Chapter 3
After that first night and the morning message, we started talking every day.At first it was simple. Good morning texts. Short replies. Then longer conversations. Within a few days he asked if I wanted to study together. I said yes.We began meeting at the campus library in the evenings. He would sit across from me, focused on his engineering notes, while I tried to concentrate on my science subjects. Every now and then he would slide a bottle of water toward me or quietly explain something when I looked stuck. It felt comfortable. Safe. Like friendship.Slowly, studying turned into something more.After the library we started walking. Then we started exploring the city. Over the next few weeks we did small adventures that made ordinary days feel special.One Saturday he took me to a quiet hillside just outside town. We carried snacks and sat on a big rock watching the sunset. Another time we went to a local fair. He made me try almost every food stall and then won a small soft toy for me at a game stall. I laughed more that day than I had in months.We visited an old bookstore that smelled of paper and dust. We rode his bike to a lake one afternoon and skipped stones across the water. Once, when it was late, we sat on the steps of an empty amphitheatre and talked until the security guard told us to leave.During that month I learned many things about him. He was serious about his studies but had a quiet sense of humour. He listened more than he spoke. He always walked on the outer side of the pavement. He remembered the smallest things I told him.I also started telling him things I usually kept only in my diary how lonely the boarding house felt sometimes, how heavy the pressure of exams could be, how I often wondered if something was missing from my life. He never made me feel strange for saying those things.We became real friends.We studied together, ate together, laughed together, and slowly grew used to each other’s presence. The nervousness I first felt around him turned into something warmer and quieter.Almost a full month had passed since the night we met when everything shifted.It was a calm evening. We had spent the afternoon at the riverside café we both liked. The sky was starting to change colour. We walked slowly along the water, not saying much.Suddenly he stopped walking.“Priya,” he said.I turned to look at him.He was watching me with that same steady expression from the first night.“These past weeks… I’ve liked being with you. As a friend. But it’s becoming more than that for me.” He paused, then continued in a calm voice. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”My heart started beating very fast.He didn’t look uncertain. He looked sure.“You can take time to think,” he added. “I just needed to tell you.”I stood there for a few seconds, feeling the warm evening air and the quiet sound of the river. The loneliness that used to sit in my chest felt far away.I nodded slowly.“I don’t need time,” I said softly. “I want that too.”A small smile appeared on his face. He stepped closer, gently held my hand, and for the first time kissed me — slow and careful.When he pulled back, he rested his forehead lightly against mine.“Good,” he murmured. “You’re mine now.”That night, when he dropped me at the boarding house, dark clouds were already gathering in the sky. The air smelled like rain.Neither of us knew that the next time we met, the rain would keep us inside his room… and everything between us would become much deeper.After the evening by the river, everything felt different.We were officially dating now. The word “girlfriend” still made my heart beat faster every time he said it. We continued meeting almost every day — studying together, walking, talking, sometimes just sitting quietly. But there was a new softness between us. He held my hand more openly. He kissed my forehead when he dropped me at the boarding house. He texted me good night every single day.One afternoon, while we were sitting in the library, Arjun looked up from his notes.“There’s a film I’ve been wanting to watch,” he said casually. “It’s playing online. We could watch it at my place this evening… if you want.”I felt a small nervous flutter in my stomach. Going to his boarding room felt more private than our usual meetings.“Okay,” I answered after a moment. “Let’s go.”We left campus together. The sky was already turning grey. By the time we reached his bike, light drops of rain had started falling.“Maybe we should wait,” I said, looking up.Arjun glanced at the clouds, then at me. “It’s only light rain. We’ll be fine. Come on.”I climbed on behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. We had only been riding for a few minutes when the rain suddenly became heavier. Within seconds it was pouring. Cold water soaked through my clothes and ran down my face. My dress stuck to my skin. His shirt was completely wet too.“Arjun, it’s too much!” I shouted over the sound of the rain.He slowed the bike but didn’t stop. “We’re almost there. Just hold on tightly.”I pressed my face against his wet back and closed my eyes. The rain was cold, but the warmth of his body kept me from shivering too much. By the time we reached his boarding house, both of us were completely drenched. Water dripped from our hair and clothes onto the floor as we climbed the stairs to his room.He unlocked the door quickly and pulled me inside.The moment the door closed behind us, the heavy sound of the rain became softer. We stood there for a second, both breathing a little hard, clothes clinging to our bodies, water still running down our faces.Arjun looked at me, his wet hair falling over his forehead. A small smile appeared on his lips.“Well,” he said quietly, “we made it.”I laughed softly, even though I was cold and nervous at the same time. “We’re completely wet.”He nodded, then walked to a small cupboard and took out a clean towel. He stepped closer and gently wrapped it around my shoulders.“First, let’s get you dry,” he said. His voice was calm, but his eyes stayed on mine a little longer than usual.Outside, the rain kept pouring heavily against the windows. Neither of us knew yet how long the rain would last… or how much this night would change everything between us.
