Be Mine-It's All Tangled

Prologue

‘Yes, I am! I came to wish good luck,’ he told, his eyes cherishing every inch of her.

Anaisha was feeling uneasy and she just wanted to vanish, ‘Ayaan! Stop it!’

‘Sorry! You’re so pretty and I can’t get my eyes off you nor can I take you out of my head!’ Ayaan was astonished at his words again, and he could not help it anymore.

‘Let it out!’ The voice whispered.

‘Oh, God! Ayaaann! I’m your teacher; do you even realise how you are talking to me?’ She warned him, but she was not mad at him for Ayaan was not a freak.

‘I am a man after all... A man with feelings, a man in love with you and I know I’ll love you till my last breath,’ he finally disclosed.

‘Ayaaann!!!’ Anaisha felt her heart throbbing against her rib cage and she was blushing. She could not believe her ears. Fortunately, no one heard the way Ayaan was speaking to her, else it would be a total shame.

‘I can’t hide my love for you anymore. I’m a grown-up man and I have the right to choose my life partner!’ Ayaan’s tone was getting a bit higher.

‘Shh! Ayaan! Please, at this age it’s not love. You are confusing love with something else,’ she argued.

‘Of my age? I’m only two years younger than you and age doesn’t matter. A man is a man from when he is in his mother’s womb!’ Ayaan tried to prove his point, then continued, ‘Due to unforeseen events I lagged in my studies, else by now I would have been a commanding officer!’

‘Okay Ayaan, please calm down. We have major competitions going on today. So, can we talk after?’ She tried pacifying him.

Chapter 1

After many years of hard work and sacrifices, it was time to reap the fruits. Anaisha Mahajan was honoured at the Graduation Ceremony for having passed with flying colours. The year 2000 had been very lucky for her.

Mrs. Rachna Mahajan was proud of her daughter’s success and her eyes were wet with tears of joy. She wished her husband would have been here with them.

As Anaisha stepped down from the stage to meet her mother with her degree in hand, she hugged her tightly and kissed her right cheek.

‘I did it, Mum! It would not have been possible without you!’ She exclaimed with excitement.

‘I’m so proud of you, my baby!’ she sobbed and Anaisha was used to her emotional mother and she chuckled.

‘Don’t cry else my friends will think I have failed,’ she teased and Rachna smiled, wiping her tears.

‘You always do that to me!’ She pinched Anaisha playfully.

Finally, it was time to pose for the University of Mauritius’ Yearbook and Anaisha pulled her mother to the crowd where all the graduated students gathered with their parents.

They clicked a wonderful photograph of the students which the Campus’ promised to gift them as a souvenir, in the coming days.

Anaisha did miss her father but she did not want to make her Mum cry again. She knew that he was somewhere watching them on the most important day of her life.

Her father passed away when she was 11 years old. Mother and daughter were significantly affected by his demise because Mr. Krishna Mahajan was the best husband and father. He did leave behind wealth; however, money was not the only thing that mattered in life.

Mrs. Mahajan never got married again for she never wanted a step-father for her daughter and she mentioned that she did not need a man to move on in life. She was determined to raise her only child single-handedly.

She was a well-known fashion designer and with the wealth that her husband left behind, she invested in her lucrative business and she named her collections Mahajan Fashion.

After the party, Anaisha and Rachna drove off home. Their house was located in Rose Belle, a beautiful village in the South region of Mauritius. They had a beautiful rose bed of pink, white and red flowers at the entrance. They also had orchids and hibiscus which were so well taken care of. After stepping into their space, one would feel the flowers bowing to welcome them into their charming world.

The verandah was very gratifying with exclusive furniture where Anaisha spent most of her time studying as it was peaceful.

A few miles away there was a spacious concrete doghouse to accommodate their German shepherd, Cookie, which had been with them for the past two years. Cookie was a huge male dog that was dangerous to strangers but was a loving dog to family members. Ever since he was gifted to Anaisha on her twentieth birthday, Cookie had been a wonderful companion.

