Anika
"How are those tequila shots doing?"
The boy stares at me in surprise, as if he couldn't possibly believe I just uttered those words to him.
Well, you and I are on the same boat.
I think to myself, what the hell, Anika? Did you just say those words to... a cute guy? Words... to a guy itself?
"They're..." he thinks to himself, a smile growing on his lips. "They're doing pretty good."
"That's great," I immediately reply, flashing him a radiant grin.
He looks towards me with a smirk, his eyes studying me immaculately. My cheeks flush just at the acknowledgment that he's eyeing me down, curiously investigating every inch and curve to my body. Just the way he was looking at me like that at the party...
I wonder if he finally realizes that it was me who he explicitly danced with that night. But a part of me does figure out that he does realize it was me, because damn... that way he's looking at me...
Then, he slowly turns to the front, dipping his head down towards his chest as he chuckles lowly. "Literature, huh? You don't really strike me as the literature type of girl."
My heart beats erratically against my chest as he flashes another melt-worthy look towards me. I open my mouth to answer him. "Well, I tend to surprise a lot of people."
"Oh, really?" He raises his eyebrows. God, why is he so hot...?
"Then, I am proud to say that you have completely surprised me as well," he answers, a smile slowly playing on his lips. Oh, God, his lips!
"Interesting," I contemplate to myself. The cute guy takes a compelling look towards me and crosses his arms across his chest. I find my eyes wavering over his lean muscled body-- veins appearing on his forearms and reaching to his biceps-- and how well dressed he is. He seems to be wearing a nice button-down shirt with khaki shorts, his hair neatly brushed, yet still looking cute with a messy touch.
Suddenly, my staring is abruptly interrupted with a slamming of a door. The cute guy and I both jump in surprise as I look down to where the sound occurred. Our professor stands by the door with a stone-cold look to its face. "That's enough socializing time for you guys," she says, her eyes narrowing to us mainly.
"You students are here to learn, not converse with each other," she explains, pacing back and forth at the podium. "Literature in college is not a joke, since English mainly corresponds with it, English being the top spoken language in the world." She pushes her cat-like glasses to the bridge of the nose. "In this class we will be formally studying the forms of William Shakespeare, possibly the greatest artist, writer, and performer in the entire world. We will also go in depth with literature and the history of it, where it has formed and how it has formed." She pauses, shifting her upper body into the podium. "But before we commence with those topics, I shall make sure each and every one of my students are present."
Our professor opens up a tiny binder and clears her throat. "If you hear your name, please respond with 'here' and make sure to speak clearly and loudly," she reforms. "And besides, my name is Shelby Watts, but you may address me by Professor Watts." She takes another quick glance towards us and takes a deep breath. "Hannah Anderson."
As she starts to go down the roll call list, I can't help but think that I am going to know the cute guy's name, and he's going to know mine! I feel my insides fluttering with joy, but I immediately stop myself. Why are you getting your hopes up, Anika? This guy obviously seems way out of your league! Snap out of it!
I frown to myself, leaning back against my chair. As I open up my laptop, I am greeted with my home page, which is a picture of me and my mom. She wraps both of her warmth-filled arms around me, engulfing me with kisses. I try to push myself from her wrath, laughing idly as she hugs me tightly. I think I won an award for 'best young writer', which was an award my elementary school used to give away. My mom always knew I had interest in writing. She always used to read my short stories and criticize me, help me grow as a young writer.
But that was suddenly stopped when she passed away.
A tear flows down my cheek as I reminisce about the sweet and short memories me and my mother had. She always made me happy, always knew what makes me happy. Even my father wasn't that terrible as he is now, but ever since she passed away... it's been complete and utter hell.
"Excuse me? Where is Anika Desai?"
I suddenly snap back to reality as I realize that my name is being called out. "Oh, sorry!" I squeak out, quickly wiping my tear away. "Here," I say loudly.
Professor Watts raises an eyebrow at me and thinks to herself.
Feeling my cheeks flush, I turn my head to the cute guy beside me, who looks at me curiously. He raises an eyebrow at me and curls one side of his lips, his expression lightening. I fidget to myself, sharing the smile back.
