At the Maheshvari Residence...
The living room echoed with laughter as the entire Maheshwari family spent some quality time together.
Some were sipping tea, while others were busy teasing one another. Old memories, funny incidents, and endless conversations filled the house with warmth.
A soft smile appeared on Rajeev's face as an old memory crossed his mind.
Looking at Shwetta, he asked,
"Shwetta... do you remember our college friends, Veer and Aditi?"
Shwetta looked at him for a moment before her face instantly lit up.
"Of course, I do! How could I ever forget them?" she smiled.
"The four of us were inseparable during our college days."
Her smile slowly turned nostalgic.
"But after their marriage, they shifted to another city... and with time, we lost contact."
Rajeev nodded.
"I never thought I'd meet them again either..."
He paused for a second before smiling.
"But today... I met them at the hospital."
"What?" Shwetta's eyes widened in surprise.
"Seriously?"
Then worry replaced her excitement.
"Wait... are they okay? Why were they at the hospital?"
Rajeev reassured her with a gentle smile.
"Relax. Everything is absolutely fine."
"They had come for Veer's father's regular health check-up."
"Their family doctor is on leave, so they visited my hospital instead."
Shwetta let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank God..."
A smile quickly returned to her face.
"It's been so many years..."
"I really miss them."
Rajeev chuckled.
"I knew you'd say that."
"So... I already made a plan."
Shwetta looked at him curiously.
"I invited them for lunch tomorrow at a nearby restaurant."
"They've already agreed."
For a moment...
Shwetta simply stared at him.
Then an excited smile spread across her face.
"Really?"
"You've already planned everything?"
Rajeev laughed.
"I know my wife too well."
"I knew you wouldn't let this opportunity go."
Shwetta shook her head with a smile.
"I'm so happy."
"It'll feel like we're reliving our college days again."
The thought of meeting their old friends after so many years filled everyone's hearts with excitement, while none of them knew...
That this simple reunion was about to change many lives forever.
The Next Day...
The school buzzed with its usual morning chaos.
It was the zero period.
Some students were busy gossiping with their friends, while others hurriedly completed their homework before the teachers arrived.
At the last bench...
Anay was about to take out Anaya's notebook, but then he realized he had forgotten it on the study table.
"Chhodho, kal de dunga," he said to himself.
Anay stretched lazily before looking at Shaurya.
"Abe... aaj sab itni mehnat kyun kar rahe hain?"
Shaurya looked at him as if he had asked the world's dumbest question.
"Tu bhool gaya kya?"
"Accounts wali ma'am ne homework diya tha."
"Aur unhone clearly bola tha..."
"'Jo homework complete nahi karega, uske parents ko call jaayega.'"
Anay's eyes widened.
"Ek minute..."
"Don't tell me..."
"Tune homework kar liya?"
Shaurya proudly flashed all thirty-two teeth.
"Yaar, bore ho raha tha..."
"Socha kar hi leta hoon."
Anay looked at him with betrayal.
"Saale dhokebaaz!"
"Yahi din dekhne ke liye tujhe dost banaya tha maine?"
"Tu seedha nark mein jaayega."
Shaurya laughed.
"Drama band kar."
"Abhi bhi time hai."
"Tu likh... main help kar deta hoon."
Anay immediately grabbed his notebook.
"Lagta hai karna hi padega."
"Warna woh chudail sach mein Papa ko phone kar degi."
"Accounts ka period fourth hai na?"
"Tab tak ho jaayega."
Just as he uncapped his pen...
The classroom door opened.
The Accounts teacher walked inside.
The entire class immediately stood up.
"Good morning, Ma'am."
"Good morning. Sit down."
One student raised his hand.
"Ma'am, aaj toh Hindi period tha."
"Haan."
"Your Hindi teacher exchanged periods with me."
She smiled.
"Ab sab apni notebooks lekar aa jao."
"I'll check your homework."
The color instantly disappeared from Anay's face.
"Bas..."
"Zindagi mein pehli baar homework karne ka mann kiya..."
"Aur Bhagwan ko woh bhi manzoor nahi hua."
Suddenly...
A mischievous idea popped into his head.
Without wasting another second...
He quietly slid under his desk.
Shaurya stared at him.
