JALAL'S EMPTY CLASSROOM'Bas***d!' h

JALAL'S EMPTY CLASSROOM

'Bas***d!' his booming voice resonated within the white walls of the empty room.

Noting a mildly horrified frown emerge on her forehead, he realized he'd been going overboard - it was the tenth 'Bas***d' he'd uttered in two minutes now. He then looked away from her long stares - he didn't want his more composed girlfriend deciphering the violent thoughts still looming in his mind 'F**k... f**k... f**k...' his fingers rolled back and forth into a fist 'I could just wring his neck now and happily walk off with no guilt on my conscience...'

It was taking him longer than expected to get a hold over his rage this time around and he couldn't pinpoint precisely why! Was it because the stalker's lewd message to his girl was more personal than ever? Or was it because the horrible signature mocking him was worse than any other insult he'd come across so far? Maybe it was a combination of both!

Coming away from the wall she'd been leaning against all along, Jodha moved close to the preoccupied senior standing in front. The contours of his jawline looked even more chiselled now - no wonder there, seeing how he was biting down with such hardened fury. She gently turned his face around so he'd HAVE to look at her - having been a quiet witness to his seething responses for the past ten minutes, it made sense to shift the topic for a while 'Jalal...let's forget about this for now... we've gone over this many times...tell me... how did your exam go?'

'Yeah...' he let out a deep breath 'Entrepreneurship...not the toughest subject...it went well...' his eyes finally met hers, mellowing down his attitude for a short spell 'And yours? Financial Accounts ...you would have aced it!'

'Yeah it was not so bad' she nodded her head slightly, trying not to come off as overconfident

'Good...' he'd barely smiled when his glances fell back upon the creases of the awful card that he'd been clutching so long. No signs of purchase, no clues, an unfamiliar handwriting in a standard black pen - how the hell were they supposed to track this stalker down?

'And the AD's not letting us access the college records, either' he eventually admitted on a low note

'What?' this was news to her 'Another dead end?'

'Haan...' he confirmed 'I just paid him a visit at the office on my way here, since he was available...' changing his voice to sound exactly like the Asst Dean, Jalal pursued in annoyance 'STUDENTS-CAN'T-BE-ALLOWED-TO-ACCESS-SUCH-CONFIDENTIAL-INFO was his standard answer to all my queries' he agitatedly ran his fingers through his wavy hair 'Maybe I can ask someone from the office to help us...'

Jodha broke out into a faint grin - she couldn't help but be amused by the humour behind the frustration-induced mimicry of the AD. It was surprising how even in such profound spells of irritation, one of them always seemed to have the ability to entertain the other.

She continued to observe him - he was still ruffling his hair - something he did only when he was super-bothered. After waiting for a minute or so to see if he'd stop, she gave up when he didn't 'Your hairstyle looked lovely ten minutes back... you've ruined it now and it matches my crazy hairstyle...'

'Huh?' It took him a moment to discern her subtle jests - what with his mind being in a different place altogether 'A bad-hair day for both, huh?' he frowned sheepishly - before his attention reverted to the words in the card

'STOP looking at that card!'

Snatching the dreadful thing away from him, Jodha assertively put it down and turned his face around towards her once again. She'd anticipated his exasperation - but, not to this extent and not for this long. Having said that, she wasn't put off. On the contrary, she was finding herself quite intrigued by this 'simmering anger' of his - after all, it was giving her a rare glimpse of his 'jealous' side - something that she'd never truly witnessed!

'Your mind's been on it long enough Mr. Muhammed!' she reminded him softly again

Studying her reactions, Jalal subsequently exhaled in sweet resignation 'You're right...it's just difficult to get over the fact that some basta...' oops, he paused 'That someone else talks of my girlfriend this way... describing her lips, skin and whatnot!'

'Hmmm' Jodha mused. He was really fired-up about this, wasn't he? Remarkably, it was beginning to feel flattering. Who would have thought that even a self-assured independent young lady like herself, could do with such form of attention once in a while?

She didn't know why, but she wanted to hear him say those lines once more. So moving closer, she whispered slowly 'What did you just say...'

