"Ji, wrong number."

Prithvi said politely and cut the call. It was the fourth time the same person was calling.

Dev closed his eyes in frustration as the phone rang again.

"Why don't you just block the number?" Dev asked, looking at Prithvi.

"Wouldn't that be rude?" Prithvi said, dumbfounded.

Dev gave a forced smile and nodded. "Ofcourse... bhai toh hamara Baburao Ganpatrao hai."

(Ofcourse, our brother is Baburao Ganpatrao)

"H-"

Before Prithvi could finish, Dev snatched the phone from him.

"Pankaj bhaisahaab hai kya?" the older man asked again.

(Is Mr. Pankaj there?)

"Pankaj chacha? Wo jo thode se ganje hain?" Dev asked dramatically.

(Pankaj uncle? The same one who's a little bald, right?)

"Haan haan," the older man replied.

(Yes, right)

"Ghode jaise haste hain?" Dev said again. The line went silent for a while.

(He laughs like a horse?)

"Hein..."

(What...?)

"Arey wahi na jinke ghar ke paas ek tarbooj ka ped hai?" Dev said, extra enthusiastic.

(The same man who has a watermelon tree near his house, right?)

Prithvi and Shresth both looked at Dev blankly.

"Haan, wahi wahi. Unko phone dijiye jaldi," the man hurried.

(Yeah whatever, it's him. Give him the phone, it's urgent)

A smirk appeared on Dev's face. Then his entire expression changed.

"Pankaj chacha ko police le gayiiiii!" Dev screamed and cried dramatically.

(The cops took Pankaj uncleeee)

"Hein? Kab?" The person sounded astonished.

(What? When?)

"Chacha ne police ke biwi ko bhaga liya isliye police ne unko uthwa liyaaaaaaa... unhone pachas laakh maange hai madat kar dijiye.... mere chacha ko bacha lijiye," Dev wailed, biting his shirt like a crying wife.

(Uncle ran away with the policeman's wife so the police picked him away...they've asked for fifty lakhs. Please help us, please save my uncle)

Prithvi was traumatized by the man in front of him. He shifted closer to Shresth.

Both of them stared at Dev with amusement.

"Hein- kidhar le gaye? Kyun? Kaise? Kal toh chai pee rahe the mere saath."

(Wha- where did they take him? Why? How? I was just having tea with him yesterday)

"Pankaj Sharma ko bacha lijiye... bees lakh hai aap tees de dijiye," Dev cried harder.

(Please save Pankaj Sharma...we have twenty lakhs, just send us thrity more)

"Pankaj Sharma?" the man asked.

"Aap Ullasnagar ke Gudgud Vihar ke house number 69 ke Pankaj Sharma ki hi baat kar rahe thee naa?" Dev asked.

(You're talking about the Pankaj Sharma who lives at Ullasnagar, Gudgud Vihar in house number 69, right?)

"Nahi toh? Mai toh Pankaj Tiwari ki baat kar raha tha," the man said.

(What? No! I'm talking about Pankaj Tiwari!)

"Arey toh fir wo safe hain," Dev said, shifting back to his normal voice instantly.

(Oh then it's fine. He's safe)

"Toh aap kaun bol rahe ho?" the man asked.

(Then who are you?)

Dev took the phone away from his ear for a second and looked at it.

"Ye Buddha aise nahi seekhega," he murmured.

(This man wouldn't learn his lesson like this)

Then another smirk came to his lips. He put the phone back to his ear.

"Aaahhhh... S-shresth. P-prithvi.... aaahhh kya kar rahe ho baby," he moaned.

(Aaahhhh...S-shresth...P-prithvi...aaahhh what are you doing baby)

Shresth and Prithvi's eyes widened in horror.

"Iske irade kitne gande hain," Shresth said, looking at Prithvi.

(His intentions doesn't seem right)

"Mai toh pehele bol raha tha isko kisi aur room mein bhej dete hain," Prithvi replied.

