- or was it? Alright, I'm an idiot. Don't mention it- I insist.

***

We were taken to the famous Ranthambor fort the next day. I'm kidding- there's nothing famous about Ranthambor fort.

There, I was least interested in listening to what the tour guide was telling us and more interested in sitting down at someplace quiet. What? I didn't sleep the whole night and now these people were forcing me to climb some stupid fort.

During the tour, I saw the cutie stare at me a couple of times, but whenever I looked at her, she would look away.

'She's not interested in you.' Brain said.

'Really?' Heart replied, 'So, that's why we always catch her checking him out?'

After another hour, the torture ended and we were sitting in the bus again. I looked back at where she was sitting and this time, she wasn't looking at me.

'Told you.' Brain said.

After dinner, our "party" began again and this time, all the guys were so drunk that there were rows of drunken promises and commitments. They were crying and laughing at the same time and told so many stories. I was having fun with a coke bottle in my hand and a wide smile on my face. You see, I don't drink alcohol.

'Sanskari!' Heart says.

Even Brain had a good laugh on that one.

So, after all the guys were drunk enough to pass on the terrace, I decided to take a stroll again. I picked up my jacket and walked towards the pool again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cutie.

Yup, she was there. She was sitting the same way she was sitting there last night. She was facing the pool and looking at infinity. I so badly wanted to go there and talk to her about last night but something stopped me- you're right, it was my brain.

'Go, if you want to get insulted again.'

And this time, my heart didn't even say a thing, so I just stood there looking at the girl, who was lost in her own problems. I didn't want to go back, but my feet moved. I turned towards the rooms till I heard a voice.

'Excuse me?' The cutie said and I turned back. 'Hi!'

'Hey,' I said.

'I was wondering if you'd come here, tonight.' She said softly.

'Well, four guys on one bed again.' I said and she looked down to give a laugh.

'I feel sorry for you.'

'Don't be; I have adapted.' I said and she laughed again.

'Look,' she said, trying to choose her words carefully, 'about last night- I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' I said and she looked puzzled. 'You had every right to do what you did last night. I shouldn't have got into your personal matters.'

'No,' she said. 'You were so humble and still, I snapped at you. I felt so bad that I wasn't even able to have an eye contact with you, today. I'm so sorry.'

'Hey, it's okay.'

She smiled and looked down.

'Mind if I talk to you for a while?' I asked and looked up to me with a smile.

'Not at all.'

'Last night,' I began and walked towards her, 'you were all upset because of your breakup- you still are, and believe me, it's perfectly normal to behave like that in circumstances like this. You know, I was relieved when you just snapped at me and not tried to kill me.'

She chuckled.

'You cried when you read those messages. You tried to call him- one, two, ten times! If I give a rough estimate, you called him around twenty times but he didn't respond to your calls.'

'Twenty three.' She muttered and I shrugged.

'He finally picked up the call and said some mean things. Since then, you are crying and trying to stay away from a "bunch" of people. You have your phone in your hand and your hand is sweaty, which means you've grabbed it for a very long time. Either you love your phone too much and don't want it to be snatched by someone or you are at a war with yourself because your heart wants you to call him again and your head says the opposite. But in matters like this, the heart always has an upper hand. I say, listen to your head and not your heart.'

'Wow,' she said and I noticed her eyes had started watering. She quickly wiped her tears and said, 'How could you tell so much about me?'

I tapped at my head and said, 'My brain is, kind of, good at...things.'

'Are you serious?' Heart said.

'So, I shouldn't call him?' She asked me again and I shook my head. 'But I-'

'Listen,' I said, 'I know what it feels like to be rejected by someone you think is your life- I know, because I've been there. You will feel like you cannot trust anybody ever again and maybe you never will. You will find it harder to fall in love and I guess, I'm stating the obvious because you might already know that. I'll say something different, though. You're eighteen or, at max, nineteen and you know what? You have at least fifty years of your life left. Just imagine what all you are destined to see. A breakup is just one of those small things. Be thankful that you lost someone who didn't value you or else, he would have been behind your biggest downfalls. You're going in the real world as soon as you realize that you've wasted time and this trip by crying for a guy who didn't value your tears and believe me- the real world is AMAZING! You will fall in love again, but you will be cautious this time. You might even break someone's heart but it'll only be later that you realize the real life is not at all about love and breakups. It's about learning from the lectures of life. And believe me, it's totally fine that you snapped at me, last time. You'll do worse to people. Heart makes us do stupid things.'

'You've got to be kidding me!' Heart was so frustrated.

'So, am I going to be okay?' She mumbled and looked down to hide her tears.

'You bet, you are.' I told and said after a second, 'Oh well, congrats.'

'For what?'

'You just got your first lecture of life.' She smiled after hearing this. 'And believe me, they just keep on getting better.'

'Thank you,' she said and I nodded.

'It's four,' I said. 'You've had a lot since the last two days so I suggest that you go up to your room and sleep peacefully for a few hours.'

'Yeah.' She said and started walking.

I smiled at her and sat on the chair that was closest to me. It was then that she stopped and turned towards me.

'I will be sharing my other lectures of life with you, if you don't mind.' She said and finally I was happy.

'Be my guest.'

With that, she left and I sat alone, facing the pond. But now, I felt good. The trip came to its end, the next day and we packed all our stuff. My friends were extra cautious in dumping the whiskey bottles and the cigarette boxes but my eyes were looking for someone special.

'You know that you'll see her in the bus, right?' Brain reminded me.

'So,' Heart said, 'have you thought anything about her? I mean, have you fallen for her?'

'I like the girl.' My brain said, 'And given the circumstances, she is perfect for you.'

'So?' Heart said.

'I don't know.' I told them. 'That girl has been through a lot. After all, first breakups are so painful. I think, I would let her be free and figure out how to deal with life on her own. She's amazing and I would love to listen to her stories. But I don't think I want her as a partner. My best partners are always going to be you two. Don't you ever change.'

'Aww!' Heart said.

'I'm going to puke.' Brain said.

Then, I lifted my bags and walked towards the bus. On my way, I saw the cutie and we smiled at each other. Since that day, we have been in contact and in a period of three months, she finally overcame that guy. We don't talk much, but I love our conversations. She is one of those people who help you smile through the worst and I'm glad that she is my friend.

Oh, I forgot to tell you her name. But, then, I didn't tell you the cutie's name last time, as well. Maybe, we should keep it that way only.

I'll see you soon, till I find someone worth falling for- Again.