Senior, Please Come Back (Indian Bl)

Chapter 1 - "Smile often"

11 January, 2023

I woke up today and found myself miserable again. Just like I did yesterday, a day before that, and so on. Everyday felt like the same shit.

I got out of my bed, took a quick bath and got ready. Today was my meeting with the boss. I didn't want to get late, so I woke up at 3. Even though the meeting was to start at 8 am.

It was 4 am and I was sitting on my dining table looking at the clock making sounds. It was my habit to get ready way more ahead of time. May be not a habit, but a fear. Fear of getting late. If I didn't get ready at least 2 hour before any event, I would feel anxiety and my heart rate would increase rapidly. I just couldn't bear with it. So I woke up earlier.

As time was passing, I was getting bored too. I hate getting bored. So, I opened my gallery and started looking at the old photos that I hid very close to my heart.

"Jay, where are you?" words itself came out of my mouth as I kept swiping the pictures of my lost love. Jay chakraborty. Whom I met in my high school years. I remember the first time I noticed him, that cute innocent and childish face of his.

4 july, 2011. I was in 10th grade and was very shy and scared of people. I was newly admitted at that time so I also had no friends yet. I was sitting on the bench of the playground when some seniors walked past me. I overheard them.

"This is the new kid."

"He is handsome. But how boring. He's always alone."

"I'm sure. Nobody approaches him. I heard he never talks."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Is he mute?"

"He knows only."

They laughed at me. I didn't want to look at them and make it look like I heard them and was upset. I just kept my head down. But suddenly my guts feeling told me to raise my head just once. So I did. Those seniors were not even looking at me and were just laughing and playing around with each other. But one of them was looking at me. That was my Jay. He was looking at me like he felt bad for me and was pitying me. I immediately looked down.

That afternoon, when I was leaving home in my bicycle, a group of my classmates surrendered me, "Why don't you talk?" One of them named Armaan asked.

I feared making eye contact with him. So I stayed quiet.

"Hey! Talk to us. We're not bullying you. You know because of you, teacher thinks we're forcing you to not talk to anyone." Raman shouted.

His raised volume startled me. The kids jumped off their bicycle and walked towards me. One of them was very tall. His name was Vikas. He grabbed me by my collar. "Don't you understand?"

Others tried to stop him. But he kept grabbing me. He had a short temper. I got so scared that I started panting.

Suddenly someone pulled me from behind. I almost fell. I thought it was someone among them trying to beat me but the opposite happened. The person did that to protect me from Vikas.

"What are you doing?" The person shouted at my classmates. When I looked up, I found out it was senior Jay. He looked so angry looking at me. So I looked down right away.

He stared at others, "Go home. Do you want me to complain?" he shouted at them.

"But we weren't even bullying him! We just want him to talk but he doesn't. Don't you think its irritating?" Vikas returned with frustrated tone.

"Do you think I don't know? I'll take care of it. You guys go home." Jay replied.

All agreed and after some time, they all had left. Jay and I were alone.

He walked towards me, "What is your name?"

Without raising my head, I replied, "Raghu..."

"Why are you so scared? Look at me." He said.

I raised my head. The first time I saw him, he looked like a baby. He was my senior but was shorter than me. It made him look so cute. His eyes seemed like an ocean which was calling me. His lips, seemed like they had the decoration of calm words and polite sentences.

"What happened?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry..." I said and looked down.

"Don't worry. I'm not bullying you." He said and smiled, "Hi. I'm Jay. Jay Chakraborty." He was asking for a handshake. That was the first time when someone had asked me for a handshake. I was surprised so I gave him a look.

"Won't you shake hands with your senior? Is this how you respect your elders?" He returned with an angry face.

Hearing his words, I immediately shook hands with him. I didn't want to upset someone who was making efforts to talk to me that nicely.

He started laughing, "Its good. You're in 10th grade?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yes, senior." I said.

"Alright. Go home safely then. I'll find you tomorrow in school, okay?" He said.

Seeing someone talking to me so seriously without the fear that I'll turn them down by not talking, it fascinated me.

Remembering him, the time passed and I didn't even realize. I looked at the clock, it was 6 am.

I took my jacket from the chair and went outside. Locked the door, and left on my bike.

I reached the boss's office at 7 and went inside. My companions were already there. My buddy, Sumit too. We shook hands and sat on the bench.

"So, how are you today? Did you wake up at 3 again?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yeah." I nodded and smiled. "Habit."

"Really. You're unique. But that's okay. I like unique people." He smirked again, "Guess what. That's why I made you my friend." He laughed.

I laughed too. "Got it, sir."

The boss was here, we all stood up in his respect. He was smoking. I called him KK since his name was Kumar Kartikey, a middle aged fit man.

"KK. You're late." I said after bowing him.

"Woah. You really like to act like my teacher. Hm?" He replied and shook his head, "Its just 7:10 right now. Meeting starts at 8. Chill till then." He patted my shoulder and left inside the meeting room.

I sighed, "But he said he'd be here at 7."

"Its okay, bro. Let's go. I am hungry. I brought some snacks." Sumit said as he wrapped his arm around my neck. He laughed, "I'm excited. I brought some new snacks. They were new in the shop."

I shook my head. He was always like that. I sighed.

Just then Dhroov came running towards us. He was a little guy. He had joined our gang just some months ago. The moment he appeared out of blue, Sumit almost choked and immediately changed his position. He pulled away his arm from my shoulder and stood in a sincere position.

"You're here?" He smiled at Dhroov.

Dhroov nodded, "Hm." His smile was wide one.

I looked at my buddy, although he never said anything, I could still easily tell how madly he liked Dhroov.

"I am confused about something." Dhroov said as he pouted. He looked at a piece of paper in his hands.

Sumit returned, "Oh...what is it? Let me know, I'll help you!" He was smiling like crazy. Ah, that crazy guy.

"I can't understand some terms that boss wrote in these paper. Could you please explain to me? He asked me to make a list." He said.

My buddy totally gave himself in, "Come with me. Let's go on a desk. I'll explain everything." He said politely.

I was confused if it was really him, "Hey! Are you really Sumit?"

He hit me with his elbow, "Shhh, man." He whispered and left with Dhroov. I shook my head.

But the way they were walking, reminded me of me and senior. I smiled.

Back then, the next day when I went to school, he really did find me. In the recess, i was washing my hands after doing my lunch. That's where someone patted my head. I was startled and looked beside me. It was Jay. he was smiling at me.

"Are you fine?" He asked while smiling.

I nodded, "Y...yes." I wanted to ask him too how he was but I was so shy that I couldn't.

"Its good." He smiled. "Come with me. I'll give you a tour of our school. I bet you haven't seen the whole school yet. Right?"

I shook my head, "I haven't." My head was down again.

"Let's go then." He said as he took me by my hand and walked ahead.

His friends saw us. They all looked surprised and confused, "Hey, aren't you playing volleyball?" One of them named Nikhil asked.

Jay shook his head, "Play without me today. I've got to go somewhere else today." He replied and looked at me while smiling.

I felt safe. A smile came over my face eventually. He saw it.

"Oh, you smiled." He sounded rather surprised.

I stopped smiling immediately after realizing because I felt embarrassed. "I...I-"

"Its okay. Smile often. You look even more handsome." He replied.

I wish he was still with me. I would smile tonnes for him.