WE & MONSOON : Love vs Promise

|| MIDST OF SHELVES ||

(A FEW WEEKS LATER)

There's a knock on the gate, cutting through the morning quiet. Smaran's mom, busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast, calls out, "Smaran, check who's at the door!"

Who's shown up so early in the morning now? Smaran thinks as he tosses his pillow aside, rubbing his eyes. Reluctantly, he drags himself out of bed. I'm sure it must be the neighbors' aunties, he muses, stretching his fingers and yawning as he descends the stairs.

He opens the gate to find Zaid standing there, a big smile plastered on his face. "Hey, what's up, bro?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Smaran replies, still half-asleep and slouching. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Well, bro, what can I say now?" Zaid steps inside with a casual wave of his hand. "From home to college, from college to Dad's shop, and then the nights just pass like that."

They climb the stairs together and enter Smaran's room. Smaran shuts the door behind them with a thud. "Great," he says with a hint of sarcasm. "Now you're also starting to focus on studying."

Zaid, already flopping onto Smaran's bed, bursts into laughter. "Nah, bro, it's just to show my dad." He grins, clearly not taking his own words too seriously.

Smaran shakes his head with a smirk. "Classic Zaid."

Zaid is quite fortunate, isn't he? He can do whatever he wants as long as he has his father's approval. He didn't even have to take the entrance exam, yet he managed to secure admission. Everything is a game of money. And, in a way, I think it's right too. For me, money is like a tool. If someone uses it to attain what makes them happy, what's wrong with that? It doesn't matter whether Zaid earned that money himself or not. After all, his father must also desire to keep his son happy. He has been a good friend of mine since the 5th grade. And besides, I have never seen Zaid boast about his wealth either.

♫♫--Ek Ajnabi Haseena Se by Kishore Kumar-- ♫♫

Zaid's phone rings, filling the room with the familiar tune. He glances at the screen, and after a brief conversation, he sighs, "Listen, I have to go."

"Alright, go ahead," Smaran replies, giving him a fist bump. "Besides, I needed to go to the library anyway. See you later."

Zaid quickly gathers his things and heads out, pausing only to say a quick namaste to Smaran's mother on his way out. As he reaches the gate, he turns back and shouts, "Don't worry, Smaran, you'll clear your exam!"

I hope so too, Smaran thinks as he watches Zaid leave, the words lingering in the air. With a tired sigh, he comes back to his room and falls back onto the bed.

After some time, Smaran decides it's time to hit the books. He picks up his bag, slings it over his shoulder, and heads out the door, making his way to the library. The City Grand Archives is the largest library in our city. And when I say largest, I really mean it. Seriously, I feel like it could squeeze all the books on the planet, and even then, there'd still be room to spare.

Smaran approaches the librarian and hands over the borrowed book.

The librarian adjusts her high-powered glasses, peering at the title. "Wow, you finished this book so quickly. Impressive."

Smaran chuckles, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, it was a very interesting book." So good that I left it halfway.

The librarian, jotting down the entry for the book, looks up with a smile. "Would you like me to suggest another book?"