Love Arranged

Chapter 3

Woke up to the sun shining bright and high… woow it was such an eventful day yesterday and today it seems like everything is fine and normal… I just love this feeling

“Good morning Sunshine” I heard my sister, while she was entering my room with her coffee mug which she can live without.

I looked at her and smiling “Good morning di, you look happy. What's going on? It's a new day sweetie and you will be late for school if you don't wake up and get ready”

“I was about to get off the bed when I was you smiling so wide so I was wondering what's wrong with you all of a sudden?” Saying that I jumped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom to get ready and get out of the house. Because if I am late I will miss my bus and then I will have to beg di or Akshay pa to drop me off at school. Cant take their morning lectures about waking up early and doing things on time. Ahhh... hot water it's amazing. I am just loving this. "Pihu you are going to be late now, Stop singing and get out so that you can catch the bus on time. I am not dropping you at school today, I have a very important meeting to get to. So you better get your butt out asap." She just had to do this. I mean let me just get ready peacefully. I rushed out of the bathroom and got ready quickly. By the time I got to the breakfast table, everyone was done and my sister packed my lunch and my breakfast as I was running late already. I took my boxes and rushed out of the house shouting bye to Pops and di. I reached the bus stop and I meet my best friend Sam short for Sameer. We are childhood friends like literally childhood friends. Our mothers were best of friends and then when I was born Sam was already 2 years older than me. Yea Yea... he doesn't go to my school as a student he comes to the same bus stop as mine as his college bus comes to pick him up. He is doing his graduation. So he used to go to school along with me until he finished his senior year and moved to university. Anyways I am always happy to see him. Sam has always been that person with whom I can speak anything and everything without any filter and it was the same with him as well.

"Hey, Beautiful! Good Morning" hearing this I was pulled out of my chain of thoughts and I looked at him smiling widely.

"Hey Sam, Good morning. So did my bus leave?" I asked him sheepishly because we both knew that I was late.

He glared at me like always and said "I think today you are lucky sunshine... your bus seems to be late today. looks like I cant talk to you now. gotta go my bus is here I will text you okay?”

" bye," I wave at him like a small kid. I really hope I dint miss my bus.

After 10 minutes my bus arrived and as soon as I got on the bus there was an awkward silence on the bus and I didn't realize why. I saw my classmate Jasmine and shouted her name, " Hey Jas, what's up?" just then everyone looked at me, Jas immediately looked at me and signaled me to shut up and come and sit. "why is everyone so silent today? What's going on Jas?"

“The kids in the front were making lot of noises, so the driver got irritated and shouted at them to shut up” she winked at me and i knew she enjoyed the silence for once.

“Did you meet Sameer ?” She asked with curiosity in her eyes. I always wondered why would she not stop asking about Sam even when he showed no interest towards her. I feel sorry for her.

“Yes, i met him before getting into the bus. His bus arrived before mine.”

“Oh i see! Thats why i couldn’t see him today” there was disappointment in her eyes.

Should i just tell her to not have any hopes. Why doesn’t Sam just listen to her for once. Maybe she can convince him or change his mind. Whom am i kidding I couldn’t change his mind how will she be able to do it. But still you never know maybe she can.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that i dint realise was phone was buzzing with messages.

**Phone dings **

Sam: hey sunshine *lots of smiles*

Sam: why were you late?

Sam: you said you wanted to talk something?

Sam: babe are you there?

Me: heyyyyyy!!! Yea.. woke up late and then rush to bus. Oh yes! A lot suff happened over the weekend which i need to tell you.

Sam: okay i am all ears. Go on tell me. Are you okay?

Me: yea i am fine. After school i will tell you when i meet you in the evening our place *wink emoji*

Sam: okay cool. Its been long since we met as well. So lets hangout i will get food. *winks*

Me: awesomeeee!!! Oh By the way why dont you talk to Jasmine once.

Sam: lets talk in the evening.

Me: alright! I am at school will text you later. Bye

Same: bye love…

I definitely know he was not happy by “Jasmine talk” i will be given an earful today. I facepalmed Oh god! Why did i even bother myself.

“Now what did you do? Definitely not something that you should have done? “ i hear my two best-friends voice Scarlet and Ajay with not so amusement in their voices and when i look up i see their smirking faces looking at me. I looked at them and shrugged my shoulders raising my arms with my eyebrows lifting with ‘what’ expression.

They have been my best-friends since kindergarten. We have been this inseparable friends. These two and Sam have been one of the constant friends who have been in my life throughout all my ups and downs and same goes with me.

“So people, whats up? How was the weekend ?”

“Nice way to avoid the questions we asked you girl. You f****d up again right ? What did you do this time? “ my friends asked

I looked at them sheepishly and told them “ i bought the jasmine topic again with Sam”

“ NO YOU DID NOT” both of them said it at once

I was surprised hearing them both in unison. “ what?”