(See? I told you to throw him out of this room)

The number itself cut the call.

Dev burst out laughing and fell to the ground.

Prithvi couldn't hold it in anymore.

A laugh escaped him.

Then another.

Within seconds, both he and Dev were bent over laughing so hard that neither of them could breathe properly.

Dev clutched his stomach while Prithvi held onto the edge of the bed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Across the room, Shresth watched the two of them.

The corner of his lips twitched ever so slightly. Almost a smile.

After a few moments, Prithvi finally managed to straighten himself, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Mummy bolti hai," he said between breaths, "zyada hasna nahi chahiye..."

(Mom tells to not laugh more...)

He took another breath.

"...warna baad mein rona padta hai."

(Or else you're gonna cry a lot in future)

Dev froze for exactly one second.

Then burst into laughter all over again.

"Tere toh waise bhi rone wale din chal rahe hain,"

(You're having bad days anyways)

Prithvi blinked.

He stared at Dev with a completely blank expression for a moment.

He laughed even harder.

"Apne hi roast pe kaun hasta hai?" he wheezed, clutching his stomach.

(Who even laughs at his own roasts?)

Dev pointed at Prithvi proudly.

"Chikna chashmish"

The two of them continued laughing like complete idiots.

Shresth looked from one to the other with the expression of a tired father questioning every life decision that had led him to share a room with them.

"Pagal."

(Crazy dude.)

He said it so matter-of-factly that it only made the two laugh even more.

Dev wiped a tear from his eye before dramatically pointing at Shresth.

"Aur ye dekho...Hamare hostel ke so-called Alpha... Beta... Gamma... Sigma male."

(Yeah yeah see this guy, the alpha beta gama sigma male of our hostel)

He gestured toward Shresth's permanently expressionless face.

"Attitude Boy Status."

Without a word, Shresth walked over and smacked the back of Dev's head.

THAK!

Dev rubbed his head dramatically.

Prithvi looked at Dev...

Dev looked at Prithvi...

And both of them completely lost it again.

Their laughter echoed through the entire room while Shresth simply shook his head, wondering how he had somehow become roommates with two overgrown kindergarten kids.

_______

"Ye nahi..."

(Not this...)

Another top flew across the room and landed on the ever-growing mountain of clothes.

Swaha and Dharna sat comfortably on the bed, lazily munching on chips as they watched Prisha suffer through what was probably her hundredth outfit change.

After a long silence, Prisha sighed dramatically.

"Main nahi jaa rahi yaar."

(I'm not going man...)

She dropped onto the bed with a defeated groan.

"Mere paas pehenne ke liye kapde hi nahi hain."

(I don't have any clothes to wear!)

Swaha and Dharna slowly looked at the pile of clothes scattered across the floor.

Then at the wardrobe.

Then back at Prisha.

Dharna thoughtfully popped another chip into her mouth and nodded.

"Haan. Bilkul kapde nahi hain."

(Yeah sure you don't.)

Swaha nodded with equal seriousness.

Prisha grabbed a pillow and threw it at both of them.

"Kya dost log ho yaar! Meri help karne ki jagah mazaak uda rahe ho."

(What's wrong with you guys! Instead of helping me out you both are laughing here)

Swaha dodged the pillow dramatically.

"Arre, tu itna ready ho rahi hai jaise library nahi, first date pe jaa rahi ho."

(You're dressing up as if You're not going to the library but to your first date)

Prisha slowly turned her head and glared at her.

Swaha immediately raised both hands.

"Okay, okay!"

"Abhi dhoondhti hoon tere liye ek badhiya si baddie outfit."

(Okayy okay, let me search you a pretty baddie outfit)

The hunt began.

Five minutes later...

"No."

Ten minutes later...

"Ye bhi nahi."

(Not this)

Fifteen minutes later...

"Abe ye kab khareeda tune?"

(When did you even buy this?)

Eventually, Swaha triumphantly pulled out a pretty sundress.

