chapter 22

Chapter start

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" So class, today all of you have to prepare a dress showing your art and that too in one hour and its marks will be added to your result....and this work will be done by two people in pairs, so now choose your partner yourself and get to work." These are the words of the professor who is present in Aaira and Reyansh's class right now

The professor is giving them a class project in which two people have to make a dress together using their creativity

And on hearing this the students nod and before Aaira chooses someone else as her partner, or someone chooses Aaira as their partner, Reyansh turns to Aaira who is sitting next to her

" Will you make me your partner?" On hearing this from Reyansh, Aaira looks at him

Well, it won't be wrong to say that Aaira has changed a bit after the incident that happened in the 3rd semester of college,

Yes, time has passed since that incident but Aaira is no longer cheerful like before in college and neither does she hang out with people much...She comes to college and just studies and keeps to herself as much as possible.

And this change in her is not hidden from Reyansh and he also understands the reason behind her changed behavior, Even though nothing wrong happened to her that day, things still left a deep impact on her from which she is unable to get over, She hardly talks to any boy in college except Reyansh and opens up to them.

" Please....... look, You know how bad my design skills are, please help me, if I become your partner then some good marks will be added to my result also." Reyansh requests which brings a smile on Aaira's face involuntarily seeing a topper requesting her for marks.

Well, it won't be wrong to say that even though Reyansh took a designing course for Aaira, but he faces a lot of difficulties in this course.

" Ok." Aaira just says this which brings a smile on Reyansh's face

Later all the students start preparing their dresses on the models given to them for this project.

" Why don't we make a dress out of paper?" Aaira suggests to Reyansh

" Okay whatever you say, I don't know how to do anything anyway...I can only help." he says to which she glares at him to which he gives her a cheeky smile

" Every time saying this will not work...if you have taken this subject then you should show interest in it and do well so that you can get a good placement." She explains to him to which he smiles.

" Well I just wish that wherever you go I should also go there..." Saying he looks at her dreamily to which she shakes her head in disbelief

" huh, So that you can trouble me there too?" He pouted at her words, seeing which she smiled.

" Ok, enough of this now...get to work." She says

And then both of them start making the dress, Aaira is folding the paper in different designs and putting it on the model, in which Reyansh helps her completely and in this way one hour of all the students is completed.

The professor announces the time is over and Aaira gives her last touch and separates from the model.

The professor checks everyone's designs and artwork and then comes close to Aaira and Reyansh and checks their designs, seeing which the professor gets a proud look on her face because their design was different from the rest and was very unique and the professor gives a look to Aaira and Reyansh that yes I am impressed, and seeing this look of the professor, Aaira and Reyansh smile while sharing looks with each other.

And soon their results are also announced and the professor declares that Aaira and Reyansh have topped the project

Aaira gets happy on hearing the result and in excitement she turns towards Reyansh to hug him happily and seeing her like this Reyansh also spreads his arms to embrace her in his arms

But soon Aaira realises what she was going to do and takes her hand down, which disappoints Reyansh.

" Aaira, you can hug your friend, friends can hug, and after all this is the result of both of your hard work, so celebration is a must." Seeing her stop hugging him, the professor tells this to Aaira, to which Aaira just gives a smile to the professor but doesn't say anything

Well the professor thinks that because she was in the classroom that's why she did not hug him, that is why she gives him this suggestion, but who will tell the professor what is the scene between them?

And then after announcing the results of everyone else, the professor leaves the class, and with this, this is the last class of the day for the students as well.

Aaira is quietly packing her bag while sitting at her desk while Reyansh is watching her and he keeps remembering that moment again and again, how she stopped from hugging him

" Why did you stop, why didn't you hug me?" Not holding himself back any longer, Reyansh finally tells Aaira this to which Aaira lifts her face up to look at him who is sitting next to her

" Can we hug once?" Seeing her silent, he speaks again, hearing which her heart skips a beat.

And because of his words she suddenly starts remembering a lot of things but at the same time she also wants to forget the past now, that is why she smiles.

" But you don't like hugging me, right ?" She says, which reminds him of a moment from their past.

" And what if I say that I still regret that day ? I wish I had hugged you that day at that very moment, then I would not have to yearn to hug you today." He says, his eyes reflecting his deep emotions, to which she looks at him and for a moment, she gets lost in his deep eyes.

" It's okay, what's done is done." She says and zips up her bag and is about to get up from the seat but he holds her wrist and stops her, to which she looks at him.

" If what's done is done, then can we hug now ? Please just once." He requests and even if she wants to say yes, no words come out of her mouth, Slightly nervous, she looks at him silently.

And seeing her like this he can't hold himself back and pulls her into his arms and hugs her in the sitting position, tightly.

At first she gets shocked but then suddenly her heart starts beating faster after feeling him so close to her after so many years.

Well, she remembers some vague memories of their childhood where both of them would often hug each other while playing but everything changed between them right from the beginning after coming to school. She had his friendship only till the age of 5, until she joined school.

Right now it's just the two of them in the classroom, the rest of the class is empty. Hugging her, Reyansh hides his face in her hair: So there, Aaira also cannot stop herself and takes her hand to his back and holds him, feeling which Reyansh smiles.

she closes her eyes caressing his back while resting her face on his shoulder.

But as soon as she closes her eyes, she suddenly remembers that moment of the past when she too had made the same request to him that if she could hug him but he had refused.

Flashback start

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" Umm, Will you be my friend?" After a long hesitation and gathering courage, A boy in school uniform asks Aaira, extending his hand of friendship to her, and it turns out to be none other than Reyansh.

