Chapter 5 The Seat Beside Me

The classroom felt strangely quieter after Aarav's first day.

Maybe it wasn't actually quieter.

Maybe I had simply become more aware of every little sound—the scratching of pencils, the ceiling fan humming lazily above us, the laughter echoing from the corridor.

And somehow...

I was aware of him too.

Monday mornings were always slow.

Our English teacher had not arrived yet, leaving the class buzzing with conversations.

Riya leaned toward me with a mischievous grin.

"So..."

I didn't even look up from my notebook.

"So... what?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You've looked at the new boy at least fifteen times since morning."

"I have not."

"You just looked again."

I sighed.

"I was looking at the clock."

"The clock is on the opposite wall."

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"I hate you."

She laughed so loudly that even a few classmates turned around.

Aarav sat near the window, quietly reading a novel.

Unlike everyone else, he never seemed interested in gossip.

No phone.

No loud conversations.

Just...

Silence.

Sunlight slipped through the glass and rested on the pages of his book.

For a second...

He looked like he belonged inside a story instead of a classroom.

The teacher finally entered.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, ma'am."

She smiled.

"Today we'll begin a partner assignment."

The entire class groaned.

"You'll work in pairs."

Students immediately started whispering.

Before I could even turn toward Riya—

"Anaya."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You'll be paired with Aarav."

Everything around me froze.

"What?"

The word escaped before I could stop it.

The class erupted into teasing laughter.

The teacher smiled knowingly.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-No, ma'am."

I slowly gathered my notebook and walked toward the empty seat beside him.

Every step felt unusually loud.

He looked up as I sat down.

"Hi."

His voice was calm.

"Hi..."

For a few awkward seconds...

Neither of us spoke.

"So..."

he finally said.

"What book are you reading?"

I blinked.

"You noticed?"

"You carry it every day."

I looked down at the romance novel tucked inside my bag.

"It's my favourite."

He smiled faintly.

"I guessed."

"You... read novels too?"

He held up the book in his hand.

"I do."

I laughed softly.

"I should've noticed."

For the first time...

The silence between us didn't feel uncomfortable.

It felt peaceful.

The assignment was simple.

Write a short story together.

I stared at the blank page.

"I can't think of anything."

Aarav picked up the pen.

"What about..."

"A girl who writes everything in a diary because she's afraid memories disappear?"

I looked at him in surprise.

"That's actually beautiful."

He smiled.

"You can finish the rest."

Without realising it...

We spent the entire period discussing stories instead of the assignment.

Favourite books.

Favourite endings.

Characters we wished were real.

When the bell rang...

Neither of us had noticed the time.

As everyone packed their bags, Aarav gently slid the notebook toward me.

"You write well."

I looked at the unfinished story.

"We both wrote it."

"Maybe."

He picked up his bag.

"But your words feel warmer."

Then he walked away.

Leaving me staring at the page...

And smiling without even knowing it.

— to be continued

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