Chapter 3 Puzzled

• We are now sitting on the back stairs of the college after we were thrown out of class. It's our place.
• "He is so rude, Inaya. How could he throw us out on the first day ?" A few minutes ago, Anu was asking me to date him and now she is fuming in anger, calling him rude.
• How funny!
• "And what were you saying in the class? Did you forget?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
• "Still it is a green signal for that because we can't deny that he is so hot. If I were single, I would have definitely dated him." I stared at him incredulously.
• "I'll surely tell this to Cabir." I grinned with triumph at her.
• Cabir is her boyfriend. They're in a long-distance relationship. They met three years ago in a mall and exchanged numbers. That time, this happy go girl who is sitting in front of me, was in depression. Cabir changed her and brought light into her dark life. He made her look at the world differently. She loves him a lot. After a few months of their relationship, he went to the US for his graduation. I started talking to him over the phone when Anu told me about him but never met him as a person. He looks at life in a whole different way. One year ago, when I lost my brother, he consoled me too and helped me to move on. He's a gem. Anu is lucky to have him and I'm also lucky to have him as a friend.
• "I don't care, tell him." She shrugged her shoulder.
• Yeh, why will she care because he trusts her?
• "Inaya, didn't you find him hot?" I glared at her as she again asked the same question. Why she's talking about him? I don't want to think about him.
• "Anu, will you please change the topic?" I begged, joining my hands in front of her.
• I'm so fucking pissed off.
• "I have just asked you a simple question. Why are you overreacting?" She asked me.
• I myself don't know why I'm overreacting.
• I calmed down myself by taking a deep breath. "Because he is our professor, Anu. We shouldn't talk like this about him."
• "If you'll keep running away from boys like this then you're going to die single." She chided me.
• What? I'm just twenty-two. I have a lot of time. She is saying nonsense.
• "Anu, just chill, I'll not die single. When in my life, someone like my dad will come then I will never leave that person." I said, having a smile on my face. "And I'm desperately waiting for that day."
• "The boy won't come to your doorstep, you've to do some effort for that, my Inaya." She said pulling my cheeks.
• I smiled at her. "Sooner or later, he will come. I'm wondering, what my future life partner would be doing at this time." I thought, putting my forefinger over my chin.
• "My crazy, Inaya." She encircled her arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.
• "My soul sister." I smiled blissfully at her.
• After some time, the bell rang and we rushed to the classroom. I found Professor Zain talking to one teacher in the corridors near our classroom. I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. He's so attractive and tall. The way his perfect lips are moving, I can't describe in words. My heartbeat quickened again all of sudden.
• What is happening to me? Am I losing my mind?
• "Inaya, where are you lost? We're getting late." I came on the earth back as Anu shouted from the classroom. Thank god she didn't catch me gawking at professor Zain or else she would have teased a lot. I sighed deeply before sauntering into the room.
• "I was just looking around." Before she asked me, I answered her. I lied to her.
• Then we strolled toward our desk and settled down. The whole class is talking about professor Zain and I'm smiling like an idiot thinking about him.
• What's happening to me?
• Stop thinking about him, Inaya. He's your professor. I mentally scolded myself for thinking about him. I don't want to think about him but still, I'm thinking about him. There is seriously something wrong with me.
• Three lectures passed away in thinking about my hottie professor. Now it is break time and I'm still thinking about him, sitting in the cafeteria with Anu and Vikas.
• Vikas is our friend. He is not in our class. He's a great guy and very popular. There will be no one in this college who doesn't know him. He is popular because of his music band. Anu is the songwriter of his band. She writes so amazing lyrics to songs. I'm a fan of my Anu. She's a great writer.
• Vikas likes me. He even proposed to me but I rejected him politely. He's a nice guy but I like him as a friend. There are so many girls who run after him but I don't know why he likes me. Thank god, he didn't take my rejection in the wrong way.
