I was excited at the very thought of her sitting next to me; no matter how badly I would mess the things up with her, she had to sit next to me, for the whole semester. This was panacea of all predicaments because now I had the chance to talk to her in a legitimate way without the fear of vigilant eyes.

Madame started announcing the names to make a pair of two:

Abhinav-Yogesh…

…

…

Akshansh-Swasti…

A slight gesture of Suhasi attracted my attention. She pointed her index finger towards herself and then towards me suggesting it would be I and she in the pair. I nodded halfheartedly feigning if not she telling me, I would have remained oblivious to this till actual pairing.

Akshat-Suraj…

Few seconds later Madame announced again, “Suraj…“

Akshat was already buckled up.

“Suraj…“, she cried the name for the third time as if trying to persuade him to come out of his invisible cloak.

“Ok, so he is absent”, said Madame, “Who’s next?”

I froze.

“Who is Suhasi?” she continued while contemplating the register.

Suhasi rose her hand and my heart sank in the pond of unimaginable depth.

“Go there”, said mam, pointing her finger towards Akshat who was standing, in the fifth row, right next to me.

I made way for Suhasi to let her join the wickedest friend I ever have had in my life.

Akshat was smiling. He had effortlessly leapfrogged Suraj to get pair up with Suhasi, leaving me with a wistful heart.

“Ashish and Shivam…”, mam announced again.

To me the whole allotment system was felt like vacuous; a cruel treachery I was prey of.

A computer in the second row was waiting for me.

***************

Our task was to make a program of Calculator. Ignorant of the technological advancements growing by leap and bounds, we had to make a damn ‘Calculator’. I was quite sure that no matter how many fold our standard would rise in coming four years, we were not going to turn the world around us.

A new order of printing colorful posters was taken up by the college. After four years some posters are going to be pasted on colorful walls triggering awe of passers-by, while few unfortunate ones would be odiously cursed for soaking bountiful colors only to be proved worthless. Many factories are at work nevertheless.

******************

“See, I am not going to flirt with her”, clarified Akshat without being asked for.

“Chill! I don’t care…”, I said.

“That’s good because I will”, he chuckled.

Had I had iron fists, I would have had dismantled his face by then.

“Do you have her phone number?” asked Anubhav.

“I have only met her twice”, I replied, “How I could have asked for her phone number?”

Anubhav said ludicrously, “Today was the first time Akshat met her, and I am quite sure he would have thought of proposing her right there”.

They laughed, so did I.