‘I do but not any great literature. How about you?’

‘I read mostly non-fiction or science fiction.’ But he stated that as a fact and not in a I-am-superior-to-you way. Anu liked it. She liked him.

After that walk, Anu made sure to join him and Sameer whenever they went out to get ice cream. Then, a year later, Sanju went to IIT Chennai, but met her and Sameer whenever he came home for holidays. In the meanwhile, Sameer was busy being flamboyant and changing girlfriends every six months. He went to St. Joseph’s College because they were big on sports. Anu toyed with the idea of changing her college but decided against it and continued her thirteenth year in KLE.

After nearly eight years of knowing each other, one day Sanju asked her out. ‘Anu, shall we go out for lunch tomorrow?’ He had added hastily. ‘Just you and me this time.’

Anu was more shocked than surprised because she had given up on both Sanju and Sameer; they treated her like a backslapping buddy and never a girl. It did annoy her occasionally that Sameer had courted everyone decent in the neighbourhood but had never asked her out. But Sanju was different. He did have a few super brainy girls for friends but as far as she knew, nobody was special.

She agreed to go out with him. There was no reason not to. He looked good (not in a macho way like Sameer but in a decent-guy kind of way), and he went to IIT. IIT held a different type of glamour in Vijaynagar.

That lunch oscillated between awkward and more awkward for the most part. Sameer wasn’t there to keep the conversation moving. Then Sanju had asked her abruptly. ‘Are you and Sameer together? You know what I mean.’

Anu had laughed nervously. ‘We are good friends. But that is all we are.’

‘He likes you a lot.’ Sanju had added.

‘I know.’ She had smiled. ‘I am his agony aunt every time someone breaks his heart or something goes wrong with his hair or he loses a match.’

‘I am sure he is your agony uncle too,’ Sameer had tried joking but she could sense anxiety in his voice. He would have loved it if she had denied her fondness for Sameer but how could she! Sameer was a part of her, like an arm or a leg.

‘He is more like my saviour when I am in dire straits.’

Then Sanju had asked her suavely. ‘If you both are just friends, will you be my special friend?’

Anu had blushed and then gaped at him open-mouthed. Is this really Sanju? The nerd of the century, the boy who loved astronomy, the guy who courted Computer Science?

‘This is a surprise!’ Then Anu had asked him, ‘Why me? I mean, you know—’

Sanju had added after a pause, looking into his water cup. ‘You are pretty, kind and uncomplicated.’