• We're talking on a random topic and my jaw dropped down when Professor Zain stepped into the canteen. Oh god, Did he has to come here now only? I'm already going crazy thinking about him and now he's here again, in front of my eyes.
• It's okay, I won't look at him. So simple! Yes, I can do this.
• I decided to not look at him and started talking with Vikas and Anu. I'm not understanding what they're talking about because my mind is somewhere else, Idiot. My mind is asking me to look at him and I'm fighting with it that I won't look at him. Isn't it funny? I'm fighting with my stupid mind.
• It is so damn difficult to resist him. What to do?
• "Vikas, see our new hot English professor." Anu pointed in the direction where he is standing. I also looked in that direction like an idiot, not able to control myself anymore as I was desperately waiting to look at him. He is ordering something at the counter and his thumbs are hooked in the pockets of his jeans. I just can't take off my eyes from his handsome face and his mysterious and intense eyes. The way his perfect pinky lips are moving, I'm just speechless.
• "Finally someone came to compete Vikas Khanna in this college." My ears heard Vikas's voice but my eyes are still staring at this handsome man.
• How can someone be so attractive?
• His lips curved into a beautiful smile as he took the order and I'm dead. He has a captivating and engaging smile. Very, very attractive and appealing. I'm really dead. This man is a Greek god!
• I looked at Anu after coming on the earth back as she asked me, "Inaya, where are you lost? You haven't even touched your sandwich yet? What happened?"
• I just stared at her silently, having no answer to her question. I can't tell her about my condition, not now. If I tell her, she will eat up my mind more. I'm already losing my mind. I can't take this anymore.
• She clasped my face. "What happened, Inaya? Is everything fine?" She asked concernedly.
• No, Anu, no, nothing is fine. I'm going insane. Oh god, but how do I tell her? How do I explain to her?
• "Everything is fine, Anu. I'm just not hungry." I lied to her. She narrowed her eyes and looked at me, having doubt in her gorgeous brown eyes.
• "Anu my life, seriously I'm not hungry." I gave a tight side-hug to her after wrapping my arm around her neck, touching my face with her.
• "Just stop buttering me, okay. Shut up and eat." She pointed at the sandwich which is kept on the plate and scowled at me like a mother.
• "Okay, I'm eating." I complied willingly because I'm hungry. I just lied to her that I'm not. I stifled a giggle.
• I gave a sad look to her and started eating the sandwich, showing her that I'm unwillingly eating the sandwich for her. Now, I'm not able to see him anywhere in the canteen. Maybe he left the canteen with his meal. I sighed with relief but deep inside I felt an urge to see him again. I don't know, what is it, why I'm feeling like this and why I don't want to even know and think about this. I just don't know anything. I'm just puzzled up.
• "You're getting weak, Inaya. You should eat on time." Vikas said concernedly.
• I nodded my head and smiled forcefully at him. I'm becoming weak, I'm like this only, dumbo.
• "Is the new song ready, Anu?" He asked Anu in an authoritative tone.
• "I'm working on it. It will be ready by the end of this week." She told him.
• "What? Is it still not ready? Anu.." he scowled at Anu.
• I frowned. How dare he shouted at my Anu?
• "Shut up, Vikas. She's saying that it'll be ready by the end of this week. Why are you overreacting? She has more work to do." I shouted at him, cutting his words. Maybe I'm overreacting. I don't know.
• Vikas was dejected and his head hung down.
• Anu put her hand over my shoulder. "It's Okay, Inaya. Relax."
• "I think, I should leave." He rushed out of the canteen. I'm laughing from inside now. Poor Vikas. He became the victim of my mood swings.
• "Inaya, why did you shout at him?" Anu asked, staring at me bemusedly.
• "Why did he shout at you?" I asked back, raising my eyebrows.
• "You're seriously crazy." She shook her head incredulously.
• "Tell me something new, Anu. We both know that the whole world is crazy." We both laughed and finished our sandwich hurriedly as the bell rang.