Page 326 - The World's Best Boyfriend

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Dhruv had been dreading this moment ever since Aranya had walked into the

college. He was in the queue three places behind her with a cheque and a
registration form for the second year. She stood there, fidgeting with her transfer
form, earplugs dug deep inside her ears, irritatingly unmindful of Dhruv’s
presence. She looked beautiful. He said that to himself, making sure no one

heard it because that would be awful. Aranya? Beautiful? But surely, she was.
The corners of her lips moved while she mouthed the song she was listening to,

the twitching of the eyebrows, the gentle batting of the eyelids, the soft skin,
were all quite hypnotic to him right now.
He moved out of the line and sat on one of the benches pretending he hadn’t
filled up his form. He waited for her to complete her formalities so that he could

bump into her accidentally. The first ten seconds would be the key. He felt a
cardiac arrest coming on. He saw them stamp her papers and tell her to come

back in a couple of days to get her transcripts and the transfer letter. She looked
a little sad when she should have been fucking happy to leave this shitty city, fly
away and never come back.
‘Hey?’ said Dhruv as she crossed him, his tongue almost failing, flapping like

a vestigial organ in his mouth. ‘All set?’
She waved the stamped papers in his face. ‘Yes.’

‘Good for me,’ said Dhruv.
‘Good for you,’ said Aranya.
Awkward silence. Like a soundproof wall had been erected between them.

‘Are you going for a creative writing course? Just asking because you have
taken a deep interest in writing letters and whatnot,’ said Dhruv, trying to at least
hate her if not be charming.

Aranya shook her head dismissively. ‘That’s your comeback? We have been
away from each other for so many days and my arch nemesis welcomes me with
this? Am I taking a creative writing course?’

‘I would have talked about Raghuvir’s small dick but I thought I would be
nice to you since you’re running away scared from this college.’
People in the queue turned and looked at them. The administration officer

looked, too. Aranya and Dhruv slunk out of sight.