He was not allowed inside the house and he was fine with it. When he was a puppy, he had made a lot of mess; throwing the flower pots, chewing on slippers, and many more. Fortunately, Anaisha was able to train Cookie and transformed him into a very obedient guard dog. Cookie adored the girls immensely.

The house’s interior was shabby but chic and tidy. Their housekeeper, Mrs. Indu did a fantastic job. She had been working for the Mahajans for nearly ten years and she had no intention to leave them.

‘So now what is your next step?’ asked Rachna to Anaisha.

‘I would like to be a teacher and I have already started applying for jobs for the past month in both Government and Private Institutions. Let’s see,’ she replied.

‘In the meantime, enjoy yourself before starting any work as you have strived a lot all these years,’ Rachna advised.

‘I’ll learn cooking while I’ll be at home. Moreover, I was thinking to start giving private tuition at home, what do you think?’

‘Sure! Great! But don’t rush. You don’t need to start working right away. Mum is here to take care of your needs,’ Rachna said.

‘I know sweet Mum... But I wish to start right away. You should stop working now. Take rest, I shall take care of you,’ she proposed.

‘No! I love my job and if I stay at home, I’ll have nothing to do except reading and watching T.V. Work helps me keep fit,’ she argued.

‘Okay Mum, as you wish. Please don’t worry about me.’ Anaisha reassured.

‘Okay, big girl!’ Rachna tapped her back lightly.

That day they had a sumptuous dinner, watched a romantic comedy and slept peacefully.

However, Anaisha dreamt about a tall gentleman, dressed in black, his back to her and as if he was waiting for her. As she approached him, the sleep broke.

‘Today I nearly saw his face! My God!’ she mumbled in despair.

It always happened that she could never see that mysterious guy who kept haunting her sleep almost every day. It was the same silhouette, but never to show his face. She hushed the thought of him and went back to sleep. She had more important matters to ponder upon than an unknown figure.

From the next day to the whole week, Anaisha kept applying for jobs as an English teacher at Secondary schools across the island.

A week later, she received a call from Gems Secondary School located in Rose Belle. They were looking for a fresh graduate to teach English Language and General Paper for students of Form 4 to Upper 6 on a year contract.

The secretary, Ms. Pamela, called her for an interview with the department head and the school principal, the following day.

Anaisha was familiar with the school which was located in her area. She was aware that many students who failed many times and could not repeat classes in other institutions were admitted to that private secondary school. Only students from Form 4 and 5, Lower and Upper 6 were admitted at Gems.

Nonetheless, it had a good reputation for ensuring that most of the students obtained good results. People said that students got reformed after their entry there.

Anaisha was intrigued and she wanted to see for herself what it was like to work in such a challenging environment.

She had a few formal suits that her Mum had sewed for her for important occasions which she just had to choose from. There were grey, black and dark blue with white and cream blouses to choose from. She opted for a black jacket and trousers to match the white blouse. The formal black belly shoes and a pair of jade studs would be appropriate, she thought.

She had to get selected as she was bored at home already. It seemed that the school was calling her to fulfill her purpose, that was, to teach.

The interview was at 10 am. Anaisha, an early riser since childhood, finished her yoga session and went for a shower.

Anaisha, of Hindu faith, completed the morning prayer and sat outside to have her breakfast. Rachna was still asleep and would be up by 7 am.

As every regular day, Cookie would come to his mistress to have his meal. He loved it when his bowl would be laid on the floor near Anaisha’s feet, and he would feast on his food.

The beautiful sunrise was breathtaking in Mauritius. It was August, and winter was still here but Anaisha was not one of those people who would shiver in such a weather. She seldom wore cardigans and very warm clothes.

Anaisha the fair, slender twenty-one-year-old girl, who was turning twenty-two on the eighteenth of August, was quite ambitious. She was fond of playing badminton but now she was aware that her friends would no longer be available to have a match like the old days. It was so strange that just a week had passed b