#karjay

walking down the open ground, ajay was quick to do a mental checklist of potential circumstances and consequences. he didn't mention any name, just the implication that karan might not be single after all. but priyanka has gotten a solid idea, and for what it's worth, she definitely has begun to dislike him for his interruption with her new interest.

well, whatever. i knew karan first, and he's uncomfortable with her flirting.

ajay didn't care about getting in priyanka's bad books, neither did he regret inserting himself in the situation and directing it off on a path he'd envisioned when he stepped in.

the junior's voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

“ she tends to hold a grudge, but nothing to worry about, ” assured the older male, nudging his friend with a grin. “ cheer up, champ. ”

but the questioning frown on his lips remained and ajay knew he'd better explain before suhana gave a more worrisome picture of the situation. pulling his phone out to send a text, ajay grabbed karan's hand with the other and brought him to sit at the bleachers.

“ we are going to encounter some people who are bull-headed about wanting to get their way, or forcefully making it happen themselves. . . ” explained ajay, cool as a cucumber.

“ priyanka, is one such girl. her brother too, he'll beat up anyone that crosses her— now, don't worry, ” he chuckled, “ as with anything, there's always a loophole and using it to our advantage is our strategy. ”

suhana arrived just in time, catching her breath as she sat next to them. “ it was you two in the canteen? ” she shook her head when ajay confirmed it.

“ nothing to worry, say karan's dating your cousin. if you vouch for it, there's nothing they can do. ”

“ and what if they ask to see my cousin, mister rathod? ”

exchanging a look with karan, he offered her a mischievous smile, “ i'll figure something out. i know what we could do, but i'm betting it won't go that far. she's not that obsessed with karan. . . yet. ”

“ and besides, her brother, param — he's got a real soft spot for you, remember? your word is final. ”

baffled, suhana slaps his arm with a huff. ajay only laughs, lighthearted, “ what? the sooner we execute this, the better. ”

“ ever the fucking strategist, rathod! ” scolded suhana, though she too laughs a little and reaches for karan's hand, giving it an assuring squeeze.

“ i take after my father on that front, ” ajay notes, cheeky.

it had been a few weeks since karan first visited the rathod household. the two have been somewhat inseparable since, their friendship growing further and stronger each day. they would greet each other at university and hang out whenever they can, some joking that the first year had stolen their friend for himself.

ajay would grin and throw an arm around karan, chest puffed out proud, “ i've never been happier stolen. ”

guljeet had invited karan to play cricket with them sometime, see if he's interested in joining the team. and suhana would fill karan in on the latest talk around the campus whenever their paths crossed. dinesh was still whisked away from karan whilst the tattooed male comically called for his ‘ chote bhai ’ to not forget him — ajay kept his word to not introduce them.

the cool and mysterious karan singhania had gathered quite the interest from the girls as well, something ajay points out over lunchtime at the canteen today.

“ aaj half day hai lekin dekho aapke fans saj-dhaj ke aaye hein aapke liye, yet you don't spare them a glance, ” the older male parroted as he drank from his bottle of thumbs up, a cheeky smile on his lips.

“ suhana's words, not mine, ” he adds before taking a bite if his sandwich, “ that's the first thing she told me in class this morning. ”

the day had passed smoothly, with the classes and teachers the same as usual. however, it had a certain undercurrent of excitement to it; ajay had something to look forward to.

he didn't quite get to leave his classroom during lunch break. but whilst reviewing material for the test, ajay had made a quick call to his mother, informing that they would be having his new friend over for dinner tonight.

he didn't quite get the chance to meet karan again with the test after break, with their class handling a heavier exploration into thermodynamics.

after all this was done, ajay was at cricket practice at the grounds. the coach for this one didn't take a day off and put them through proper training over and over until their performance was satisfactory enough to his (very much in tune with his rivalry with the coach in st. teresa's) standard.

- - - - - - -

a pleasant aroma filled the house with ajay setting the table while his mother finished the last of the dishes.

it wasn't anything too fancy, but ajay hoped that karan would like a sincere homemade meal. he'd been thinking of him in fleeting moments throughout the day, yet each one held such significant interest.

his mind began to wander as he set the plates— it snapped out before he could linger on the bittersweet thought.

it was the first time in a decade that a third plate has been put on this table.