“You are a mad woman. You know he doesn’t like her. Then why do you have to push him? He is going to be super mad at you Pihu. “

Now i was really sad and scared that i pissed Sam off. I pissed him off once just once and he dint talk to me for weeks. It was pathetic to see that distance between us. Agrh. I will apologise to him in the evening period.

The teacher came in and we broke from our conversations and went back to our places. “Good morning kids” we all stood up and sat down after wishing the teacher morning. We were just a month away from our finals and then we will be done with senior year for good and enter the next stage in our lives. I will need to start preparing for my colleges as well. There is so much to be done and i am still not started on my preparation.

The day went by like a blur with all the last minute submissions and exam preparations and updates which were being drilled own by the teachers to us. Every teacher comes in and tries to explain the seriousness of the board exams and how important it is it to fair them with very good grades so that we are able to get into to a good colleges and all. There was so much of information and it was all repetitive. I was just waiting for the day to end thats it.

Luckily the day came to an end. Scarlet and Ajay were coming home with me because again we wont br seeing each other until exams start. We got off for exam preparations and i was soo happy about it. We were all meeting Sam today so these guys were also tagging along with me to my place. As usual i sat beside Jas in the bus and these guys sat beside me. I dont know why but whenever these guys came along with me Jas has a very weird expression on her face. Something like dislike or disgust, i never understood why she doesnt like them. Anyways thats her opinion i dont care.

“So your friends are also coming today ?” Jas asked with a hint of displeasure in her voice.

“ uh… yea” i just responded casually. I could see the change in her face. I just dint want to spoil anything right now so i just left it there.

The next 45 minutes were spent in silence. None of us spoke anything. Jas was plugged in with loud music in her ears so I understood not to disturb her. The other two were busy napping. So i was left alone with my own thoughts. Making a schedule in my head about the exams and the SAT’s that i need appear for. I am still deciding if i should give entrance exams locally as well, i wanted to go to USA and study my digital designing course and purse a career there for sometime. Now i dont know what to do as of now… i was lost in my thoughts that i dint even realise when we reached my stop and we had to get down. The driver had to shout my name to bring me back from my thoughts. I pulled my friends out of the bus and i waved bye to Jas but she dint look at me. I guess she is mad because of Sam’s topic. I so need to talk to him once for all.

We three reach home and as soon as my sister sees us, she is like “oh the three musketeers are here. What an honour to have you guys today” she was already smirking saying all this. She always does this makes fun of us when we 3 arrive together home. She feels she is a mother to 3 of us.

“We wanted you to feel honoured di” said Scarlet

“I came all the way just to see you smile” as usual Ajay doesn’t get tired flirting with di.

“ what did you say my boy?” We all turned back to see who said that, it was none other than Akshay Pa.

“Nothing .. nothing” and we all broke into laughter as Ajay started sweating

“Great, so Akshay pa you can take care of Ajay… we are changing and heading out. Its gang meeting today Sam is also coming. Di can you make something or we will order something to eat what say guys” i interrupted the whole scene as we had plans and i dint want to be late.

We quickly changed and were heading out to our hangout place which is our terrace. No one comes there so we made it our very own private hangout place. While we stepped out to go to the terrace, Ajay just couldn’t keep it to himself “ if i was born at your time she would have been mine” before Akshay pa could react he ran for his life. I could hear them laughing at his silliness.

“ Woah! Why do you have to be before time always ?” I asked immediately after spotting Sam sitting in our place. He looked at me and gave me a big smile and hugged me tight as if his life depended on it. After he hugged me we all did a group hug.

“So dude whats up? Where have you been ? Did you find a new chick or what? “ as usual Ajay has to be the d**k head in the group. Sam poked him in the ribs for that remark of his.

“Scarlet how have you been ? You are the only one sensible in this group after me.” Sam gave her his special smile and remark for which she actually blushed and turned all red. He always does that to her.

“So guys enough of this okay. I need to talk about Jasmine and it’s important. Sam just tell her directly about how you feel about her. This is not happening….. i dont want to be the middle monkey between you guys and because of all this she is giving me s**t” i spoke very seriously with my arms folded and looked at Sam very seriously.

After sighing he spoke “ i spoke to her today and she is being too stubborn. You need to let her be Pihu and if she again pushes you to talk to me. Then just tell her that you are not interested in being the mediator or the middle monkey as you mentioned to me very simple.”

“mmm okay… will do that”

After discussing about Jasmin we all started talking about the things that we missed sharing with each other, So after we all were caught up we just started and had some fun and had some pizza till it was late in the night when you all went back to our houses.

“The kids in the front were making lot of noises so the driver got irritated and shouted at them to shut up” she winked at me and i knew she enjoyed the silence for once.