20 Ready for a final mission, Agent?

"You can totally do this," Rohan whispered, tapping my shoulders and shooting me a smile. And subconsciously, I smiled back.

"Yes, I'm going out there and putting Leonardo DiCaprio to shame. You just watch me!" Rohan laughed.

"Well that's far-fetched but yeah, go put Zac Efron to shame."

"Hey!" I scowled. "Zac Efron is as good as Leonardo DiCaprio."

"Yeah, whatever," Rohan said, grinning as he pushed me towards the stage. “It's going to start. Go!" Shooting a cocky wink at Rohan, I made my way onto the screened stage to portray Mulan's almost nonexistent love story with Li Shang.

*

*

*

I'd like to say that the drama went exceptionally. That James Cameron had already signed me for the main role in his next movie. That the senior guy who had been acting as stage director cried happy tears seeing his students accomplish so much. In reality, the drama was a total disaster. Like, the rehearsals were always a disaster so it wasn't a big surprise that this was also a disaster, but it went abominably bad.

Li Shang bowed to Mulan and in the process, his shirt ripped. The huge fan which was supposed to sprinkle glitter and stuff around them when they confessed their “undying” love ended up blowing Mulan's wig off. Mushu actually stepped onto the stage without his costume… Backstage, the stage director fainted out of embarrassment and Rohan had to fan his face. But I was proud of us--we’d actually improved. Our rehearsals were disasters but the main drama was just... totally, completely, mega disastrous. So speaking somewhat figuratively, it was an improvement.

The funny thing was, people actually enjoyed it. Well, that was because they thought this was a Charlie Chaplin kind of humorous version of Mulan's story acted as a skit. I guess we could actually brush off the fact that this was a romance and certainly not a jolly skit but yeah, this was a winning situation anyway. The crowd thundered their applause and I shot a look at my family, who were seated among the crowd.

After sitting through numerous other performances which were surprisingly really good, it was time we vacated the dorm. Vacate. Wow, who knew this day was coming so soon?

"Did you take everything?" Rohan asked for the inth time.

"I did, sire," I replied mockingly as I sat on my barren bed, relishing on my final moments in this room.

Rohan looked around the room and the bathroom. When he found that everything was packed, he came to sit beside me."So... this is it, huh?"

I nodded, a melancholic smile playing on my lips. "Yes."

We remained silent as we sat in each other's company, just enjoying the very presence of one another. Soon we wouldn't even have that. And... I didn't want to go there.

"Isn't it great that during my time here, no one, except for you and Hrithik-anna came to know about my little secret. I mean, I never thought it would be this easy."

Rohan shot me a cheeky grin. "Yeah, me helping you free a zipper which, as you put so nicely, ‘conceals your femininity,’ is actually a very easy thing."

"Shut up!" I grumbled as a faint blush started to colour my cheeks.

Thank god for tan skins. He would never realize I was blushing. "I know you’re blushing," Rohan whispered suddenly, his breath on my ears and his finger poking my cheek.

Screaming, I moved back. "Don't you ever do that again," I said, pressing my chest as if that was going to help my poor heart. "You think it's super amazing to literally breathe on someone's ear? Who taught you that, seriously? That's mega weird. You heard me? Mega. Weird!" Rohan started laughing until he was clutching the sides of his stomach. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he actually looked like he was in pain because of excessive laughter. "Hey!" I smacked the back of his head but he continued to laugh.

"Look at your face," he said between laughs. "You look so flustered."

"I... uh— "

"And if 'weird' makes you all flustered and girlish, then I'm more than ready to get weirder."

I looked at Rohan in disbelief. "Was that a sort of pick up line you just used on me, Rohan Chakravathy?" Rohan pulled me closer and grinned.

"Maybe, Mrs Uthra Chakravathy." I pushed him away and started smacking him hard so that he wouldn't see how much that affected me.

God, this boy… Who was the genius who actually thought he needed a girl to dress as a guy to make him talk? He could talk way more than all the chatterboxes put together. "Gross, gross, gross," I repeated as I smacked, punched, and even attempted to kick him.

"Yeah, I love you too, abusive girlfriend," Rohan said, laughing all the while, and just like that, I died. Well, figuratively. He'll be the death of me. Wait, wait. He was the death of me.

"I'm outta here," I muttered before getting up to gather the suitcases.

Rohan didn't say anything as he followed my lead, but he looked way happier than me. "Hey buddy," I called once we were out of what used to be our room.

"Yes, bud?"

"Do you know that this might be the last time we can actually talk like this? The next time might not be until whenever you come to my father to ask for my hand in marriage--that is, if he doesn't kill you before that."

"I know," Rohan said, a gentle, typical Rohan smile on his face.

Even though I liked the bold, outgoing version of Rohan, the caring, shy part of him would always be my most favourite. "Aren't you sad?"

