"Arre ye aaj seniors ka bakheda kyun laga hua hai" Safiya was sitting with her friends in the canteen during the free period and mugging up some Chemistry formulae in order to prepare herself for the next class. She just wanted to prove that she was better off tuitions. She remembered how she ate up her Tai Ammi's mind for no tuitions....and she proved to be her saviour but on a condition that she would score above average in her mid terms.

"Freshers hone wale hain na.......isliye bahut chahal kadmi machi hui hai " Ramsha, her friend said picking up some french fries.

"Is baar toh ek Rose themed game bhi ho rahi hai.......freshers ko jo campus me sabse zyada pasand hai...use rose dena hai sabke samne"

"Wohoo........ye toh mazedaar hoga" Safiya clapped her hands and closed the book ready to listen more about the Fteshers'programme.

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"Arre Safi .. chal na last bench pe" Anusha, one of Safiya's friends tried to drag her to the last bench

"Jahannum ka ticket nahin katwana mujhe" Safiya stopped her friend and again moved to the first bench...

"Arre cousin hain yaar tumhare....kuch nahin karenge" Anusha was not giving up

"Ye bekaar si theory ki bhanak bhi lag gayi na unhe..toh...rishta tod denge mere sath" Safiya grimaced imagining Ibrahim's expressions even if he gets a whiff of the statement just made.

The sound of the loud steps alarmed Safiya and with in no time she found herself sitting on the first bench all ready to welcome her favourite professor.

"Good morning everyone" Ibrahim wished the class and threw a look which managed to give a microscopic view of the class.

He started the class with a simple question........the question was written on the white board and the class was asked to solve it

"You all have already studied this theory in the previous semester, with the next chapter we will be going into the details. So, just for a quick revision, solve this"

Ibrahim marched in the classroom looking into the copies.

"Ummm.........galat hai" Safiya lifted her head hearing the words and then again looked back into her copy....waiting for him to tell her "sahi kya hai" but no words came out of her professor's mouth. He just took steps to the next row.

Safiya looked sideways and found the topper sitting next to her...she tried to peek into his copy which he shifted to his right...

"Ek to ye toppers ke chonchle hi alag hain.....zara sa dikha dega toh kya  mai topper ban  jaungi....beraham log" Safiya cursed under her breath and looked in other direction for some help.

"Sshhh..." Safiya turned her head at the sound....."Safiya answer aa gaya kya...?"

"Yahaan question ka matlab samajh me nahi aaya....answer ki baat kar raha hai" Safiya frowned but then next second pulled the boy's copy a little..."dikhao zara kya answer hai"

Going through the whole solution, she immidiately turned and started filling her copy.......

"Answer sahi hai?" The boy asked in a whisper

"Sab sahi hai..sab sahi hai" She waved off her hands relaxing the boy.

By the time, Ibrahim returned to the first row, Safiya was done with the question and was beaming.

"Ok...then....who is coming to solve on the board?"

"Safiya ...... aap aayengi?" Ibrahim looked at Safiya who gave a fake smile and got up " Nepotism ke asli sardaar toh ye hain.......... arre kabhi dusron ko bhi mauka dein ye"

Safiya took the marker from his hand and started solving with jet speed.

"Done.....?" Ibrahim asked seeing her closing the cap of the marker

"Ji.."

"Koi aur solve karna chahega?"

The topper boy raised his hand and came forward.

Starting from the extreme left of the board, he continued till the extreme right making shapes of different sizes.

Finally after fifteen minutes, he closed the cap making the class sigh in relief.

"So, we have got two completely different answers......which one do you think is correct" Ibrahim asked the class which according to Safiya turned treacherous and pointed at the topper's answer.

She frowned "mera wala kitna sweet, simple aur chhota sa tha...gadhon"

"So Ms Safiya Siddiqui .. what had you been doing all along .... ....."

"Studying sir"

"That's why you were not able to solve a previous semester question" Ibrahim sent the boy to his seat but kept Safiya standing near the board.

"Get your copy and copy the whole solution from the board like you usually do" Ordering Safiya, he opened his file folder and started going through a paper

Safiya didn't need to be told twice, she brought her copy and copied the whole solution in a fraction of seconds...

"Done sir"

"Huh..... seems like you are very good at copying" Ibrahim taunted keeping his paper down.

Safiya lowered her eyes........and looked at the topper boy who was showing his teeth ..... "Daante dikha raha hai....ruk tu...."

Ibrahim closed the file and passed the paper to Safiya........"Read it loud"

Safiya read the paper in a loud and clear voice........confidence was one thing inbuilt in her...may be it ran in the blood.

"Thank you....." Ibrahim asked Safiya to take her seat "So, this time the presentation is carrying 30% weightage in the exams.........anybody excelling in it would easily score the highest ..... so we are just going to have a trial next week ......... you can choose any topic"

"Each group will have 5 students.....you can make groups among yourselves .............."

"Just make a list of the groups and hand it over to me tomorrow morning."

"Now we shall come to the chapter"

After 45 minutes, Ibrahim called one of the students to clear the board and asked for the attendance sheet.

"Sir...I didn't sign on it" Safiya at once stood up....her expression was like of a person who was getting robbed off her breath.

"Where were you?"

"Here only" Safiya's whole attention was on the paper.

Ibrahim looked at the paper and kept it in his file.
Taking the file, he walked out followed by Safiya "Sir....."

