A quick note/ tips / background info

~ This novel is set in early 2020, Colombo when Coronavirus first hit Sri Lanka. The first case was reported in early February as far as I can call back my memory. { I'm sorry ima a professional goldfish 🐠😂😅}

And in 2019 Sri Lanka { mainly Colombo} faced a chained bomb incident called "Easter bombings". So because of that, the entire country was under a lockdown from "April to May?.

So we couldn't celebrate our New Year that comes in April properly for almost two years. 😭😭.

Also, WhatsApp's " Block " option was not available back then.{2020} So you could only mute somebody for a year and not delete them forever.

I like the way how I'm typing this down in my baggy clothes from last night when it's 1.12 p.m. 🤪🤫🤡 when my character is someone that wakes up @4 am and takes a shower 😑😁

Also, point any mistakes as you go 🙂.

  £_£_£_£_£_£_
    Chapter~9
  £_£_£_£_£_£_

Yohan woke up at four in the morning and jumped into the shower to take a bath.

He always preferred to take a cold bath in the morning so that it would rejuvenate himself and wash away any sleepiness that was left behind by the lack of sleep he received the night before.

Having to shower in freezing cold water even before the sun comes up sounds like a prison punishment but it was a ritual for Yohan. His morning right that he never missed. Not even on holidays.

"Five months more to the exam!"
He thought as he looked at the calendar that was hung on the wall, that had the days that he would have the exams marked.
It was the latter part of March, and April was almost at hand.

April!

How much did he miss that!

Yohan's favourite time of the year to study peacefully was during the school vacation. It was the ideal time for summing up all the short notes and to read some subject related books for extra knowledge. As there was no school and only tuition classes, he could meet up with his friends and do some group studying as well. But he did it only during the August and December vacations and not in his April vacation.

For April vacation was different!

It was the first vacation of the year for most of the students and most importantly it was one month before the "Vesak festival". The two months had so much festivity involved that he could not concentrate on his studies even if he wanted to!

How on earth was he supposed to concentrate on his studies when firecrackers were blasting anyways?

April vacation lasted not more than two weeks. Yet it was loads of fun because it was the time of "Sinhala and Tamil new year".
It was the time when families got together and spent more time together.
He missed all the good food, the fun and the short trips they went on.
Even though they did not have much time left.

The exams were supposed to take place in August but were postponed to October all thanks to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Hopefully, things would get back to normal once his exams were over so that he can travel around Sri Lanka with his friends as he dreamed all the time.

Yohan took his "General Knowledge" book and began going through the facts that had no practical use and would never come in handy as he proceeded to walk in his room.

It was like a meditation for him and he used it all the time when he happened to study something that he loathed from the bottom of his heart.

He saw no reason why he should know the country that won the football championship last year. Like what was the purpose of that? He was neither a football player nor interested in the sport.

Walking blocked his mind from running here and there and therefore helped him to concentrate on what he had to study at the moment. It was a method his History teacher taught the class back in the ninth grade when Nethwan and Irfan both boldly confronted the teacher about their dislike of the subject.

And her solution worked like a magic!

At six in the morning, his mother knocked on his door and called him to have breakfast and once he got there he saw his brother and dad having a conversation about some business matters.

Coming from a family where everybody had done Commerce and did jobs related to commerce had undoubtedly made Yohan's life much easier than somebody that was entering the field with no background history of the subject.

That was because the road was already paved for him and he could not deny the fact that what he had was a smooth ride.

Whenever he did not understand a  theory or a fact he had his brother to run to and his father would always compare what was going on in the country to a theory in Commerce.

So even when they are watching television or even going on a trip there was something to do with Commerce.

_____________________________________

AFTER their parents left for work Jihan brought up the case once again to piss his brother off but quite unfortunately for him, Yohan had already thought of a solution.

"I don't think things are going quite right with your group Bro!"
Began Yohan.

"What do you mean?"
Asked the dumbstruck man.