“ ajay, get the ghee from the upper shelf. ”

a fleeting smile curls on his lips, and fades just as fast.

a glance is thrown towards the clock as he got the item for her — 6:47pm.

the mother-son duo work efficiently, in a sync they'd learned since the loss bound then closer. he begins plating up the food in their respective containers to keep them hot until their guest arrived.

his eyes meet karan's — and he doesn't know it yet — but he would come to associate this escape with those mysterious brown hues.

despite ajay's attempts to brush it off, the nagging feeling of those eyes holding a loneliness behind the usually indifferent gaze doesn't fade. something clawed inside him to take it away, to tear those curtains of whatever loss karan had experienced, soothe it, and fill it with clouds of happiness and the warmth of sunshine instead.

“ when are you free, then? ”

ajay insists, however, so that his junior didn't feel burdened, “ —and don't agree just because i asked, or you feel hesitant to decline. we would feel happier if you'd come when you wish to, whenever you feel like it. ”

this friendship was still new to both, yet it was wrapping itself around him like a typhoon which started off slow but gained momentum with one right turn, and there's no stopping it's speed anymore. ajay hasn't got any speed-breaker to stop it, and he doesn't have any intention to stop it either — the older male simply lets himself be sucked into the typhoon, and see where it takes him than control it.

they had a great time at kenny's stand-up, and then two others that followed. their laughs were heard mixing as some joke threw an unexpected curveball to the story, and through it all, ajay snuck a few glances at the junior to see if he was enjoying himself. he was. with delight at that, ajay later parted ways with him with a big smile on his face and a friendship allowed to be earned.

the initially aloof fresher had given him his name before leaving.

yet, ajay had called out, “ phir milenge, shahzaade! ”

after helping his friends wrap things up and dropping a friend off at their place, ajay had finally gotten home around half past one, locking the door and heading right to his room than disturb his mother's slumber.

- - - - - - -

sunlight filtered in through the window, casting it's warmth over the sleepy male. the curtains fluttered as a cold breeze swept through, making him hug his jacket a little closer.

the sound of the vegetable vendor could be heard giving the residents a good offer. the aunty at the end of the street could be heard stopping the vendor, bargaining for more than the offered amount.

“ chod na sarita. uss bechare ki bhi toh roz guzarni chahiye. ”

“ haan memsaab, aise boliye unko. har roz yehi jhagda! ” the vendor complained.

sarita aunty huffed as they bought the vegetables, “ rathod tai ne kaha toh aaj chod rahi hoon. lekin phirse nehi bachega tu, haan! ”

his mother's voice brought a half-conscious smile on his lips.

a few minutes pass, as his surroundings lull him in and out of sleep, and a certain laughter from his memory echoes in his ears.

stirring awake, ajay turned to his side and cuddled against the jacket, warm and at peace, sleepy eyes blinking slowly as they registered it's surroundings.

the big teddy bear initially left on the couch was put away on his desk chair. must be his mother's doing. but well, technically, it should be at karan's place. he'd won it for his junior, after all.

karan singhania. he doesn't know why, but his instincts make it seem like a very special friendship in the works with this boy.

stretching with a little noise, ajay woke himself up enough to get out of the bed, cozy as it was, and heads right into the living room to greet his mother.

“ good morning maa, ” he hugs her from behind, placing a little kiss on the back of her head before he joins her at the table.

“ good morning, bete ji, ” she responds in a sing-song voice, a soft smile curling up on her lips when she noticed a similar one on her son's face. “ haan aaj saturday hai, lekin time ka koi dhyaan hai aapko? paune nau ho rahe hai. ”

ajay simply gives her a bigger smile, taking the knife and board from her to chop the onions. “ sorry, maa. ghar aate der ho gaya. ”

his mother hummed as she went on to sort through the leafy vegetables, “ how did the freshers party go? did your juniors enjoy it? ”

“ it went well, everybody seemed to like it. ”

ajay's eyes shine with a new fondness when he adds, “ and i made a new friend. karan singhania. ”

his mother studied his expression for a moment, humming in response as if telling him to keep talking. she hadn't seen that expression on her son's face in a while.

“ he's a bit shy, aloof. thoda guarded hai, doesn't open up easily. but he's a good guy. ”

it wasn't unlike ajay to share everything with his mother. she was his best friend all these years, uncontested.

suhana handed karan the pista kulfi, and without even having to ask, ajay was given the mango flavoured one. it was his favourite.

however, he was more pleased with karan and suhana getting along already, though she did shoo them away as soon as the next customers came along.

gesturing with his eyebrows that they should keep moving than stay around the rush, ajay walked a step behind karan, the barrier keeping the crowd bumping past.

at his question, ajay removed the kulfi to speak, licking his lips off the cream quickly. he supposed it would seem suspicious that someone wants to befriend them, especially so to someone as guarded as this guy.

