The First Moment

At first glance, there was nothing unusual about her. When she glanced up, all conversation seized and in that moment, he could see more of her. Her jet-black hair was long and fell in slight curls from her parting. Her pale eyebrows arched delicately over beautiful feline eyes which were rimmed with eyelashes so pale as to appear invisible. The deep blackness of her eyes gave no hint as to her thoughts. 

She was a woman of power, a power she rejoiced.

Her mouth was turned down and she appeared to be deep in thought. Her lips were full and sensuous. Shifting a little, she flipped a page and delicately licked her lips, a move that did not go unnoticed. Straightening up, she put her book aside and rose to her feet. Slender as a willow, she reached for her bag and threw it over her narrow shoulders, bringing her surprisingly generous breasts into sharp relief.

Seeing the interest she engendered brought a sneer to her lips, and instantly transformed her into something intensely frightening - her eyes seemed to shine with a blood red light before she got up, and a sly smile crept over her luscious lips.

Her beauty was both unnatural and breathtaking. A nightmare in motion, yet poetry personified, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. From the first moment, they were ensnared.

They stood no hope of escape.

Orange

Her brow creases

As she wakes up

Her face glistens

With the frenzy of the night

Her eyes gleam

With hope for the day

Her hair is in

A beautiful mess

Her lips part

To let out a faint sigh

There she lies, in a bright shade of orange

A caged beast.

A lady in disguise.

Your Highness

Girl: "I wish tomorrow was Tuesday. Oh God."
Boy: "Erm. Tomorrow's Tuesday."
Girl: "Chup reh. I wish tomorrow was Saturday. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee".

Courtesy: Tanyaa Singh

Red Overcoat

There she was, standing in the rain.

I held me hand out.
She dug her hands deep in her pocket.

I took a step forward.
She took a step back.

I tried to talk.
She just shook her head.

I clutched at her red overcoat.
She shook it off, and ran.

I cried out in desperation.
She never turned back.

"I was always holding onto people, and they were always leaving. " 
                                                                                            - Lili St. Crow

Infinite

“The more you approach infinity, the deeper you penetrate terror.” 

- Gustave Flaubert

He was like fire, a pyre of flames engulfing the darkness.
He burned brighter than the sun.
He cast shadows longer than an unending road.
He was a child of fear, and pain.
All his morbid desires took shape one day, and he felt alone.
Lost.
Gone.

She was like rain, a rush of calmness.
She had happiness in her eyes, and love in her heart.
She was a child of hope, and wisdom.
She met him, and all hell broke loose.
She quenched his thirst. 
She broke him in the best of ways.
She completed him.

A silent whisper of freshness.
A breath.
Life.
They were infinite together.

Sleep

'You should sleep. The dreams won't bother you again, I promise. I'm here.'

I don't sleep much. I'm awake for more than 20 hours each day. Sleep doesn't come. I lie down, and stay awake for hours on end. My thoughts don't shut themselves off easy. My mind's clouded.

'You DO need sleep. Just let go. I'll stay here as long as you don't fall asleep, okay?'

I have nightmares. My past bothers me. All the people I've let down, all the promises I've broken and all the trust I've lost finds refuge in my head. I wake up screaming with no one to hear me out. I still survive.

'You'll get sick this way. This is not good for your health!'

My mind's more important to me than my body. Bodies are wearisome. They let you down when you need them the most. Your mind, on the other hand, is the only true friend you have. It never leaves your side. My mind doesn't need sleep. It's functioning well, thank you.

'Sleep for me? Please?'

It's not this easy, silly girl. If it was, I wouldn't be as troubled as I am. Why are you bothered with me anyway? Mind yourself. I'm not listening to you. I don't sleep.

'I love you.'

I sleep.

The Girl Next Door

'Before you head off, I'll make these 5 months memorable for you. I Promise.'

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to meet the girl who always ran away, but never did. Her name is Valeria. I met her today with some mild expectations. I was expecting her to be perfect in every way humanly and inhumanly possible. I wasn't disappointed. I expected her smile to bring a smile to my face. Right again. I expected myself to be nonchalant all the time. Disappointment right in my face.

The instant I met her, my cheeks turned red. I was blushing. Trust me when I say this, not many girls have the power to make me do so. Those slight curls in her hair, the deep eyes, the casual smile, the sway with which she walked and her, all mesmerized me. She was perfect in her own way, and here "I" was, the socially awkward douche who hadn't been on an outing since ages. I CAN'T EVEN HUG PROPERLY. MY LIFE IS SAD. WHY AM I ALIVE?

Okay.

*calms some hormones*

Let's move on! We had a plan to eat at Cafe Delhi Heights. It was full to the brink. Yay.

