CHAPTER 7

  SUNDAY MORNING

  I got up late and didn’t reflect on anything that occurred the previous night. I went to freshen up, and typically on Sundays, we all make poha together. After getting ready, I headed to the kitchen. Jenya, Praba, and Isha were already there, and their conversation had already begun. When I greeted them with a good afternoon, they gave me a glance. To brace myself for the possible shock, I sat on the kitchen counter and asked to them,

  ‘’Is everything okay?’’

  Jenya exclaimed with a surprising tone, “You know what? I actually reached out to my school friend to ask about Zayn Arora, and guess what? He told me he’s here in Delhi, studying at Hansraj College!”

  I was shocked, and I yelled,

  ‘’what the hell are you saying”?

  Jenya has a friend from school called Dev and Zayn is Dev’s friend. We didn’t want Dev to know anything about this because we were a little suspicious if he will share this with him. If Zayn is in Delhi and that too in Hansraj college, it can or cannot be a threat to us. If he gets any hint that I am in LSR, then everything will be over. The thought of him and falling in love, like a dark cloud, filled my heart with a chilling dread, not from my Amma’s warnings, but from the shadows of pain I will have to witness. Maybe Zayn won’t have any feelings but the thought of him sometime suffocates me differently which I have never felt with anyone and the thought of him sometime scared me.

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  I asked Jenya to be careful when you ask something about Zayn to Dev and never let our secret out.

  Praba and Isha were curious if Jenya had his photo, and she responded, “I’ve asked Dev to share it; he should be sending it over soon!”. We started to have the poha, watching one of our favourite sitcoms ‘Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah’. Suddenly I got a call, and I picked up by going out of the room.

  “Hello’’

  “Hello, is this Avanthika”?

  I replied, ‘’no, it’s not”.

  In a moment, it didn’t click on my brain that Saturday night. I have done something crazy and now my new name is Avanthika.

  ‘’I took a pause and asked who is this?’’

  ‘’Oh, you are so much in deep love with me but you cannot recognize my voice.’’

  I widened my eyes in a disbelief and realized he was calling in different phone number. I went straight to my girl’s gang and whispered it’s Zayn Arora on phone and I cried ‘’help me’’.

  Isha told to put the phone on speaker.

  ‘’Okay, Avanthika, I know you have done a prank and if I am not wrong your name is not Avanthika but I will hear your name from you one day and not from anyone nor I will search for your identity. I won’t call again to disturb you, but if you believe in destiny, one day I hope to meet you.’’

  There was a silence and from out of nowhere I gained the confidence and said,

  “Okay then, waiting to meet you, Zayn Arora.” and then I cut the call

  Praba replied “what in the K-Drama is happening here”?

  Jenya reassured. “There’s no need to be concerned; he’s a good person and won’t act out in a crazy way. I also have a feeling that LSR and Hansraj are about to experience another enchanting story.”

  “Delhi University is about to get their next Shahrukh Khan and Gauri Khan,” told Isha

  I found it really hard to focus on what they were saying. My mind kept circling back to why I responded to him so boldly. I wondered if I should share this with my Amma, as I was beginning to feel a little worried about possibly getting into trouble.