"Sir....my attendance" she said meekly

"You have already signed it...." Ibrahim said looking at a few students peeking out of the classroom

"Huh.........show me"

"Excuse me.........just get back to the classroom " Ibrahim showed his eyes  making Safiya apologise and walk back.

"Attendance diya sir ne" one of the girls asked

Safiya glared at her and sauntered to the last bench pulling her bag..."thoda so lun"

"Safiya....kaun kaun hai tumhare group me" Reshma, on of Safiya's classmates asked Safiya who lifted her head from the desk "Pata nahin yaar.....kisi me likhwa do mera naam"...

"Ae Safi...ye class suspend ho gayi hai..humlog movie dekhne ja rahe hain tu bhi chal......kuch first year ke bhi log hain" Anusha came running to the last bench with the good news.

"Mere paas paise nahin hain"

"Apne kisi bhai se maang lo" One of the classmates shrugged

"Aaj koi nahi aaya hai college...sab match dekhne gaye hain ...aur sabne apne mobile switch off kar rakhe honge" Safiya pouted

"Ibrahim sir se maang lo"

"Paise nahin lecture toh zaroor de denge" She twitched her lips

"Arre kuch bahana bana de na yaar....."

After sometime Safiya was standing outside Ibrahim's cabin

"May I come in?"

Hearing a faint "come in" she entered the cabin "Bhaijaan"

"Hmmm....." Ibrahim looked at Safiya who was fidgeting with her fingers.

"Wo..wo mujhe kuch paise chahiye the"

"Kis khushi me?"

"Wo meri ek friend ko zarurat thi abhi..............."

"Acha.....toh aap samaaj seva kar rahin hain" Ibrahim took out few notes from his wallet

"Waise tumhari friend or tum ek hi insaan toh nahin ho?" Ibrahim pulled back his hand when Safiya came forward to take the money.

"Nahin bhaijaan........"

"Theek hai phir....uske paise lautate hi tum mujhe paise lauta dena"

"Sau kanjoos mare honge toh ye is duniya se mukhatib hue honge" Safiya smiled but her mind was full of curses for the man sitting before him.

"Bhaijaan aap mujhse paise lenge?" Safiya said in an accusatory tone counting the notes.

"Tumse kahaan le raha hun......?" Ibrahim frowned "mai indirect loan par indirect repayment le raha hun...bas" he shrugged going back to his work.

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The group was strolling in the mall after coming out of the movie hall when someone shrieked "Ibrahim sir"

"Huh...kahaan?" Safiya panicked

Safiya saw Ibrahim at an electronic store and thought of silently passing through

"Aap itna darti kyun ho Ibrahim sir se .... ye unka class thode hi hai?" A boy who had newly joined the first year asked Safiya who was hiding behind her friends

"Lo tumhe nahin pata" one of the girls started laughing "Ibrahim sir hamari Safiya ke  cousin hain..... bechari ko na to college me chain hai na hi ghar me"

"What......" The boy was surprised "Oh haan...Siddiqui-Siddiqui "

Safiya hit the girl's arm "Yaar tumlog stairs se jao...mai lift se aa rahi hun"

"Kyun?"

"Ibrahim bhai idhar hi dekh rahe hain.....mai cross nahin kar paungi"

"Ok ... jaldi aana" Safiya's friends left her at the elevator and went away.

--------

Safiya was alone in the elevator with her stole wrapped around her face.....it was her idea to escape Ibrahim's eyes if ever they cast a gaze on her.

The elevator stopped and next she saw a pair of black shoes entering the elevator....she didn't need to look up to know who the owner of those shoes was.

"Safi....." Ibrahim soliloquized seeing the girl standing next to him....... seeing the girl move out, he held her forearm "Safi ...ruko"

Safiya was shocked and just to escape the situation, without thinking she started throwing profanities at him "Tumhare ghar me maa behen mahin hain kya.......besharam..."

"I am so sorry.......mujhe laga..."

"Sab bahaane janti hun mai tum jaise logon ke " She was going on and on when by mistake the dupaata's knot got untied and her beautiful face hurled before Ibrahim who tightened his fists and without saying anything just started dragging her towards the secluded section.

Safiya's friends saw it and came to them "Sir....wo hum yahaan laye the"

"Aur mai yahaan se le ja raha hun" Ibrahim spoke in an emotionless tone.

"Maine bola tha lift me mat jao...manhoos hote hain....pakad liya jinn ne" Ramsha huffed looking at Ibrahim and Safiya who turned her head to say a bye.

"Ab kya hoga?"

"Arre iska roz ka hai.......don't worry" Her friends said and started their window shopping.

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"Sorry bhaijaan......" Safiya whispered peeking at Ibrahim's face which was devoid of any emotions.

"Sorry ....... gaadi me jagah nahin hai nahin toh mai sit ups bhi kar leti" She pouted holding her ears....but that garnered no views or reviews from his side.

"Aap mujhe thappad maar lein...par kuch bolein toh sahi" Safiya was getting scared now.....

"Gaal aage karo......." stopping the car infront of their house, Ibrahim turned to her with a straight face

"Aap sach me .........." Safiya cried but then moved her right cheek closer. "thoda halke se bhaijaan...bahut nazuk hain mere gaal"

Safiya closed her eyes tight making herself ready to welcome the pain.........but......!!!!!