"Mil gaya!"

(Found it!)

Prisha looked at it.

Then at Swaha.

"Yaar...Main sirf library jaa rahi hoon. Bina occasion ke dress pehen ke thodi jaa sakti hoon."

(I'm just going to the library...I can't just wear a dress without any occaision)

Swaha sighed dramatically and tossed it aside.

With Prisha's wardrobe officially destroyed, they moved on to Dharna's. Five minutes later... That one was a disaster too. Then came Swaha's cupboard.

By the time they were done, all three wardrobes looked like they'd been robbed.

Finally...

"WAIT!"

Dharna held up a mint green crop top.

Swaha immediately picked up a pair of black baggy jeans.

Both of them looked at each other. Then at Prisha.

"This."

A few minutes later, Prisha stepped out after changing.

The mint green crop top paired perfectly with the black jeans.

She quickly combed her short bob-cut hair, which thankfully took all of thirty seconds to style.

She turned around.

"So?"

Dharna looked her up and down before nodding approvingly.

"Baddie lipcombo."

Prisha grinned.

She looked into the mirror one last time, smiled to herself and gave the other two a playful wink.

"All the best me, guys."

She grabbed her bag and hurried towards the door.

"All the besttt!" Swaha shouted after her.

"Khush khabri leke aana!" Dharna added

(Come back with good news!)

Prisha stopped halfway out the door.

Her cheeks instantly turned pink. "Arey yaar...Uske liye toh abhi time hai."

(Guys...we have time for that)

The room fell silent.

Swaha's eyes widened. Dharna's mouth slowly dropped open. The two of them looked at each other.

Then back at Prisha.

"Chhiiii! Haye Ram! Kaisi ladki hai ye!" Swaha dramatically covered her ears.

(Ewww what are you even thinking! Haye Raam!)

She grabbed another pillow and threw it at them before fleeing the room with a bright red face.

The moment the door shut-

Swaha and Dharna looked at each other...and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Iska kata toh ye hame kaat degi." Dharna said

(If she gets dumped she's gonna dump us)

"Kya kata?" Swaha asked, confused.

(Dump?)

Dharna stared at her blankly. "Tu rehene de."

(Yeah leave it)

________

Prisha sat across from Prithvi in the quiet corner of the library.

The table between them was covered with notebooks, loose sheets, highlighters, and a half-empty bottle of water.

Prithvi leaned over her notebook, explaining a numerical in his usual calm, gentle voice.

"So..."

He wrote the final step before sliding the notebook back towards her.

"I think... baaki aap khud kar logi."

(I think...you can solve the rest by yourself)

Prisha looked at the question.

Then at the answer.

Then deliberately frowned.

"Hmm..."

"I can't do this one."

She pointed at another question that she definitely knew how to solve.

Prithvi adjusted his spectacles.

"Oh."

"The approach same hi hai..."

(The approach is same)

Patiently, he began explaining it all over again.

Not once did he look irritated. Not once did he sigh.

He simply explained every step as though it were the first time.

Prisha couldn't help smiling.

She was the topper of her class.

She could've solved every question on that page without his help.

But...

If acting a little clueless meant spending another half hour with her crush...

She was perfectly okay with sacrificing her academic reputation.

"...and then you substitute this value here."

Prithvi finished explaining before looking back down at his notebook.

"You're so good at this."

His pencil froze.

Slowly, he looked up at her.

His eyes widened behind his spectacles.

"S-sorry?"

Prisha rested her chin on her palm, staring at him.

"Mera bhondu bhalu."

(My pookie bear)

She whispered it so softly that even she wasn't sure she'd actually said it aloud.

"Ji?" Prithvi asked again, genuinely confused.

Prisha quickly shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Continue."

He nodded awkwardly before returning to the assignment.

The next hour passed in comfortable silence, interrupted only by the occasional question and Prithvi's soft explanations.

The assignment had only just begun and would probably take several more library sessions to complete.

