Page 174 - The World's Best Boyfriend

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Dhruv rejoiced at Raghuvir’s disappearance from the campus.

No longer would he have to imagine Raghuvir and Aranya in the mechanics
of a solids laboratory, working on lowering the friction coefficient long after
stipulated college hours.
That day, every word of Aranya’s speech in class had stoked his fear of

having fallen in love with her. He had wanted to throw something at her to make
her stop harking about Raghuvir but the ferocity and control of Aranya’s words

stunned him. Good riddance, Dhruv had thought.
Although he had noticed the funereal expression on Aranya’s face, he was
sure she would get over Raghuvir. It wasn’t as if she was in love with him or
anything. A few more weeks passed and Aranya was still behaving like someone

had died. She would constantly be distracted in class, doodling away in her
notebook, lost in her daydreams, hardly caring about who submitted the

assignment and which professor threw her out of the class.
Sometimes, Dhruv would spot her hanging outside Raghuvir’s cabin. She
would do her assignments sitting outside his door, papers strewn around her,
books stacked in a corner as if Raghuvir was just late for a scheduled meeting.

Often he would find her with her eyes shut, as if praying for his return. More
than a few times, he had seen her text him on his now-defunct number.

Irritated at the cuckoo behaviour and the insane devotion, Dhruv confronted
Aranya one day while she sat outside Raghuvir’s room.
‘What are you doing here?’ asked Dhruv.

‘Assignments. And if you don’t mind I am in no mood to have a conversation
right now.’
‘I just wanted to point out that in the last three assignments I managed a better

grade than you.’ Dhruv laughed and winked, hoping to anger Aranya.
Aranya scribbled away in her notebook, not once looking at Dhruv.
‘I beat you. Are you not seeing that?’ asked Dhruv.

‘Good for you.’
Dhruv tried not to say anything more but couldn’t help it. ‘That man left. Get
over it. Show that Raghuvir’s leaving the college doesn’t matter to you, that

you’re a heartless bitch because that’s how I know you as! Because that’s what