Vini snapped out of her shock and stuttered, "Oh, so... so sorry!" while frantically trying to wipe the Coke stains off his shirt with fear in her eyes. But he wasn't paying attention to the stains; he was completely lost in gazing at her. Without even looking up at him, Vini kept repeating "So sorry" thousands of times out of fear. Suddenly, looking straight into her eyes, he blurted out, "I love you."
That was it. Vini froze like ice for a few minutes, staring at him in disbelief.
"Hello, I love you!" he repeated, snapping his fingers in front of her. The very next second, Vini's hand met his cheek. Whack! She gave him a tight slap. He just held his stung cheek and continued to look at her with a smile. Vini, now furious and confused, yelled, "Hey! Are you crazy? Why are you smiling after getting slapped?"
"I love you," he said again.
"Ha! There's no doubt now—you definitely escaped from Mental patients Hospital! You just saw me a second ago, and you're already proposing? How?" she asked, glaring at him in frustration.
"A second is enough for love to bloom, teddy ( teddy means a nick name he put for vini for his love on her ) " he said with a grin, playfully pulling her cheeks. Vini's mouth fell wide open in shock. After a few moments, she recovered and reached for his collar in a fit of rage. "Hey! Who the hell are you?"
Seeing the situation escalate, I (Hasini) stepped in, fearing Vini might actually kill him. "Vini! Leave him! Let go!" I cried, trying to pull her back.
"Stay out of this, Hasini! He called me teddy like I'm his teddy bear and had the audacity to say 'I love you'!" Vini screamed, gripping his collar tighter.
I tried to reason with her, "Vini, stop! Maybe he said it by mistake without knowing who you are."
But he looked at me and intervened, "Oh no, I really did propose to her. I like her very much."
"See, Hasini? He did it on purpose! And he called me teddy again!" Vini barked, tightening her hold on his shirt.
"So, does that mean you've accepted my love, teddy ?" he asked again. It was like the saying: 'Even if you know fire burns, you touch it for warmth.' This guy was intentionally playing with fire by provoking a girl like Vini. I felt a wave of pity for his impending doom.
Vini, unable to contain her frustration, looked around and grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table. She marched up to him and poured it over his head. "If you call me teddy or cutie or any nick names one more time, it won't be water—I'll drown you in Tank Bund! You're calling me as if I'm your long-lost lover!" or your own wife ?
Despite the drenching and the insults, he remained unfazed. "Hey, you naughty teddy Look how cute you are like teddy bear when you're angry," he said, baring his teeth in a wide grin and pulling her cheeks again.
Exhausted and defeated, Vini folded her hands in a mock prayer. "Hey... who are you? Why are you haunting me like this?"
"I love you, teddy " he said lovingly. But
"I HATE YOU!" Vini screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Aww, so cute. See how beautifully you said 'I love you'?" he teased.
"Are you insane? I said I HATE YOU, not I Love You, you madman!" Vini hit her own forehead in exasperation.
"Is that so? Why did it sound like a sweet 'I love you too' to my ears?" he asked, laughing.
Vini turned to me, hugging me in distress. "Hasini, who is this guy? Why is he stuck to me? What sin did I commit?"
He turned her face back toward him. "Teddy , why are you crying? Tell me your problem, I'll solve it for you."
"YOU are my problem!" she screamed, grabbing his collar one last time.
He replied to her
"Wow... for the first time, the girl I love is looking me in the eye and holding my collar boldly. My wish has come true! I've decided, teddy from now onwards , you are my cute teddy bear , I will never give you to anyone and I will never leave you .
"Don't you dare use that word again!" Vini warned.
"Aww, teddy I call you that with so much love, but you're calling me 'Rey' and 'Ra' like a roadside rowdy. It hurts my heart. My name is Arjun. You can call me Arjun sweetly, right?" he requested with a smile.
While Vini was still fuming she told him in frustration you idiot I never love you then how do you think that i will call you sweetly by your name ? then only Arjun's phone rang. He answered it, and his entire persona changed instantly. He started speaking with terrifying aggression and cold anger.
Vini and I looked at each other, completely stunned. Seeing this "Monster" side of him made my heart race, and Vini was literally shivering with fear, breaking into a cold sweat.
"Fine, I'll come this evening and deal with him," Arjun growled into the phone and hung up. He turned back to us and flashed that same sweet smile at Vini.
That was the breaking point. Vini didn't say a word; she just turned and bolted.
"Hey teddy ! My Angel! What happened? Why are you running?" Arjun called out. Then he looked at me. His gaze was so intense that I felt like I was looking at a beast. I didn't wait—I jumped and ran right after Vini.
Arjun stood there, confused. "What happened to them? Did they get scared of my anger? Arjun, you idiot, you should have walked away to take that call. Look at them, running away like deer from a lion. Control your frustration, man!"
He muttered to himself, "Well, this behavior is in my blood. If they saw my older brother—with his height, ego, and temper—they wouldn't just run; they'd probably drop dead right here." He laughed to himself and walked away.
Meanwhile, Vini and I reached the canteen, panting. We grabbed two glasses of water and gulped them down in one go. I managed to catch my breath, but when I looked at Vini, she had collapsed onto the table, eyes closed, completely drained by the madness of the encounter.