'Sanjam, let's go to this Big Chill. Ohh shit no that's my school's headboy. He was never nice to me! Back off back off.'

'Let's just watch a movie. Umm yeah there's only the 3rd row from the front. Let's not.'

'Let's go to Ambience Sanjam.'

Aaaaaand we kept circling and walking and I keep trailing and following and she just keeps moving and moving. Finally, we decided to eat some lunch at the food court. I had no idea of the menu, so I let her choose.

'Wait here, I'll surprise you with my favourites.'

I watch her leave to buy us some human fuel, while I look around and admire the place.

5 minutes. Admiring.

10 minutes. Admiring.

15 minutes. Admiring.

20 minutes. Admiring.

Viola! She comes back with 2 Krushers.

SERIOUSLY? That's all after 20 minutes? :')

She leaves again and comes back with a plate of pasta and a pizza. Aha. Something to eat! I take my first bite and freeze. Mouth hung open. Food in my mouth. I FREEZE. I'm not joking when I say I couldn't move. It wasn't my fault that I hadn't ever thought someone could look so beautiful with a mouth full of pizza. I have never seen a person SO enjoy their food before, and look so delicate and angelic. I was mesmerized.

Ever seen Ratatouille? Seen the look on Remy's face when he eats the cheese with a bunch of herbs? Seen the firecrackers and the colors? That was her. She was at peace. She was enjoying. She was happy. I was happy.

I somehow managed to eat my food without gawking at her. It was difficult, but oh well I can control my whoremoans.

Here's a fun fact: She didn't let me pay. DO NOT FLOOD ME WITH COMMENTS SAYING I'M NOT A GENTLEMAN. PLEASE. SHE'S JUST STUBBORN AS HELL. SHE WOULDN'T HAND OVER THE BILL.

'Let's just watch a movie.'

'But we won't get tickets, remember?'

'I don't mind the 3rd row now let's just go'

"I" buy the tickets this time, with a pair of cokes and a tub of popcorn.

With the tray in my hand, I propel my hand like a missile and try to grab her phone.

*bam swish shoo splash*

There goes one of the cokes. My life is amazing. She takes the tray from me in case I drop it again. HOW THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHY THE HELL. Okay.

We take our seats, and after some random talks the movie starts.

* naughty naughty big children secrets*

But I can't just NOT talk of the popcorn now, can I. She ate the whole tub. No kidding. She had her face in there literally. No kidding. I had to pull the bucket away from her. No kidding.

The movie ends, and we get up to leave. Never have I enjoyed a movie such as I did with her.

*wink wink blush*

'Thank god Sanjam you aren't one of those creeps who watch the girl instead of the movie.'

Aha. Thank you Captain America for being such an amazing entertainer that I couldn't take my eyes off you. I owe you one. You'll be my favourite after Batman and Iron Man and Hulk and Spiderman and Thor and The Joker. Oh and Catwoman too. I love you Captain.

'You haven't ever tried the Blueberry Cheese cake, have you? Let's go eat it.'

We head to Big Chill again, and get a table. In our state of random craziness. I order the Banoffee pie and the Blueberry Cheese cake.

MY TURN TO REVEL. The banoffee pie oh my god absolute serenity. I haven't ever tasted something so trivial, yet so amazing. I mean okay I had a beautiful girl next to me to make it all the more better and the thoughts of her are clouding my mind, but THE PIE. I AM IN LOVE.

We get to the task of clicking a bunch of pictures in her phone.

'I don't like the lights.'

'My hair looks like shit.'

'Push the chair back in!'

'This is a hand gestured camera.'

I NEVER KNEW CLICKING PICTURES WAS THIS DIFFICULT. After we get a bunch of clicks, we head on to meet her sister who's getting fat on some donuts. I still was angry over not being able to pay for lunch. Well I wasn't angry, but I do possess some chivalry. I paid for the donuts because well I'm THE GUY.

Following that, she takes me to a bridge and recounts stories of the memories she's made here. She gets a call from her sister and well, she heads home. Pfft.

She's beautiful. I'm not in love, but I've never been surer of a friend. I know her now. She's real. Valeria's real. That's all I need.

It was one of the most memorable days of my life. The casual flirting, the long stares, the awkward hugs (my fault I suck), the angelic smile, the heartfelt words. Her. Valeria made this day for me. Although I do have regrets, I’ll do it all again in a flash. I’d do it for her, because I like to believe she was happy. I believe.

Meet Valeria, and the socially awkward me.

The Sour Grapes

My class 12th boards. The biggest lie ever advertised. 3 years, 3 BLOODY years I was told lies.

"10th and 11th are building blocks for 12th."

"Everybody does good in boards."

