I was back in my room before the thunderstorm hit.
"I expected you to be completely soaked in the rain," Aisha said, lounging on her bed with a sly grin as I entered to grab my clothes.
"Yeah, me too," I replied, opening the closet to search for dry clothes.
I found a comfortable pair of pajamas and slipped into them.
"The assignment's safe, right? It was still drizzling," she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, probably." My gaze lingered on an old T-shirt in my hand.
It was a gift from Ruchi years ago, before she moved to another city. I had kept it all this time, the only tangible piece of her left besides our childhood memories.
Aisha noticed immediately. "Whose is that?"
"Mine. Ruchi gave it to me," I said, folding it neatly.
"Ruchi?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Never mind," I muttered. Explaining it wouldn't make sense; she was too young to remember.
"Anyway, school was boring," I said, putting the T-shirt in my memory box.
"And Ashish sir took our games lesson. We barely get two days for playing, and they don't even let us do it properly," I complained.
Aisha rolled her eyes. "So sad," she said mockingly, but I could see the gleam of amusement in her eyes. She always found a way to tease without malice.
After a pause, she asked casually, "By the way, where did you meet Dad?"
"About ten minutes from the football ground," I said, trying to recall the exact distance.
"You'd have been drenched if he hadn't picked you up," she remarked, handing me a towel to dry my hair.
"Probably. Anyway, how was the event?" I asked, sitting on her bed.
Her face lit up. "It was epic! Guess what?"
"You guys won?" I prompted, half-sure.
"Yep!" she said with a mischievous smile. "And I scored the most points for my house!"
"Wow! Good job, kid!" I grinned and gave her a playful smack on the back.
"Ow! Chill, bro," she groaned, rubbing the spot.
I pulled a dark chocolate from my bag. "Here," I said, tossing it to her. She caught it easily.
"Thanks. What's this for?"
"Nothing. Just had to drop off something on the way and picked up a couple."
"Ooo, what was it?"
"Just an umbrella," I said, shrugging.
"What? But you didn't have one." she said, eyebrow raised.
"I didn't say it was mine," I replied.
Aisha's eyes narrowed, a spark of suspicion there. "Not yours? Then whose?"
"Someone left it at the park. I gave it to the shopkeeper near the park, in case they came back for it," I explained.
She paused for a moment, then smirked, "You really go out of your way for an umbrella. You're too nice for your own good."
I chuckled. "Point taken. But it looked expensive. People hate losing stuff like that. Unlike you. You lose things all the time."
"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips.
"But if he doesn't come, can I keep it?" she asked teasingly.
"Sure, as long as you don't claim it's a freebie," I laughed.
"Deal," she said, flashing a thumbs-up. We both burst into laughter.
~
Next Morning
The bathroom door shook under Aisha's persistent knocking. She had been at it for the past thirty minutes, taking brief ten-minute pauses only to start again.
"Come out fast! How much longer will you take?!" Her voice squeaked in mock fury.
"I'm still washing my hair," I replied, struggling with my wet, tangled curls.
"You've been in there almost an hour. Be quick!" she said, her tone sharp but playful.
"Fifteen more minutes," I grumbled, giving my hair one last conditioner treatment. I eventually took a few extra minutes than promised, careful not to tangle my long curls further.
"Don't worry, I won't be using your bathroom once mine is fixed," I said as I stepped out.
"Don't worry, you'll be out of this room completely once you move into your new one," she shot back, gathering her stuff and heading to the bathroom with a smirk.
"That'll take time, kid," I muttered, heading to my closet.
"Then I'll finally have a room all to myself," she said from the bathroom.
"Me too," I replied, adjusting my school uniform and tying my damp hair into a messy bun, the only option left.
I bowed and thanked God, touched my parents' feet, and hurried out for my physics extra class. I was already running late.
~
The classroom smelled faintly of chalk and old textbooks. Mr. Ashish's voice echoed across the room. "Magnetic flux is represented by the symbol Φ. It is called 'Phi', children."
I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, trying to wake up from the mental fog of early mornings and wet hair. He had repeated this topic at least three times today.
I turned my head to see Yashna, slumped in her chair, dozing off. I nudged her gently.
"Hey, you okay? Did you not sleep?" I whispered.
She rubbed her eyes and muttered, "I'm hungry."
I glanced at Poorvi. Her head rested heavily on the desk, eyes half-closed, struggling to stay awake. My stomach growled in sympathy.
"Poorvi!" I hissed.
"What? Let me sleep," she mumbled lazily.
"Did you bring lunch? My stomach's grumbling!" I whispered again, trying not to attract Mr. Ashish's attention.
"Even I am hungry," she said, pouting, her cheeks pressed to the desk.
"We should've stayed back home. He's only repeating the same topics," Poorvi added, rubbing her forehead.
I shot a glance at Krisha, who sat quietly, scribbling notes diligently. She hadn't come on purpose, avoiding the chaos. That was typical of her: calm, careful, thoughtful.
After what felt like an eternity, the bell finally rang. The teacher reminded us about the class test in two days before dismissing the class.
"Give me the keys, I'll drive it out," Poorvi said, asking Yashna for the scooty keys.
Yashna handed them over with a grin. "Fine. Let me talk to Kaavish first," she said, sprinting off.
As I turned to check if Poorvi needed help, my eyes caught a familiar sight: an umbrella, identical to the one I had seen the day before. My stomach did a small flip. The strange sense of recognition returned. I had to tell her about this.
I stepped closer to Poorvi. "Hey, listen. I need to tell you something," I said softly.
"Yeah, what is it?" she replied, driving the scooty slowly out of the school gate.
I fell in step beside her, careful not to slow her down. "Maybe I'm overthinking, but I think I saw V-"
"Let's go, guys!" Yashna's voice rang from behind.
Poorvi glanced back at her, then at me. She was clearly tired and hungry, so I let the thought go for now, knowing I could tell her later.
"You saw who?" she asked, curiosity tinging her voice.
"I'll tell you later," I said, offering a small, reassuring smile.
"Sure." Poorvi smiled back.
"Who wants momos? My treat!" Yashna exclaimed, already seated on the scooty, bouncing slightly with her excitement, as we made our way back to her.