woke up with a slow heaviness, the kind that rises from inside the chest instead of the body. The room around me was still half-dark, only a thin beam of sunlight sneaking through the small window of Shivis' room. Books lay scattered on the floor, open notebooks covered the table, and a packet of chips lay crushed near the pillow. We had studied late into the night — or at least tried to. My mind had not stayed on the chapters; it had drifted again and again to one person.
Nikita.
Even now, as I rolled onto my side, her name appeared before my eyes like a whisper I couldn't silence. Her voice from yesterday, her calm way of speaking, her confusing lines — everything floated around in my head.
I rubbed my face hard, trying to push the thoughts away, but they clung to me like morning fog.
Shivis was still asleep, half-covered with a blanket, mouth slightly open. I sat up slowly, stretching my back. The clock on the wall showed 6:00 AM. I pulled my phone from under the pillow, checked for messages — nothing. A small disappointment pressed inside my chest, but I ignored it.
"I have to go to my uncle's house," I said softly, shaking Shivis awake.
He blinked at me in confusion and groaned. "It's so early, bro…"
"I know," I said, putting on my sandals. "But today our exam is in the afternoon shift. I'll get ready there."
He nodded sleepily and pulled the blanket over his head again. I grabbed my bag and stepped out into the morning air.
The streets were quiet, washed with a soft-grey light. Since my uncle's house was nearby, I decided to walk — partly for fresh air, and partly because I needed time to think.
The lanes were narrow and familiar — the old brick walls with peeling paint, kids in school uniforms walking sleepily beside their mothers, a tea vendor pouring steaming chai into small glasses, and shopkeepers raising shutters with metal rattles. Everything felt alive, but my thoughts were still half-asleep.
My footsteps echoed softly on the road, each one carrying a silent question:
Why does she affect me this much?
I reached my uncle's house in ten minutes. He had already left for work, but my aunt greeted me with a smile and handed me a cup of warm tea. I thanked her and went to the small room where I usually stayed.
I splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth, arranged my bag, and changed into fresh clothes. The routine usually made me feel ready, but today it didn't help much. My mind kept drifting back to the exam hall… and to the way Nikita had looked at me when she spoke yesterday.
Calm. Soft. But hiding something.
I opened my notebook to revise, but my eyes slid off the page. I tried again, forcing myself to read a paragraph — but halfway through, I forgot what I had read.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Do you want to be friends or not?"
"We will not talk…"
Her words ran inside my head like a loop.
I shook my head sharply and tried to focus again — but just then, my phone rang.
It was Shivis.
"Bro, we need to go now," he said quickly.
"Now? Why? Exam is in afternoon."
"Ishika's paper is in the morning shift today. She's coming early. We'll meet her there."
I blinked, confused. "What will we even do there in the morning?"
"Just come, bro! I'm already ready. Come fast."
I sighed, grabbed my bag, and left the house again.
This time, as I walked toward Shivis' place, the morning felt more rushed, heavier. I didn't know why he was in such a hurry. I didn't know why I agreed so quickly.
Maybe because a part of me was restless. Maybe because some questions inside me were still unanswered. Maybe because the day already felt different.
And somehow, I knew—
Today would not be normal.
By the time I reached Shivis's house, it was already 11 AM. The sun was higher now, warm but not harsh, spreading soft light across the quiet street. Shivis stood outside at the gate, leaning on his bike with a strange mix of excitement and annoyance.
"You're late, bro!" he shouted the moment he saw me.
I adjusted my bag and said, "Bro, it's still early. Our exam is afternoon shift only."
He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I told you to come fast! Ishika's morning paper is today. She might still be in college."
I frowned. "At 11 AM? Her exam gets over around 10:45 only."
He ignored my logic and revved the bike loudly. "Sit, sit! Let's try. Maybe we will meet her!"
I sighed but climbed on behind him. The bike shot forward, vibrating under us as we sped through the familiar lanes. The warm wind slapped against my face, carrying dust, sunlight, and a strange anticipation I didn't fully understand.
The world around us passed in quick frames—shops half open, people returning from market, children running with schoolbags bouncing behind them.
But my thoughts were far away.
Nikita. Her voice. Her messages. Her silence.
Every thought blurred into the next as the college gate came into view.
The moment we entered, everything became clear—
We were late.
The campus looked half-empty, with a few morning-shift students already leaving. Some girls stood under the neem tree discussing their paper, while a few boys walked out with water bottles dangling from their hands.
No sign of Ishika.
No sign of her.
A wave of disappointment washed across Shivis's face . "Bro...I told you to come early."
I raised an eyebrow. "Bro, it's already 11. She must have left ."
He sighed heavily and dropped onto a nearby bench. I sat beside him, letting the silence settle like soft dust between us.
After a moment, he said softly, "It's okay. Let's leave."
