THE TEXT
The professor left the classroom after a six-hour lecture, and I sighed, “Huh.” As the class becomes and more and more noisy, I begin packing my belongings. I passed a stranger as I made my way to the main building’s entrance. It was strange, though, because I was familiar with every detail of him, including his full name, parents, height, interests, sport, and habits. However, he didn’t even look at me. Nonetheless, if we had been actual strangers, our lives wouldn’t have been like this.
*I exit the main building and head for the street*
The winds were intense. As I make my way to the hostel, I plug in my earphones. This winter is “the coldest of all time,” according to what I heard on the news yesterday. Because of the proportion of trees, my neighborhood is always a little colder than the rest of the city. By the way, I reside on a university campus. Because the campus is as large as a forest, taking leisurely walks amid the immense tree line and fresh air feels great. I adore winter. It’s not that they’re cold; rather, I prefer the chill of freezing to the intense heat.
As I walked through the hostel gate, two girls chatted, “Will she be okay? I’ve heard that he’s returned to campus.” Again, because I was wearing headphones, they were unaware that I could hear them. However, I only put them on to avoid people and their conversations, so I didn’t turn on the music. I ignored them as if it didn’t concern me.
As I lose sight of them, I pass with a soft smile on my face. I went into my room after opening the door. I leave the shoes on the floor and jump onto the bed. As I look at the ceiling, a tear escapes from my right eye. I shut my eyes to keep from realizing that I was crying.
I take a trip down memory lane, recalling my past. He was present in every scene I tried to remember.
When and where did it begin though?
Hmm... Was it November 2021?
Since COVID was still a major concern at the time, all of the classes were offered online. On my screen, a notification appeared. It came from my group at college. “Guys, we are waiting,” it said. Join the meeting as soon as possible. It was our batchmates’ first Google Meet introduction. Because I’m an introvert, I ignore it anyhow. Being alone is easier to speaking with everyone at once.
“Life is boring”, I yapped. I have stayed at home ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. It felt weird to live in my own house after spending my early years in a hostel. I was thinking about a lot of things when my phone buzzed. It was a personal WhatsApp notification rather than one from the group. The number was unknown. The message said, “Hi, I’m Divyansh from the Department of English Literature”.
Yes, it all started with that text.