“ not every friendship is the same. it has different dynamics, different levels of comfort, ” explained the runner.

“ if i earn this friendship, you'll have a friend for life. and if i don't— well, you'll have a mentor for life. ”

ajay knew there's nobody on this planet who would be liked by all and disliked by none. he wasn't any different, he wasn't certain if his effort would bear any fruit but he wouldn't hold it against the boy.

taking a bite from the kulfi, they stroll along quietly before rathod was called by another friend to check out the arcade games.

the evening had finally settled in and the fresher's party had officially begun. after the slow morning with the event still being set up, the first years were finally free to let loose and enjoy themselves.

music was being played over the speakers, and everything from game stalls to food stations were bright and ready for their juniors, the sky a beautiful shade of orange and the sunlight slowly dulling, adding to the party atmosphere.

there were several games of fun, competitive and interactive sort to encourage seniors and juniors' bonding. there was a flurry of excited chatter from the students as they explored the area, making new friends and some. . . already onto the beginning of their love story.

- - - - - - -

ajay was delighted to see their hard work had paid off. his friends had put him up as ' the greeter ' to lure more students to come eat at their stalls. it barely cost more than ten rupees anyway and besides, ' who wouldn't feel welcome when such a handsome face was greeting them? ' their words, not his.

the sun had long set when he finally was relieved of his duty, and ajay had chosen to get himself a drink first and then go sit by a quiet table in the far side. deep brown eyes take in his surroundings with a soft smile, almost reminiscing his own fresher's party a year ago. oh how time passes in the blink of an eye. . .

ajay didn't understand this mellow feeling bubbling up, like he was missing something still, like he hasn't truly begun living his life yet.

“ kya hogi woh jo mujhe jeehne ka ehsaas dilayegi— ” the track star mumbled to himself with a sigh, though much more eager for that experience to enter his life than disappointed by it's lack of presence.

it was then that he noticed a familiar face in the crowd, alone still, maybe even lonely? he couldn't judge yet.

champ, whose name he still wasn't ' worthy ' of learning. ajay chuckled, watching the other navigate through the crowd with a drink in hand, listening to someone play their guitar, a smooth voice singing shah rukh's ' koi na koi chahiye ' on their guitar.

koi na koi chahiye pyar karne wala / koi na koi chahiye pyar karne wala

( need someone , someone to love me / need someone , someone to love me )

koi na koi chahiye hum pe marne wala / dil-o-jaan lutayenge hum toh ussi pal

( need someone , someone who will die over me / i'll give my heart and life right then and there )

ajay doesn't know why his gaze lingered. . . until their eyes met, only briefly, before he looked away, leaning back in his seat.

saath mein bitayenge shaam-o-sehar / shaam-o-sehar o mere yaara

he had blurted out his inner workings without the guarantee of a positive response. he couldn't regret it now that they've already spilled, but he could only study karan's expression helplessly.

however, neither the expressions nor the words spoken next match the worry in his mind. by the end of karan's admission, ajay was relieved with a soft smile on his face and a softer spot in his heart.

only now does the older male realize that his friend wasn't too troubled by the invite and rather comfortable enough, thankfully.

“ okay, ” a somewhat shy nod. “ thank you, karan. ”

what else was there to say? karan had mentioned being bad with words, but his sincerity made up for it, and that connected with ajay, the more expressive one between them, who was at a loss for words.

- - - - - - -

they had resumed their little look around the cozy sunroom and the terrace next.

‘ it's beautiful during early mornings, ’ ajay had insisted. ‘ and particularly more so on rainy days. ’

but they couldn't enjoy it much with the night settling in, and with no stars in the sky. besides, a few fairy lights hung along the the terrace corner made an underwhelming attraction.

‘ maybe you could witness it another time. ’

ajay's mother had called for them just then, and the duo head downstairs where they were given homemade chocolate burfi, and of course, freshly made, melt-in-your-mouth gulab jamun.

they sit in the living room with the woman to enjoy the dessert together, while she sat down with the intent of mischief.

to be precise, with the intention of embarrassing her son in front of his friend.

“ as you can tell, ajay is quite expressive. he's always been that way, ” she told karan with a chuckle, “ but he didn't have the filter that he does today— ”

“ maa, please. we can just watch a movie or something, ” he interrupts with an embarrassed expression.

“ but karan wants to know. he's got to do something about that cool guy image of yours before it got to your head, ” she teased, turning to their guest.