"Why don't you guys date? ", Trisha asks as she opens her lunch box. The aroma of different kinds of spices and cuisines hit my nose, instantly making my mouth water.

We are currently sitting at our regular place in the crowded cafeteria during lunchtime. Usually, our conversations are about different projects that we are working on, or about the people that work with us, but today the conversation took a different direction.

"Yea, I am also curious. ", Liam said, now giving us his full attention. The entire table followed his lead and gave Ishaan and me their complete attention.

I sighed opening my lunch box. "We.. ", I began to justify, when Riya spoke up. "Who says they are not dating? They could be dating secretly, you know like celebrities. ", Riya said with a teasing smile on her face.

"Oooo Office romance. ", Hara joined in to tease us.

" What grade were we in again? ", I asked Ishaan, in a sarcastic curious tone.

" The fifth I think. ", he played along.

"I don't think Yuri is dating Ishaan. ", Tyler intervened. "And if you are, you can tell us at your own time.", Tyler said comforting me.

" Well if we were dating Yuri, I would be very jealous of Tyler for sure. ", Ishaan commented.

Tyler began glaring at Ishaan and Ishaan stared back.

" That brings us back to square one. Are you guys dating? ", Kris brought the diverted conversation back on track.

I looked to Ishaan, giving him a chance to respond to these speculations about us. Catching the mischief in his eyes, I knew he was not going to give a straight answer.

" Well, what do the celebrities say? Oh right, we are just friends. ", he said much to the dissatisfaction of the table. I laughed at his answer.

I don't really know why people in our office paired us. Maybe it was because we have been friends for a long time. Or maybe because we got along with each other really well. And I knew these speculations were not limited to this table. A lot of other people in the office talked about us. If the office had a newspaper, our dating rumors would already have hit the front page.

But the people on the table were our close friends. So they had the right to be curious about our lives. Hara and Liam were both junior managers like Ishaan and I. Riya and Tyler were in my team and Kris was in Hara's. Trisha was a part of Liam's team. We had gradually become good friends during the course of working together. Tyler had joined us a few months before when he was a new joiner and was assigned to my team.

He and Ishaan have this bickering sort of a relationship, which makes me think that they would have more chemistry than Ishaan and I.

"Is she your first love?", Hara asked Ishaan, excitement lacing her tone.

Well, who isn't thirsty for some tea.

"Hah.", I snorted. " He had countless loves, ", I air quoted the word loves with my fingers, "in college. "

Everyone at the table laughed while Ishaan sat there in denial. In college, Ishaan had a new girl for every alternate semester. Both of us were pretty popular in our college. While I was the quiet studious kind, Ishaan was more outgoing. We were always in competition to get the 1st position in our department. We tied in the end, I got the 1st position 4 times and he got it 4 times. If not 1st, we used to be in the second position. Then we did our masters together and it was pretty great too. During our placements, we could not be happier that we had gotten into the same company.

I was that one person who helped him with his 'girl problems'. And boy, there were a lot of them. Coming from a rich family, a lot of girls usually got attracted to the money, instead of him, and due to his lack of knowledge of understanding people, he could never spot them out.

Currently, he was single, having learned his lesson multiple times. That did not mean he was not open to relationships. He was just waiting for the right person.

" And you? ", Liam said turning to me.

I looked at Ishaan and his eyes met mine, full of concern.

Me? Well, I am still not over my first love.

* * * Flashback * * *

"Yuri, hurry! ", Ikshaa frantically prompted me. "There is a fight broken up in the common ground. Its the guys."

I looked at Rairi in despair and her expression mirrored mine. We rushed to the common grounds, only to come across a large crowd focusing their attention on the commotion going in the center of the ground.

We pushed through the crowd to see a group of 8 to 10 boys trashing each other up very badly. I tried to figure out who is who, to see Destin, Augustya, Edhum, and Hruhaan getting beaten up very badly but were occasionally returning punches and kicks as well.

A loud whistle was heard just then, with some teachers making way into the crowd. The guys were escorted by the teachers into the building, with little to no resistance from them.

The crowd started gossiping about the events that took place while I tried to eavesdrop multiple conversations to figure out what was happening.

" They look badly injured!", Sasha exclaimed.

"What exactly happened? ", I asked anxiously.

" Well, some guy from the 9th grade punched Destin, and the fight broke out. "

" That is a really stupid reason to get into a fight ", Ikshaa huffed.