As she goes down the list, calling out different names, I can't help but wonder when she's going to call that cute guy's name out. I notice from the corner of my eye that he is adjusting himself, such as propping open his notebook and jotting down different things. It seems as if with every movement of his, he does it so elegantly. But I know getting to know him is going to be difficult because it's complicated enough for me to just utter a simple 'hello' towards him. I've always been shy, whether it's towards a complete stranger or a good-looking guy. It's a mystery itself on how I was able to start a conversation with him.
"Shaurya Roy?" I hear the professor speak up. My eyes wander over as I hear the cute guy beside me clear his throat. "Here." The professor looks at him curiously and nods her head, continuing to go down the rest of the list.
Shaurya... huh, what an interesting name.
After she finishes, she takes a deep breath. "Alright. As you see on your side, you have a huge textbook placed next to you. I want you to open up to page 515 of that textbook, as we start to study and interpret William Shakespeare's writing. We will be demonstrating with his very famous piece of writing that was originally formed as a play, Romeo and Juliet."
As instructed, we all open up our textbooks to the designated page, and I stare at the cover of the page, which is a nicely instructed form of the play in written form. I've read Romeo and Juliet countless of times in high school, and I guess it is pretty safe to say that I am well educated on the matter itself. I prefer to read more copies of Shakespeare's plays that he had created, such as Hamlet, Macbeth, or even Othello.
As she randomly assigns people which paragraph or section of the story to read, I feel my heart flustering. Oh, no... I'm going to have to read in front of the entire class! I always despised speaking up in front of strangers, which just really comes along with the whole 'shyness package' of mine.
People read fluently along to the story as I listen alongside. The cute guy beside me, otherwise named Shaurya, looks intensely into the book, reading along. I can tell he's really serious when it comes to learning itself, which makes me adore him even more.
Couple of minutes later, we are on Act II Scene II. My heart beats against my chest nervously as Professor Watts studies the room, deciding who should be the characters in this scene.
"Alright..." she says. "In this scene, Romeo and Juliet are conversing to possibly the most famous dialogues there are known. And the people that will be reenacting it will be..." She leans back and raises her eyebrows. "Shaurya as Romeo and Anika as Juliet. Start reading whenever you're ready."
Shaurya and I both turn our heads to each other. He looks at me cautiously, and I raise my eyebrows. Then, he bites his lip and starts to read. "Okay." Shaurya clears his throat and speaks up: "He jests at scars that never felt a wound. But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be to her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it. I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: Two of the fairest starts in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek who shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that had, That I might touch that cheek!"
I am flabbergasted as I dawn my eyes upon hearing those words escape from his mouth. He speaks so... graciously! I clear my throat as I suddenly realize the next line is me. "Ay me!"
Shaurya continues."She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art As glorious to this right, being o'er my head As is a winged messenger of heaven Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air," he finishes off wondrously.
"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt to, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself."
As I take a gasp of breath, it suddenly dawns upon me: did I just... did I just say all that so incredulously? Did I just banter dialogues back and forth with possibly the handsomest guy to walk on this earth?
After Shaurya and I finish Act II Scene II, our professor looks at us willfully, a smile spreading across her lips. Did she just smile? "Now that..." she says, "Is what I call dialogue!" She jeers. "So wonderful!" And did she just compliment us?
I quickly make eye contact with Shaurya. He smiles at me and professionally nods his head. "You did great," he utters, his eyes glinting with happiness.
"You weren't too shabby yourself either," a smile plays on my lips.
After literature class finishes, I pack up my materials. The memories of Shaurya and I sharing Romeo and Juliet lines make my insides turn my mush. I can't believe I had the guts to speak up! A smile grows on my lips but suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder.
I turn to my left and see Shaurya looking at me curiously, a wide grin placed on his lips. "You wanna walk me out of class?" he asks, nervously biting his lip.
Well, if you look at me like that...
I almost immediately nod my head. "Of course." He follows behind me, a quick jolt of memories from that club residing in my mind. His hips placed so tightly against my back...
"So, what other classes do you have, Anika?" he asks. My heart flutters with joy as my name escapes from his lips. He also says my name so graciously! What other things is he not perfect at?
"Uh, well, I have literature, biology and political science." I fidget with my bag as his eyes bore into mine.
Shaurya winces. "Damn. Looks like the only class we have together is literature."
I feel my insides suddenly frowning. What? Only one class with him? I know I won't be able to see him much around campus because it seems as if he has a completely different social circle from me.
I frown. "Aw, well it looks like we have to make the best of this class."
He nods his head, smiling. "Definitely."