'What?' he read her sudden coyness with caution - he still wasn't sure of the intent behind her query and surprisingly, she didn't seem perturbed by the 'card' matter anymore.

'What did you just say...' her eyes twinkled 'That last line...'

'That I don't like someone else talking of MY girl this way?'

Noticing his stunned frowns, she let out a mischievous chuckle!

'Woah!' he was amazed by her responses. He couldn't believe it. While he was busy fretting about the stalker and his message, she was having fun at his expense and catering to her own ego? 'You're really enjoying this, aren't you?' he questioned, giving her a sly look

'And you are REALLY annoyed aren't you?' she came back, making no effort to hide the growing amusement in her manner 'I've never seen you so JEALOUS, Jalal...'

Ouch! That comment stung! 'Nah...' he shook his head 'You've got your words mixed up Jo...one tends to be jealous of someone they're threatened by...' he shrugged nonchalantly 'Why should I be jealous of a spineless creature who doesn't even have the guts to come forward and propose to a girl upfront? He'd rather slander me than approach you honestly... that's disgusting...'

'Baap re!' she teased him, unwilling to appear bowled-over by his fitting reply 'I've never seen you so WORKED-UP before...I wonder why...'

Ouch! Ouch! That stung even more! That was his ego she was taunting 'And you're finding this funny?' he smirked aloud

'Jo bhi ho...' she started playing with the collar of his handsome shirt 'That doesn't answer my question ...'

OKAY! So, the feisty junior wasn't going to give up! 'Yeah...I AM worked-up...' he ultimately confessed 'Since I AM slightly possessive of you...is that what you wanted to hear?' he paused - till a semi-vindictive smile came over his lips 'But come to think of it, I'm still calmer now than a certain someone was once...this young lady I know, actually wanted to stuff tissue paper in one Miss Giggles' mouth...just because she couldn't stand Miss Giggles chattering away with me...'

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! That stung a lot! He'd given her a taste of her own medicine!

'Ok!' she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and let go of the collar she was playing with - she got the gist.

Checking out the now not-so-sportive look on her face, it was his turn to be amused 'What happened?'

'Nothing' she muttered

He surveyed her tight-lipped stance with awe. Such a naturally enticing package of emotions she was just then - fiery, witty, angry, flirty and haughty. Damn, he loved it. Only, her smile had gone amiss!

So, he came up with something - a few words that should help bring her 'proud' grins back. Drifting closer to her ears, he whispered into them what was meant for her alone 'I've realized it's pointless getting worked up over some idiot's fantasies...no one's fault that my girlfriend's so irresistible...' sensing the hot flush beginning to radiate on her cheeks, he waited silently - before continuing with a husky tone 'That pervert can dream-on all he wants...I don't care... at the end of the day, it's to my arms that she comes running ...and it's me that she kisses...' he paused again - she was positively blushing now 'So, I'm the lucky guy here...'

Having concluded his flattering message, he returned to meet eyes with her.

Well, what could she say? He knew how to tantalize and he knew how to compliment too. So, she took in the praise and wisely stayed quiet. Of course, her bashful smiles were a dead give away of what was going on in her mind.

A few moments later, Jodha sensed him come closer to her lips. She shut her eyes in a serene daze - unable to deny that she felt a sweetly nervous anticipation for what was to come her way.

However, many moments on and only stillness ensued.

She opened her eyes thereon - only to catch him gazing at her. Their lips were barely apart, but they hadn't met yet. He was waiting. He had been holding himself back. For some reason, he wanted to know if she had it in her to inch forth and finish the move - if she had it in her to kiss him of her own accord 'It's me that she kisses'

She could feel the excitement in his racing beats. After all, it was fresh love. They'd met after a week - and the dangerously close proximity was killing him. Yet, he'd stopped himself just so he could tease her - just so he could challenge their self-restraint.

She blushed some more as she watched him watching her. He knew her pulse. He knew that she was attracted to him. He was aware of what excited her. Yet - and a big yet - there was no way she was going to give in to his ruse there. She wasn't going to take the bait and be the first to budge. Since he was being a tease, she was going to be one too!