The same bench

The school bell rang, dragging everyone into Class 9–C. Bags hit desks, chairs screeched, and the usual noise filled the room.

Aarav walked in quietly and sat on the last bench near the window—his regular spot. He liked it there. No one disturbed him, and the playground outside was easier to look at than the blackboard.

Just as he opened his notebook, the door opened again.

Ananya stepped in, slightly out of breath. She looked around the classroom, clearly searching for a seat. Her usual place was already taken. After a moment of hesitation, her eyes landed on the last bench.

She walked toward it.

“Is this seat empty?” she asked.

Aarav looked up, surprised. “Yeah.”

She sat down beside him, placing her bag neatly under the desk. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

English period started. The teacher began reading, her voice steady and boring. Aarav stared outside, half-listening. Suddenly, a pen rolled near his hand. He picked it up.

“Yours,” he said.

“Oh—thanks,” Ananya replied, smiling briefly.

That was it. Just one word. But it felt… different.

“Page number?” she whispered later.

“Thirty-four.”

“Got it.”

Silence again.

When the bell rang, Ananya closed her notebook and stood up. Before leaving, she turned back.

“I think I’ll sit here again tomorrow,” she said.

Aarav nodded. “Sure.”

She smiled and walked away to join her friends.

The rest of the day passed normally—classes, notes, boredom. Nothing special.

Yet, while leaving school, Aarav glanced back at the classroom once more.

The last bench by the window didn’t feel the same anymore.

And that was strange…

because nothing had really happened.

Aarav walked out of the school gate with the crowd, the noise slowly fading as students split into different directions. The road outside was busy as always—cycles, buses, vendors calling out—but his mind stayed strangely quiet.

He replayed the day without trying to.

Nothing unusual had happened. No long conversations. No promises. Just a shared bench, a pen picked up, a few whispered words. Still, it felt like something had shifted slightly, like when a familiar place suddenly looks different for no clear reason.

At home, he dropped his bag and sat by the window, notebook open but untouched. He told himself it was just coincidence. Seats change all the time. People talk. Days pass.

Yet, when he imagined the classroom, he didn’t picture the blackboard or the teacher.

He pictured the last bench.

The space beside him that hadn’t felt empty.

The next morning, as he packed his bag, one thought stayed longer than it should have.

Will she sit there again?

It wasn’t excitement. Not nervousness either. Just a quiet curiosity, the kind that didn’t demand answers.

The school bell rang again, just like always.

And Aarav walked toward Class 9–C, unaware that this ordinary routine had already begun turning into something he would remember long after the classrooms were left behind.

See you guys in next episode :v

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***