Chapter-2

Hey guys!!
I hope y'all liked the first chapter. Ab thode starting chapters aap sab ko boring lag sakte hai par important hai.

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Akriti's Pov

After an endless loop of lectures and drama, I reached home. I freshened up and came to the kitchen to eat while watching a movie. I took a packet of chips and left the kitchen. As I was heading upstairs, I heard my name.

"Akriti, someone had promised me she would talk once, she is free." Mom said or rather taunted me. I remember I told her about this in the morning.

"Sorry, Mom. It slipped from my mind."

"There is no place for mistakes and excuses in Kapoor & Co. Ltd. Forget about stepping inside the company if you don't know how to keep your end of the bargain."

"Mom for once, can you talk to me as my mother and not as the COO of the company?"

"As your mother, I am responsible for preparing you for the worst. Anyway, I wanted to talk about what you did this morning. I think you should start improving your routine. Look at your siblings, they have been successful in their careers because they adopted discipline and perseverance. You may find this boring but this is best for you in the long run."

"I understand your concern regarding my life but I have it all together, Mom. By the end of my final year, I will be working alongside you at the company."

"Hopefully, you'll have the same level of confidence when we meet later." She replied with a sigh and left the hall.

I reached my room, pondering her words and started completing my notes for today, the movie long forgotten.

~~~~~~

Next day

I woke up the next day ready to kiss some ass, not figurately hehe. I had my breakfast and left for college. I reached my class and took my usual seat, aka 1st bench. Waiting for Ishu, I was sorting out my books when someone came in front of my seat. I looked up to find the girl from yesterday grinning at me.

"Hey, Akriti. Remember me?" Priyanshi asked

"I will never forget someone I met once and hello to you too, Priyanshi."

"Are you waiting for someone? I saw you looking towards the door of the class."

"Yeah, I am waiting for my friend, Ishani. We always keep a seat for each other."

"Ohh, I thought I could ask you to come and sit with me and my friends." She said with a small pout.

Before I could reply to her, I received a text from Ishu.

'I have some work, so I won't come to college today.' Strange. I thought with a frown.

"What happened?"

"My friend isn't coming today. Looks like we are going to sit together."

"Perfect!" she said, and we moved towards her seat.

My mouth twisted into a grimace of surprise when I spotted none other than Reyansh Mitthal.

"Today, I couldn't believe my eyes. Akriti Kapoor, known for always claiming her favourite seat, actually left it and came to sit with us," Reyansh chuckled, "It's like the sun rising from the west!"

"I would rather rephrase this statement and say, how come Akriti Kapoor is breathing the same air as yours? Wouldn't it dampen her mood?" Said Raj Agarwal

"Maybe she must've gotten a dare from Priyanshi or why would she come here? But wait a minute Ms. Nerdy two shoes, do you know how to play truth & dare?" Commented Riddhima Singhania, the queen bee and everyone burst into guffaws.

"I'm flattered by your concern, Raj. I didn't realize you cared for me so much that you'd reveal Reyansh's secret - his bad breath, which he hides by chewing gum." I replied, "Neither did I know, Riddhima knows there exists a game named Truth & Dare. I always thought you only knew how to cake up your face. It's rightly said, 'Never judge a book by its cover'. "

"You bit-" Riddhima started but I cut her off

"Uhhuh, I wouldn't make such a mistake if I were you. You wouldn't want my statement to turn into reality, would we?"

"Why threaten the poor girl when I'm present, Kapoor? I thought only I get threatened by you, I'm hurt, you know."

"Oops! I forgot you were there. Blame your friends; they distracted me. This year is full of surprises awaiting you, so I thought, why not start with a little teaser as to how your whole year will be? Just like yesterday, you were astonished." I shut his mouth and said.

"Priyanshi, I must say you surely have entertaining and funny friends. Wish, I had known you sooner. I would have enjoyed the past 2 years filled with entertainment. I'm sitting with you from now on."

Before Reyansh could make a comeback, our professor came in the class and started his lecture.

~~~~

After the lectures ended, I was leaving for the library when Priyanshi asked,
"Are you heading home?"

"No, I have some books to issue in the library."

"Can I come along?"

"Umm, sure. Don't you want to hang out with your friends?"

"I always hang out with them. Today, I want to get to know my new friend. After taking the books, can we go to a cafe?" She asked with an expectant look.

I didn't have the heart to deny her when she was making efforts to know me,
"Yeah, but first, let's head towards the library."

We both left the class only to get stopped by Reyansh & group.

"So, Akriti, did you finally realize that sitting at the back isn't so bad after all? Or maybe you just couldn't handle the pressure of being the centre of attention anymore."

"Or maybe I just wanted to see if you could handle the pressure of having me sit near you. Now, if you excuse us, we have work to do."

After borrowing books from the library, we headed to the cafe near our college.

"What would you like to eat?" Priyanshi asked.

"I'll have a peach iced tea and a veggie burger. How about you?"

"I'll have a latte and a burger. Should we also order some fries?"

"Yeah, sounds perfect." I gave our order and returned to our table.

"So..."

"So?"

"The Akriti I knew never paid attention to anything other than studies. She minded her own business and never bothered to what people said about her."

"All my life, I focused only on studies because I was told to work with my Dad in his business. I guess you can relate to this. Though my parents never forced me to take business as my career, we never had a choice to choose our career." She nodded in agreement, "Living my college life was never on my to-do list. I wanted to enjoy this last year of college so I am enjoying it. Enjoy till it lasts."

"I can relate to you on some part. Even though I hung out with Reyansh & group, something always kept me from enjoying my college life. I will apply your mantra in life as well."

"We shouldn't hesitate to give ourselves the best year of college. Do you mind if I sit with you from now on?"

"Not at all. I would love to sit with you."

"Can Ishani sit with us as well? She is not here today or else you would've loved her."

"The more, the merrier."

We didn't know an hour had passed until I received a message from my mom enquiring about my whereabouts.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't realise the time passed. My mom just texted me to know where I am."

"Neither did I."

"How are you going home?"

"I will take a cab today as Riddhima drops me home."

"Where do you live, by the way?"

"I live in Malabar Hill."

"I can drop you. My home is on the way."

"It's okay. I will take a cab."

"I insist." And she agreed.

We sat in the car and continued our talk till we reached her home. It was refreshing to talk with someone who shares common interests.

After 20 minutes, we reached her home and I dropped her off. I reached my home after half an hour.

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How's it, guys?

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I am back with Chapter-2. Mera dimag abhi bikul kaam nahi kar raha hai. I don't know how to scale a story. Kaafi business convo ho gyi yeh toh. I see authors getting recognition and feel inspired, but I always question how they maintain balance. Time lagega but sab ho jaayega.

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Har Har Mahadev
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