"Well you see, there are so many unnecessary things going on there. It is more like what Tinder would be if that was a public WhatsApp group!"

To say that Jihan looked offended and shocked would be an understatement!.

"WHAT?"
Jihan shouted.

"What made you say that?"
Diya asked suppressing her laughter.

"Well you see considering how many girls are trying to talk to me and keep sending me their Instagram links tell me that they are not there only to learn"

Yohan said with a sweet smile on his face as he knew that he hit the right spot.

"Well, that wouldn't have happened if your profile picture was not made for catfishing Bro! If I was you I would most probably have a t-shirt on!"
Jihan barked at his younger brother angrily.

"Urrham... Oh wow! Really. That sounds interesting. So Jihan how many girls tried to talk to you?"

Whispered Diya to her boyfriend's ear making Yohan laugh.

"Well no girls so far honey but I have got a couple of boys that say good morning to me quite ritually"

Yohan's brother spoke with pride showcasing his usual boastful nature.

Diya's eyes grew large hearing that and she pinched Jihan's left cheek before saying, "Oh... My boy has wooed both genders then? Wow..."

"Ouch Diya it hurts! It HUUURTS!"
Jihan said as he twirled his body towards Diya putting his weight on her.

Diya let go of him laughing and asked Jihan "So did you respond to them?"

"Nah. Also just in the case if you have forgotten I have a picture of yours as my profile pic."

Said Jihan.

"Oh in that case I don't mind honey!"
Giggled Diya.

Both seemed to have forgotten that they have an audience as they were teasing each other.

Yohan looked at them with mixed feelings. Even though he was quite young when Jihan and Diya's love first came out, he remembered every single detail about them.

It was more of a Romeo Juliet type of a love story if that was a happy ever after.

A love story like Othello, if Othello confronted Desdemona and let her explain what had happened!

It was a love story that could have ended up in a tragedy if not for the playful ways of fate that brought them back together.

"Urrham... Meh? I'm still here?"
Yohan reminded them while smiling.

"Then what? Go away!"
Jihan threatened the intruder.

"Can we get back to what we were talking about?"

Questioned Yohan annoyingly.

"What was it again?"
Jihan seemed to have forgotten what just happened.

"Well, Yohan just said that your group had distracted youngsters from learning."
Complained Diya.

"So that's their fault, not mine!"
Jihan shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it is in a way your responsibility as you're the one who created the group!"
Diya pointed out leaving Jihan's mouth agape.

"Hay! Are you in his team or mine huh?"
Questioned Jihan in disbelief.

"Anyway kid! Why are you bringing this up now, as if you got a solution for it?"
He asked his younger brother somewhat challengingly.

"Well, why don't you let go of that group and create another one? And we can make it 'admin only' from the beginning  and make it a paper group where you can send in your short notes and targeted questions?."

"That sounds really good actually go create it then! Well, do the dishes."
Said Diya in place of Jihan.

"Kay... thanks akki!"
The elated boy ran upstairs for he thought that the problem was solved.

But once he got to his room and took the phone in his hand he could not do so for he felt so wrong. Most probably because now he knew that it was not a random girl but Anuthi. The familiar face now had a name and an identity on it which prevented him from reaching out to her 

It felt awkward and embarrassing.
Extremely cringy and distressing.

Yet Yohan mustered up his courage and created the group and made her an admin and shared the group to the main econ group with his fingers crossed as he badly wanted this to work.

Would she leave this group as well?
Would she be mad?
Would one of his friends snatch her away?

__________________________________
______________A/N_______________

I'm sorry if the chapter is not that much eventful guys...... But as I'm doing early updates I hope you guys wouldn't mind it much... 😉🙂
{words~1701}

So tell me what you want to happen next?
I would love to hear from you... ♥️
I'll UPDATE again ASAP.

Here is a shout out to @bamboozled28
for voting and commenting.

You are officially a member of Kal's clan now. 😚.