Raitha leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Shyam, as she asked a question that felt like it was woven from nostalgia, one that had been left unanswered for years. "Do you remember what I told you the day we first met?"
Shyam blinked in surprise at the suddenness of the question. The question seemed so simple, yet so profound. For a moment, he couldn't quite process it. But then, the haze lifted, and a memory from long ago resurfaced, vivid and clear. It was a memory that he had never truly forgotten, even if he hadn't thought of it in a while.
"Yeah," he replied, a slight smile tugging at his lips as the nostalgia swept over him. "How could I forget?"
In an instant, their surroundings blurred, and the scene shifted. Time seemed to fold in on itself, drawing them both back to that day—the day when their paths first crossed, setting in motion a chain of events that neither could have predicted.
It was a normal afternoon at Rasagi High School. A student sat on the stairs at the back of the school, eating his lunch in solitude. The quietude of the moment felt peaceful to him, a temporary escape from the busy world of school. But as fate would have it, that moment was about to be interrupted.
Raitha, a student from class 11B, walked past him on her way somewhere. She glanced over and noticed the lone figure sitting there, seemingly lost in his thoughts as he ate. Without much thought, she decided to approach him, intrigued by the solitude he appeared to be enjoying.
Seeing her walking toward him, Shyam instinctively stiffened. He wasn't accustomed to such sudden attention, especially from someone he didn't know. He didn't react at first, hoping she would simply pass by. But she didn't.
Instead, she sat down beside him without hesitation, her voice breaking the silence as she greeted him.
"Hey, I'm Raitha from class 11B. What's your name? And why are you eating out here all alone?"
Shyam's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected this—an unexpected barrage of questions from a stranger. His mind raced, but his body remained still, frozen by the unexpected encounter. After a brief pause, he finally found his voice, the words coming out slowly, almost as if they were reluctant to leave his lips.
"Uh, hi, I'm Shyam from class 12B… And, uh, I'm not sure I can answer the second question. Sorry about that."
As he spoke, he quickly went back to eating, trying to avoid any further conversation. His eyes darted around nervously, wishing the encounter would end swiftly.
Raitha, sensing his discomfort, offered him a gentle smile, understanding that she might have startled him with her sudden approach. She decided to ease the tension, her tone softening as she spoke again.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have come on so strong. I should've asked first. But, really, there's no need to eat so fast. Anyway, the reason I came over is because… well, I don't have anyone to eat with or talk to, and I thought maybe you didn't either, since you're sitting alone. So, would you be my friend?"
Shyam's breath caught in his throat. The word "friend" felt like a shockwave. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he couldn't process what she had said. Was this really happening? Did she want to be his friend? His mind raced, full of questions and uncertainties. His first instinct was to decline, but something within him hesitated. He didn't think he was the kind of person anyone would want to be friends with—not in the way she seemed to mean.
Coughing slightly, he managed to gather his thoughts enough to reply, though his words came out more guarded than he intended.
"Sure, but... I'm not really a guy with interests, you know? I don't think you'd have much fun being my friend. In fact, you probably wouldn't even notice the difference between having a friend and not having one if you make me your friend."
His words were blunt, but his tone wasn't harsh. He was just being honest, as he always was. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed something unexpected: Raitha was laughing.
She chuckled lightly, as if his words were amusing to her, and then she said with a playful grin, "You know, you're more fun than you think. I might just have more fun than I could ever hope for with you. And maybe, one day, I'll end up with you. And if I do, just remember this—this day, when we first met."
Her words hung in the air between them, a promise wrapped in mystery. And though Shyam wasn't sure what she meant, a part of him couldn't help but feel that, somehow, this was just the beginning of something neither of them could predict.
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