We walked back out of the gate and got on the bike again. As we rode toward home, the wind felt different — not refreshing, but heavy. Like something unfinished was hanging in the air.
At his house, we sat down with our books. His mother brought us tea in steel glasses, the smell of ginger filling the room. I stared at my notebook, trying to focus, but the words refused to settle in my mind.
My attention drifted to the thought of the afternoon exam. Drifted to the empty hall. Drifted to the seat beside me.
Would she come today? Would she sit near me? Would she talk again?
Every few minutes, my heart reminded me of the possibilities.
But I forced myself to stay calm.
"Bro, focus," I whispered to myself, tapping my pen on the page.
But even the sound of my own voice didn't help.
Time moved faster than I realized. The clock struck 12 PM, then 1 PM, then 1:30 PM.
Finally, at around 2 PM, we packed our books and got ready.
As we drove toward the college for the second time that day, the campus looked completely different compared to the morning — louder, busier, filled with faces showing tension and hope.
My heartbeat tightened as we walked through the corridor.
"Bro," Shivis nudged my shoulder, grinning as if he knew something I didn't, "today your life will change."
I shook my head, pretending to laugh.
But inside…
Inside something was rising.
Something warm.
Something sharp.
Something I didn't want to admit yet.
Maybe excitement.
Maybe fear.
Maybe longing.
Maybe… her.
The classroom buzzed with energy the moment we stepped inside. The seating today was different — not fixed like usual, no roll-number slips on desks. Instead, students sat wherever they wanted. Small groups formed in corners, friends gathered in tight circles, and some even took selfies before the exam stress hit.
I walked slowly down the aisle, scanning the room automatically — not for a seat…
…but for her.
And then I saw her.
Nikita was sitting near the second row from the windows, her sister beside her. They were talking quietly, their heads tilted slightly toward each other. Her sister's hand moved as she explained something, maybe a topic or formula. Nikita listened calmly, her posture straight, her expression focused.
She didn't look around. She didn't try to find anyone. She was just… herself.
Simple. Confident. Quietly glowing.
My eyes stayed on her longer than they should have.
I felt something shift inside my chest — something warm, something restless.
But I forced myself to look away and took a seat next to Shivis, who immediately smirked like he had read my thoughts clearly.
"Bro… your seat is there," he whispered teasingly.
"Stop it," I muttered, trying to arrange my pens.
But the moment I looked up again, my eyes collided with her.
A single second stretched into something bigger.
She didn't blink.
Instead, she gave a small, subtle head gesture — a soft nod toward the seat beside her, like she was silently telling me:
Come here.
My breath caught.
I froze for a moment, my fingers gripping the pen too tightly. I wasn't prepared for that. I wasn't prepared for her to look at me first. I wasn't prepared for her to call me silently like that.
My heart thudded once, hard.
Shivis noticed it instantly.
"Go, bro," he whispered. "Why are you sitting here?"
I swallowed.
Then, trying to act normal, I raised my hand slightly and mouthed back to her:
"You come here?"
She tilted her head in a tiny "no," her expression saying everything:
If you want to sit, come here. I'm not moving.
I exhaled slowly.
Of course.
I stood up, walked over to the girl sitting next to Nikita, and asked politely:
"Can you please shift one seat? I… need to sit here."
She looked at me for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Okay."
She moved away, and I slowly lowered myself onto the seat beside Nikita.
The moment I sat, I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. Why? I didn't know. Maybe the excitement was too much. Maybe her gesture had caught me completely off guard. Maybe I simply wasn't used to being this close to someone who made me feel so much without even trying.
Her sister glanced at me once and then returned to her notes.
Nikita didn't look at me immediately. She calmly placed her pen on the table, adjusted her sheet, and only then looked sideways, her voice soft, almost teasing:
"You took long."
A small smile pulled at the corner of my mouth. "You didn't come."
She raised one eyebrow gently, as if to say, Really?
Before I could add anything, Jayson suddenly appeared beside me.
"Bro, what's up!?" he said loudly.
I almost jumped. "Bro, not now."
He grinned, glanced at Nikita, then at me, and then shook his head with a knowing smile before walking away to his seat.
She noticed.
She didn't say anything. She didn't ask.
But the atmosphere between us grew warmer… and heavier.
A few minutes later, the exam started. Papers rustled, pens touched sheets, and the room fell into tense silence.
But even in that silence… she made it easy.
When I leaned a little toward her and whispered:
"Can you show me this answer?"
She didn't blink or hesitate.
She simply shifted her sheet slightly toward me — quiet, natural, trusting.
Not too close. Not too obvious. Just enough for me to see.
I wrote quickly, softly, careful not to make noise.
Her sister sat beside her, so she didn't talk much.
My heartbeat was completely out of rhythm now.