A/N: Thanks to dilse99 for writing such a cute Raj-Megha story. Reading it was what inspired me to write this one. Hope you like it!
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The Trouble With Tutoring OR Piloting Paper Aeroplanes
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It had been given to her by a friend who had in turn received it from a friend of his. This set-up ensured that it all remained between them and their best friends, while diverting suspicion from them.
Megha-
"Love goes to love like schoolboys from their books. But love from love, towards school with heavy looks."
This schoolboy misses you. Want to meet up at the place on Friday, same time as last?
Love,
Raj
Megha smiled at the familiar handwriting. The writing was impeccably neat, but unreadable anyway. It was neat as in, every 'a' looked the same and every 't' looked the same, which made it font-like and uniform, but it was barely legible all the same. To anyone else, it would take a while to decipher, but to Megha's practiced eye, it was as simple as reading the font off a laser printer.
For some reason, Megha loved the way he wrote his 'l's: they were nice and skinny and loopy without looking feminine. She could spend up to an hour staring at his 'l's. This letter was particularly delightful in that it was full of 'l's. Love, love, schoolboys, love, love, school, schoolboy, looks, place, last.
Flicking through her well-read Shakespeare collection she searched for a suitable quote, her pen poised over the paper. Smiling triumphantly as she found the perfect one, she began to write...
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Raj received this reply, not through his friend, but through Megha herself, who managed it surreptitiously enough. As students from Gurukul and its sister school crowded onto the bus they caught to college everyday, under the pretense of losing her balance as the bus started, she managed not only to slip him the letter, but also sort of half-hug him without people thinking anything of it. They had spent the rest of the bus trip 'making eyes at each other like soppy, lovesick fools', in the words of his best friend.
The letter burning a hole in his pocket, Raj opened and read it at the first opportunity, which turned out to be only at the end of the day:
Raj,
"One half of me is yours, the other half yours – mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, and so all yours!"
So then who am I to refuse you? I'll be there.
(Obviously) Yours,
Megha
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Megha-
"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."
Thanks for coming on Friday. Want to meet up again same time on Wednesday?
Thinking of you,
Raj
Megha studied the latest note taped to her window-sill from the outside, her forehead creased by a slight frown. Much as she would like to meet Raj on Wednesday...
Taking out her lucky pen, she started to write:
Raj,
Her pen poised over the paper, she strained her memory for an appropriate quote (English had always been her best subject). What quote could she use? Something nice, but not too... ah, perfect!Head bent over her virtually blank sheet of paper, she started to write.
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Raj,
"This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet."
We can always meet later. Don't let me get in the way of your exams. Study well. )
Love,
Megha
Raj smiled ruefully. As usual, she was right. He should be studying... but he had so wanted to see her again. Now there was only one thing to be done to both study and see Megha. Raj Malhotra needed a tutor.
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This was why he now found himself in a group of about a dozen guys and girls at the library, a so-called study group. He had realized almost as soon as he had had the idea that there was no way in hell Narayan Shankar would let his daughter tutor a guy, one-to-one, even if she had, as one of the best students in her college, offered to tutor people who were having trouble (his troubles were less academic and more emotional, though). And Megha had too much integrity to lie to her father about him. At their secret meetings, she hadn't exactly lied. She had told her father she was going out with friends and she did, only she met up with him after that.
Anyway, Raj figured there was safety in numbers and had roped some of his and her friends into coming as well. However, all they were doing was getting disapproving looks from the librarians and mutters of 'young whippersnappers' from old people for the space they were taking up and the relatively small amount of noise they were making. It was pretty safe to say that Raj Malhotra, squashed between two of his friends and muttering darkly was not going to be spending quality time with Megha or getting any studying done.
Of course, Megha was there, but she was three seats away and she didn't look like she was pining after him. If anything, the dancing lights in her greeny-grey eyes and the twitching of her lips indicated that she seemed to find his irritation amusing. Insufferable woman.
All such grumpy thoughts were forgotten as she smiled at him though, her eyes dancing. Though she was in effect laughing at his expression, her smile was enough to melt away all indignation. The corners of his mouth curling upwards, he began to write on the blank sheet in front of him...
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A couple of minutes later, a paper aeroplane landed in Megha's lap. She did not need to look up to know who the pilot was. She deftly unfolded it, smiling slightly.
Megha-
I don't have my Shakespeare books with me right now, or I'd probably write something truly sappy. Just think of the Romeo and Juliet quote about the glove. I think that would sum it up.
Anyway, after this, if I actually study for the rest of the day, can we meet up and see a movie or something together? Because this studying together idea didn't exactly work out (I don't think you and my studies should mix).
Missing you even though I saw you last week and am sitting three seats away from you right now,
Raj
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Raj had barely started anticipating Megha's response when a paper aeroplane hit him in the back of the head. Clearly Megha needed to work on her aim. He looked up at her and shook his head, smiling slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. She mouthed 'Sorry' but looked amused all the same.
Unfolding the aeroplane, at first he thought it was blank, but on closer examination found a tiny heart in the centre. There were two ways to interpret this particular message: it was either 'I love you' or 'Remember to study the circulation system for your biology exam'. Looking up to see Megha's smile, Raj was willing to bet that it was the former.
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A/N: How was it? I was running out of ways to write their reactions every time they got a note. Any comments, criticism, suggestions for improvement, etc.? Please do review!