Chapter 2 - A little too near ...

😌✨

The next day felt normal. Too normal. The kind of normal where nothing really happens, but your mind still expects something to. She reached school at her usual time, walked into her classroom, and settled into her seat like she always did. The same desk, the same view, the same faint noise coming from outside.

Everything was exactly where it should be.

And still… something felt different.

Not different enough to point out. Not different enough to question out loud. Just enough to feel. ✨

Maybe it wasn't the day.

Maybe it was her.

A few minutes later, her best friend walked in and dropped into the seat beside her with her usual energy.

"Tu soch bhi nahi sakti kal tuition ke baad kya hua," she said dramatically.

She looked at her, slightly curious. "Ab kya kiya tum dono ne?"

"Full chaos tha 😭," her friend continued.

"Bilkul Tom and Jerry. Main uske peeche, phir woh mere peeche… pura corridor dekh raha tha hume."

She smiled faintly. "Expected."

"Chup," her friend nudged her. "Aur sun — usne mere purse se paise nikaal liye."

She paused. "Kya?"

"Haan! Aur phir ussi paise se cold drinks le aaya. Apne liye, apne group ke liye… aur mere liye bhi 😒"

This time, she couldn't stop the small smile forming. "At least tujhe bhi di akele to nhi khaya 😅 "

"Tu uski side le rahi hai?" her friend narrowed her eyes playfully.

She shook her head, opening her notebook.

"Main kisi ki side nahi le rahi."

But somewhere inside, that small detail stayed.

Not the money.

Not the chaos.

Just… him.

Classes started, and the usual routine took over. Teachers explained chapters, chalk scraped against the board, pages filled with notes she would probably revise later.

She tried to focus.

She really did.

But her thoughts slipped in between, quietly, like they didn't need permission anymore.

Every now and then, her mind went back to yesterday.

To that moment.

To how close it had felt.

And how unnecessary it was to even think about it.

When the break bell rang, everything shifted instantly. The quiet classrooms turned into loud corridors, filled with voices, footsteps, laughter, movement everywhere.

"Chal, washroom," her best friend said, pulling her along.

They stepped out into the corridor, merging into the crowd. Students passing by, groups forming, random conversations floating in the air—it was the same chaos every day.

And yet—

It didn't feel the same today.

They were halfway down the corridor when she saw him.

Coming from the opposite side.

Her best friend noticed him instantly. "Dekh bandar aa raha h " she muttered softly.

Before she could react, he was already near them.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Just… there. 💭

"Purse sambhal ke rakhna chahiye tha, tujhse hota nahi hai," he said casually, looking at her best friend with that teasing smile.

"Tu rehne de," she replied instantly. "Tujhse hi sambhal ke rakhna chahiye sab kuch."

He smirked. "Phir bhi kaam aa gaya na 😏"

Their conversation flowed like it always did—effortless, playful, familiar.

But she—

She wasn't really part of it.

Her attention wasn't on their words.

It was somewhere else.

On the space between them.

He was walking right beside them.

Close enough for her to notice the smallest details—the way his voice sounded when he teased, the way he walked without thinking, the way everything about him felt normal.

Too normal.

And yet—

Not normal enough for her.

Because she could feel it.

That distance.

It wasn't awkward...

It wasn't intentional.

It was just… there... Can't name it...

She tried to listen to what they were saying, but her mind kept drifting. She caught a word here, a sentence there, but nothing stayed long enough.

Her focus kept pulling back to one thing—

How close he was.

And how far that still felt. ✨

For a second—just a second—she wondered if he would look at her.

Not directly.

Not obviously.

Just once.

But he didn't..

Or

maybe he did.

And she missed it.

Within moments, he walked ahead, leaving them behind as naturally as he had come.

The conversation ended.

The moment passed.

"Kitna irritating hai yeh," her best friend said, slightly annoyed.

She nodded. "Hmm…"

But her mind was still there.

Still stuck in those few seconds.

Something about it stayed.

Longer than it should have.

The rest of the day moved on, but not completely. Everything happened the way it always did—classes, notes, small talks—but her thoughts kept circling back.

Not to him directly.

But to that feeling.

A passing moment that felt like more.

A distance that felt too noticeable.

A presence that stayed even after it was gone.

It wasn't anything.

And yet—

It refused to feel like nothing.

By the time the final bell rang, she told herself she was overthinking again. "Bas aise hi," she whispered while packing her bag.

Everything was normal.

It had to be.

They walked toward the gate together, blending into the usual crowd.

And still—

Her eyes searched for him without asking her..

And there he was...

Near his van.

Talking. Laughing.

Like always.

For a moment, everything slowed.

Her steps.

Her thoughts.

Her breath.

"Why am I even looking…" she thought, quickly looking away.

She kept walking.

Kept talking.

Kept pretending.

But something had already changed.

It wasn't about him.

Not entirely.

It was about her.

About how she had started noticing things she never used to.

About how small moments had started to stay longer.

About how something so simple—

A few steps together.

A shared space.

A quiet distance—

Could feel so complicated. 💭

Was he like this with everyone?

This close?

This easy?

Or was it just with her?

And if it was just with her—

Why didn't it feel clear?

Why did it feel like something she wasn't supposed to understand yet?

With all these thought....

She reached her scooty and unlocked it. Everything felt normal again.

Almost.

She started the engine.

But her thoughts stayed.

That distance.

It replayed.

Again.

And again.

Not enough to touch.

But enough to feel.

Was it accidental?

Or intentional?

Was he just being himself?

Or was she turning it into something more?

Or maybe—

It was something.

And she just didn't know what yet.

That night, lying on her bed, staring at her phone without really seeing anything, her mind drifted back again.

To the corridor.

To the moment.

To the space between them.

She turned to her side, pulling the blanket closer. 🌙

"Maybe I'm just overthinking…" she whispered.

But this time—

It didn't sound convincing.

Because if it was nothing…

Why did it stay?

And if it was something…

Why did it feel unfinished?

Like a moment that started—

But didn't fully happen.

Maybe it wasn't about how close he was.

Maybe it was about the distance that never really left… even after he walked away. ✨