Under The Clear Summer Sky

16 | his & her feelings

Anuradha lifted her eyes from her book, glancing around the class. A girl was standing, reciting text from the chapter. While most were paying attention, one boy was asleep. His book had become his pillow.

"Vihan."

The girl stopped reading. The class's attention was on the boy, who was sleeping soundly. His desk mate, Shrest nudged him. He still didn't wake up.

"Vihan? Wake up."

The boy made not a sound nor a movement.

"Did he not get any sleep last night? Or is he not feeling well?" Anu asked a little worried. The girl seated behind Vihan and Shrest stood up. She had a kind of beauty that could only be described as gorgeous. Her long straight hair seemed to give her appearance a lot of character and her fair skinned face complemented the jet black hair well. 

She picked up a notebook  and twisted it slightly. 

"It's not that he's unwell, ma'am-" She paused. Then, she smacked his head with the notebook. He woke up with a start. 

"He just loves to sleep." Sana explained.

Anu laughed along with the class. "Alright, alright. Don't hit him. Vihan, are you ok?"

The boy, who had been startled out of a slumber, glanced around confused. The bell rang, at that very moment. Anuradha gathered her books and thanked the class, before heading out.

It was the second-last period of the day. Since she didn't have any other classes to teach nor did she ride the school bus, she decided to leave the school early and catch a bus back home. 

In the past week since she had joined here, she had grown comfortable with the other teachers and the students of the classes she's teaching. It was only three. She had also moved past the initial awkwardness with Vineet. They were conversing more and it seemed to her like they were returning back to how they were before.

Anuradha caught a bus that was headed in the direction of the apartment complex. As she sat in the bus, she leaned her chin against her palm, gazing out the window.

She liked Vineet.

This, she had already known since she was first tutored by him. It had been easier to acknowledge her feelings as merely a crush and put it aside, then. She was only 17. She had greater aspirations in life that getting into a relationship. 

But now, with her having not much to do, other than the usual mundane routine of going to work, emailing publishing companies and teaching, her feelings weighed more heavily on her mind.

He probably only saw her as a friend.

And this was her point of dilemma. Anu would've been more than happy with confessing her feelings and asking for a date, if this had been someone who wasn't Vineet. But Vineet...She had finally met him after a long 8 years. She didn't want to have to distance herself from him if he rejected her. He was too important to her.

A puffy air left Anu's mouth and imprinted itself on the glass of the window.

She just had to learn to live as his friend. That was it.

She got off the bus and walked to her apartment complex. On entering, she checked her mailbox. It had a parcel in it, oddly. She hadn't ordered any parcel.

She twisted it around, trying to look for the address and order information. There was nothing on it, more strangely.

She wondered if it was Vineet's that had gotten into her mailbox, by accident. She carried the parcel up to her floor.