"Abe saale..."
"Ye kya kar raha hai?"
Anay whispered,
"Agar Ma'am mere baare mein pooche na..."
"Bol dena aaj main absent hoon."
Shaurya almost burst out laughing.
"Pakda jaayega tu."
Anay said, "Kuch nahi hoga. Bas jo bola hai woh kar."
Meanwhile...
Anaya happened to notice everything from her seat.
She watched Anay hiding under the desk like a little kid.
A smile almost escaped her lips.
'Pagal.'
One by one...
The teacher checked everyone's notebooks.
Finally, she reached Shaurya.
After checking his homework, she looked around.
"Anay dikh nahi raha."
"Aaj absent hai kya?"
Shaurya scratched the back of his neck.
"Vo... Ma'am... Anay..."
Before he could complete his sentence...
A calm voice spoke from behind.
"Ma'am..."
"Anay desk ke neeche chhupa hua hai," Anaya said.
The entire class fell silent.
Anay slowly closed his eyes.
'Gayi bhains paani mein...'
The teacher looked at Anaya.
"What?"
She walked straight toward Anay's bench.
Then bent down.
Sure enough...
There he was.
Trying his best to become invisible.
"ANAY!"
He slowly stood up with an awkward smile.
"Ji, Ma'am..."
"Kya kar rahe the tum desk ke neeche?"
"M-Ma'am..."
"Mera pen gir gaya tha."
"Use dhoond raha tha."
The teacher folded her arms.
"Mujhe class mein aaye hue bees minute ho chuke hain."
"Itni der se pen dhoond rahe the?"
Anay nodded innocently.
"Ji, Ma'am."
"Mil hi nahi raha tha."
The entire class struggled to hold back their laughter.
The teacher sighed.
"Accha..."
"Notebook dikhao."
"Homework toh complete kiya hoga?"
Anay cleared his throat dramatically.
"Ma'am..."
"Kal mere mummy ke chacha ke bete ki maasi ke iklaute bete ke fufa ke mausa ji ki death ho gayi thi."
"So..."
"Homework nahi kar paaya."
The teacher blinked.
"Kiski...?"
"Ek minute."
"Kaun?"
She genuinely looked confused.
Anay nodded sadly.
"Bahut door ke rishtedaar the..."
"Par dil ke bahut kareeb the."
A few students lowered their heads to hide their laughter.
The teacher rubbed her forehead.
"Theek hai."
"Kal tak homework complete karke dikhana."
"Thank you, Ma'am."
As soon as she walked away...
Anay slowly turned toward Anaya.
His eyes narrowed.
She calmly looked away as if nothing had happened.
ā¢ā¢ā¢
A few minutes later...
The bell rang.
The teacher left the classroom.
Just then, another teacher called Anaya outside.
She walked into the corridor.
The hallway was almost empty.
Suddenly...
Someone grabbed her wrist.
Before she could react...
She was pulled into a quiet corner.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She looked up.
Anay.
His grip wasn't painful...
But his eyes clearly showed he was annoyed.
For a second...
Neither of them spoke.
Their eyes remained locked.
Anaya could hear her own heartbeat.
Why was she suddenly so nervous?
Anay finally broke the silence.
"Problem kya hai tumhari? Kyun har waqt mere peeche padi rehti ho? Apne kaam se kaam nahi rakh sakti?"
Anaya quickly pulled her hand free.
"Pehle peeche hato."
She took a step back.
"Tumne Ma'am ko kyun bataya ki main desk ke neeche chhupa hua tha? Chup nahi reh sakti thi? Puri class mein kisi ne kuch nahi bola. Bas tumhe hi heroine banna tha?"
Anaya folded her arms.
"Galti meri nahi thi. Galti tumhari thi."
"Tum chhupe hi kyun the? Aur waise bhi... agar baad mein Ma'am khud dekh leti na... toh sabse pehle mujhse poochti. Anaya, tumne bataya kyun nahi?"
"So yes..."
"I did the right thing."
Anay sighed in frustration.
"Tum na..."
"Aage se bas apne kaam se kaam rakha karo."
"Mujhse panga mat liya karo."
He paused.
His voice suddenly became quieter.
"Warna..."
