Chapter 5: The past that never left

Night Outside Arsh's House

The streetlights cast a dim glow on the pavement as Aria stood outside Arsh's house, her arms crossed, biting her lip in hesitation. The night air was cool, but her mind was too occupied to feel it.

"Should I go inside or just leave?" she whispered to herself, staring at the familiar door.

Her fingers curled into fists as an old memory played in her mind—the day Arsh first entered their lives.

Flashback: Arsh's First Day at School

The classroom buzzed with chatter, students giggling and whispering as the teacher walked in with a small boy beside her.

He was quiet, his hands tucked into his pockets, his messy hair slightly covering his eyes. There was something about him—his silence, his stiff posture—that made the room go still for a moment.

The teacher smiled. "Class, we have a new friend today. Go ahead, introduce yourself."

The boy looked around with a blank face before muttering, "I'm Arsh." Then, without another word, he walked straight to the last bench and sat down, his eyes glued to the desk, ignoring everyone.

From her seat, Rishant leaned toward Aria, whispering, "He looks rude."

Nancy, however, had a different opinion.

"He looks cute," she whispered back, twirling her pen between her fingers.

Aria simply ignored them and focused on the class, but her curiosity was piqued.

The lunch bell rang, and the class quickly became lively as students pulled out their tiffins, forming small groups. Arsh sat alone, his lunchbox in front of him, his expression unreadable.

He wasn't the type to beg for company, but there was a subtle hesitation in the way he kept looking around—as if hoping someone would invite him.

Despite his cold exterior, he put tiny efforts into making friends:

Casually shifting his bench closer to another group.

Opening his lunch slowly, hoping someone would notice.

Letting out a sigh loud enough to be heard, as if expecting someone to turn toward him.

But no one did.

By the time he realized he wasn't welcome, his fingers curled around the edge of his lunchbox, his chest tightening.

He tried to act like it didn't matter.

But it did.

Then, it happened.

A few kids noticed him sitting alone and started whispering.

"Weirdo."

"Attention seeker."

"What's his problem?"

The words hit him harder than he expected. His throat tightened, his eyes burned, and before he could stop himself—tears started rolling down his cheeks.

A few students gasped, some snickered, and before anyone could say more, Arsh grabbed his lunchbox and ran out of the class, heading straight for the school garden.

Aria had been watching everything.

She saw the way his shoulders stiffened, the way his fingers twitched when he heard the whispers, the way his confidence crumbled in seconds.

Without hesitation, she got up and followed him outside.

She found him sitting under a tree, arms wrapped around his knees, trying to wipe his tears with his sleeve.

Without a word, she grabbed his hand.

"What are you—?" Arsh started, but Aria dragged him back toward the classroom.

"Let go," he whined, embarrassed and resisting, but she ignored him.

She stormed inside, standing in front of the class, still holding Arsh's hand firmly.

"Listen up." Her voice was loud and clear, commanding attention.

"He's our friend."

The entire class went silent.

Rishant and Nancy looked at each other, surprised.

Aria's eyes swept across the room, sharp and unyielding. "And if anyone behaves rudely with him, I will complain to the teacher."

A few students shifted uncomfortably. Someone whispered in the back, "Both of them are attention seekers."

Aria let out a small chuckle. "Of course, I am. Who doesn't love positive attention?"

For a second, there was absolute silence.

Then—

"Me too," Rishant suddenly said, raising his hand casually.

"Me three," Nancy added, flipping her hair dramatically.

A few students chuckled, and the tension broke.

Arsh just stood there, frozen, his ears turning red with embarrassment.

But when Aria pushed a lunchbox into his hands and sat down beside him, he couldn't stop the small, grateful smile that crept onto his face.

For the first time that day, he felt like he belonged.

Back to the Present – Outside Arsh's House

Aria blinked, the memory fading into the night air.

She looked up at the door again, inhaling sharply.

"This guy..." she whispered to herself.

The same Arsh who once cried alone in a garden was now the same Arsh who barely showed emotions, who stood unreadable at the classroom board earlier today.

A small, bitter smile formed on her lips.

"I wonder if you even remember that day, Arsh."

Her fingers hovered near the door, hesitation creeping in again.

"Should I let him go alone? Nancy and Rishant are not going too." The thought hit her unexpectedly, tightening her chest.

"He's not a kid anymore... he doesn't need me."

She swallowed hard, taking a few steps back, convincing herself to turn away. Maybe she was just holding onto something that didn't exist anymore.

