Fehmi

Faasla

[So why are you surprised? You're good looking you can get letters]

"Par achanak se itne saare letters wo bhi roz kon bhej sakta hai" I asked, expressing my doubt.

[But so many letters out of nowhere?]

I have absolute confidence when it comes to my looks but this is a bit concerning.

"Tu chhod hum pata laga lenge" Nishant said.

[Leave it! We'll find it for you]

It's good to have such supportive friends.

I tried to recall all the girls who have ever hit on me but I can't remember any one who would do this.

What if it's a prank? But who would do a prank on me?

After 10 minutes of thinking I realised about my rivalry with that science girl.

"I think I know who this could be" I said.

"Do you think it's a prank?" Ujjwal said.

"Yes. And it might be that Samaira. After what happened two weeks ago, she is definitely trying to pull such a prank and annoy me" I said.

"But she doesn't seem like she'll do something or this sort" Ujjwal said.

"We never know" Nishant said.

I was walking outside the classroom for some fresh air when I saw Samaira giving some papers to the junior who gave me those letters. My suspicion started turning out to be true.

I got back to my seat and read all the letters. They were all about her feelings towards me. As I unfolded the carefully penned letter, my heart quickened with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. The words on the page danced before my eyes, each sentence seemingly written with delicate precision, conveying emotions I never expected to come from my enemy, Samaira.

"No... These can't be her thoughts" I told myself.

Confusion clouded my thoughts as I read and reread the letter, searching for any indication that it might be a prank or a cruel joke orchestrated by Samaira only.

But amidst the skepticism and disbelief, there was a flicker of something else – a glimmer of hope, perhaps, that dared to entertain the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Samaira's feelings were genuine. The thought both thrilled and terrified me, igniting a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within my chest.

"If these are actually written by her...then why is she fighting with me? This is a prank for sure" I told myself.

I headed to the library to revise my lessons. As I stepped into the library, the soft glow of the reading lamps casting warm pools of light upon the rows of towering bookshelves, I never expected to encounter her there – Samaira.

She was trying to jump and get the books on the highest shelf. She's not a centimetre more than 5'3. How can she possibly reach that shelf?

Without a second thought, I found myself crossing the room towards her, drawn inexplicably by the sight of her struggling.
I stood behind her and directed my hand towards the top shelf to pull out the book she was trying to get.

Suprised my by sudden arrival, she turned around. But I could see the faint blush that stained her cheeks, the sign of embarrassment at being caught in a moment of vulnerability. And in that moment, something shifted between us.

Our hands brushed against each others and samaira quickly retracted her hand. As I turned to offer her the book, our eyes met, and for a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. She took the book, pushed me away and walked away from the scene.