In the eyes of fate

Lucky charm?

As Naina stood in shock, clutching the bottle Shyam had left her with, she couldn't help but notice that the name written on it was one she frequently heard from her friend Shristi. Shristi, who had been with her through thick and thin, often mentioned a person named Shyam who helped her younger brother, Deepak, during their time at the sports academy. Deepak had special lessons there, and Shyam would keep him entertained with his conversations. After the tragic loss of Shristi's parents in a car accident, Deepak became her sole responsibility, making it challenging for her to juggle all her responsibilities. Naina had heard Shristi's stories about Shyam's kindness and selflessness, but she couldn't fathom that someone like him actually existed. Every time she thought about how he had helped her cross the road, a blush would creep onto her face. However, she dismissed it, telling herself that Shyam wouldn't remember her. When Naina reached her college, she immediately shared the incident with Shristi, recounting every detail with precision. Shristi, being a hopeless romantic and an avid reader of romantic novels and watcher of movies, was already shipping Naina and Shyam together. With a twinkle in her eye, she devised a cliché plan to push Naina to deliver the bottle to Shyam herself.

Shristi: "Hey, actually, today I won't be able to pick up my brother as he has extra lessons. Why don't you go and give the bottle to Shyam? It has the address of the academy on it. All you have to do is go there and hand it to the watchman. He'll make sure Shyam gets it."

Naina's heart started to race, and her voice trembled as she replied,

Naina: "No, no, that can't happen. He won't even recognize me, and I'm dead sure about it. You can give it to him tomorrow."

Shristi had to come up with something to convince Naina, so she said,

Shristi: "Hey, hey, calm down. Tomorrow won't work because they're going on a tournament. He'll need this bottle badly because he considers it lucky. You see, he gave away his precious possession just to help you. Can't you help him have it back a day before his big day? Come on, I know my Naina. She isn't a cold-hearted person."

Although Naina couldn't gather the courage to face Shyam, she couldn't ignore the fact that the bottle meant a lot to him. She also felt a tinge of guilt for giving away her treasured keychain, the one she received from Shristi on her 16th birthday. After contemplating for a while, she finally decided,

Naina: "Fine, I'll go. It's just going there and handing it over to the watchman, right? I'll go."

Shristi beamed with satisfaction and said, "That's my girl!"

During the afternoon lunch break, Naina hurriedly ate her food and made her way to the academy. When she arrived, she saw a massive building with an intriguing logo. She stood there for a moment, admiring it before entering. Inside, the watchman, who seemed a bit grumpy, raised his voice and demanded,

Watchman: "Hey, girl! Where do you think you're going? Do you have an ID?"

Naina was taken aback by his harsh tone but was soon greeted by a pleasant aroma that seemed to calm her nerves. She replied,

Naina: "Um, actually, I need to return this to Shyam. Could you please pass it on to him?"

The watchman looked her up and down and said,

Watchman: "Who do you think I am? A random stranger who just walks in with a bottle, asking me to pass it on to one of the best players in our academy? You must be crazy, girl! Not me."

Anger welled up within Naina, a side of her personality more terrifying than her usual quiet nature. However, she managed to regain her composure and said,

Naina: "Look, I don't know how your day started, but I definitely don't think you want it to end in jail for asking for bribes from parents to secure easy admissions into the academy."