Another movie inspired short story.

Will mention the movie name along with the last shot. Meanwhile, keep guessing 😁

Dedicated to you lakshmi_priyanka_ 🤪, though you have already read this story before...

"Viraj Singh Khuranna. I love you. I have been in love with you ever since that first day you saved me from those boys ragging me. Will you be my boyfriend" Viraj stared at the hazel eyed girl in shock

He had not been expecting this.

Yes, he does remember that day. He had saved her from his junior boys.

He is not against ragging as such. After all he is the bad boy of the college.

But he had never crossed the limits in his ragging and those boys were misbehaving with her, in the name of ragging and he had intervened.

And he didn't expect her to fall in love with him.

He had seen her in college after that many times in the last six months, and she was one of those silent and studious girls, always having her head buried in a book. So he had always tried to make conversation with her, just to make her comfortable. But she had always been shy.

So the proposal had come as a shock.

"I.. I don't know what to say" Viraj fumbled with his words.

He doesn't know how he is going to reject her, when she has that hopeful look in her eyes.

Admittedly, this is not the first time someone proposed to him, but he had never seen this genuine feeling in anybody's eyes before.

"You love me don't you?" She asked hopefully

"Lakshmi. I am sorry to say this. I don't want to break your heart and I don't want to string you along either. I have never felt that way for you Lakshmi" Viraj said apologetically

He was genuinely feeling sorry for rejecting her.

"You don't feel anything for me?" She asked in a broken voice.

"I am sorry Lakshmi, if I had given you any wrong impression" Viraj said

"But you always talk to me. You never talk to other girls. You always ignore them." He heard her say.

That was a basic human tendency. Wanting to talk to someone who doesn't talk at all. That's what it was. And he didn't expect her to misunderstand his gesture.

"I am sorry Lakshmi. My intentions were never bad. And you are very young. Just eighteen. This is simply an infatuation and I am sure the one month semester vacation will help you get over it" Viraj said praying hard that the words out of sight out of mind will come true in this case.

He seriously does not want a broken heart on his conscience.

He saw her eyes fill up with tears and before he could say something, she ran away from there.

He heard a sigh and looked back to see his best friend Kabir, leaning against the huge banyan tree and watching Lakshmi running away.

"You were here?" Viraj asked in surprise

"Yeah. So, you don't like her?" Kabir asked

"I never felt that way for her, Kabir" Viraj said

"I thought you did" Kabir admitted much to Viraj's surprise.

"Why would you think so?"

"You are not into bold girls. I have seen you rejecting them before. So when you started being friendly with Lakshmi, I thought you are more interested in the shy types" Kabir said with a shrug.

"Feelings got nothing to do with being bold or shy Kabir. I just didn't feel that way"

"So what are you looking for in a girl? You know next is our last semester and your father is already looking for a bride for you" Kabir said making Viraj roll his eyes

Kabir and Viraj were final year MBA students and Lakshmi, a first year undergraduate student.

"I guess I am not looking for anything. I will know when I see her" Viraj said

"She is going to be hurt," Kabir said, nodding at the direction in which Lakshmi ran away.

"She will not see me for a month. And hopefully she will get over it by then"

"Or maybe you will start missing her in this one month" Kabir said

Viraj shook his head

"She is too young for me, Kabir. Nearly six years younger" Viraj said

"If you say so? Anyways, are you ready? Our train will leave in one hour" Kabir said

Viraj was going with Kabir to his hometown for the vacation. He and Kabir had been friends since their first year at college, and Kabir ,being a hostelier had stayed over at Viraj's home multiple times. But this is the first time Viraj was going to Kabir's place.

"Yeah. I will just meet Ishaan once, before leaving" Viraj said

Ishaan Singh Khuranna, Viraj's younger brother studies in the same college and he is a final year undergraduate.

"You won't start missing Lakshmi and insist on coming back, will you?" Kabir asked teasingly and Viraj flipped him the bird as he walked in search of his brother.

****

Viraj and Kabir stepped down as the train stopped at the station.

"Come. We have to walk home, Viraj. It's not too far. The roads are flooded and so transportation is a mess now" Kabir said apologetically.

"No issues Kabir. I am liking the climate here" Viraj said as he felt the gentle breeze

"Roll up your pants and take of your shoes and socks" Kabir instructed Viraj as he did the same.

Soon they were wading through the flooded roads towards Kabir's home.

As soon as they entered the house, it started raining heavily.

"Lucky escape" Kabir muttered and Viraj nodded in agreement

"Kabir. You reached?" Ganga hugged her son happily and then she greeted Viraj happily.

"Come inside, son. I have heard a lot about you from Kabir." Ganga said as he ushered them both inside.

"Kabir talks about you too aunty"

"Alok ji. See Kabir and his friend has come" Ganga called out loudly for her husband.

Alok, retired head master of the local school is a very strict man. That's what Kabir had told him.

Viraj folded his hands in greeting and the older man nodded his head.

"How was the journey?" Alok asked formally

"It was good, uncle"

"Hmm. Freshen up and come down for tea" Alok said.

Viraj looked up when he heard the sound of an anklet and saw a young girl in a half saree coming down the stairs