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Oh my my! Today is the day. Finally I have gathered all my courage to confess.

Confused? Of course it's my one and only crush The Manik Malhotra, as he likes to say it. Isn't just the name enough to give goosebumps?

But yeah, all thanks to my best friend, no actually scratch that, my sister from another mister, Navya. If she wouldn't have convinced me, then I would definitely be ready to confess by the time he would have been a father of two.

The day I had laid my eyes on him, I had felt jolts of electricity passing through my veins. I had shrugged the feeling then but as time passed I knew it was something deeper, something I was experiencing for the first time. I thought he would be just one of my passing crushes, but no. He isn't in my *maybe-was-a-crush* list in which half of the boys of the school are.

Infact I read that if you have a crush on a person for more than 3 months. Then its likely to be love and not just a passing crush. Where? Well it may sound weird but I read it on the Facts Page of Instagram.

Manik and I, we share a very very different bond. We are definitely not Just Friends but we are not Lovers also. I don't know why but I think that he likes me too. Otherwise he would have simply friend zoned me like the other girls of the class.

Talking about school, well seems like hell if he is absent, which he rarely is. In school, we are like strangers that if you ask anyone from our class about what relationship we share, they would laugh at your face and say that, "Maybe they don't even know each other's name."

But in tuition, we talk like long lost soulmates who share each and everything with each other. Infact, there is a rumor in our tuition group that we are dating already.

I so wish that *dreamily*.

Manik is a very introvert kind of a person. He rarely has friends. Mainly Cabir Dhruv and Soha.

I don't like that girl at all. She literally throws herself on him. And Manik, he doesn't seem to object as well.

Hey hey hey.. Don't worry they are not dating. I know Manik is rich, a Greek God, a bit spoilt maybe? But he most certainly isn't a liar.

I don't talk without proofs.

Flashback

1 week earlier

I was in tuition sitting at my regular seat waiting for him eagerly. Growing impatient by the second, I noticed ten minutes had passed since the tutor started with his tutoring.

20 minutes

Okay now this is not normal. Usually he is 10-12 minutes late. But 20 minutes? That's the first time. Although the teacher won't scold him if he shows up late as he himself pays half of the monthly income of the tutor.

30 minutes

Well maybe he isn't coming today. Wonder what happened.

Speak of the devil and he's here! He walks in with all his glory, hair spiked up at places with his bag on one shoulder making him look ever so dashing.

Honestly, I was super relieved to see him but as you know, even Nandini Murthy isn't any less. I gave him a cold shoulder as he made himself comfortable on the vacant seat beside me.

The rumors of us dating, is the top gossip for everyone. And why wouldn't it be? This jerk Manik gives them reasons, that also for what? Just a stupid seat.

Flashback In Flashback

As usual Manik is late. I have been waiting for him since the last 10 minutes. But he just doesn't seem to care. Suddenly, I saw a boy from our class, sit beside me which is actually Manik's seat.

Oh he is the new guy. "Hey I am Aryamann. Do you mind if I take this seat?" he said with an expectant smile on his face.

"Oh no not at all. By the way aren't you the new admission in Space Academy?" I asked as I was very much sure that I had seen him somewhere.

"So you actually remember. I thought you would be just like the other people- Total mindless jerks - who don't even remember a new student although he has given a thorough introduction," he said with an amused face as if he had seen a Nobel Prize winner.

"Do you know you just said that I look like a Total Mindless Jerk," I said with an *I-wont-leave-you* look.

"Hey I didn't mean that seriously," he said trying to be cool.

"You know what?" I said angrily.

"What?" he asked acting to be brave but I could say that he was quite intimidated.

"It doesn't really matter that you called me a jerk because almost everybody calls me that, " I said with a serious look but it was getting tough for me to hold back my laughter.

"What?" now this time he sounded hell confused. Finally, I gave up on my *Try Not To Laugh* Challenge and burst out laughing.

