'So you just kissed her?' Arjun asked me as we walked towards our classroom.

I nodded.

'As in kissed? Like, lip to lip?' he said again and I narrowed my eyes at him. 'Of course, yeah you kissed her. So, what now?'

'What do mean?' I asked him and finally entered our classroom.

'So is she your girlfriend, or what?'

'I don't know...I mean...I don't know.' I confessed and Arjun smiled at me, sympathetically.

'Well,' Arjun said, 'I would have had my doubts, but she is Shefali Garg. She is the...I don't know, best girl in the entire school.'

I just looked down and wondered if whatever happened would turn out to be good or not.

'Her ex- boyfriend was a douchebag- everyone knows about him.' I nodded to him. 'And now that she's kissed you, it clearly means that she is looking out for someone better. She definitely needs someone like you.'

'But I'm just a nobody.' I said and he gave me maybe the dirtiest look of all times.

'Hello!' He said and pointed his finger at me. 'You chose to be a nobody. People don't know you because you chose to stay in the box you made for yourself. It's time to show them what you are. The most beautiful of St Mark's kissed you and you think that you are a nobody?'

I didn't say anything.

'She is your girlfriend.' Arjun said again.

'I gu--' I started but, then saw Shefali entering my class.

She had a big smile on her face and walked straight towards me. I got up and the next thing I know- I was hugging my girlfriend.

'Good morning, writer.' She said and looked at Arjun. 'Hi, Arjun.'

'Hi, Commerce.' He said to which she giggled. 'Finally I can say that you have a good taste when it comes to guys.'

'Yeah.' She said and grabbed my arm. 'Made some mistakes in my past, but now I think, I've finally found the one.'

The way she said that made my heart beat faster. Oh, wasn't it the best thing I heard in my whole life.

'Though,' Arjun said and got up, 'I still think there are better guys than our Annu.'

'And who might that be?' Sanju came out of nowhere and said.

'Oh,' Arjun didn't expect that. 'I mean, not in our school, of course.'

'Correct.' She said and the, looked at us. 'Aww, you look so cute together. Who could have imagined the cutest students of St Mark ending up together?'

The first few days after getting in a relationship are always awkward. You have to decide whether to make it official or not and after that, whether or not to tell everyone. We had decided to tell this to everyone- we didn't want it to be a secret. So, naturally, we got a lot of questions like, "You guys, weren't even that close. What happened all of a sudden?" to "Was he the only guy you could find?", okay, I had to stop Shefali from breaking the nose of the guy who said that (Though, I, personally wanted to do it).

The most difficult part for me was to tell this to Tripty. I hadn't fallen for her- thank god- yet, but still, she was the one who badly made my heart yearn for a girlfriend.

'This is so cute.' She said after hearing me. 'I'm so happy for you, Annu.'

'Thanks,' I said and tried not to blush- but, I guess, I did.

So, that's how I told her about Shefali. One thing led to the other and we started talking about my stories.

'I have been sitting with you since a very long time.' She said. 'Two weeks to be precise and you haven't brought anything written by you for me to read.'

'Ah,' I said and finally exhaled, 'I thought you were going to complain that I am a pathetic seat partner.'

'Shut up.' She chuckled. 'So?'

'Um, that...' I said. 'Well, the thing is...'

'Don't try to avoid me, mister.' She said, 'I'm going to sit with you for a long, long time and I will read your works.'

'That's the thing, Tripty.' I said, 'I-I haven't written anything that I can show people. I mean, they are not worth reading.'

'What are you writing, then?' She asked me.

'A love story.' I said.

'Tell me everything about the story you're writing.' She said and folded her arms.

'There's this guy,' I said, 'his name is Ashish and he is bound to a wheelchair. He dreams to get into the theatre but his disability is, like, a barrier to him. Now, here's the girl- Krishna- she, too, is a theatre artist and meets Ashish through a common friend. A couple of chapters and they will fall in love. After that...I don't know. Maybe, I won't even write anything on it.'

'Why?' She asked, 'I loved the story, so far. Wha--'

'The thing is,' I began, 'I'm not really sure about the story. I-I'm never satisfied.'

I looked at her who just wanted to hear me, so I continued. 'Few months ago, I had finished writing this novel. 17 chapters, over 51,000 words and everything. But when I read it I wasn't satisfied- as a reader. So...I'm thinking of something else.'

'I can understand.' She said and gave me her beautiful, soft smile. 'So, Anirudh, tell me something.'

'Ask away.' I said, presuming the question to be easy (and maybe lame, as well).

'What's your story?' She asked me.

'What?' My reaction, for, I wasn't expecting something like this. 'What do you mean?'

'It doesn't get simpler than this.' She said, 'What's your story?'

'I-I...It's a tough question.' I confessed and she narrowed her eyes at me, 'I mean, no one has ever asked me a question like this- ever.'

'Okay, so it's the first time. Now, tell me what's your story.'

'I...guess I don't have any.' I said and she shook her head.

'Every person has a story.' She said. 'I have a story. You have a story. Shefali has a story. Everyone around us has a story and you have to figure them out. You're a writer. And besides that, you'll have to know the character before you go and write about them. Write your story, because then only, you'll know the most about your characters and your point of view. Who else can write about you better than yourself?'

'Maybe,' I said. 'Maybe I haven't figured out mine, yet.'

'Maybe,' she said. 'Will you tell me your story when you figure it out?'

'You'll be the first to know.'