Love at first sight?

“Hi! I am Abhay. I didn’t get your name.”

“Hello! You are looking very beautiful in this blue dress, it suits you. By the way, I am Abhay.”

“Hi! I am sorry but I couldn’t stop admiring you from afar and so thought it would be proper if I introduced myself.”

These were some of the self-introductory lines that crossed my mind when I looked at you for the first time. Let me make myself clear, I do NOT believe in love at first sight and anyhow, a classroom filled with 50-60 people is hardly the right place to fall in love, but there is something in you that has been attracting me from the moment I saw you.

Initially I thought that this is because you are very beautiful (a rarity in my college). But my friends (the people you’ll see sitting beside me if you turn your head) have made it pretty clear that they don’t consider you beautiful, let alone the “very” part. Some said you are kind-of cute and a few of them – the more outspoken ones – told me to get my eyes checked and now they are making fun of me. But somehow, I can’t help staring at you, although – sitting at the last bench – I can only see a part of your face.

You seem intent on copying down each and everything that the prof is saying. You won’t even be aware that some guy on the last bench has been staring at you continuously for the last half an hour or so. I, on the other hand, have not written a single word since I started looking at you. I hope I’ll be able to gather enough courage till the end of the class to ask you your name.

And now, you are looking at me and I feel happy - I try to smile. But something’s wrong – the whole class is looking at me!! Seems the prof has asked me a question and I have no clue what it is… I can hear someone sniggering. Thankfully, one of my friends seems to have been following the prof. He is whispering the answer now and I am repeating it out aloud. My mind meanwhile is buzzing with the questions, “Did she or anyone else notice that I was staring at her? Is this why the prof asked me this question? Did he comment something too that I missed?”

Now my friend has stopped whispering, it seems the answer is complete. Thanks a lot man, I owe you one! Even the prof seems satisfied. Now you have turned towards the blackboard again and I can go back to staring at you.

But what is this! You are packing up!! Has the bell gone? Everyone else is also packing up, seems 1 hour is over already. Funny how this same prof used to be able to bore me to death in 1 hour till last sem and now I am hoping that we had a double lecture!!

You pick up your stuff and leave in a hurry – I presume you have another class somewhere else – and so my hopes of getting to talk to you after the class are dashed. Anyways, this was only the first class, I’ll be sure to attend all the classes of this course. I’ll also try to sit on the first bench so that we might get talking once your tempo of noting down everything wears off.

If, at some point in time, you read this and recognize yourself, just give me a call. My no is +919932574151.

-- The guy in a black Mind-Over-Matter t-shirt and faded black jeans sitting at the back of the class.