Rohan opened the door again and pushed me inside. He closed the door after us and at once hugged me tight. I hugged back, clutching onto the warmth that had been beside me for every second for almost a year. The guy who had shown me so much. I didn't know when I'd feel this warmth again. There were phone calls and Skype. But feeling the warmth radiating from a person you love was something technology could not give you.

That's when the reality of the situation sank in and that's when the tears actually started to fall. "I'll really miss you," I whispered through the tears, "and the guys. I'll miss the room. I'll miss the courtyard. I'll miss the dorm. I'll miss the school. Heck, I'll even miss the average dining hall food."

Rohan combed my hair as I blubbered, and that made me realise how lucky I was to have this guy. And that made me cry even harder. "Shh, Uthra, mate, we'll miss you too... I'll miss you so freaking much. I'll look at our class, our bench, and everything and remember you. How you were with me through everything. I'd remember how you were my first roommate, I'd remember how you were my first friend, I'd remember how you were my first best friend, I'd remember how you were my first girlfriend. I'd remember how you were my first love, how it was with you I had my first hug, first cuddle session, my first everything. And I'll smile and think about how many firsts I'll have with you in the future. So yes, I'll miss you, but no, I won't feel sad. ‘Cause this isn't the end. This is just the start of many more things to come. We'll manage it somehow. We'll make it work, Uthra. I don't know how. I'll be in the dorm and won't be able to talk to you that much. But I'll somehow make it work. We can do this ‘cause in the end, it's always about winning, right?" Rohan patted my back before letting me go and took my chin in between his fingers. "Look here."

And I did just that. I looked into the obsidian eyes which started everything. The emotions that were so evident in those ink black eyes were what made me actually want to try. So I looked into the eyes that actually showed me who Rohan really was.

"You said that for you this was a mission, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So, how about we take upon another mission? This mission is going to be kinda long, slow, gruesome, and filled with pain and nostalgia, 'kay? Our mission, Agent Uthra, is to hold on to the each of us till the next time. We just don't know when the 'next time' will be, but that's part of the mission."

I looked at him with wide, teary eyes. God, I really really really am going to miss Rohan Chakravathy, my number one mission.

"So... are you okay with taking up this mission, Agent?"

I wiped my tears and gave a smile as bright as I could. "Yes, Agent Rohan."

*

*

*

I made my way to where Rohit was standing, talking to a bunch of mutual friends and seniors. Hrithik-anna and Karan-anna were also there.

"Rohit?" I called, getting his attention.

"Uthra!" He smiled as he came towards me, "you're leaving so soon?"

"Yeah," I said, rocking on my heels.

After Rohan, Rohit and Hrithik-anna were the closest thing to family I had here.

"I just came to say bye."

Rohit grinned. "Don't forget to call. People like us exist too, though your eyes are only too busy fussing over your roomie." I punched him and though he winced, his goofy grin didn’t waver. And that made me do a thing I wouldn't have done to any guy if it wasn't for the fact that I was dressed as a guy. Or the fact that I was kind of overwhelmed. I grabbed Rohit's collar and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "I'll miss you, best friend." I pulled back almost immediately and Rohit looked as shocked as me.

"Wow, Uthra. Why so serious? This is just a small summer vacation."

"Uh, yeah..." I said. "Just felt like saying that. Anyways, bye."

I did the same with Hrithik-anna and he hugged me back with a brotherly, gentle smile. "You're a great kid, you know?"

I laughed giving him a wink. "Ha, at last you admitted my awesomeness."

In the background, Karan-anna looked like he want to puke. "Can I claw my eyes out already?"

I punched him. "I mega dislike you, anna," I said with a scowl and that idiot bowed, "but as unlikely as it seems, I'll miss you, too, when you graduate." I extended my hand for a handshake. Karan-anna looked at my hand, then my face, and then back at my hand. Then he did the most un-Karan like thing ever.

He got me in a headlock and ruffled my hair. "Hear it well, shortie, ‘cause I'm never, ever repeating this, even if Bill Gates leaves me his entire fortune. Or maybe I might, but hear it well! You're so short and girly and I don't know why, but you get on my nerves. But I've gotten used to having you around and I don't know if I'll find someone to bully and make fun of in uni. So, in a way, I'll miss you too, you short punk." He released me and wiped his hands on his shirt as if he’d just touched all of the world's dirt combined.

"Er, good to know." With some final words to Ryan, who actually ended up making me genuinely laugh, I officially walked out of the school which had homed me for almost a year.

I came because of totally unrealistic situations. I went through many things and learnt many things in the process. But I wouldn't say that coming here had been compulsory anymore. For me, coming had been fate. I found true love, true friends, and true everything in a place filled to the brink with testosterone and huge yet totally idiotic guys, and I'm so glad I made the decision to come and stay.

So next time, when you're making some really, really, really, utterly mental kind of decision, like for example, dressing up as another gender, don't worry. In the end, it's going to end good. Who knows? It may even save somebody. ‘Cause sometimes, you don't have to be Superman or Spiderman to save a soul. You just have to dress as a guy.

I did just that and look where it took me.