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"Hey, I think I am wearing your lab coat," I said before I entered the chemistry lab, "I look like a scarecrow, right now."
"Show," Maanav said, tugging the coat. I turned around, and he laughed.
"Hmm, then I must be wearing yours." He said, smiling and took my notebook. He held my hand and kissed my palm. His almond-brown eyes stared at mine.
The kiss was electrifying. I felt my knees would give way. I blushed deeply.
I softly said, "Give it back to me. It looks small on you."
"Nope. The right size. Perfect size. I want to wear this today." Maanav said and left, and I tailed him because he had my notebook.
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After dropping Jaya in front of the Botany department, my phone made a buzz.
'Organic Chemistry. ' It read.
So I made my way to the Chemistry lab. The Chemistry lab was constructed in a region a bit excluded from the academic buildings and cafeteria for safety hazards.
Safe as it is, it is also a struggle walking to the cafeteria when we want a coffee break. Eatables or food items are banned in Chemistry labs. However, we would often stay in the lab for more than a few hours for experiments. With heads racking and stress of precision, most of us would get hungry, especially me. Hence, I would borrow another's cycle to get myself a cup or bring tea and some food from home in the bag and keep them in the locker, like I did today.
"Hey, I think I am wearing your lab coat," a high-pitched voice said as I was entering the chemistry lab building.
Thinking that someone might have mistaken me for someone else, I turned back and saw that the woman was not talking to me. The woman was giggling and hugging Maanav.
"I look like a scarecrow, right now." She said.
"Show," Maanav said, tugging the coat. She turned around, and he laughed.
"Hmm, then I must be wearing yours." He said, smiling and took her notebook. He held her hand and kissed her palm. The woman blushed deeply.
She said, "Give it back to me. It looks small on you."
"Nope. The right size. Perfect size. I want to wear this today." Maanav said and left, and she tailed him.
I froze. Maanav was my ex boyfriend. That one guy who I thought was fun, charismatic, lively and an extreme extrovert. A polar opposite of me - studious, ambitious, quiet, independent and more introverted than him. Things were amazing for weeks. We went on dates, studied together, and hung out together. Everything came crashing down when I found out his secret pact with his friends.
I turned and entered the building as fast as I could. I opened my locker with the key, frantically kept my bag and took out the lab coat that was neatly folded and the notebook, with the pencil pouch.
As I headed towards my usual spot, Siddharth said, waving his notebook, "Not there today. Here."
I stood next to him. Wiping his glasses, Siddharth said, "You can't expect to avoid things like that all the time."
"'He and I' problems are between him and me. Don't you dare comment about them. Should I remind you what you did when you broke up with Jaya for the first time?" I hissed.
Siddharth pursed his lips.
Siddharth's my lab partner. He's also a roll number before me. If I had to describe Siddharth's physical features, then tall, has a fair complexion, and dense, long hair that is well tied in a ponytail. His facial features and mannerisms are typical 'Bangali Babu', represented in old Bollywood movies, unlike Jaya, who is a stark contrast. Average height, dusty complexion, and butterfly haircut with a go-getter attitude.
The three of us have been friends since boarding school. We studied in a co-ed boarding school in Ooty. We became close friends as we were the only students belonging to the Bengali community in our batch. Feeling alienated from the South Indian culture, it didn't take us much time to know each other; we just wanted something that made us feel at home.
Jaya and Siddharth have been on and off for the past year. The reason is a very silly one at first look but quite complex when one gets involved in it.
Like I did, and I am suffering because of it.