While they were heading to the classroom, Akhil spoke with a hint of urgency.
“Guys, you can go.
I stepped out to use the bathroom for a moment.”
His friends headed toward the classroom while Akhil walked to the bathroom.
After using the bathroom, he walked toward his classroom.
Suddenly, he saw the female police officer from the morning.
She strolled along the pathways, her steps light and unhurried.
Akhil lowered his eyes and pretended not to notice her.
He wished he could turn back and head toward the bathroom.
But if he turned around, she would surely notice him, and that would be awkward.
The female police officer, Divya, of course, noticed him.
She squinted at him, finding him familiar.
After looking closely, she realized this was the boy who had stared blankly at her that morning.
“Hey, you!”
She called him, her voice cold and full of authority.
The young man, who had lowered his eyes, was startled.
He turned and walked toward her.
His face showed a mixture of surprise and nervousness.
He spoke, “Yes, May I ask why you called me?”
Divya suddenly regretted calling him.
She didn’t even know what to say.
She had just called on impulse.
She racked her brain to come up with an idea and immediately found one.
“Can you show me around campus?”
Akhil frowned and asked suspiciously.
“If you want, you can ask one of the professors or non-teaching stuff.
I have class, so I can’t.”
He honestly has no idea why she had asked him to show around the campus.
She replied very quickly,
“I could.
But I won’t.
Her voice low but firm.
She added.
“You know about the murder case involving a college student who studied here.
I want to investigate it.
But your college doesn’t allow me question the students.
They are afraid of damaging the college’s reputation.”
Akhil could not help but ask,
“How come strolling around the campus help with the investigation?”
Divya gritted her teeth, trying very hard not to slap him.
“He really has a lot of questions.”
She took a breath and said offhandedly.
“I asked my subordinate to get an investigation order from above, so the college will definitely cooperate.
I was bored while waiting for them, so I asked you to show me around the campus.
That way, I could familiarize myself with every place and start investigating immediately.”
Akhil suddenly realized why she had asked him, but he still had to attend class.
So, he spoke softly.
“But I have class.”
Divya sighed and shrugged.
“Its fine.
I can vouch for you and tell them you’re helping me.”
Akhil nodded and agreed to help her.
He did not have any problem helping her.
The two of them walked leisurely across the campus.
Akhil began introducing her to the different spots around the campus.
He explained patiently and in detail.
While he was explaining the different spots, he failed to notice the policewoman staring at him with a dazed expression.
Divya’s first impression of Akhil had been simple.
She had considered him a lewd but handsome young man.
But as she watched him the introduce the different spots around the campus and observed the way he walked, something about him kept pulling her attention toward him.
She was supposed to investigate the details of deceased student and question her closest friends.
Yet here she was completely forgetting about all that, and sneaking glances at the young man without even realizing it.
If her colleagues knew about this, their jaws would surely touch the ground in disbelief.
Because she was always cold and unyielding.
She had rejected countless proposals.
It wasn’t because she was uninterested in love.
It’s because the men who proposed to her were someone she didn’t even know barely.
She had never felt even slightest stir of attraction toward any man.
What she felt toward this young man was a sensation she had never experienced with anyone else.
But she wasn’t going to admit it.
Not now, at least.
Whatever was going on inside her head, she kept a neutral face and nodded whenever necessary.
She thought inwardly.
“Why do I keep staring at him?”
“Is it because he’s handsome?”
She shook her head, blushing, and quickly fanned herself.
“What am I thinking?”
“He’s just an nineteen-year-old boy.
On the other hand, I’m already twenty-five.”
“The age gap between us is six years.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, adding touch of allure to the already stunning face.
“I understand now.”
Her eyes lit up as if she discovered the source of the problem.
“He’s the problem.
Because of his handsome appearance, my thoughts are getting weirder.”
“Yes.
It must be.
I have to be wary of him.”
Just as her thought churned in her mind, Akhil said to her.
“Ma’am.
I think we covered the entire campus.
Can I go now?”
When she heard him call her “Ma’am”, she felt inexplicably irritated and annoyed.
“Am I too old?
How dare he?”
But she composed herself, said with barely concealed irritation.
“Thanks for showing me around.”
She expressed her gratitude, even though she was annoyed that he had called her “Ma’am”.
She wasn’t petty person.
So, she would let him go.
For now.
Next time, she definitely won’t.
After Akhil left, Divya let out a frustrated sigh.
“Why am I acting like this?”
“I’ve only met him twice.”
“My thoughts keep getting weirder.”
“I must be going insane.”
Suddenly she scoffed, declared, “I’m having these strange thoughts because he stared at me openly in the morning.”
She continued.
“So, I was merely curious about what he would be like when we were alone.
That’s it.”
She reassured herself with her own theory.
She knew she was deceiving herself with a lie she had fabricated.
But she had to do it.
Otherwise, she will go crazy.
She repeated it again, reassuring herself.
“I am just curious.”
With that, she left in a hurry.
Akhil had no idea what was going on her mind.
He left while humming his favorite song.
His impression of Divya improved.
She didn’t seem like a bad person.
She even expressed her gratitude.
Not showing any arrogance.
What he didn’t know was that the normal life he had been living was about to change.
Whether it would be a good change or not.
Only time will tell.
By the time Akhil reached his class, the two afternoon classes were already over.
It was the afternoon break.
Before he could sit at his desk, his friends surrounding him like hawks watching their prey.
“Where have you been, Akhil?
You missed two classes.
Java mam took attendance but you weren’t in class, so she marked you absent.”
Rajesh asked, his voice carrying faint curiosity.
“Didn’t you say that you were going to the bathroom?
Or has your stomach started giving you problems?”
Sanjay asked with a teasing smile.
Akhil interrupted before they could turn small incident into catastrophe.
“No.
I was just accompanying someone.”
His tone calm and indifferent.
Sanjay narrowed his eyes, asked with a small smile that somehow did not reach his eyes.
“Accompanying someone?
Who?
How did you ended up accompanying someone when you clearly told us you were going to the bathroom.”
Mukhi said jokingly, “I bet he went to look for that pretty police officer.”
Akhil felt his forehead twitch, clearly trying to look natural but ultimately failed.
When his friends saw that, the chatter suddenly fell silent.