And I Still Don't Know How

Chapter 1

THE DAY WAS BRIGHT. THE SKY AROSE WITH SUN. IT WAS A SUNDAY WHICH MEANT NO COLLEGE AND NO TRAVELLING FAR DISTANCES. THE FRIENDS WERE IN THEIR USUAL MEETING PLACE CHATTING ABOUT EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. SWASTIKA WAS SHARING A DRAMA OF HER CLASS AND ARYAN WAS BUSY EYEING VAMSHIKA. THIS WENT UNNOTICED BY ALL BUT AARAV. HE SMIRKED KNOWING HOW MUCH ARYAN LIKED VAMSHIKA. ARYAN WOULD SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME DOING THAT BUT NEVER HAD HE EVER CONSIDERED CONFESSING. AARAV BELIEVED HE WAS SCARED AND UNDERSTANDABLY BECAUSE IF THINGS WENT SOUTH THEIR FRIENDSHIP COULD BE AFFECTED.

 THEY ALL HAD BEEN FRIENDS SINCE THEIR CHILDHOOD AND VAMSHIKA HAD MADE AN INFACTUATION ON ARYAN. ALTHOUGH  AARAV DIDN'T GET HOW BUT, HE WAS HAPPY FOR HIS FRIEND. AARAV DID NOT KNOW VAMSHIKA MUCH AND VICE VERSA. THEY WERE FRIENDS BUT NOT THAT CLOSE. THEY KNEW ENOUGH ABOUT EACH OTHER TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND SUPPORT THE OTHER IN TIMES OF HARDSHIPS.

 THE SIX OF THEM NEVER KNEW HOW TIME FLEW WHEN THEY WERE TOGETHER. IT WAS ALREADY 12 AND THEY HAD JUST ARRIVED IN FRONT OF THE TEMPLE 2 HRS AGO. ALL LAUGHED AT THE STUPIDITY OF SWASTIKA'S CLASSMATE AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE AARAV NOTICED VAMSHIKA'S LAUGH. IT WAS A FULL ON LAUGH WITH HER MOUTH WIDE IN A SMILE. HE WAS SUPRISED AT HIMSELF FOR DOING THAT BUT HE DIDN'T MIND MUCH AND CONTINUED WITH HIS COMMENT ON THE TOPIC. VAMSHIKA INTENTLY FOCUSED ON AARAV AND HER HEART GAVE A LIGHT FLUTTER. LIKING YOUR FRIEND MORE THAN AS A FRIEND WAS DIFFICULT WHEN YOU WERE IN THE SAME GROUP AND WERE NEIGHBOURS. VAMSHIKA HAD LIKED AARAV FOR TWO YEARS NOW. THE VERY MOMENT AARAV HAD WON HER HEART WAS WHEN AARAV HAD STOOD UP TO A BULLY AND GUARDED A BOY. CLICHE, BUT VAMSHIKA DIDN'T CARE.

 ALL OF THEM WANTED TO SPEND MORE TIME. BUT THEY HAD TO LEAVE FOR LUNCH. SO EXCEPT VAMSHIKA AND AARAV THE REMAINING WENT STRAIGHT AND THEY BOTH WALKED BACK TO THEIR STREET. THEY DID THAT ALL THE TIME. WHILE WALKING AARAV MADE A TALK. " DID YOU COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENTS ?" VAMSHIKA TURNED TO FACE HIM AND A HALF OF HER FACE WAS BRIGHTENED BY THE AFTER NOON SUN. AARAV NOTICED HOW GLISTENED HER FACE LOOKED AND HER EYES WHICH WERE BROWN SEEMED TO GLOW. AARAV QUESTIONED HIMSELF, WHY WAS HE NOTICING ALL OF THIS ALL OF A SUDDEN. MAYBE IT WAS ARYAN'S CONTINUED BLABBERING ABOUT HER THAT HAD MADE HIM MORE ATTENTIVE. " OH YEAH JUST THE FRONT NAME PAGE IS LEFT. CAN YOU DESIGN IT FOR ME ? AS YOU ARE SUCH AN ARTIST " SHE SAID AND SMILED PLAYFULLY. AARAV LAUGHED AND SAID " THEN YOU'D HAVE TO HELP ME WRITE MY ASSINGMENT. I HAVEN'T STARTED ".

 VAMSHIKA FACEPALMED AND AARAV LAUGHED YET AGAIN. HE REMEMBERED NOW FACE PALMING WAS A HABIT OF HERS.  THEY REACHED THEIR HOUSES TALKING MORE ABOUT THE SAID ASSINGMENT. THE WHOLE TALK CONSISTED OF VAMSHIKA LECTURING HIM ABOUT NOT FINISHING HIS ASSINGMENTS. HE JUST SMILED, NOW REMEMBERING VAMSHIKA WOULD ALWAYS SCOLD IF SOMETHING WASN'T DONE ON TIME. HE FROWNED YET AGAIN WONDERING WHY WAS HE NOW RECALLING THIS. AS IF THE DAY COULDN'T GET MORE WEIRDER, THEY NOTICED VAMSHIKA'S PARENTS OUTSIDE OF AARAV'S HOUSE. WHEN THEY STEPPED ON THE THRESHOLD VAMSHIKA'S MOTHER SPOKE " WE HAVE A SOME NEWS ".