I didn't realize that a week had passed as I walked toward the art class to find Annie at the entrance. I squealed and ran to her. As I reached her, she hugged me tight, "I missed you."
"Me too." I truly did.
She pulled away as she spoke, "How did you spend the week without me?"
When I was about to speak, the bell rang, indicating the start of class. "Let's go. We'll talk about it later." She nodded.
We walked into the class to find Sanjay in his regular seat. He greeted me as I took my seat, "Good morning!"
"Good morning," I replied.
He looked at me with a raised brow as he glanced at Annie. I introduced her to him, and they both hit it off instantly as if they were long-lost friends. I wasn't complaining since I was lost in my thoughts.
Annie must've noticed my disorientation as she nudged me, "What's on your mind?" Annie asked, shifting her focus onto me.
I was about to reply when the teacher entered the class and started the lecture. God! What's with the interruption when I'm about to speak?
After the class, Sanjay started a conversation while we were walking out. He asked Annie, "How you got interested in art?"
"I never had an interest in arts. I follow Siya because we have been childhood friends." She answered, and I smiled at her.
It's true. She sticks with me always. She even planned to go to the same college as me. She could be more ambitious in life. But she enjoys living in the present and doesn't bother about the future. I like her spontaneous attitude. Also, since she has not found her interest in any particular field, she follows me, hoping to find her passion.
Annie continued the conversation by asking about Sanjay's family, "What about your parents?"
"My parents were into the family business, so they were always busy working," Sanjay replied, continuing his conversation about his interest in cooking and drawing. Also, he told us that he had given the entrance test for NIT, which surprised us.
"We've also given the entrance test for the same college," Anne replied.
"Wow! That's nice. I hope we all get admission to that college to be together." He spoke. Annie and I both nodded with excitement.
We parted ways to get back home. He left in his car, and we started walking home. While walking, Annie constantly stared at me, and I couldn't hold myself back, "What?" I asked her.
"What happened to you? You look sad. Aren't you happy to see me back?" I stopped in my tracks as I heard her low voice. While she looks tough to the outside world, I know how delicate she is from the inside.
I sighed. "I'm glad that you're back."
I couldn't hide it from her no matter what, and she's my best friend, after all. So, I decided to tell her about everything, and I did. I told her about how I started to feel when Vihaan was around. As soon as I finished, she squealed and jumped, "Wow! Finally! You are in love."
"What?!" I was startled by her words and looked at her to check if she was out of her mind.
"How can I love someone I don't know? Maybe it's just attraction." I voiced the thought that has been disturbing me for some reason.
"I'm sure you've started loving him. Love can happen in a moment or after some meeting. You never know, but it happens for no reason." She paused. "Also, I think Sanjay feels something for you," she said confidently.
"What?" Yup! She's definitely out of her mind.
"It's nonsense. We're just friends," I said.
"Who knows? It can happen between friends, too," she justified. I ignored her and started walking away. But her words bugged me throughout the day.
After dinner with the family, I went to my room and settled on painting to get Annie's words out of my brain. I decided on some floral scenery, worked on it until I was tired, and was impressed with my skills as I progressed a lot since I started my classes.
Even after working on the painting for hours, I couldn't calm my mind as I lay on my bed. It went back to Annie's words. Somewhere her words made sense. But I want to be rational, and I don't want to let my feelings grow for him since he wants to be just a friend.