"Boards decide your future!" *insert random smirk because girls find it sexy*

I have a love for books that share their knowledge with me. It's strange, but I'd prefer an Encyclopedia over a novel any given day. Facts interest me. Science *used* to interest me before I was taught REAL science in school, real being the keyword.

"Light is made of particles." Can't really eat 'em up. Don't care. I'm hungry.

"SOCl2 converts Alcohol to Alkyl Halide." Can't eat 'em up either. Don't care. Still hungry.

The science I was taught in my school really isn’t worthy of being called science.  Science is practice. Science is method. Science is thought. All I was taught was how to memorize textbooks.

Without further ado, let's talk about my Practical Exams, shall we.

1. PHYSICS

I got the task of calculating focal length of a convex lens. Tough task for someone who hasn't ever entered the laboratory eh. My physics teacher came up and removed the parallax for me. HE DID MY PRACTICAL FOR ME. If anyone wants a concise proof of a person's laziness, contact me. I got my practical file checked 2 minutes before the viva. THE VIVA. 2 MINUTES. My partner and I went up for the viva in a rush, intimidated by the examiner’s daunting expression. The external examiner calmly smiled at us and asked us about our projects. I had rattofied near about everything so it was easy. The calm before the storm, eh? It took her a moment to realise my knowledge of semiconductors was weak and bam, barrage of questions related to semiconductors. I wish I could say that my viva went pathetic, but I'd just be understating it greatly.

Scored 30/30 in the physics practical. Surprise surprise.

2. CHEMISTRY

“Calculate the percentage purity of a solution of 2M Mohr Salt.” I gladly set to work knowing that I'd at least be able to do this much.

"Beta value 9 aur 11 ke beech me aani chahie. Sahi likhna.", I hear the lab assistant whispering in my ear. Dumbfounded, I turn around to look at the examiner. TEA AND BISCUITS. The guy's gorging on food, and here we're being told all the answers. BRIBERY?

"Salt No. 113 is Mercury Nitrate." Well thank you for that vital piece of information sir. Now I officially have nothing to do in my practical. What about the viva, you ask? I'm not ashamed to admit chemistry's not my cup of tea. I stumble with my answers and well IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME. The war commences. I have the same partner as before, but he has more knowledge of chemistry than me. After a series of questions, the examiner can easily tell I'm not a chemical fanatic, as my mates like to put it. (rhymes with kinetics yeah lame sue them I don't care.)

He asks me which chapter I’d like him to quiz me on. Me being the reproachable jerk I am, calmly answer that Chemistry is my weak subject. The guy smirks and asks me to name my favourite subject. I say Computer Science.

"Write a program to calculate the square of a number."

SERIOUSLY? Asking me CS questions in a chemistry practical? Upar se itna “TOUGH” question?

I write down the code, and he asks both of us to leave. We solemnly get up and rush out, sad that our chemistry viva got ruined too.

Scored 30/30. Surprise surprise.

3. COMPUTER SCIENCE

"Choose any 2 questions out of the 6 you've been given and code them out."

....We have a choice?

Fine, if that's how it works out. I pick the toughest of the lot, just because bored and I had already been assured I would be given 30/30. Being in the school’s computer club has it’s own perks. It takes me an hour of the 3 hour long practical to complete my questions and I go to the teacher's lab to listen to songs on Youtube. An hour later, I'm called in with my friends Yash and Virat for the viva.

Examiner : Hello.

The three of us in unison : Good morning ma'am.

Examiner : I've heard a lot about the 3 of you. Would you like to share something?

Yash : Well ma'am we would like the practical first. We'll tell you of our achievements later.

Examiner : Well I'd like to hear them now.

Me : Well ma'am we were chosen to represent India internationally *skips 10 minutes of show off* and yeah, we're rank 1.

Examiner : That's really amazing! Show me your project?

*guide her over to the PC*

Examiner : Well that's just.. Amazing. Well done. Dp any one of you have an interest in robotics?

Virat : Yes ma'am, I'm the robotics' club VP and Yash went to a national level competition last month.

Examiner : That's nice to hear. What other interests do you have?

Yash : Well I sing, Virat's into theatre and Sanjam designs games in his leisure time.

Examiner : Your parents must be proud of you. Well I wish you luck for your future. You may leave now.

…OKAAAAAY.

30 MINUTES of viva, and not 1 question related to CS was asked. Heck, I even coded in my chemistry practical. How is this even logical.

Scored 30/30. Wonders of the world.

 I was given free marks. Why am I complaining? I’m not. It’s just that the system makes me sad. Just because I had a good impression with the teachers, I was given marks. Students more deserving than me went on to score 25/30 just because they’re not on good terms with the teachers. The grapes taste sour. I’m not happy.