As we start to walk out the door, I hear our professor speak up, "Oh! Mr. Roy and Miss Desai! Would you mind coming here for a quick second?"
Both of us nod our heads and walk over to the professor's podium. She stands with a stack of papers and smiles at me, surprisingly once again. "I just wanted to tell you guys that you did wondrous today. I haven't had a single student that read Romeo and Juliet like that so..." she thinks of a word to say-- "elegantly," she finishes off. "I can tell you guys have immense talent in literature. Keep it up," she gives us a thumbs up as Shaurya and I smile.
I take a quick look towards Shaurya, who continues to smile to himself. Then, he nods to me, and then we both walk out of class. Huh... maybe college won't be too shabby.
Shaurya
Anika looks at me intensely, her full lips curled up with curiosity. I bet she's probably thinking how a guy like me was able to spit out Shakespeare lines with no hesitation, as I wonder the same thing to myself. How was I able to do that so successfully?
She places her luscious long hair to the side as she adjusts her glasses. I have to admit-- she looks completely different from what I saw at the club. What I saw at the club... that was intense. But I guess the only difference here is that she's not wearing revealing clothes, her hair isn't curled, she doesn't seem to be wearing much makeup, and she's also wearing glasses. Also, at the club she seemed very... bold and exclusive. Here, she seems put-together and quiet, shy and sensitive.
But why does she seem so different?
As we walk to class, I can't help but notice that there is this extreme awkward silence between us. I have to do something! I clear my throat. "You had pretty great moves, when we were at the club."
That's what you come up with, Shaurya? You're better than that, man!
Anika raises her eyebrows at me and lightly chuckles, her shoulders hunched forward. "Thank you."
I nod my head. "You're welcome." Straightening out my shirt, I speak up again, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replies, flashing a hesitant grin towards me.
I take a deep breath, making sure whatever I say doesn't come out wrong. "Well... you looked quite different at the club and acted different too." I look at her curiously. "How come?"
Her expression suddenly drops. "I-I didn't mean it like that!" My heart pounds against my chest. "You're... you're gorgeous," I gulp. It's not a lie, though...
She raises her eyebrows again, a sign of hope signified. "You are," I reply more confidently. "But at the club... with all that makeup on and looking and acting different and seeing you now..." a laugh escapes from my mouth. "I probably make no sense right now, huh?"
"You really don't," she laughs heartily. Anika looks towards me and sighs. "But I think I can make closure of what you're trying to say."
She contemplates to herself, pining some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I... I have a very different life at home," she plays out. "And I just wanted to have a different personality at the club." Anika looks towards me. "Do you understand...?"
"Oh! Yeah," I chuckle, pushing my hair back. "I have an idea. And I can relate, somehow."
"Really?" she raises an eyebrow at me in question. "How?"
"Well..." I ponder, dipping my head down as my hand tightens on my books, "To sum it up, I've basically been pressured all my life to be something that I have no interest in becoming," I start to explain. "My dad especially. He wants me to go in business, but I don't want to."
"What do you want to become?" she asks, looking intently.
I immediately shake my head as a laughter escapes from my mouth. "It's too embarrassing."
She shakes her head, frowning. "I doubt it."
I take a deep breath. Here's a very gorgeous girl, asking me about what I want to become. All the other people in my life want me to become something that's not me, but this random girl that unexpectedly walked into my life... asks me what I want to become.
What I want to become.
"Okay," I chuckle. "I want to become an artist. There, I said it."
She studies me intensely, her eyes narrowed as her lips are straightened out. Then, she bursts out in laughter. A smile grows on my lips as she leans back, clenching her stomach. "Oh, God," she gasps out. She takes a deep breath and sighs. "There's... there's nothing wrong with becoming an artist."
"Then... why were you laughing?" I ask.
Anika chuckles. "I just find it funny that it took you three years to get out the word 'artist.'"
"Well, you're kind of the first person who asked me what I want to become," I rationalize. She looks at me questionably. "Really?"
I nod my head. "As I've said, everyone in my life wants me to become something that I have no interest in."
"Interesting," she looks at the ground, then she looks back at me, a smile spreading on her beautiful face. "Then that means I'm the first person to know what you want to become, correct?"
I think for a second as I do realize that she is the first and possibly the only person that knows I want to become an artist. Not even Nathan or Lexie knows. It's just that... no one's really asking me what I truly want to be or what I want or what I need. Most of my friends just have me around just because... well, I'm popular. But Anika here... I just didn't expect her to ask me about, well, me.
