Mornings were still the same. The fog still hung around the campus making everything look soft and quiet. The chai stall was still there sending up curls of steam into the cold air. Students were still. Complaining, just living their lives.
Everything seemed the same.. It was not.
Vaqzy stood near the college gate for a bit longer than usual. He had his hands deep in his pockets. Students were walking past him some in a hurry some just dragging their feet. Someone bumped into his shoulder.
"Sorry, man " the person said.
"Yeah it's fine " Vaqzy replied,. His voice was quieter than he meant it to be.
For a moment he just stood there. He did not know where he was supposed to go. Should he go to class? The canteen? Anywhere? It all felt like he did not really have to do anything.
He took a breath feeling the cold air sting his throat and then he stepped forward. He let the crowd carry him inside.
The corridors felt louder that day.. Maybe it was just that his thoughts were not loud enough to block out all the other noise.
"Hey " someone said.
It was Rohit. He had his hand on Vaqzys
"Why are you late today?" Rohit asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not late " Vaqzy said.
"You are " Rohit replied.
Vaqzy did not bother to check.
They walked side by side for a seconds but they did not talk like they usually did. The silence felt heavy.
"Are you okay?" Rohit finally asked.
Vaqzy let out a breath that sounded a bit like a laugh. "Yeah " he said.
He said it too quickly.
Rohit raised an eyebrow. "You're lying " he said.
"Obviously " Vaqzy replied.
For a moment neither of them said anything. Then Rohit nudged him lightly. "Come on lets get some tea " he said.
"I'm not in the mood " Vaqzy said.
"Exactly that's why we're getting tea " Rohit said.
The chai stall owner did not ask what they wanted. He already knew.
"Two teas " he said, pouring them with ease.
It was all so routine. Everything was routine.
Vaqzy took the paper cup in his hands feeling the warmth spread into his fingers. The steam rose slowly curling into the air before disappearing.
He stared at it for a bit longer than he needed to.
A random thought crossed his mind. The tea he had yesterday got cold too.
He almost smiled at how silly that was.
Rohit noticed.
"Bro you've become way too dramatic since yesterday " he said, grinning.
"Shut up " Vaqzy said.
"I'm serious " Rohit said. "Yesterday you were just. Today you're like a hero in a heartbreak movie."
This time Vaqzy did smile. Just a little.
"Idiot " he said.
"Thank you " Rohit replied.
A group of juniors passed by laughing loudly. One of them almost dropped his samosa. Caught it in mid-air with a lot of drama.
"Saved it " he shouted, holding it up like a trophy.
His friends cheered, clapping like he had done something
Vaqzy watched them for a second.
Then another.
Something about it felt familiar.
He remembered doing the thing once back in his first year. Same nonsense unnecessary excitement.
For a second something lighter flickered inside him.
Then it slipped away as quickly.
Class was not great. Yesterday had least felt strange and new. Anticipation, fear, something.
Today just felt empty.
The professors voice blended into the background as he explained graphs. Chalk scraped against the board lines forming curves that probably meant something
Vaqzy tried to focus. He really did.
He even opened his notebook. Picked up his pen writing the date.
Then he stopped.
His mind drifted back uninvited.
"I like someone " the words echoed, calm and clear just like yesterday.
Without realizing it he began tracing letters on the page.
It took him a seconds to notice.
Her name.
He froze, staring at it.
Then he quickly scribbled over it pressing the pen harder than he needed to. The paper tore slightly under the pressure.
"" He muttered.
"What happened?" the guy beside him asked, leaning slightly.
"Nothing " Vaqzy said.
He flipped the page.
At some point during the lecture a phone rang. Loud. Way too loud. An old Bollywood ringtone filled the classroom cutting through everything. The professor stopped mid-sentence clearly annoyed.
"Whose phone is that?" he asked.
The guy at the back panicked fumbling with his pocket somehow making the sound even louder. A few students laughed. Someone whispered, "Turn it off idiot."
For a seconds the class dissolved into chaos.
In the middle of it.
Vaqzy laughed.
A real laugh.
It caught him off guard.
He stopped immediately as if he wasn't allowed to feel that.. The feeling lingered, faint but present.
Lunch break arrived faster than expected.
The canteen was the same as crowded, noisy alive. Plates clattered, conversations overlapped and the smell of fried food hung thick in the air.
He knew where she would be.
Somehow that made it harder not to look.
Priya sat at her table laughing with her friends completely at ease.
Of course she was.
For a moment he considered turning around. Just leaving.
"Don't " Rohit said quietly.
"I'm not doing anything " Vaqzy said.
"You're about to run " Rohit said.
"I'm not running " Vaqzy replied.
"You look like you're about to sprint out of here " Rohit said.
Vaqzy rolled his eyes. He stayed.
They chose a table that day.
A small change.
It felt noticeable.
Someone passed a plate of samosas. Vaqzy took one absentmindedly holding it in his hand without eating.
By the time he realized it had already gone cold.
Again.
"Just eat it " Rohit said. "Emotions won't fill your stomach."
"Deep " Vaqzy said.
"I know I'm talented " Rohit replied.
At one point Priya stood up. Walked past their table.
For a split second his heart reacted before his brain could stop it.
Stupid.
She didn't look at him. Not even once.
That hurt more than he expected.
He looked away first.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of heard conversations and unfinished thoughts. By the time classes ended the sky had already begun to lose its color.
Students started leaving in groups their voices fading as they moved away.
This time Vaqzy did not walk alone.
Rohit stayed beside him until the gate.
Neither of them said much.
Before leaving Rohit glanced at him. Said, "Tomorrow will be better."
Vaqzy looked ahead watching people come and go each lost in their world.
"Maybe " he replied.
He wasn't sure if he meant it.
That night felt quieter than usual.
Too quiet.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling his phone resting beside him.
After a while he picked it up.
Her chat was still at the top.
Course it was.
He opened it.
Typed something.
"Hey, sorry if things got weird " he said.
He stared at the message.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
"Can we just go back to normal?"
Deleted.
He locked the phone.
Unlocked it again.
This time he opened his music. Played the first song he saw. He didn't even like it. He let it play anyway filling the silence just enough.
His eyes drifted back, to the ceiling.
His thoughts didn't.
They kept moving.
Circling.
Stopping nowhere.
After a time he spoke quietly into the empty room.
"Now what?"
The question lingered in the darkness.
Unlike yesterday.
There was no simple pain attached to it.
Only uncertainty.
That felt worse.
End of Chapter 2
Author's Note
Thanks, for reading Chapter 2! ❤️
If you felt something anything all while reading this then I think the story is working.
Also if you noticed any lines that seemed awkward or parts that felt off please let me know. Your feedback really helps me make the story better.