Page 191 - The World's Best Boyfriend

45

That night, like many before, she sat on the roof preparing for the end-semester

examinations like her life depended on it. Her blood was practically liquid
caffeine. Between Mitra’s project, Tripathi’s stupidities and the end-semester
examinations, she wasn’t sleeping for more than a couple of hours every night.
Her concentration was scant. Often she found herself looking towards the other

roof, where she could see a silhouette, sometimes two.
Though Dhruv had kept out of her way since that incident in the canteen, she

couldn’t help but think about him, about how Dhruv stood up for her in the class
when Dr Mitra censured her. How he even let her father slap him when he could
have easily sent him back with a broken face.
‘Hey,’ a voice said from behind, startling Aranya.

‘. . .’
‘. . .’

‘What are you doing here? How did you come here?’ asked Aranya.
‘I got something for you,’ replied Dhruv and dangled a piece of paper in front
of her. ‘That’s the address and the home number of Raghuvir. I have called on
the number but the line is disconnected.’

‘I have nothing to do with him,’ said Aranya.
‘Of course you do. None of this would have happened if he had stuck around.’

‘But he didn’t. He left me here to face the music.’
‘Well, that’s true. But that shouldn’t stop you from bringing him back. Here’s
what I think would have happened. Mitra would have accused you and him for

being drunken teenagers, upsetting the decorum of the college, probably doing
something juvenile in a closed, dark classroom—’
‘Dhruv!’

‘I’m just saying! And Raghuvir would have stood up for you. Mitra must have
thrown at him a choice between you and him, and he would have chosen to walk
out of the college sacrificing himself, the gentleman that he was. Because, if I

were a stuck-up dean, I would have thrown you out.’
‘What makes you so certain?’
‘Sanchit says I watch a lot of television drama.’

‘Why are you so concerned?’