Just as she was about to leave, a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Woah, Aria! Why are you standing outside?"

Aria flinched slightly and turned around to see Arsh's mom standing there, balancing a bag of vegetables in one hand.

Her warm, knowing eyes flicked between Aria and the house.

Aria forced a small, awkward smile, trying to find a quick excuse—but her mind had already gone blank.

Aria greeted Arsh's mother with a polite smile. "Hello, Aunty! I was just about to go inside."

Arsh's mom, shifting the vegetable bag in her arms, gave her a warm nod. "Then let's go."

As they stepped inside, Arsh's mom headed straight for the kitchen. "He must be in his room. Go ahead, I'll bring something to eat."

"Sure, thanks, Aunty." Aria replied, making her way upstairs.

Meanwhile, inside Arsh's room, complete chaos had erupted.

Arsh, Rishant, and Nancy were staring at each other, panic flashing in their eyes as Aria's footsteps grew closer.

Arsh shot up from his seat. "I'll open the door."

Just as he took a step forward, Rishant grabbed his wrist.

Arsh turned back, confused. "What?"

Rishant lowered his voice, eyes sharp. "Wait. It must be Aria, right?"

Nancy nodded confidently. "Of course, it's her. If she finds out we're going with you on the trip, she'll definitely make up some excuse not to go."

Arsh sighed, rubbing his forehead. "So what do we do?"

Nancy's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I have an idea."

Before she could explain, Aria's impatient voice echoed from outside.

"Are you there or not?"

Arsh panicked and blurted out, "Wait! I'm here—I'm… changing!"

He turned to Nancy, lowering his voice. "What's the idea?"

Nancy smirked. "Just follow my lead." as nancy whispered the plan to rishant and arsh ear.

Arsh groaned but nodded. "Fine. But if this backfires, I'm blaming you."

Aria EntersAfter a few minutes, Arsh finally opened the door.

Aria walked in, raising a brow. "Woah, what took you so long?"

Arsh leaned dramatically against the doorframe, clutching his chest. "I told you—I was changing. My loneliness was overwhelming me."

Aria squinted. "…Are you okay?"

Arsh sighed deeply, placing a hand over his heart. "You know... I might feel a little lonely going alone, but who cares? I'm used to the pain."

Aria's expression turned into pure disbelief. "Damn… is this really Arsh? Something is fishy."

Meanwhile, Rishant and Nancy, who were hiding under the blanket on Arsh's bed, were barely holding back their laughter.

Rishant whispered under his breath, "Overacting ki dukaan."

Nancy giggled, covering her mouth.

Aria coughed awkwardly and made her announcement. "I'm going too."

Arsh's eyes widened in fake shock. "What?! Don't you have anything better to do?"

Aria smirked. "Nope. I'm so free that if I don't go, I might just spend my time killing mosquitoes at home."

Before Arsh could respond, Aria turned around to sit on the bed.

The moment she pressed down on the blanket, Rishant and Nancy shot up from underneath it.

Aria let out a loud "AAAH!", her body twisting in shock. She lost her balance—her feet slipped—and she fell straight onto Arsh.

Except this time, Arsh lost his balance too.

In a complete tangle of limbs and panic, they both collapsed onto the floor.

Arsh groaned. "Ow—what the—?"

Aria lifted her head, their faces inches apart. She froze.

So did Arsh.

For a second, everything was silent.

Then—

"Who is shouting?" Arsh's mom's voice came from the doorway.

All heads snapped toward her as she stood there, holding a tray of juice.

The second she saw the scene—Aria on top of Arsh, their faces way too close—she immediately turned around.

"I'll come back later."

Arsh and Aria's eyes widened in horror as they instantly scrambled away from each other.

"Aunty! You're misunderstanding!" Aria stammered.

But it was too late.

Rishant lay back on the bed, smirking. "Well, well, well. Someone was acting all free and available to kill mosquitoes. Guess they have other plans now."

Nancy snorted, hiding her laughter. "Looks like we're ALL going. No excuses, Aria."

Aria grabbed a pillow and threw it at Rishant's face.

Nancy immediately joined in, grabbing another pillow. Soon, a full-blown pillow fight erupted in the room.

Arsh, however, wasn't moving.

He sat there, his hands still pressed against his chest, staring at nothing.

His heartbeat was… off.

His brain was still processing the fact that he had just had Aria in his arms.

His mind screamed in confusion.

"What the hell was that?"

Still dazed, he shook his head aggressively, trying to snap himself out of it.

Then, under his breath, he whispered, "Ewww."