CHAPTER 5

The next day on campus. I was seated in the courtyard reading. The day was beautiful, with no disturbance. I haven’t seen Sidd since today, so I was rest assured of a peaceful day. As I continued reading, I heard my name.

“Rani!” Someone called angrily. Sidd? I thought he wasn’t on campus today. Oh, God! He came standing right in front of me. “Where is my jacket?” He demanded.

“Sidd, let me ask you a question. Why are you so obsessed with a common jacket? I told you I burnt it,” I said nonchalantly.

“Do you know the worth of that jacket?” He asked.

“Does it costs millions?” I retorted.

“I want my jacket back, Rani. You got to give to me.”

“Then beg for it. Let’s see if it resurrects back for your sake,” I said. “Besides, I had begged you to give it to me. It’s your turn to beg me to give back to you.”

“Do you know the ramification of what you are doing? You know next time I won’t ever give you anything from me no matter what you say, hope you know that.”

“And I hope next time you won’t ruin my shirt because I will retaliate, hope you know that,” I riposted.

“Rani, please, the jacket isn’t a plain one. It’s a gift and I can’t lose it,” he said calmly.

“Honestly? Tell me about it. Who gave it to you, huh? Your girlfriend? Your wife? Your mother?”

“Stop joking!” He groaned. I only stared adamantly at him. “Fine, it’s a gift from my grandpa on my 20th birthday before he passed on. You see why I can’t lose it?”

“Aww! What’s going to happen now? I already burnt it.”

“I know you didn’t, so give it back already.”

“I didn’t? How do you know I didn’t? Are you seeing the jacket on me?”

“I know you are not that heartless to burn an innocent jacket. What did the jacket do to you?” He questioned.

Sidd read my mind this time. I had wanted to burn the jacket. I brought it out with a match and fuel to burn, but I stopped to ponder. Has the jacket wronged me? The jacket isn’t Sidd. I stood at the burning point for over five minutes before deciding not to burn.

“Fine, you will have to beg me before you get it. Make it as sincere as I did that day.”

He sighed with his eyes closed. “Fine,” he agreed. “Rani, I need my jacket back. In all the words of sincerity, I am pleading with you. It’s a gift from my grandpa, he is late already. If not for my sake then for the sake of the deceased, I want it back, please…I know you will give it back because you respect the elders a lot. You are a good-mannered girl. You are beautiful, intelligent, pure-hearted, and caring. I love the simple girl in you. Give it back now, please,” Sidd pleaded.

I knew it wasn’t sincere, but I had to give back his jacket. I keep a deceased gift to his grandson. What if he starts attacking me in my dreams? I opened my bag and brought out the jacket. I handed it over to him.

“I washed it,” I said.

He put on the jacket. “How do I look?” He asked.

“You look like someone I have never seen,” I said.

We were locked in each other’s gaze. Our enemy spirit is slowly bonding. Sidd, I wouldn’t want to say, but he is breathtakingly handsome. He is a fine body with a crazy soul. At first, you will think he is an angel, but when you get on his hate list like me, then you will wish you had never met him.

“You know what I think?” He asked. “You are the opposite of everything I mentioned earlier. Those words are for angels, not enemies,” he declared. I scowled at him. “Start watching out for me,” he said moving away.

“You are insane!” I abused.

I love indulging in artistic paintings. Not that I know how to do it well, just to rub colors together. I was feeling bored today. Manu is not on campus. I got one more lecture by 3:30 pm. I ambled around the courtyard and tried focusing on a book, but still, I felt bored. Those were my daily college activities and it’s becoming ho-hum somehow. I decided to try out something new. I went to the campus art studio. I got my materials ready to start painting. I sat down holding the paint palette. I thought of what to paint. Maybe a sun or rainbow. I will paint a rainbow. I started by giving the background a dark color. Rainbows are curved somehow, I tried using my imagination of a rainbow in the sky to begin painting. I was on it for a couple of minutes. My painting is turning out okay, even though not well as art students do. I still loved the turnout. “This is beautiful!” I exclaimed chuckling to myself. It wasn’t a complete rainbow yet, I still got more colors to add. As I cheerfully continued my painting and got engrossed in it, Sidd came along. I glanced at him and then focused on my artwork. He moved closer, and intentionally knocked over my paint palette, ruining my artwork. I wanted to cry. I turned an angry look at him.

“Oh, God! Looks like you are going to start over, Rani,” he chuckled.

I hit the desk angrily and stood up to confront him. “What is wrong with you?” I groaned. “Look at what you have done. You ruined my artwork,” I said frustrated. I have spent many minutes trying to make something out of a color palette and he just ruined it.

“It’s not a big deal, just start over,” he said nonchalantly.

“You are unbelievable, Sidd! Don’t you know it hurts for one’s effort to be wasted?”

“Does that mean you are hurt?”

“Get off my way, scumbag,” I let out and rushed out of the art studio. I wasn’t even allowed to have a minute of cheerfulness on campus because of Sidd. Not that it’s important, but I so much wanted to see the end of my painting, and Sidd ruined it. It honestly pained me.