"Yeah," I breathe out. "You are."
She grins, flashing me her pearly white teeth. "Great."
I nod my head, pushing my left hand into my pocket. We're almost reaching the main corridor, where Nathan is probably waiting for me so we can eat lunch. I peer over my shoulder and see that Anika is looking at the ground, her lips almost curled into a smile.
"What about you?" I blurt out. "What?" she asks, immediately turning her head towards me. "What do you want to be?" I ask her.
"Well..." she chuckles to herself. "Mine is a bit embarrassing too."
"Oh, c'mon!" I laugh. She laughs along. "No, trust me, this one's not really something I brag about."
"Well, it's okay," I shrug. "I'm not gonna judge."
She takes a look towards me, as if she's contemplating whether or not she should tell me. Then, she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds. "I want to become an author."
I raise my eyebrows. She bites her lip nervously at me as she eagerly waits for some kind of reply from me. Afterwards, I shake my head with laughter. "There's nothing wrong with become an author."
"You're just saying that," she shakes her head, a smile forming on her very kissable lips.
"I'm not," I raise my eyebrows, smirking. "Writing is pretty cool."
She smiles at me. "Yeah, whatever. I bet you're probably thinking..." she clears her throat then deepens her voice, "'This girl's so weird! Writing? Isn't that for old people?'"
I shake with laughter as I crouch to my knees. "Oh, my God! First of all," I stand straight, still shaking from laughter, "I wasn't thinking that. And second of all, there's no way I sound like that."
"Uh huh," she laughs. "Sure."
"I'm serious," I continue to laugh. "Just because you deepened your voice doesn't necessarily mean it's... well, my voice."
She shakes her head and playfully punches my shoulder. "Whatever." Then, she starts to walk a little faster and I laugh to myself, catching up to her pace. "Well, I guess it is pretty safe to say that we have very interesting things that we want to be," I speak.
"Definitely," she beams.
I smile at her and find my eyes wandering at the main corridor. I see Nathan hanging out with Emma, the girl he supposedly likes, and a few other people swarm around him. I take a deep breath. Ugh, I know I'm gonna have to leave Anika. Nathan's gonna get mad if I don't have lunch with him and his 'girlfriend.'
I frown as I take a quick look at Anika, who looks at me worriedly. "I have to go," I frown. "My friends are waiting for me."
"Oh!" She squeaks out, straightening her glasses. "That's fine."
"Are you sure?" I question. "I can hang out with you for a few minutes."
"No!" she yelps. I raise my eyebrows at her and she blurts out again, "I... I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I'd definitely like it if you hung out with me a little longer, but I know we have different friend groups, so..." she clears her throat. "Yeah. You can go."
I burst out in laughter, crossing my arms across my chest. "Okay." Suddenly, I get an idea. "But, hey! If you wanna stay in touch then we can exchange numbers."
She nods her head, a smile lighting up on her face. "Of course!" So, Anika and I exchange numbers into our phone, and once we are finished, I suddenly hear Nathan calling me. I roll my eyes. "I guess that's my call to leave."
"Yeah," she smiles. "Nice meeting you, Shaurya."
Oh, God... the way she says my name...
"Yup," I grin, walking back. "Nice meeting you too, Anika."
And so, I walk back to my group, seeing Nathan sparking up a conversation with Emma. I take a deep breath and realize that maybe college won't be so terrible this year. Not only do I have a little bit of light what I want to be in the future, but I know that I have someone to share my true and personal thoughts with.
Finally.
*
Hope you guys enjoyed chapter 3 of Just Us!
Did you guys like the Romeo and Juliet in this chapter? *wink wink* HAHA it took me so long to interpret these lines in this story. But the reason I chose Act II Scene II of Romeo and Juliet in this specific chapter is because, well, Romeo and Juliet see each other in private and Romeo basically rants about how beautiful Juliet is and Juliet vents about how she wishes Romeo wasn't, well, Romeo.
As you can tell, Romeo and Juliet is a very complex story.
And that's how Romeo and Juliet and Just Us are very similar! Because they're both complex stories haha.
Well, Shaurya and Anika are DEFINITELY hitting it off ;) now let's see what Nathan and Shaurya's friends think about Shaurya's new friend...
Stay tuned!
-Ru <3