Even Aryamann cracked a laugh with me. We were enjoying our talk when I saw Aryamann's bag being picked up from the chair adjacent to mine and directly on the farthest chair in the room.

Who else could it be? Manik of course.

"Hey you, go sit somewhere else. This is my place. Do you get that?" Manik said in a very arrogant way with his amber brown eyes boring into Aryamann's plain black ones.

"First of all my name isn't 'You'. It's Aryamann. And secondly, why would I go there? I am having a nice time here with a beautiful girl. What's your problem? Idhar chair pe naam nhi likha hai tera. Samjha?" Aryamann replied with confidence dripping from his voice, taking a step ahead trying to match Manik's rage.

"Don't try to act smart in front of me. This is my usual place and she is my friend, right Nandini?" he lifted up his face from Aryamann's to have a small eyelock with me before turning back to the new boy with a smirk.

"Oh so that's your name. Thank you, Mr. Unknown, I actually forgot to ask her name," I must say even Aryamann was no less. He was taking Manik head on.

"Oh just shut up and get lost. Will ya?" Manik said but I could easily figure out that he was losing his control as his hands were curled up in a ball, nails digging in his palms to calm him down, something he does often.

"No I won't. Kya kar lega?" Arya said but now his voice was missing the fire which it held previously.

"To ye le," with that Manik landed a solid punch on his face without thinking of any consequences.

"What the fuck Manik? What are you doing? Just let him go. Arya go and sit there okay? We will talk in school," I said in order to control the situation as all the heads had turned towards us and the girls had started their gossip.

They don't have anything better to do in life.

Aryamann left from there not before passing Manik a glare which he didn't really care about as he just shrugged his shoulders and sat on the now popular chair.

"What the fuck was that? What do you think you were doing?" I whisper yelled to which Manik said, "I asked him to leave politely but he had to try to act smart in front of you. You know na my anger issues. But one thing, you won't talk to him. He was clearly hitting on you."

"Why won't I talk to him? He is cute, smart, funny. What more would I want? And you don't act all possessive. You are 15 minutes late today," I said with fake anger turning my back towards him.

"Accha accha hota hai kabhi kabhi. Zyada bhav mat khao," he pacified bringing back the fun us.

End of Flashback in Flashback

Dramatic, isn't he?

I tried to focus on the topic we were being taught 'cause as much as I like Manik and his talks, studies hold an equal if not more important part in my life along with badminton.

My eyes moved back to the door for once as I saw him entering the class and making his way straight towards me. He sat and OPENED HIS BOOK. Something is really wrong today.

"Hey Manik. What took you so long today? You are never this late. And you for the first time saw the face of your book," I asked in order to cheer him up.

He immediately closed the book and said, "Its nothing. Was caught up with some work. You say. Watcha doing?"

"Nothing I was just thinking something." I said with utmost seriousness in my voice as my eyebrows furrowed, eyes challenging him in a way.

"And what is it?" he asked slightly taken aback with the sudden rise in temperature, or maybe it was the intensity radiating from me.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked him completely straight forward. Although we were really good 'friends' but we never really talked or discussed about our love life.

He was startled by my sudden question as I am not the ones to be up for girlfriend gossips or even boyfriends. It's surprising as I have always been the good girl, at least in the eyes of the people who don't know me properly. How would they know that I've crushed on a lot of guys just never felt the strong bond or connection I always looked for?

"You know?" although it was just a mere whisper, but I heard it.

"You said something?" he kept mum for at least 30 seconds before he replying, "No. I don't."

I sighed as I felt a familiar air of relief wash over me. I smiled at him and without saying anything else focused back at the tutor.

End of Flashback

A beatific smile took it's place on my face as I relived that day when his words and eyes did it's magic, at that moment I knew what I felt for him was more than I could ever feel for any crush, Chris Hemsworth included.

I don't know if he will reciprocate my feelings or not, all I know is, words can be deceptive but his eyes deeper than the ocean cannot.

All I can do now is wait and see what God has kept in store for me.

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1800 Words

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Edited.

Published On-25/10/19