(Sorry guys because of IRL stuff couldn't post these are unedited chapters)
At that time, I didn't realize that these very photos would become my downfall!
That day, my interaction with Tiyas ended after taking pictures. I excused myself with a headache and retreated to my room. Most of the other rooms were locked, and I found myself sitting alone in our room. I paced back and forth, repeatedly glancing at myself in the mirror. I didn't understand why I kept looking at my reflection.
Instead of seeing myself in the mirror, all I could see were those eyes, lips, and smile floating before me. I couldn't reconcile it—Tiyas was in our class, so why hadn't I noticed him before? Tiyas must skip classes like Nuzhat does. If he attended regularly, he would've definitely recognized me.
For the first time in my life, I felt an uncomfortable ache in my chest. I had never felt so restless or different before. A strange sensation was coursing through my entire being.
I desperately wanted to sit down and study, but I just couldn't. By the afternoon, everyone except Nuzhat returned to the room. Nuzhat had gone out with Saad.
Nuzhat returned in the evening, freshened up, and immediately lay down with her phone. Normally, everyone does this except me. But today, for some reason, I didn't feel like studying either. I glanced to my left and saw Dia watching a movie. I quietly went over and sat beside her, saying,
"Make some space, I'll watch too."
Hearing this, everyone in the room put their phones down and stared at me. Shuvha teased,
"Wow, Lia hasn't started studying yet? Normally, by this time, you'd be reading so loudly that our ears would hurt."
I tried to brush off her comment with a smile and continued watching the movie with Dia. I don't understand Hindi well, so Dia occasionally explained the scenes to me. But after a while, romantic scenes started appearing, and I kept looking away. Dia noticed and asked,
"Have you never watched a romantic movie before?"
I shook my head in agreement. Nuzhat, looking at us, chimed in,
"Dia, ask her why she suddenly decided to watch a movie today. Poor thing doesn't even have a Facebook account. Hahaha! What a waste of her youth! Always buried in books!"
I stayed silent. Five minutes later, Nuzhat exclaimed loudly,
"Hey, hey! Speaking of Facebook, Tiyas just asked me for Lia's Facebook ID."
Hearing this, Ruhi was initially surprised, then burst into laughter,
"Tell him Lia doesn't even know how to pronounce Facebook. Hahaha!"
A moment later, Ruhi came over and sat beside Nuzhat, asking,
"Why does he want Lia's ID?"
Nuzhat turned to me and said,
"Lia, he says he needs to talk to you urgently."
I had been listening intently. Now, I grabbed my phone from near the pillow and said,
"Nuzhat, help me create a Facebook account."
I noticed everyone had gathered around me, staring in disbelief. They couldn't process this sudden change in me. Nuzhat smirked and said,
"The other day, you were ranting about how girls come to study but get distracted by all this nonsense. You said, 'Why did our parents send us to the hostel then?' We're always caught up in this stuff, but why do you want it now? Tell me, why does Tiyas want your Facebook ID? What did he say to you after we left today?"
I remained silent. Nuzhat looked at me, thought for a moment, and then extended her hand, saying,
"Give it here, I'll create the account. You set the password."
After handing me the phone to set the password, I found myself in an awkward situation. I couldn't think of anything to use as a password. Remembering that Tiyas had called me "Prili" earlier, I tried that, but it didn't work because it needed six characters, and "Prili" was only five. On a whim, I typed "Priyas" in English and confirmed the password. I don't know why I did that.
Nuzhat then added everyone in the room and sent Tiyas a friend request. As soon as he was added, Tiyas sent a few photos. Before I could see them, Nuzhat shouted,
"Look, look! Our Lia took such beautiful pictures with Tiyas today. But she didn't take a single one with us. What's going on, Lia? Explain yourself!"
I snatched the phone and looked at the pictures. Tiyas had sent me the photos we took together. Until now, I had only taken pictures during three board exams and once at my uncle's wedding. Otherwise, I never felt the urge to take photos.
As I looked at the pictures, I couldn't take my eyes off Tiyas's expressions. In two of the photos, he was looking at me in a peculiar way, and it stirred something unfamiliar inside me. In another photo, I noticed his hand resting on a strand of my hair. I hadn't realized he had touched my hair while taking the picture.
But it was also true that I looked really beautiful in the photos. I touched my cheek, trying to understand if I really looked that good or if it was just the expensive camera. Tiyas was much taller than me; I reached up to his shoulder. But we didn't look bad together!
While everyone's attention was on me, I was engrossed in the photos. I lay down on my bed and stared at them for a long time. Suddenly, I noticed there was a text below. Typing was a struggle for me. I couldn't find the right words. Tiyas had written,
"I asked Nuzhat for your ID to send you these photos. What are you doing now?"
After a long struggle to find the right words, I replied,
"I'm lying down, and I just created the account."
Tiyas replied,
"Nuzhat says you're always busy studying?"
I read the message but didn't reply. Tiyas added,
"By the way, you seem new to typing. Listen, I'll come to class tomorrow. See you then."
I typed "Okay" and logged off, but I couldn't get him out of my mind. I must have looked at the photos hundreds of times. No matter how much I stared at them, I couldn't get enough. I wondered why everyone else was so obsessed with their phones and chats instead of studying. This situation felt terrifying! In just one day, my focus on studies had completely vanished.
That night, I woke up over fifty times. Even when I managed to close my eyes, I kept dreaming about him and waking up. I hid under the blanket and kept looking at the photos. For years, I had slept soundly through the night, only waking up if I was sick.