I was sitting in my room, scrolling aimlessly through social media, when suddenly I noticed something that caught my eye—an ID I hadn't seen in years. It took me a moment, but the name on the profile sparked something in me. It was his—Rudra's profile.

It felt strange seeing his name after all these years. It had been so long since we last spoke, since we last laughed, and teased each other. We were childhood friends, but life had taken us down different paths, and he had left after 6th grade. Our worlds drifted apart, until now, a random instagram request, and the memories flooded back.

I wasn’t sure if I should send him a friend request. Would it be weird? Would he even remember me? But curiosity won. I clicked 'send' and waited. A few minutes passed, then my phone buzzed.

He had accepted it.

Not wasting any time, I opened the chat window. Before I could even type a word, my phone buzzed again, and it was him.

“Oh, is that Aniksha?” he asked, his message catching me off guard. It felt surreal—he remembered. But did he really remember me?

I couldn’t help but smile.

"Yeah, it’s me, Aniksha," I replied, feeling a rush of excitement. I didn’t even have time to process everything before his reply came in.

“Whoa... Aniksha? Long time no see! It’s been forever. What have you been up to?”

I was grinning from ear to ear now. It felt so natural, like no time had passed. We got talking, and before I knew it, we were chatting for hours. It was like we picked up right where we left off, teasing each other, laughing, and reminiscing. The energy between us felt electric, like the old spark was still there, but something new was forming.

The teasing started almost immediately. I couldn’t resist calling him out on something silly he said, and before I knew it, I sent him a message:

“So, how’s the height, still short or...?”

His response came in so fast, I could almost hear his playful tone through the screen. “its still the same", he wrote, laughing, and suddenly it clicked.

That was it. That’s when I knew. I had to call him what I always did—Chotu.(shorty)

And that’s when he went wild, playfully threatening me, “Shut up! I’ll kill you for calling me that. Wait till I meet you somewhere. You’re dead, you know?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. The teasing, the flirting, the pure excitement—it felt like no time had passed at all. Rudra had changed, but in many ways, he was still the same. And as I teased him, a little thrill sparked inside me. Was this something more than just friendship? I couldn’t help but wonder.

But for now, we were just two people reconnecting—laughing, teasing, and reawakening old memories. And for me, that was enough.

The chats between Aniksha and Rudra had become a daily routine, their conversations growing longer and more playful with each passing day. Sometimes, they’d talk for hours, sometimes even three or four at a time. What started as simple messages quickly became the highlight of their days, a rhythm they couldn’t quite escape, nor did they want to.

Rudra would share bits and pieces of his life—how his friends always challenged him to a game of chess, how he loved to spend hours on end watching online matches. His passion for the game was evident, but Aniksha wasn’t much of a chess player herself. She’d listen, nodding along, pretending to understand the intricacies of every move. But in reality, her thoughts often drifted to other things. She’d smile at the thought of how strange it was that someone she’d known as a kid was now pouring out these details of his life to her, so easily, so naturally.

One evening, as they were in the middle of one of their usual long chats, Rudra sent her a link to a song, titled “I Love You.”

“Listen to this,” he typed. “This song is so good, Aniksha. You’ll love it.”

Aniksha paused for a moment, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She clicked the link, listening to the soft melody that played. It was sweet, emotional, the kind of song that spoke of love and longing.

“Yeah, it’s a really good song,” she replied, not fully grasping the significance of his message. “I like it.”

Rudra, however, knew exactly what he was trying to convey. But Aniksha, in her usual carefree way, didn’t catch on. She was still oblivious to the deeper meaning behind his words.

Days later, Rudra posted a story on his social media. Aniksha, without thinking, also uploaded one at the same time. It wasn’t uncommon for them to post their stories nearly simultaneously, but this time, when Aniksha saw his picture, something made her pause.

She stared at the photo for a moment, her heart skipping a beat. “Wow,” she muttered to herself, almost too softly to hear. “He’s so handsome now…”

Without giving it much thought, she commented on his story, teasing as usual. “Hmm… is that you?”

Rudra, clearly amused by her comment, replied with a smirk, “No, it’s not me.”

Aniksha raised an eyebrow. “I’m never gonna believe that.”

“Of course it’s me!” Rudra shot back. “Who else could it be? It’s my account, my story. Isn’t that obvious?”

She grinned at his response, feeling the familiar warmth of their banter. But just as quickly, she decided to tease him, like she always did.

“You’re handsome,” she typed, “but still a shorty. Still my Chotu.”

Rudra laughed at her words, but he wasn’t going to let it slide so easily. “You’re beautiful,” he typed, “but still an idiot.”

Aniksha’s eyes widened, a playful glint lighting up her expression. “Don’t call me an idiot, okay?” she shot back, feeling the teasing heat building between them.

Rudra, unfazed, responded with a challenge. “Shut up.”

She scoffed, refusing to let him have the last word. “No, you shut up.”

The tension in their playful words began to shift. It wasn’t just the typical teasing anymore—it was something else, something deeper.

“You shut up first,” Rudra teased, his words playful but with a hint of something more.

Aniksha, enjoying the back-and-forth, smirked as she typed her response. “Make me.”

Rudra blinked in surprise at her reply, caught off guard for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Oh, now you’re taking it too far.”

But the truth was, neither of them wanted this banter to end. It was effortless, fun, and natural—a rhythm they’d found without realizing it. There was something electric in the way they connected, even in the smallest, silliest exchanges.

As the conversation continued, the hours seemed to slip by unnoticed. The teasing, the laughter—it all felt so easy, so right. They didn’t need to say much to understand each other. In the midst of all the words they exchanged, it was clear that something unspoken was slowly beginning to take root.

But for now, neither of them was ready to admit it. Not yet.

...---End of chapter 2---...