Right after Anuradha's class got over, she immediately ran to the hall where the club members were practicing their play. Mrs. Gracie was present there too.

"Mrs. Gracie!" Anuradha ran up to the stage.

"We have got an email from the committee and congratulation our name is in the list!" Anuradha exulted in excitement.

"Fantastic! Now we can go on with the rehearsals with much relief." Mrs. Gracie beamed in happiness.

"But there's a glitch. We... ahh... we won't be playing three of the earlier selected scripts."

"What?! Three?" Mrs. Gracie gasped, putting a hand on her chest.

"The committee has selected three other scripts and one of it is from our new selection and two of theirs"

"Their selection? Only for us?" Mrs. Gracie now in even more shocked as everyone on the stage gathered around them.

"No" Anuradha shook her head side to side. "I asked them the same too but it's the new rule. The committee will select two scripts from their likes and it can be from any genre" she explained.

"Plus, these two plays will be played in the finals by those who gets to the final round." Anuradha added.

"And what are the two scripts?" Mrs. Gracie asked.

"For us it's both mythology... one is a very famous one from England and the other is...."

"The other is...?"

"An Indian mythology because we are the only college with Indians" Anuradha sighed.

"What?! How am I supposed to help you'll for a script I don't even know!" Mrs. Gracie sat on a chair trying to compose herself.

Anuradha kept mum, she couldn't promise to help either as she doesn't know about the mythology that the committee chose. How she wished her grandma had read all these mythologies as her bedtime story instead of those fairy tales.

"Don't worry ma'am, we will figure it out soon" she said and head to the entrance when she spotted Manohar  entering the hall.

"Manohar?" she called and signalled him to follow her out.

"What is it?"

"Do you by any chance know anything about Indian Mythologies?" she asked almost whispering.

"Why are you whispering? Are we in some kind of secret mission" Manohar asked looking around.

"Shush.... Just answer me, Manohara!"

"Hmm... yeah I know"

"Thank god." she squealed.

"Woah.... what's the squealing all about?" he asked.

"Good that you know about Indian mythologies. Good boy" she patted his shoulder.

"Why?"

Anuradha showed the email from her phone to Manohar, "The committee wants us to do mythology for the final round. IF we get to the final."

"O...kay" Manohar nodded his head as he read the email again. "This is so cool" handing her phone back to her and took his out.

"Yeah, it's cool because you know about it. By the way how do you know about all these mythologies?" Anuradha asked looking at the pictures related to the mythology story he showed in his phone.

"My mother used to read it for us. She is an ardent bhakt of Sri Krishna and religious too. No one can argue with her on that, she is an expert. So, we eventually grow up with these stories but she is one hell of a modern woman. And speaking of her I'm missing her so much. Just waiting for this semester to end quick so I could run back to her." He spoke as he missed his mother, he looked at, Anuradha who smiled in return not knowing what to say.

"Wow, your... mother must be a connoisseur in folklore" Anuradha said after some time, suppressing a slight discomfort.

A  feel of envy evoked in her, Anuradha had no good stuffs to talk about her mother while Manohar had tons of beautiful things to talk about his. Anuradha sighed, how she wished Kavitha was at least half nicer to her like Manohar's mother is to him or if Madhulekha was still alive.

She simply smiled each time he looked at her while talking about his mother. Though Anuradha felt comfortable with Manohar, sharing something unpleasant about her mother to him wasn't feeling right for her.

"Ahemm, what's going on here?" Christopher asked, clearing his throat.

"Secretly spending some time together without your presence, Chris because you are everywhere" Anuradha said. At times its fun to just pull his leg.

"Yeah, such a killjoy" Manohar joined in with Anuradha, leaning on the wall.

Christopher scrunched his face, making his white face go red. "Am I? Butterfly? Very bad! You never wanted to come with me but you are here with him all alone. Not fair, butterfly and I'm no killjoy, Karthik!" he turned around crossing his hands over his chest.

"Aww... Christopher" both laughed.

"We were just pulling your leg" Manohar chuckled.

*-*-*-*-*

Back in the hall, Manohar spoke to Mrs. Gracie about the new scripts that they are supposed to work on. She was more than glad to know that someone knew about the script in and out.

