After school ended, they started heading back home. She was still sitting pressed tightly against him. But now his attention wasn't on her anymore.
"What's wrong with you? You're not talking at all."
"You're older than me," he replied.
"So what?" she asked.
"Look, I'm telling you the truth, I was completely smitten with you. I was thinking that in a week or two I'd propose to you. But since you're older than me, nothing can happen between us." Arahan answered straight, without beating around the bush.
Shaista listened to what he said, but she wasn't shocked at all, because ever since her school days, many boys had been smitten with her, so him being crazy about her didn't seem strange to her.
But she felt a little heartache, because Arahan was something else for her.
"Even if you can't have that kind of relationship with me, we can at least be friends, right?" Shaista asked.
"Yes, okay, I'll take you to school every day," I said, thinking that she needed the convenience of going to school.
"Don't worry about that. I have a scooty, I'll go on it," Shaista said.
He dropped her off at her house before going home. He didn't know why, but he no longer felt like talking to her, so he didn't send any messages either.
But then her call came, "What happened? Just because you heard about the age difference, you got so upset that you won't even talk to me?"
"It's not like that. I don't know why, but I just don't feel like talking to you right now," Arahan told her everything honestly.
"Okay then, let's talk about normal things," Shaista said.
And then they started talking about movies. Slowly, he began to feel normal with her again. And the thought of the age difference started fading away too.
They talked until around midnight before sleeping. And the desire to have her came back to him again.
---
In the morning, Arahan reached near her house, and called her, "Shaista, where are you? Come out quickly."
After a little while, he saw her coming out with her scooty.
Since he was back to feeling normal with her now, he said, "Put the scooty inside and come sit behind me."
As soon as she heard that, she got happy, parked the scooty inside, and came over to sit behind him. This time, she sat a little farther back behind him.
"Sit pressed against me like before," Arahan said. She moved closer and pressed herself against him. He could feel the touch of her breasts against his body again, and now it felt even better to him.
They went to school while chatting. In school too, he kept talking to her through messages.
And now his mind was set on winning her over. Since she was already quite open with him, he didn't want to waste any time.
After school ended, he started looking for her at the gate.
He saw her talking to one of the school teachers, his name was Vinay, he was a teacher of class 4, same as Shaista. Seeing that he felt pain from inside of him, and it made him mad.
Normally Arahan would wait for her outside the school gate and have her sit on the bike there, but this time he took the bike right inside the school and went up to her.
"Shaista, sit," he said directly in a loud voice.
Shaista was startled for a moment, wondering who was calling her, then she saw him and said, "Let's go outside the gate. I'll sit there, it's too crowded here." (Because a lot of kids were still coming out of the school.)
Vinay was also surprised to see Arahan, but he didn't know him, and Arahan didn't know him, though they had seen each other a few times before.
"Shaista, sit if I'm telling you to sit," Arahan said angrily.
She didn't understand why he was talking to her like that, but she sat behind him anyway. However, since they were still inside the school premises, she sat a little farther away.
"Press yourself against me, the way you usually do," Arahan said this deliberately, loud enough for Vinay to hear.
"What's wrong with you?" She wasn't happy with my tone.
"Do what I'm telling you, quietly," He again shouted in anger.
Now many people's eyes shift on them. "You…" Shaista started to say, but she didn't want to create a scene there, she pressed herself against him and pleaded with him.
"Please start the bike now."
"Good girl," Arahan said, and started the bike while looking at Vinay. "She's mine, so keep your distance."
Then he drove off from there.
---
After coming out of the school gate, he said to her, "Look, Shaista, I don't want you talking to any man other than me. Next time, I don't want to see this again."
But Shaista was angry. First because Arahan had called her "mine," in the School premises and now because he was telling her not to talk to any other man.
"Tell me one thing — who am I to you that you're claiming rights over me? We're not even special friends. It hasn't even been four days since we met each other," she started asking him.
"I told you yesterday that I like you, and you didn't deny it, did you? So what does that mean? It means you like me too," Arahan told her.
Shaista was completely shocked. "When did I say that? And back then you were upset, so I just said we could be friends." She tried to defend herself.
"Friends? Is this some joke? You're not my friend, you're my property. Remember that," He said.
"What are you even saying? Are you feeling okay?" Shaista said. She was getting scared hearing his words.
They had reached near her house by then. She got off the bike.
"You think I'm not okay just because you consider me a friend?" Arahan asked. He had also gotten off the bike.
"Yes, I think of you as a good friend and nothing more. Don't claim so much right over me," she said.
Arahan saw a woman coming out of Shaista's house on a scooty, carrying a bag in her hand, probably going to the market.
"Who is that?" Arahan asked Shaista.
"That's my mom," Shaista said.
"Okay," Arahan said. And before Shaista could even understand what was happening, he pulled her into his arms, placed his lips on hers, and tried to push his tongue into her mouth.
She was completely stunned by what he had just done. By the time she could react, he had already slipped his tongue into her mouth.
A few moments later, he pulled away from her. "From now on, remember, I have full rights over you." Then, before she could ask anything, he started the bike and left.
Shaista's mom, seeing that, first didn't believe it, that someone was able to bully her daughter, because it always happened the opposite.
While others mothers are usually very cautious about their daughters. If they see their daughter even talking to a boy, they either scold her or explain things lovingly.
But Shaista's mother was a calm, easygoing woman, and she had complete trust in Shaista. And also in her strength.
Because while living in Calcutta, Shaista had never made friends with any boy. So in the village, it was impossible anyway.
"Who was that, daughter? Such a rude boy, and why didn't you say anything when he was kissing you and claiming you as his wife? And how did he manage to bully you?"
She thought Arahan had troubled her daughter, which was completely true.
Shaista stood quietly for a moment, then looked at her mother and said, "Your friend's son."
"That was Arahan?" her mother asked.
"Yes, who else would I talk to? He's four years younger than me, but he's claiming rights over me like I'm his wife. We've barely known each other for four days, and he deliberately kissed me in front of you before leaving."
"You yourself said, didn't you, that Arahan is a good boy, that if I met him I'd like him and even marry him. While you also feared that, I will bully her. And because of you, I even took the teaching job at his school. Now, see what kind of boy he is. Instead of me bullying him, he is bullying me. I think even before our wedding, it's possible that in a few days he'll make you a grandmother," Shaista said while looking at her mom.
"Oh, okay if it was Arahan. And Shaista, the things he wants to do, let him do, but before doing that. We should talk to Arahan's mother. And tell her to get the marriage done right away, it will not be good, if you become pregnant, before the wedding," Shaista's mother said.
After knowing it was Arahan, she didn't blame him that he was rude, kissing her daughter in front of her.
But she unknowingly felt that if he was Arahan, then there is nothing wrong.
Hearing this Shaista looked at her mom, she even thought that she is her real daughter right? How can her mom say this? And even suggest that this is nothing wrong, just do it after getting married.
Shaista thought for a moment, "Leave it, Mom. I'll handle it myself."
While thinking in her mind, 'Or else you will have my wedding right now, and my plans were also spoiled.'
"Okay then, I'm going to the market to get some things, but remember, before taking any steps, get married first," Shaista's mother said and left.
She never interfered much in her daughter's life. She had full trust that whatever her daughter decided would be right, except that she wanted to see her getting married to Arahan.