A/N: I'm lazy at editing. Sorry for any mistakes.
(Edited version's A/N: Letting this old author's not be here because, yes I am very lazy about editing, I'm doing it 5 years after publishing the book.)

"Oh! Do you? Anyway, the first auto leaves in an hour. My mother is a nice woman. She would've prepared your lunch but you must be busy, right? And you have engaged yourself with a tiny village too much for a life time. Have a good trip back."

Her own words come running back in her head as she kept looking out of the window of the library.

She was recollecting how she saw her dad pat Pranay's back and wondered if he ever wanted a son to be proud of and it burned her insides. She knows better. She should know better than reacting like this  but she couldn't at that time. Her own little brother was too young to be a competition but Pranay, he was better than her. He could be competition.

She hated hurting people even when she did it more often than not. She knew too well how a simple rude remark could spread like poison through one's mind but she couldn't help it this time.

Pranay made her father smile in a rare, content way that she didn't like.

She knew where to find him if she wanted to apologise but did she even want to apologise?

It was then when the library's door opened. Both Krishnaa and Raj, the regular, nerdy kid looked up. Who was it that visiting a library in this small sleepy town? It was usually quiet in there and every little noise caught attention.

"Oh!" Pranay said as soon as he saw Krishnaa sitting where the librarian should.

"Ssshh!!" The kid reacted and went back to his book. If it wasn't another child he could befriend, he didn't care who entered or left the library.

Krishnaa went back to doing whatever she was initially. What was she doing anyway? Sitting and thinking about Pranay? It was as if she made him conjure out of thin air.

She began scrolling her phone's screen and tried to look unaffected but she was observing his movements through the corner of her eye.

He was holding a red book, which she should've recognized had she actually been reading around.

"Can you keep that book down?" Raj said. "I read that. Please."

"But you're reading something else." Pranay replied politely.

"Yes but ... I'm usually the only one here and I ... I'm not allowed novels at home. So if you'll issue it. I'll have a problem. I may want to pick it up tomorrow but you would've taken it away." Raj looked visibly embarrassed.

Could Krishnaa also be this straightforward with Pranay? Could she also tell him that she was afraid that someone would fill the void of a prodigal son in her father's life and he would realize what he is missing out on? She knew her brother too well and he was never going to fill that ideal son space but Pranay threatened her when she mustn't be.

"Okay." Pranay said after a little thought and kept the book back. He went back to screening the library. Krishnaa tried to immerse herself in her phone.

"Excuse me."

She heard his voice and looked up. She was hoping he wouldn't talk to her but here he was.

"Do you not have any medical journals?"

He asked and Krishnaa wished she would evaporate. He was acting civil when she had been nothing but mean to him. Did she have no effect on people's life at all?

"We are a small town's small library. What do you expect?"

They heard Raj imitating her.

"That's what she usually says when I tell her to get more on sci-fi." The kid added.

"We don't have any journals, in fact. S-sorry." Krishnaa said formally, trying not to diss the kid immediately.

"Someone's in a good mood." Raj mocked. "No jabs. No insults. Good going. Maybe someday you'll be a human, Krishnaa di."

Krishnaa clenched her fist.

"Will you keep standing here or will you move forward with this library tour you've decided to do? Don't stand on my head. Go read something." Krishnaa couldn't stop herself before she ended up being rude to Pranay once again.

"And she's back." Raj laughed.

"You are really interesting. Hi! I'm Pranay." Pranay walked to the kid and said.

"I'm Raj. Raj Singh."

"Nice. Even my surname is Singh."

"I've never seen you around. You don't live here?" Raj asked.

And that was the thing about small towns. New faces were usually not asked if they were actually new to the place, they were asked if they don't live here, if they have moved out and have come back for a vacation.

"No. I'm from Delhi."

"It's a library, Mr. Delhi return." Krishnaa asked them to keep quiet.

"Don't mind her she's mean." Raj whispered.

"I know." Pranay said in his usual tone.

"How? Do you know each other?"

"We go down a little bit."

"Shut up. Will you? It's a library, for God's sake!" Krishnaa was agitated. It was not that she cared about the library rules but Pranay's presence was bothering her.

"I don't like her." Raj whispered again. "Do you like her? Is she your friend?"

Krishnaa could hear the two of them. She hated this. She didn't like being the centre of attention. She didn't want people to talk about her. She tried to act like she wasn't listening but her ears were all up, now.

"We're not friends." Pranay replied immediately. "I like her presence of mind though."

Could he not say that he hated her for being rude? Why was he being nice. He was being honest about her being rude and all but still he didn't seem to hate her.

She would if she had been him, no lies there. She would've hated herself.

And that was it. She went back to (over)thinking, this time with a book in front of her. She pretended to not notice when Pranay finished reading, stacked his book back and left.

