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Clad in Salwar-Kurta, a timid girl entered her new class. All eyes turned to her. She softly removed the scarf from her hairs and her curls flowed down like a cascade. She draped the dupatta around her neck tightly covering it so that none of her body parts were visible. She adjusted her hairs and shyly took her place in the frontmost row. She could hear murmurs. The students were clearly discussing about her. She hid her face in her diary and started filling her form.
"Morning Class!", a Professor entered the class with a bunch of papers in his. The class got up to greet him. "Where were we? I hope we covered Ramachandran Plot last time?". The girl stood up and shyly gazed at the Professor. "New student?", Prof. Murti adjusted his glasses. The girl nodded. "What is your name? And why did you join so late.". The girl cleared her throat and spoke, "Good morning sir! I am Madhubala Mallick. I joined late because of some personal problems, Sir." Prof. Murti gave a warm smile, "Its alright Madhubala. You can take the notes from Sukanya. She is your class representative.", he pointed at a glam doll on the topmost corner of the class. "Don't worry Prof. Murti, I will help her with the notes." Madhubala turned to Sukanya shyly. Sukanya smiled at her warmly. In reply, Madhubala gave a weak smile and sat down.
"SORRY SIR!", a boy muttered from the entrance. He was breathing heavily. "Humesha ki tarah! ", Prof. Murti smirked. "May I come in?", the boy asked. Madhubala looked up at him. He was a cute boy in his teens. His hand was on his bag and one hand in his pocket. She dropped her head into the books again. "No Rishabh! You may not.", Prof. Murti smiled sheepishly. "Sir please!", the boy begged. "Rishabh. You've been told a dozen times to be on time. You're late by 5 minutes. What's the excuse today.", Professor glared. "I lost my phone, Sir", Rishabh blurted out.
"Isi baat pe party toh banti hai..."
A phone echoed in the class. Prof. Murti glared at Rishabh's pocket. Rishabh bit his lip and took out his phone. The class burst out laughing. Madhubala gave a soft smile. "Come in Rishabh. BUT, you'll sit right in front of my eyes. Go and sit with that girl...Madhubala", Prof. Murti said. Madhubala looked up at Professor. A fear crept her face while the boy casually sat beside her. The class continued but none of them spoke to each other. After the class, Rishabh stretched his hand on the backrest and tilted back to talk. "So...Trishna. Kya haal?", he winked. He was chewing gum. "Katta ho gaya yaar.", Trishna looked up. "Ki hoya?", he looked worried. "Bas yaar...yeh review paper jaan le lega", she said. "Itni si baat. Tension nahi lene ka! KYUN JI? ", he addressed Madhubala. Madhubala shivered and slowly turned to him. "Ji?", she whispered. "Aapka Shubh Naam?" , he smiled and drew close to her. She moved back uneasily. "Madhubala Mallick", she murmured. "Haye. MADHUBALA", he spoke it out loud. "I am Rishabh.", he offered his hands. Madhu folded her hands together. "Hi!", she said. Rishabh was amused and folded his hands in reply,"Hi". He chuckled. Madhubala's eyes moistened and she looked away.
"Attendance de do!", Sukanya called from the back. They proceeded with the roll calls. "21?", Sukanya shouted. "Suki, 21 is...", Rishabh began to say
"HERE!", Madhubala raised her hands quietly. "You're 21!", Rishabh was shocked. "Yes.", she nodded.
"22!", Sukanya called. "Here Suki!", Rishabh raised his hand. Madhubala looked at him in fear. Rishabh was used to looks by girls but this look of fear was unique. He didnt expect that. "Biochemistry Assignment is due next week guys!", Sukanya continued. "So, we have the teams according to your roll numbers. 2 together! You have to choose a protein and talk about it. Clear?" The class nodded and she left the room owing to the Lunch Hours. Madhubala gathered her things and quietly stood up. "Kahan?", he called her. Madhu closed her eyes and kept walking. Rishabh grew very inquisitive and followed her. "Madhubala!", he called her. Madhubala turned to him, "Kyun mera peechha kar rahe ho!", she cried. "Peechha?", Rishabh was taken aback. "Tum nayi ho...toh", he continued.
