Tabish aggresively ripped a few shards of grass off of the ground, dismantling the plants from their home. He winced in pain as Badar swatted his hand away, the homeless grass falling from his fingers.

"Quit pulling your future apart."

Tabish laughed, his gaze travelling to the water fountain that seemed to attract everyone of university grounds. "Environmentalist, are you?"

"Anti-environmentalist, are you?"

"What makes you think my future is ruined because of a few measly scraps of grass I pulled?"

"What makes you think it's not?"

Tabish shrugged. "Can't deny that."

Badar raised an eyebrow, turning his head for just a second to smile at a group of girls passing by, who burst into barely concealed grins. He looked back at Tabish. "You had another moment with her."

"If you could call our extremely formal interactions 'moments'."

"Formal, but moments nonetheless."

Tabish bit down on his lip, but still let his smile shine through. It astounded him how someone could make him feel this way, and that too someone who had no idea she made him feel this way.

"How hard is it for you to just ask her out? Don't you live in the same house?"

"She won't look me in the eye for a second, you doofus."

"You're just scared of rejection."

Tabish could see what Badar was getting at. With a swanky personality that moved the crowd around him, Badar was perhaps a lot more experienced in the art of 'people-ing' than Tabish ever was. Even then, Tabish was certain this was not the case. And what it was, he'd never really had the courage to tell Badar of it.

"I'm not."

"Prove it." Badar spoke, a clear challenge in his tone. "You see that girl by the bench with her headphones in? Go ask her for her number."

"I'm not talking to her unless she magically transforms into Daneen."

"More like, 'I'm not giving anyone but Daneen the honor of me talking to them.'"

"Shut up," Tabish grumbled.

"And suppose if it was Daneen, you would've walked up to her and asked her out?"

Tabish looked away.

Badar threw his phone in the air. "You know." And then swiftly caught it. "I could talk to Daneen."

"No," Tabish snapped, glaring at Badar. He gathered the books strewn over the grass, shoving them into his bag and getting on his feet.

"Wouldn't want you to steal her away too."