Both of them are currently standing in a corridor of the school where Reyansh had called out from behind and stopped Aaira when she was going to her class and even after being in front of each other all the time, he feels a little hesitant to talk to her after so many years, but then he says this

And there, Aaira is shocked to see him initiating friendship between them after so many years.

This is the time when Reyansh was in 12th and Aaira was in 11th.

Well, as long as Ansh was in school, Ansh did not let Reyansh come close to Aaira...Although Reyansh tried sometimes, but Ansh did not let him talk to Aaira in any way

At the same time, Aaira also saw Reyansh talking to everyone in the school except her, and this thing always made her sad somewhere.

She always wanted to talk to him, even when Ansh always forbids her, but as Reyansh never looked at her ( according to her ), so she too never tried.

She was in the first standard and Reyansh was in the second when one day Reyansh broke his friendship with her calling her annoying but after a few days Reyansh regretted it but as he had hurt his sister in front of Ansh, from that day onwards Ansh did not let Reyansh come close to Aaira in any way and this continued in school and at home.

But yes, Reyansh finally got a chance in school.

Reyansh was in 9th when Ansh finally pass out of school after 12th.

But still from 9th to 12th Reyansh could not muster courage to talk to Aaira because her other brother Aarav also studies with him

But in the last days of school, Reyansh realises that now he will have to talk to Aaira because Ansh will not let him meet or talk to Aaira at home

Because it won't be wrong to say that even though their friendship broke at a young age, they both used to look at each other, Even though they did not talk to each other, there was some unspoken bond between them that kept them tied to each other, despite not talking, both of them were unable to forget each other; both of them were unable to get out of each other's hearts and minds.

And now both of them were not at that age where they could not understand what was happening to them, they both knew that they both were feeling something special for each other, that special feeling which we feel for the special person in our life but none of the two was taking the initiative but finally Reyansh extends the hand of friendship to her.

So one day when Aarav was absent, Reyansh sees an opportunity and comes to Aaira's where he coincidentally finds her alone so he stops her.

Well now he has only one month left in school as his board exams are going to be held soon and then his school will be over and with this thought whether he will get a chance to talk to Aaira again or not, he decides to talk to her today, so that if nothing else, they can become friends again.

And that is why he extends his hand of friendship towards her but what he hears next from Aaira makes him suprised and happy too because he didn't expect that she still had this soft corner for him after all these years

" But I don't just see you as a friend, I feel something more than friendship for you, I like you very much." Being an extrovert, she expressed her feelings as soon as she got the chance.

Because she also knows that she has only one month left in school with him, if he has taken the initiative after 11 years of silence then she doesn't want to suppress her feelings anymore because even though they had stopped talking to each other, but seeing him everyday, Aaira's feelings for him were changing and she knows that she does nothing but loves him.

But it was obvious that he did not talk to her, so she had suppressed her feelings, but today seeing the opportunity, she said it because now even after so many years when he talks to her, so she doesn't want just friendship from him.

Whereas Reyansh feels good after hearing her words that she likes him but at the same time he is unable to say anything due to his shy nature.

" If you don't like me then go away because now I don't want just friendship from you." She clarifies to which he sees her her.

" I didn't come to you to go back..." he says to which she sees him and he continues

" Well, I didn't know you felt that way about me, But if such things were there, why didn't you tell me before?" Reyansh asks her

" You never talked to me, so how could I tell you all this, but look, I really like you...I know you probably don't like me because of my talkative nature and you even broke our friendship because I talk too much but look, I promise, I will change myself for you...I will become the way you like me, I will not talk much, I will not even bother you, I will do whatever you say but please don't go away from me again." Aaira says

And Reyansh gets shocked hearing her words, what is she saying, he never wants her to change herself for him

" No, you don't need to change yourself for me, you are perfect the way you are." says Reyansh which brings a smile to Aaira's face

" So does that mean you are saying yes to me?" she asks to which he smiles slightly.

" If you want to make things more than just friendship between us then I have no problem with it because I like you too." Reyansh gathers courage and says.

Well he too feels more than friendship for her but he wanted to initiate friendship between them first but when she herself is saying that she wants more than friendship between them then who would be happier than him for this.

" Ok, I am leaving now, we will meet later." He says after a while when he does not understand what else they should talk about

But before leaving, he stops after thinking something.

" By the way can I call you Mannat...I like this name of yours very much." He asks, to which she smiles, well what could be more joyful for her than the fact that after her father, the person she loves will call her by this name.

Aaira nods in ok giving him permission that yes he can say Mannat to her to which Reyansh smiles.

" Ok Mannat I will meet you later." He says but before he can leave, Aaira grabs his wrist.

" So from today we are in a relationship, no ? you are not just my friend, you are my boyfriend, right ?"

" Yes girlfriend." Giving her a big smile on her face, Reyansh says while touching the tip of her nose with his finger.

" So can I hug my boyfriend once?" she says which shocks Reyansh

Well, he mustered up the courage to say all this but still they are in school and he will not be able to hug a girl in school.

" Ok but not now, we can hug when we meet outside school." he says to which she pouts

" But I want to hug you right now," she insists.

" No, I told you na outside the school, you know how I am, I won't be able to do this in school and I want to give you a good hug, so later and now I am leaving." He says this and then frees his hand from hers and walks away from there.

And here Aaira has a big smile on her face, she can't believe that she got her friend back, that too like this. Finally.

To be continued...........

Well their flashback is a bit long so it will continue in the next chapter.