Chapter 3

TereNishaan

@dhun.laagi

Prerna's innocence was so all encompassing that it followed her around like a tangible aura. This became clear near the beginning of their Final Year. Before then, through the years, there had been a few almost fights. Sid kept running his mouth and Anurag felt obligated to protect him. It never went further than Anurag showing a little aggressive flair. That was when he was dating Mishka, so even though Prerna would give a shiver every time she witnessed that little bit of bad in him, she didn't let anyone else see that. It was one thing to look at him like that when they were kids, and all friends on an even field. It was an entirely different thing to covet her someone else's boyfriend every time he got a certain spark of fire in his eyes.

Then, suddenly, he wasn't Mishka's boyfriend. In the summer before senior year, Mishka decided that, while he was her first great romance, Anurag was not her forever love. What prompted this realisation, even Prerna didn't know. Whatever may have brought it on, Anurag seemed to agree. He even said that he was a couple weeks off of calling it quits himself. As sudden as it was, it didn't change much. The couple dissolved and they all went back to being friends all around for the rest of the summer. It should have been fine, but everything changed again.

That September, even Anjali expanded her social circle and starting dating someone new, someone they hadn't known. Busier with other things, she left Anurag and Prerna to their own devices. With the amount of time they were spending together while he tutored her on Accounts in college, as colleagues in office, and when dropped her home, Prerna feared she was too bad an influence on him. He was in a real fight within a few weeks of the start of the semester.

Prerna never got around to hearing what provoked the fight, nor was she around to see it. She had been closed up in the library studying for her exam when the fist fight broke out in the boys' locker room. Rumours spread like wildfire though and by the time Anurag joined them at their lunch table sporting a shiner and split lip, Sid had heard he had Kung fu'd his way through twelve guys, Anjali had collected three separate accounts that said the other guy was in the hospital, and Prerna wasn't sure who threw the first punch. Anurag evaded their questions and kept his head down in a move eerily familiar to the way Prerna acted after receiving a scolding at home.


"You're lucky you didn't get caught, or killed, or expelled," Anjali said in between glances toward her boyfriend's table across the cafeteria. With the lunch hour half over, it was almost time for her to head over there. She tried to split her time evenly, but the boy always seemed to come out with a little more of her.

"Think about your goals," Sid added. "You can't let someone else's stupidity ruin your future."

"It's nothing," Anurag insisted, digging his fork into his plate."It won't happen again."

Anurag making light of the situation, like it wasn't a big deal, doubled with the fact that Prerna's first thought after seeing him was that he could do with looking a little less perfect, made it obvious that she couldn't let this happen.

When Anurag walked with her to class after lunch, Anjali was with her boyfriend and Sid's next class was on the other side of the building, so it was just the two of them together everyday, he bumped his side against hers. She was still like she had always been and the slight nudge almost sent her sprawling. She would have gone over if his quick reflexes hasn't reached out and caught her by her elbow, pulling her back in close to his side. He didn't apologise, just matched her stride and kept going.

"You were quiet at lunch," Anurag said. His tongue poked out to probe his split lip and Prerna wanted to pinch herself for letting her eyes fall to watch it. "Is it because you agree with them? You gonna tell me I shouldn't be fighting?"

Prerna stopped short of her classroom and Anurag pulled up to face her. She squinted her eyes as she looked up at him. It was hard to meet his eyes; he shone so brilliantly that it was almost like trying to stare at the sun. She was almost blinded by him. Even with his battle wounds, there was no stopping the inherent gorgeous quality of his features from shining through. Before she could stop herself, she reached up and brushed her thumb over the bruise forming under his eye. Maybe she imagined it, but he seemed to lean into her touch. She snapped her hand back to her side before she could find out for sure.

"You shouldn't be fighting," Prerna said each word carefully, because if she didn't, her tongue might spit different ones out.

"You know what it's like, Prerna," Anurag licked his lip again, but Prerna was not looking at his lips. "If you had heard what he said"

"It doesn't matter what the guy said about Sid" Prerna replied.

"Who said anything about Sid?" Anurag's eyebrows knit together.

"The fight wasn't about Sid?" Prerna matched his frown. "Isn't it always about Sid?"

Anurag shook his head slowly. "You've always wanted us to stick up for you. I've kept up my end of the bargain. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

"You know I would," Prerna fought off the hint of smile that threatened to appear as she realized this was about her. She couldn't encourage him. She took a step back and turned her eyes to the floor. "But the others are right. You have a future to worry about. You can't be doing things like this, especially for a nobody like me."

Before Anurag could see through her, Prerna pivoted around and went straight into her classroom.

"You aren't a nobody, Prerna, that's the point," Anurag called after her.

Prerna pretended not to hear him, because she had no other choice. The Mishka on him might have been fading, but there were still traces of it. Even if  Anurag was throwing his first real punches in years for her, Prerna couldn't paint herself over him. It would end up ruining them both.

This was not their beginning, because she couldn't let it be.