Page 255 - The World's Best Boyfriend

Students milled about near the foyer, nervously and passionately discussing how
their qualifying round went. Some of them had given up, others were preparing
for the interview. Aranya fed on their nervousness and unpreparedness and

hovered around like a dementor, sucking the happiness off people’s face by
confidently smiling at them.
At a distance sat Dhruv, his knees shaking. He was biting the skin off his nail.

Just then one of the seniors put up the list of ten students from the first year who
would be interviewed. While others rushed towards it, Aranya saw Dhruv say a
little prayer, which wasn’t like supposed to happen before Armageddon.

Aranya was through. And so was Dhruv.
The ten students waited in a line outside the room for the interviews to start. A
little later, a third man joined the ranks to take the interviews. The students

gasped as he shook hands with the other interviewers.
It was Raghuvir.
While passing the students, Aranya saw Raghuvir smile at her from the corner

of her eye. Before she could ask what was going on, Raghuvir had already
disappeared inside the room.
This was almost unfair. No one else even stood a chance now. Aranya was

sure she’d get through and she wasn’t as happy as she thought she would be.
Raghuvir wasn’t supposed to be here. He had said he was leaving soon. What

was this then?
Names were called out at random and they were hammered and spit out from
the interview room. It was hard to fathom that those innocuous-looking men
could inflict so much damage.

They took a break for lunch. Dhruv, Aranya and a classmate battling nervous
breakdown were ushered into a room and asked to wait. It took all the might in

the world and more for Aranya to not start a conversation with Dhruv but she
failed in the end and said, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ She didn’t know why she said
that. She actually wanted to say, drop out and it will all be okay.
‘Easy for you to say, Aranya. You’re smart and you’re charming. There’s no

way I’m getting through this. Plus, there’s Raghuvir.’
The normalcy of the conversation threw Aranya a little off balance.

‘You really want to get this, don’t you?’ asked Aranya.
‘Yes, I do. And so do you,’ answered Dhruv.
‘I’m going to get it, Dhruv. I’m sorry for whatever happened and I know you