Part 3 - Love Rivals?
Part 3 - Love Rivals?
She just couldn't stand the suspense any more. Till date, she had seen many girls casting appreciative glances in his direction but neither had he acknowledged the attention nor reciprocated it during all this time. That had been one of the biggest reasons for her heart to single him out for affection.
Yash was caught off guard at the sudden change in topic but before he could formulate an appropriate answer, a lazy voice interrupted them.
"It seems that post your exit from the internship program, you have a lot of free time on your hands," disapproval was evident in the familiarly chiding voice.
Mriga raised her head in surprise to look at Shaurya, who seemed to have suddenly materialised beside her, as he often managed to do. Unknown to her own self, a wide smile lit up her face. She stood up to greet him with a small bow.
"That is unfair. I have been working especially hard since then," she replied in a plaintive voice after a moment.
"Umm… I think we haven't been introduced. I am Yash, Mriga's closest friend and classmate," Yash stood up as well and introduced himself, cutting into the conversation between them.
He remembered the arrogant guy from before, except that he seemed different today. Instead of looking like a ruffian, he had a sharp air about him. Mriga was looking at him with something close to admiration in her eyes; actually, NO, not admiration, more like hero worshipping.
Yash recalled seeing this look in her eyes a couple of times whenever he had managed to say something extremely profound during one of their discussions. She would gaze at him in near wonder and that made him feel as if he had won the war.
She was an extremely intelligent girl and it wasn't easy to impress her. Hence that expression on her face was something that he cherished immensely. But this stranger had simply greeted her just now and that too rudely. Then why the hell was she looking at him as if he knew the secret formula to making Amrit*.
Who exactly was this person?
"Yes, I remember you. You had come to meet Mrignayani while she was stationed close by, during her internship," Shaurya said with ease.
Yash was dismayed at his brazen attitude. He hadn't bothered to give his name or his relation with Mriga. To top it, there was a sense of proprietorial familiarity with which the guy was treating HIS girl. He didn't seem to be fazed by Yash's veiled claim over her, as well.
"If the number of dishes is anything to go by, I see that you have missed this eatery a lot," Shaurya told Mriga with a hint of laughter in his usually serious eyes.
She made a face and mumbled, "what's with everyone today? Commenting upon my food and habits!"
Yash wasn't enjoying the easy camaraderie which she seemed to share with the guy. Apart from the jealousy, it was also an aura of danger which he could sense emanating from him. There was no way that he would let Mriga hang around with someone like him. She may be naïve but he wasn't.
"Uh, I guess it is time for us to head back to the Gurukul. I need to submit the report to the head," he said with a frown.
Mriga looked at him in confusion. Hadn't he told her that they would be going to watch a play after this? But she didn't say the words out loud.
She bid Shaurya a farewell and left with Yash trailing behind her, protectively.
Shaurya was a master at picking up nuances and allowed himself a smirk at the boy's proprietorial behaviour. Whistling under his breath, he looked around surreptitiously before exiting.
He had spotted Mriga and her companion almost twenty minutes ago when he entered the place looking for someone. One of the spies from Eastern zilla had fixed a rendezvous at this eatery. So Shaurya had scanned the entire place before finding him sitting at a table at one end of the room.
Shaurya exchanged information with the man through a deliberate accident of spilling water on him while the guy used to opportunity to bend down and push the coded paper in Shaurya's shoe. Shaurya had apologised to the man and sat down on a different table, ordering an appetiser for himself.
He wanted the the man to leave first and put some distance between them in the off chance that someone was on a lookout for them. Shaurya always worked with the assumption that the unknown enemy was aware of his existence and had an eye on him at all times. His actions were guided by this theory.
It was while waiting at the restaurant that he had seen Mrignayani chirping away in her usual manner.
His initial reaction had been to avoid her and walk away but his feet had found their way to her, somehow. Walking back towards the store now, he recalled the severe reprimand which he had received because of her, from Prithvi.
"The girl is nothing but trouble. The poor puppy has no clue what is he in for!" was the uppermost thought in his head when he entered the store.
His eyes widened.
Taking in the sparkling clean surroundings, his eye caught something fluttering because of the wind. He walked upto the table kept in the centre of the room, and saw a piece of parchment pinned under the ink pot.
"Cleaning supplies need a refill!"
Reading the note, Shaurya finally succumbed to the smile which had been threatening to spill on his face since the minute he had seen her.
*Amrit - Nectar of Immortality