"Toh kya..", she cried. Big tears welled up in her eyes. "Leave me alone!", she ran away. Rishabh was stunned and speechless. He quietly went back to the class and sat. Madhubala came back to the class and sat on her seat beside him. He didn't speak to her. Dr. Murti came back for another lecture and first asked about their chosen proteins. "21 and 22...what about you?", he asked. Rishabh looked up at Professor and then at Madhubala. "Do you have something in mind?", he asked her softly. Madhubala looked at him with big innocent eyes. "I want to do Ricin.", she said. "RICIN", Rishabh announced softly. "Rishabh. Do you even know what this is?", Professor Murti taunted. "Sir, it is a toxin found in castor beans.", Madhubala spoke. "I chose the topic, Sir", she said. Rishabh heaved a sigh of relief and sat down.
A month later,
"Hi Madhubala.", Rishabh walked in the class and took his seat beside her. "Hi.", she smiled back to him. He showed her the bindings. It was their assignment. "Thanks.", she replied. "This is my assignment too. Why are you being formal", he taunted. "I am leaving early today.", she said. "Ohh...why?", he asked her. "My sister's Roka!", she said. "OH WOW! Wish her.", Rishabh smiled end to end. Madhubala smiled back. She looked easy.
6 months later,
"Rishabh.", Madhubala said packing her things. "I have to go. My sister is leaving for UK with my Jijaji. I need to be there.", she said. "Sure. See you tomorrow!", Rishabh smiled and shook hands. After she left, Rishabh engaged himself with other conversations till he noticed her phone. "Oh my God!", Rishabh panicked. He took the phone and ran outside the College. There were chances that she had left already. He got worried, even though she was going home. He looked around and saw an auto. A middle-aged man peered into the auto. A cloth hung out of the auto. "That is her dupatta", he yelled and ran for the auto. "MADHUBALA!", he cried. The auto shook. Rishabh stopped. Madhubala struggled her way out releasing herself from hands that had grabbed her. Seeing Rishabh, she ran into his arms and started crying loudly. "What is wrong. What did he do?", Rishabh growled consoling her. The man came out and jumped on his bike and ran away. "Rishabh!", she cried hugging him. He wiped her tears and cupped her face, "Tell me??", he said. "That man! He is my coaching professor...", she moaned. Before she could speak any further, she fell unconscious in his arms.
---
She opened her eyes in a car. She was wrapped in a shawl while the AC was on. She freaked up and looked around. Rishabh was sitting on the footpath on the road and looking at the traffic passing by. She clutched her shawl tightly and opened the door. Hearing the door open, Rishabh looked back and stood up immediately. "Are you ok?", he asked. Madhubala looked at him and nodded. "Water?", he gave her. She looked at him, in a strange manner and took the bottle, examining the seal. "What are you doing?", he asked. "I don't trust you.", tears formed in her eyes. "Hmm?", he twitched his brows. "What if this is spiked?", she moaned. "It isn't! Wait.", he snatched the bottle and drank half of it. She stood there dumbstruck. Tears welled down from her eyes as he offered her the bottle. She drank thirstily. "Who was that man?", he asked her. She shuddered at his mention. "Do not worry. I am here.", he said in an assuring tone.
"He is my tuition professor.", she spoke weakly. They walked back to the car and Rishabh made her sit on the seat. "Continue...", he said kneeling down in front of her. "He would ask me to sit on his lap...and he would touch me..", she broke down. Rishabh was aghast. He held her hand tightly, comforting her. "He would close my mouth so I couldn't shout. He would move his fingers all over my body...", she cried. Rishabh fell on his legs in shock. "Did you tell your parents.", he said. "I couldn't. Papa will blame me.", she cried harder. "And Maa?", he asked. "She cannot speak in front of Papa!"