"Gusse mein main phir kuch aisa kar deta hoon..."
"...jiska baad mujhe khud regret hota hai."
The last sentence slipped out before he could stop himself.
He lowered his gaze.
Anaya noticed the sudden change in his expression.
"Regret?"
She frowned.
"Kis baat ka regret?"
Anay immediately looked away.
"Kuch nahi."
"Jaao yahan se."
He stepped aside, giving her space to leave.
Anaya looked at him for a moment.
"Tumhari baatein na..."
"Mujhe bilkul samajh nahi aati."
Shaking her head, she walked away.
Anay stood there silently...
Watching her disappear down the corridor.
For the first time...
He wasn't angry at her.
He was angry at himself.
It was the library period
The entire library was wrapped in a peaceful silence. Some students were genuinely engrossed in their books, while others quietly chatted with their friends, making sure not to catch the librarian's attention.
Anaya sat with complete focus, her eyes fixed on her notebook. She wasn't interested in who was doing what around her. Beside her, Myra was deeply immersed in a romance novel, a soft smile playing on her lips as she blushed at every few pages.
Right across from them sat Anay and Shaurya. Both had their books open in front of them, pretending to study only because the teacher was present. In reality, neither of them had read a single page.
"Bhen, yahan bhi novel... thodi padhai kar le," Anaya whispered, nudging Myra.
"Class mein karti hoon na. Yahan toh novel padhne de. Itni shanti mein novel padhne ka maza hi kuch aur hota hai," Myra replied with a dreamy smile, without taking her eyes off the pages.
"Itni hi free hai toh mera English ka kaam kar de. Mujhe poori notebook dobara new copy mein likhni padegi. Mere paas bilkul time nahi hai," Anaya sighed.
"Tune abhi tak kiya nahi?" Myra asked, finally looking up.
"Tuition mein test tha. Usi ki preparation kar rahi thi, isliye time hi nahi mila."
Just then, the boy sitting beside Myra overheard their conversation. His eyes fell on the novel in her hands before he smiled.
"Tumhe bhi ye author pasand hai?" he asked.
Myra's face instantly lit up.
"Haan! Bahut. Maine inki almost saari books padhi hain."
"Seriously? Ye toh meri bhi favourite author hai. Tumne unki new book padhi? Kuch weeks pehle hi release hui hai."
Myra's excitement faded a little.
"Nahi... abhi nahi. Meri pocket money khatam ho gayi thi. Agle month buy karungi, phir padhungi."
"Arey, mere paas hai. Main kal school le aaunga. Tum le lena."
"Nahi... it's okay. Main baad mein padh lungi."
"Faltu mein paise kyun kharch karna? Meri book le lena. Mujhe books collect karne ka shauk nahi hai. Main toh padhne ke baad kisi na kisi ko de hi deta hoon."
For a moment, Myra hesitated before smiling.
"Achha... theek hai. Thank you."
While the two continued talking, someone else had been silently watching the entire conversation.
Shaurya.
His jaw clenched.
He didn't even know why, but every passing second made him feel more irritated. Seeing that boy smile at Myra... seeing Myra smile back... it was bothering him far more than it should have.
His grip on the book tightened.
His eyes never left them.
"Ye ladka kaun hai?" Shaurya asked, his voice unusually serious.
Anay glanced in the same direction before answering casually.
"Doosre section ka hai. Maine suna hai 10th mein Myra ka kaafi close friend tha."
Shaurya's expression darkened.
"10th mein tha na... ab dobara close hone ki koshish kyun kar raha hai?"
Anay slowly turned towards him, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Tujhe kyun dikkat ho rahi hai?"
"Mujhe? Main toh bas aise hi bol raha hoon."
"Hmm..." Anay smirked.
"Dal mein kuch toh kaala hai."
"Tu apna zyada dimaag mat chala. Bhagwan ne waise hi kam diya hai."
Anay laughed under his breath, but Shaurya didn't respond.
His eyes were still fixed on Myra.
"Kya hua?" Anay whispered with a teasing smile.
"Nazar hi nahi hatt rahi unse?"
Shaurya remained silent.
For the first time...
He wasn't jealous of the boy.
He was jealous of the attention Myra was giving him.
******************************************************
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