After some time, the bell rang again.
Clink.
Felix looked up instinctively.
The moment his eyes met the person standing at the entrance—
He froze.
Not literally freeze like an ice statue.
Just a subtle pause—his hand hovering mid-air above the counter, breath catching half a second too long.
Nikhil noticed the change immediately. "Felix?"
He followed Felix's line of sight, expecting maybe a rude customer or someone familiar from school. Instead, he saw a young woman stepping inside, sunlight trailing in behind her like a quiet announcement.
She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and looked around the shop with an easy, familiar curiosity.
"Oooh," Nikhil muttered under his breath.
Now he understood.
Rose Williams.
A beaty who has been Felix's love at first sight since he saw first her in his middle school annual festival.
Felix hadn't heard her voice yet, but it was already there in his head—light, casual, warm. The kind of voice that had once lived in the background of his days, without him realizing how deeply it had settled.
"Hey," Rose said, smiling as she walked closer to the counter. "Good afternoon."
Felix didn't respond.
Nikhil nudged him with his elbow, not hard—just enough to break the moment.
"Felix," he whispered. "bro, there is a customer in the shop."
Felix blinked, once. Then again.
"…oh, yes, yes. Hi Rose," he said, finally the word coming out softer than he intended.
Rose tilted her head slightly, studying him for a second. Not suspicious. Just curious.
"Felix, you look like I just asked you to solve a math problem," she said, amused. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," Felix replied too quickly. "Yes. Everything's… normal."
Nikhil immediately jumped in. "Grammar," he corrected. "He makes that face on grammar, not maths."
Rose laughed lightly and placed a small grocery list on the counter. "Here. Mom sent me out to bring a few things."
Felix nodded and reached for the list, grateful for something to do with his hands.
Rice. Corn flour. Cooking oil. A packet of tea. Soap.
Normal things. Grounding things.
As he moved around the shop, grabbing items from the shelves, Felix became painfully aware of her presence—not overwhelming, not consuming, just there. Like a familiar song playing softly in the background.
Rose leaned against the counter, glancing around.
"So," she said casually, "you helping Mr. Vedman now?"
"Sort of," Felix replied, eyes fixed on the shelf. "Helping out."
"That's nice," she said. "Very responsible."
Nikhil coughed loudly. "Extremely responsible."
Felix shot him a warning look.
Rose noticed and laughed again. "What about you, Nikhil? You helping too?"
"Nope," Nikhil said proudly. "I'm moral support. And a professional distraction."
Then, grinning, he added, "By the way, Rose—important question. Badminton or football?"
Rose pretended to think. "Depends. Who's asking?"
"Me," Nikhil said, puffing his chest slightly. "A football pro."
Felix returned with the items and placed them neatly on the counter. "Ignore him."
"Hehe," Rose said easily. "He's entertaining."
She watched Felix calculate the total, fingers moving confidently despite his earlier hesitation. The nervousness hadn't disappeared—but it had settled, like dust after movement.
"Is it your last year in college?" Felix asked, almost without thinking.
Rose nodded. "Yeah. Last year."
Then she shrugged lightly. "Thinking of doing my P.G. from another city."
College.
Felix acknowledged the word quietly and moved on. It didn't matter. Not right now.
"That's convenient," he said.
Rose smiled. "You sound like you're evaluating a real estate deal."
Nikhil snorted.
Felix felt his ears warm. "Didn't mean it like that."
"I know," she said gently.
The bill was done. Felix slid the bag across the counter.
"Anything else?" he asked.
Rose checked for a second, then shook her head. "Nope. That's all."
She reached for her wallet, then paused. "By the way," she added, glancing between the two of them, "you both are also in your last year of college."
Felix stiffened slightly.
Nikhil leaned forward. "Yeah."
"Well, you should enjoy," Rose said thoughtfully, "this time is more precious than you think."
Felix didn't respond.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Rose paid and picked up her bag. "Anyway, I'll see you around."
"Yeah," Felix said. "See you."
She turned toward the door, then stopped.
"Oh," she added, almost as an afterthought, "best of luck for your competition."
Felix's heart skipped.
Before he could reply, she continued, smiling, "Mom might be waiting for me. See you later."
Felix swallowed. "Yeah," he said. "See you."
The bell rang again as she left.
Silence followed.
Nikhil waited exactly three seconds before bursting out laughing.
"Oh my god," he said. "You froze."
"I did not," Felix replied, defensively.
"You stopped functioning," Nikhil corrected. "I thought I'd have to take you to the hospital."
Felix leaned against the counter and exhaled slowly. "She caught me off guard."
"Bro she was literally in front of you," Nikhil said. "That's not new."
Felix didn't argue.
Because this was new.
Not Rose.
Him.
In his first life, moments like this had passed quietly. He had watched her leave, replayed the conversation later, told himself there would be time.
There hadn't been.
Nikhil studied him more carefully now, the humour softening. "You okay?"
Felix nodded. "Yeah."
It was true.
The feeling wasn't panic.
It was awareness.
After a while, Krishna returned from the back, wiping his hands. "Everything fine here?"
"All good," Nikhil said cheerfully.
"No problems," Felix added.
Krishna nodded and moved on.
Evening crept in gradually. Nikhil eventually left to play games with Alex, waving dramatically as he went.
Felix stayed.
Customers came and went. Routine resumed.
But Rose lingered.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Nikhil left his home after dinner.
While Felix lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, he didn't replay the conversation obsessively.
He didn't imagine alternate endings.
He simply remembered the way she'd smiled.
And how, this time, he hadn't looked away.
In his first life, he had waited for the perfect moment.
This time, he didn't plan to wait forever.
The thought followed him gently into sleep.
AN- Leave a comment and review to let me see your support.