"Ohh God? Madhubala. That freak. He is getting off from it unscratched. No?", he held his forehead. "That is why...", he understood the reason behind her strange behavior. Her hesitation, her fears, her shyness and her low self esteem. "Since when?", he asked her. "Since I was in 6th Grade.", she looked at him with plump eyes. "Shit. This is...", he held his forehead. "I have to go!", she wiped her tears and got up. "Wait.", he called her back. She looked at him. "If you don't mind, can I drop you home?", he asked her. Madhubala refused and kept walking away from him. She spotted an auto and boarded that. Rishabh quietly turned his car's engine and followed her.
He saw her reach her home. He waited till she went inside and the door closed. Sighing, he returned to his home.
That night, he messaged her. "When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubts,
Sweet dreams Madhubala!"
Madhu read the message and an assuring smile crept her face. She turned to the other side and for the first time, slept without crying. When she got up next morning, her phone had another text - "When life knocks you down, get up and FIGHT BACK HARDER"
She smiled and got up. "Thank you!", she typed and sent it to Rishabh.
"I will not abandon you, and you can damn well know that I will fight for you.", was his reply to her. She blankly stared at the message. There was an emotion attached to the message. A tear dropped from her eye as she caressed her mobile screen for the message. She was more than excited to to go College and see him.
He waited for her to come out of her house. He and his car were well hidden from her. But he wanted to make sure that she reached the College safely. For the first time in the history, Rishabh Kundra was on time for College. As soon as she walked out, he started the car and followed her closely. She took an auto and sat inside. He followed her to the College and when she went inside, he pretended to be late.
"Thank you for those messages.", she smiled to him as he entered. "I didn't write any of them. Internet se chipka diye tere liye.", he smirked trying to act all childish. "I know. Still.", she smiled and gave him the notes. They had been exchanging notes for quite a while now.
4 years later
It was their convocation day. Madhubala and Rishabh eagerly waited for that moment. It had been 4 years of their friendship. Rishabh followed her to College every morning and then back to her home in the evening. She had been oblivious to it. She had no idea that he was the reason that she was away from those dreams and her miseries. In the evening, he would send her these motivational quotes which brought a smile to her face. She never spoke much. Yet, Rishabh constantly hovered around her like a constant shadow. She even didn't know that Rishabh got that professor arrested. He planted a girl for him and caught him sexually abusing her red-handed. She just thought that she had managed to shoo him away and he liked the fact that she knew this version of the story. It had made her strong and a lot more confident.
Rishabh and Madhubala had no friends in College except for each other. They were inseparable though both denied seeing each other. They even applied for NUS together for their M.Sc Degree.
---
After their convocation, they moved to their parents. Madhubala's parents were more than happy to see their daughter finally happy. Last they had seen her cheerful was when she was in her adolescence. Then suddenly, she shut herself up creating a wall around her. They had lost all hope when they saw her changing during the course of her degree.
"Chalta hoon...ab toh Airport pe milenge!", he offered his hand to her. She smiled and said, "Kal Coffee pe chalte hai?" Rishabh looked into her eyes in amazement. "Sure!", he blurted out.
---
Rishabh walked out of his house the next day and found a note. It was written in Madhu's handwriting.
"One guy can make you hate all the guys. But one man teaches you that not all guys are the same!"
He smiled softly and got into his car. In front of the Coffee Shop, a valet handed him another note.
"I was down and unhappy when you entered my story. I felt lost and thought of so many negative things. But then you came into my life and taught me happiness all over again."
His heart skipped a beat reading those lines. At the same line, he chuckled at the idea of googling quotes. He entered the cafe and then heard a sound,
"Meeting you was Fate...
Being your friend was my choice...
But FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU
Is beyond my control...", she spoke from one end of the stage.
DISCLAIMER: All the quotes are lifted from Google. I have no rights on them. Full credits to the original writer
Final Part/Epilogue: Page 10
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