The next morning, I got ready for college. As I was about to leave the room, I impulsively took kajal from Ruhi's box and applied it to my eyes. After checking the mirror a few times, I left.
On campus, my eyes kept searching for someone. Finally, I saw him in class.
Tiyas kept saying there was no need to attend class, but I didn't listen. He stayed in class for my sake. However, sitting in class brought another problem—I hadn't studied for today.
Normally, the professor wouldn't call on me, assuming I had prepared. But today, he asked everyone, and no one could answer properly, not even Tiyas. At the very end, the professor pointed at me and said,
"Did everyone just sleep after yesterday's event? Well, even if no one else knows, Prilia definitely will. She's my favorite and the most attentive student in class. Stand up, Prilia."
I stood up, head bowed, and said softly,
"Sir, actually, I also..."
The professor snapped,
"What? You didn't study either? I didn't expect this from you, Prilia. Don't let this happen again. I expect better from you!"
I sat back down, head still lowered.
As soon as the professor left, Tiyas grabbed my hand and pulled me outside, saying,
"No more classes today. You'll just keep embarrassing yourself."
I said sadly,
"If I don't attend class today, I won't know what to study for tomorrow. I'll fail again. This is the first time I couldn't answer in class. Since I was a child, I've always..."
Before I could finish, Tiyas put a finger to his lips and said,
"Shh, come this way. We'll skip class and escape. Nothing will happen in one day."
Without understanding, I followed him to a gate on the opposite side of the college. I hadn't even noticed this gate before. From there, we went to a tea shop and sat down. At first, I felt awkward talking, but then I gradually relaxed. His words were so funny—I laughed more that day than I had in years. Someone was breaking all my past records one by one. It was truly a shock for me!
From then on, skipping classes, losing focus on studies, dressing up to go out, watching movies, staying up all night on the phone, and sleeping in late became routine. I even learned to address people informally, something I had never done before. In other situations, I couldn't stand being addressed informally or addressing others that way. So, initially, I used formal language with everyone in the room, just like the other 8-10 girls. My life began to mirror theirs.
But even after two months, I hadn't addressed Tiyas informally, and neither had he. I still couldn't tell if we were in love. All I knew was that Tiyas and I had become very close friends!
He was friends with everyone in the room, but his dependence rested entirely on me. Even if he bought a thread, he'd choose one I liked. His mornings started with talking to me, his days revolved around me, and he'd text me before going to bed. Saying he depended on me wouldn't be accurate—I depended on him just as much.
That day was Saad's birthday. Nuzhat had been planning since the beginning of the month how to surprise him. We all decided to celebrate together. However, the cake design and the plan for writing the name on it were entirely my idea.
On his birthday, we all went to a distant banyan tree area early in the morning and started decorating the place. We were busy arranging flowers and balloons until almost noon. Then I asked Tiyas to come early and check how it looked.
Tiyas arrived within half an hour. By then, everything was almost ready. Nuzhat went to the parlor to get ready. We had finished most of the preparations. Shuvha and Ruhi went to get the cake, while Dia and I stayed behind as guards. Tiyas was amazed when he saw the decorations. He couldn't stop praising them.
I stood in the decorated area and handed my phone to Tiyas, saying,
"Take a picture of me, Tiyas."
Tiyas took the phone and said,
"It's locked. What's the password?"
I blurted out without thinking,
"Priyas."
Tiyas's smiling face suddenly changed. He looked at me with a guilty, questioning gaze and said,
"Who's Priyas? You've named your phone lock after them..."
I interrupted,
"Everything has this password. Now take the picture."
Tiyas took the photo but didn't say anything else. His face was completely unreadable. There wasn't even a hint of a smile. I found it amusing. Deep down, I felt that if I had feelings for him, he probably felt the same way!
Within half an hour, the others arrived. Once everyone was together, we pulled up a large curtain and stood in front of it. Inside, Nuzhat was waiting alone for Saad. A few minutes later, Araf arrived on his bike with Saad. As soon as we saw him, we all shouted loudly. Saad looked at us, confused, searching for Nuzhat. He couldn't understand why we were all standing behind the red curtain.
As he approached, we moved aside and pulled the curtain away. Immediately, rose petals we had placed on the trees earlier began falling on Saad and Nuzhat. Araf, the photographer, captured the beautiful scene. Our decorations truly looked stunning, almost cinematic.
Tiyas's face still looked sullen. Everyone moved forward to cut the cake. Saad made Tiyas stand right beside him. Despite his bad mood, Tiyas suddenly laughed strangely while looking at the cake. My attention was entirely on Tiyas. After Saad fed Tiyas a piece of cake, Tiyas extended a portion toward me and said,
"So, if 'NuzSaad' means Nuzhat and Saad, then Priyas means... uh... uh...!"
I took the cake, feeling embarrassed. Tiyas laughed even harder at my reaction. I felt like I could die every day just to see him laugh like that.
But I didn't realize there was a different truth behind it all...