As Manohar was in a discussion with Mrs. Gracie, Anuradha, Christopher and Manoj were on stage rehearsing a scene from Dracula.

Lucky for Christopher, no other colleges took this script and for he couldn't hold his excitement Christopher did a short waltz with Anuradha outside the hall earlier.

'Can someone be so happy over a DRACULA script? Well, Christopher can'

After their long rehearsals, the four went straight to the canteen for dinner while they wait for the two that long went missing before they head back to their respective rooms.

"It's been so long since they were gone. Where are they?" Manoj grumbled, dialling Shika's number for the umpteenth time.

"Looks like someone is hell worried about 'someone'" Christopher said nudging Manoj in the rib.

"Who's that someone, Chris?" Manohar asked.

"You don't know?" Anuradha joined the three making Manoj blush.

"Stop it, you crazy people" Manoj whined.

"Hmm... tell me about it, Manoj" Anuradha slurped in the instant noodle as she waited for him to answer.

"tell you what? There is absolute nothing to tell you" Manoj defended trying to hide his smile.

"Oh come on mate, we aren't blind" Manohar said.

"Yeah, we aren't blind either" Shika and Cameron joined the group taking a seat.

All eyes turned to both of them as they waited for her to complete her sentence. Was she commenting on the side of Manoj or the three.

Clearing her throat, "Ahemm... I'm talking about the famous so-called couple of the campus Radha-Manohar!" Shika sang as she pointed to both of them who was opposite to her.

With an eyebrow up, Anuradha asked "Us?

"What's with us?" both asked in a perfect accord.

Leaving the food as it is, both had their complete concentration on Shika who was in the mid of contemplation in asking them the question.

"Us what, Shika?" Anuradha asked again.

"That you have feelings for each other" Shika spoke what she had been wanting to ask for a long time.

"What?!" Christopher almost spat out the food he had in his mouth.

"Feelings?" Manohar asked.

"What made you think we have feelings for one another?" he continued.

"Your closeness in rehearsals and off rehearsal timing too" Manoj answered.

Cameron watched the argument quietly, he knew the effect of supporting Shika and Manohar would lead to misfortune to his head so keeping mum on this issue seemed to be the best option.

Christopher knew what the outcome would be just like Cameron but he too had the same doubt as Shika and Manoj. Christopher being him, he wanted to know from Anuradha itself if she really likes Manohar and vice versa.

Christopher's feeling for Anuradha wasn't mere time pass but a genuine affection towards her. Ever since the first day he started to go behind her for a date out, ever since he made a promise to her that he will not eye any other girl until she goes on a date with him and he is convinced that Anuradha isn't made for him as she says. Even then, Christopher will not stop loving her.

Ever since then, Anuradha named him man of his words.

"Closeness in rehearsals? Manoj, we are playing as a pair and that's what required in the script. Closeness. You name them as feeling towards each other" Anuradha replied coldly.

"And off rehearsals, we are on a deal, guys. Don't forget that. Because I'm here or because she is here that doesn't mean we have feeling for each other." Manohar added, remaining calm.

"exactly, just because I'm here with him or he is here with me should not give you such thought when all of you know the reason behind it. We are on a deal and deal ends with deal. Nothing goes beyond that." Anuradha furiously said and got up ready to leave.

"Then what are you'll? Friends?" Shika asked in curious.

"We are nothing but bonded by a deal." Anuradha stormed out of the canteen without turning back as Manohar walked out after sometime.

Manohar never wanted to be tied in a relationship, he knew how beautiful love is, he even sees it every day throughout his twenty-three years of life. Yet Manohar who is passionate about music finds relationship to be a distraction. A distraction towards excelling in his path to his goals.

His love for now and forever is music alone.

Anuradha hated to be in a relationship because what she witnessed in her entire life was a bad and failed relationship of a love marriage throughout her twenty-two years of life. Ever since Anuradha begin to understand the world, never once she witnessed her parents spoken lovingly towards each other rather yelling and arguing.

What more example does she need when those imaginary romantic plays she played wasn't reflecting in real life. 

********************