Chapter One

"Zoya" Hearing my name followed by the hitting sound on the table I return to reality. 

He is looking at me keenly, expecting an answer from me. But I don't know what should I tell. I can't concentrate on learning when anyone is teaching, sleep will welcome me sometimes. That kind of sleep will only happen with open eyes. 

"Where were you? " My special tuition sir asked me like I know where I was. 

"Sorry, sir. " I apologised. 

"Do this calculation quickly and give me the answer. " After giving me a work he gives his eyes to phone, most probably he will play games. But nowadays he is into social media, whole scrolling. 

Shrugging off my shoulders I concentrated on the calculations. Since when I was a child, I love maths and calculating. These are like games to me. I am not a bookworm but I love calculations. After getting the answer and checking twice I called him. 

Locking his phone he began to check my answer. I am a fast learner, I can understand when the teacher teaches me for the first time but when he repeats I feel bored and those times I went back to my open-eyed sleep. He can't change his way of teaching because I am not the only one whom he is teaching. He has so many students at various times. 

"That's right. " He replied and started teaching the other topics. 

After few minutes I began to check my wristwatch, it is another routine, checking each and every second passing. The time reached 6.00 pm and he is not stopping. Since it is an important topic I didn't interrupt him. After teaching that topic time reached 6.10.

"Do you understand? " He asked and I nodded. 

"But sir time is 6.10." I reminded him. Our class timing is until 6.

"Were you checking the watch the entire time when I was teaching? " He is disappointed. 

"No sir, I was concentrating on the lecture. " I said and added, "Papa will scold me if I reach home late. " I informed him that he already knows. 

"You came here at 5.00 pm and went back after an hour. Will we complete the portion if goes on like this? " He asked. Yes, he is right. 

"What about Sunday, sir? " I asked. 

"Sunday... " He caressed the back of his nape. "Okay fine. Sunday on 8.00 am." He decided. 

"Okay," I replied and my good Sunday is gone. 

"Advik, your mom called me saying you didn't attend the call. " The other guys announced, he also takes tution like my sir. 

"My phone was in silent. I will call her back. " He replied showing his dimples. I smiled at him and he looked at me.. 

"May I leave? " I asked and he agreed. He, Advik sir was my senior in school. When I was in 7th grade, he was in 12th. Coincidentally we met again as my special tution sir. 

I am now in my final year of bcom. Since I am weak in this subject, I joined here for tution. I am a reserved person to my closed one. Even though I knew him when I was child, we don't behave like friends. He is like a strict tution sir to me. Strict means very strict. 

Walking back to my home I smiled at my Aunty on the neighborhood. Okay, I will tell about myself. 

I am Zoya, the one and only daughter of my middle class parents. I am their gem and they are treating me like a small child. My father is younger one, he has two elder brothers and they have together 4 son. Not one or two but four. My Mom is too youngest, she had a elder brother and he has a son named Deepak, who is two years younger to me. I am more close to him. We all share the same neighborhood. 

My parents are Orthodox, they thinks about society before us. In my home I have so many freedom but every case is not same. I am restricted to talk with boys or hang out after 6.30pm. These rules are not made by my parents but those elder cousins of mine. They are much older than me, the younger one among them is probably 10years older than me. 

Because of them I have to transfer to a girls only school when I was eighth standard. From then to now, I am in girls only zone. I don't know how to talk with boys normally. 

I am not a blabbering or talkative girl but a silent one. But to my close ones and to my parents I am indeed crazy. I can't keep quiet with them. Same goes to my tution sir, Advik. I don't know what to talk with him. Even though we knows from childhood we only talks about academy. 

On saying about Advik sir, he is tall, fit, handsome and he has dimples on either side of his cheeks. He got job before three months but still he continue to teach me until this semester is over. He is a man of words, so he can't leave me on the middle of the semester.

Deepak knows him well, they are more like buddies. They play cricket and football together during weekends Advik Sir now stays as paying guest somewhere near my neighborhood but his home is very far away. 

When I entered house gate, I found slippers on the steps. Someone had come. I am a rare type of girl who don't like guest. 

Walking inside I heard sounds of others talking. Sounds seems like my uncle, paternal uncle. Even though he and my Papa see often, meeting in our home with everyone is rare. Everyone means, uncle, aunt, their elder son and his wife. 

"You came? " They asked with a smile. 

"Yeah, I had class to attend. " I replied with a smile. I don't like them. 

"Zoya, we came with a proposal for you. " Their daughter in law, Navya said with a smile. 

People are like we are eager to get married and waiting for someone to at least talk about marriage. Why everyone is like this? 

"Proposal? " Even though I know what they are saying I looked at Mamma for denying it. 

"Yeah, he is my friend's brother. " Karthik bhai, my cousin said. 

I can't even tolerate him and he is suggesting his friends brother. It is a big no from me. But I can't deny it right away. 

"He saw you somewhere and he like you. " He added. Seeing, liking and purchasing, am I  object or what? 

"Bhai, don't get me wrong, I don't want to get married soon. I am studying and I don't like him. " He is one of the famous staring guy at the bus stop. Bhai sighed. 

"That's okay. I don't like him but he is fond of him. That's why we decided to talk with you. " Uncle said. What's happening, he is supporting me. 

I am happy that this proposal went. Causing accident to the dancing figure inside me Aunt said, "Any way you have to marry soon."

"Even though she reached 21, she is still a child to us. " I love Papa. 

Seeing the direction of their conversation I walked inside after asking an excuse from them. 

One thing I am sure, these proposals won't end here. My fate!!!