"I'm putting my books back in their place, today. I'm happy I got a reading buddy. Be nice to him, Krishnaa di. Don't scare him away." Raj said before leaving.

She locked the library and walked out, feeling rather stuffy.

How did it go with Pranay?
Are you mad at me?
Are you ignoring me?
I low-key wanted to set him up with you but this time it was low-key and he wanted help and I only know you from that village?
You're not going to reply?

Chandni's messages were still left unanswered in her phone.

Not well. I was rude to him for no reason.
I mean, not for no reason.
Well, yeah. He didn't do anything wrong. I messed up.
And
I can never be mad at you. :)

She had kept her phone back, when another message popped up.

He's not difficult to find if you want to apologise, you know.
And
Oh! Thank God! I wanna meet you.
You're free?

And the plan was set. They met at the local Amul Parlour and talked and laughed and the stuffy feeling went away. Ice cream had that effect on her. When it made her mind turn numb, her feelings did too. The next thing she knew she had forgotten that she was mean, rude, not so human and that she would've hated herself if she was in Pranay's shoes. She was talking about the most useless crap with her best friend. She felt happy.

They took a rickshaw up to the auto stand.

"I was worried sick when you weren't replying." Chandni added in a dramatic tone. "I thought you were out there making out with that dude in the fields or something."

"And is that what you've been doing these days?" Krishnaa smirked but her expressions changed immediately when she saw something on the road.

A stray dog, was stuck beneath a broken rickshaw and was trying to struggle it's way out of it. It was thin, thin to the point that his rib cage was easily visible when he pulled himself and cried for help.

The girls stopped their rickshaw and went over to the scene of action.

A mob had gathered around the dog, some were taking videos and the others were just informing the crowd about what had happened, about how someone had attempted chain snatching on a bike but the victim had quickly followed them. The snatchers had crashed their bike on purpose with a by-standing rickshaw to stop the victim from following them. The wooden frame of the vehicle had dismantled at once and a dog sleeping underneath was now, trapped. The road was blocked for a while with scattered rickshaw pieces but the victim had still followed the chain snatchers, paying little attention to what other damage had happened.

While Chandni was collecting information, Krishnaa had already managed to throw half of the wooden mess away.  Chandni stepped forward and started helping her, others joined soon.

In no time, the dog was free but he was still in pain and had bruises over his body.

"Your hand's bruised. It's bleeding a little." Chandni pointed.

Krishnaa nodded and said, "Do you know any vet here?"

The other girl moved her head in negative and then suggested that they carry the dog over to Ayush's clinic. He would know someone or at least would know what to do. His clinic was at the end of the street anyway.

They luckily caught Ayush at the right minute. He was leaving his clinic when the awkward relief team for the stray arrived.

"I'll call Pranay bhaiya. He had a dog at his house a long time ago. He'll know better. I can manage some first aid in the mean time." Ayush reassured the girls.

With that, Ayush got to work and his cousin arrived in some time. The strangers that had stepped forward to help were now slowly leaving.

"It's strange how he is letting all of us treat him and carry him around. I've usually seen animals get repulsive of humans after accidents." Chandni whispered.

"I think this will do." Pranay said after putting the last stitch. "Your hand's bleeding, Krishnaa."

"Yeah. It's nothing. You sure the dog will be okay?"

"I'll keep him with me. No worries." Pranay  smiled reassuringly and Krishnaa wondered if he calmed his patients and their attendants nerves with this same look.

"We'll name him, Boxer." Ayush chimed.

"Uh ... no. What about Dollar? Like from Richie rich?" Chandni said.

"I'll call him Chotu because look at him." Krishnaa said. "And Chotu is final. Can we come to see him?... please"

Pranay nodded with that same smile. Reassured that she can meet the stray again, Krishnaa turned around to leave and Chotu barked softly. He tried to get up but couldn't.

"I guess he doesn't want you to go yet." Pranay said. "Maybe wants to get to know you better."

"Oh!" Krishnaa looked from Chotu to Pranay. "Well, he has started being comfortable with you, there is no harm in leaving Chotu here. At least he's not being picky and aggressive right now. I'll come see him tomorrow."

"At least let me fix your wound. It'll become septic if you leave it open and go through all that dust on your way home." Pranay requested softly and Krishnaa agreed.

She gave her hand in his and he began dressing her wound.

"You don't have to be nice to me when I've been nothing but rude to you." Krishnaa said with a pout.

"And done." Pranay looked up from her hand with his reassuring, doctor smile. "Keep coming for Chotu. He looks like he'll miss you."

Krishnaa nodded like a child who had received an ice cream after a heavy punishment. She had been on a self loathing spree the whole day and Pranay tending to her wounds felt a little like a scolding but more like the ice cream that comes after a lot of crying to set the mood right.

Maybe he wants to get to know you better.

She repeated a different set of words when she drifted off to sleep.