I could not agree more. It seemed like the guys loved getting in trouble.

It was lunch soon and we were spending the lunch, in the nursing room, dressing the guys' wounds. In our school, unless the condition of the student was back, basic first aids were to be performed by students, who either volunteered or were picked randomly by teachers to get us the experience of treating basic wounds and stuff. In our case, we volunteered.

" This might hurt ", Sasha warned Augustya before pressing the medicine clotted cotton on his knee.

I was carefully doing the same to Edhum who quietly endured it, unlike Destin and Augustya who were making a great deal indicated by their over-exaggerated pain infused sounds.

" Why did you have to create a fuss over nothing? All you had to do was complain to the authorities. Look you got all the boys in trouble. ", Ikshaa hit Destin on the head with a book, which engendered their occasional bickering.

I carefully placed a bandage on Edhum's elbow and pressed it lightly.

" Thank you ", Edhum said with an earnest expression and I smiled back to convey that it was alright.

"Guys!", Sasha called getting up from dressings Augustya's wounds, gaining attention from the rest seven people. "Do you like love getting into trouble? "

" Look at you, your parents are going to be here soon", she cried. "Augustya, I truly expected more.", she said giving him a disappointed look.

Augustya just hung his head down not able to say anything. I did not see a hint of regret in his eyes. The fact that he, no, all of them actually, were willing to take a blow for a friend, no matter how stupid the situation, made me smile.

"Promise me", Sasha said taking Augustya's hand in hers, "Promise me that you will stay away from these fights. ", she said looking him in the eye. "Please. ", she cried.

Are they dating? Because she was definitely giving off the impression that they were. And it was not just me, because I looked to Ikshaa and Rairi and their expressions reflected the same question as mine.

Before Augustya could speak up, some kid maybe from the 5th or 6th grade came running to us.

" Your parents are looking for you. They are outside the principal's office. ", he huffed before running off again.

The guys got up to leave for the principal's room reluctantly, with a few whimpers.

The four boys headed to the principal's room while we headed to our classrooms to get done with the rest of the day.

The boys returned to the class, but we did not get a chance to ask what ensued in the principal's cabin.

After school, we gathered in the common ground where the parents were waiting as well, to take their injured sons home.

Reaching the common ground, I saw 4 parents - 2 dads, and 2 moms waiting for their sons. What shocked me was that one of them seemed really familiar. The woman's face resembled the aunty I help occasionally to carry heavy groceries.

The scolding immediately began as we reached the grounds but quietened down when they saw us.

" So what did the principal say? ", Sasha asked Augustya getting straight to the point.

" He said that we are big boys and should put our energy into good use. ", Hruhaan said sighing. " I would not hesitate to hit back if they hit any one of us first though. ", he said earning a slap on the head from his dad.

All of us giggled while the parents just shook their heads. " Good use, he said good use. ", Edhum's mom said scolding Hruhaan lightly.

" Yuri? ", the familiar lady, who I believe is Augustya's mom, said with furrowed eyebrows.

This confirmed my doubts that she was indeed the lady who stayed in the next building. Which meant.....

"You know her? ", Augustya asked cutting my thoughts.

" This young well-mannered lady helps me carry the groceries daily. Which is supposed to be someone else's job ", she said narrowing her eyes. " Yuri ", she said looking at me, "Do me another favor and keep an eye on this one. "

I just chuckled while Augustya looked at me with a little bit of resentment in his eyes.

" Don't worry Aunty ", Sasha interrupts. " As Augustya's deskmate and their friend, I will see to it that these four don't fight again. And besides Augustya has promised me that he won't.", she said with a beam while looking at Augustya.

After a few more scoldings, and then basic introductions, -yes, I know the chronology got reversed- all of us head to the exit.

"Augustya ", I called out seeing the cotton that was stuck to his knee fell. He turned back expecting a reply while the others went ahead.

I walked up to him and bend down to his knee level. I took out the last bandage that I had borrowed from Rairi. I opened it and gently pressed it on the wound. " I don't keep favors. "

I got up now coming to about an inch shorter than him.

" Keep standing up for what you feel is right but be careful the next time, please. There are people who worry about you. ", I said honestly.

I could not pinpoint the exact expression on his face, but this was getting awkward, so I ran to catch up with the rest, leaving him there to contemplate my words.

* * * Flashback end * * *