Eventually, Prisha packed her books.

"Okay...I'll go now."

Prithvi nodded.

"Ji."

Just before leaving, she quietly placed a bottle of chocolate milk beside his notebook.

Prithvi looked up.

"This..."

Before he could finish, Prisha's hand raised.

Prithvi 's eyes widened as he closed them, expecting a slap.

Prisha reached forward and gently patted his head.

"Good boy."

Prithvi slowly opened his eyes, surprised.

Then, as if she hadn't just caused a minor earthquake inside someone's heart...

She simply smiled...

Turned around...

...and walked away.

Prithvi remained completely frozen.

His hand slowly rose to the spot she'd just patted. His ears had turned bright red.

He stared blankly at the bottle of chocolate milk.

Then at the library entrance where she had disappeared.

"Kahan phas gaya tu, Prithvi..."

(What did you get yourself into...Prithvi?)

he whispered to himself with a tiny, utterly defeated sigh.

Then, after a moment, he quietly opened the bottle...and smiled without even realizing it.

______

"Ek toh tu lactose intolerant hai...toh ye roz kidhar se leke aata hai?"

(You're lactose intolerant, so from where are you bringing these?)

Dev picked up the second bottle of chocolate milk from Prithvi's study table and examined it suspiciously.

Before he could read the label, Prithvi shot up from his bed.

In one swift motion, he snatched the bottle out of Dev's hand and carefully placed it back exactly where it had been.

He even adjusted it until it was perfectly straight.

Then he turned towards Dev.

"Don't touch my stuff, Dev."

Dev raised both eyebrows dramatically.

"Oho...So protective."

A mischievous grin spread across his face as he slowly walked towards Prithvi.

"Then..."

He tilted his head.

"Can I touch you instead, Pritu baby?"

Prithvi's eyes widened in horror.

"...Nahi."

Dev took another exaggerated step forward.

"Prituuuu-"

Before he could finish, Prithvi shoved him away and immediately bolted across the room.

"Tu dur reh mujhse!"

(Stay away from me)

He hid behind his study chair like it was a shield.

Dev burst into laughter.

"Abe! Main kaat thodi khaunga!"

(I'm not gonna eat you)

Prithvi peeked from behind the chair.

"Tujhpe bharosa nahi hai."

(I don't trust you)

Dev clutched his chest dramatically."Itna paraya kar diya?"

(Am I a stranger to you?)

Prithvi folded his arms.

"Bilkul. Character dheela hai tera."

(Ofcourse. You've a Lose chatacter.)

Dev gasped as if personally offended.

"Character dheela?"

(Lose character?)

He pointed towards himself.

"Mera?"

(Mine?)

Prithvi nodded without hesitation.

"Haan. Pichle hafte bhi tu gale pad raha tha. Kal bhi chin pakad raha tha. Aaj bhi 'Pritu baby' bol raha hai."

(Yes, you were hugging me the other week, yesterday you held my chin. And today you're calling me Pritu baby.)

He took one cautious step backwards.

"Tu dur hi theek hai."

(You're better staying away)

"Wo tujhe Chikna Chashmish bulaye toh theek, par mai tujhe Pritu baby bulau toh galat?" Dev said dramatically clutching his heart

(It's fine if she calls you Chikna Chashmish, but not fine if I call you Pritu baby?)

Prithvi practically was red like a tomato.

Dev laughed so hard he had to hold onto the bed for support.

Across the room, Shresth didn't even look up from his book.

Without missing a line, he spoke in the same deadpan tone.

"Main hostel warden ko bol deta hoon mujhe ek room aur de dein. Kyunki tum dono clearly happily married ho."

(Let me tell the warden to give me another room, as you both are happily married)

The room fell silent for exactly two seconds.

Then Dev doubled over laughing.

Prithvi's face turned bright red.

"SHRESTH!"

______

How was the chapter? Hope you liked it <3

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Radhe Radhe

-KriDha

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