Maya POV:
I saw two horses galloping through the forest, their powerful hooves pounding against the earth as they raced each other through the trees. Intrigued, I followed them deeper into the woods, the whispers of the forest wrapping around me like a thousand secrets. But then, as if taunting me, they split off into different directions, leaving me stranded and bewildered in the heart of nowhere.
I stood there, surrounded by the mess of nature—the gentle sound of a nearby stream, the melodic chorus of chirping birds, and even the occasional hiss of a hidden snake.
A... AN... AND THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL— a baby crying.
Wait... a baby?
I jolted awake, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of the commotion. It took me a groggy moment to realize the crying wasn't coming from a baby but from Ishaani, my roommate, who was having a conversation with her boyfriend at 2 fucking AM.
Their endless chatter about "baby this" and "baby that" echoed through our shared dorm room, keeping me wide awake and increasingly irritated.
I rolled over, pressing my pillow against my ears, trying to drown out the lovebirds with random thoughts. How nice would it be if I could just escape into a daydream about being on a deserted island with a hot guy feeding me grapes and not some sleep-deprived nightmare featuring Ishaani's relationship issues. But no, I was stuck here, in this real-life circus of a dorm room. And somehow, my mind wandered to how everyone in college seemed to know my name now, thanks to the endless gossip swirling around me.
I overheard a snippet of conversation from a classmate next to me in the dining hall yesterday, talking about how "bitchy" I was for slapping Dhruv and pretending everything was normal afterward. Normally, I'd ignore such talk, but today, curiosity got the better of me.
Oh, look, I found people's noses in my business... AGAIN. And I didn't even ask for it! Where's the unsubscribe button for this nonsense?
After this chaotic night, I found myself missing my quiet, invisible moments. I yearned for the anonymity of being left alone. How I longed for the days when my biggest worry was picking the right highlighter color for my notes, not whether half the campus thought I was some drama queen.
Eventually, exhaustion pulled me back into sleep, still accompanied by the lullaby of Ishaani's baby mantra.
The next day, I trudged to class, utterly zoned out and running on caffeine fumes. Just as I was about to enter my classroom, a high-pitched scream pierced the air right next to me, startling me so much that I flung my bag in a blind panic. It landed with a crash somewhere behind me.
When I finally managed to pry my eyes open, I saw Dhruv standing in front of me, looking thoroughly annoyed. His usual charming demeanor was replaced by a look of exasperation.
"What—" I began, but he cut me off.
"No, seriously, are you trying to kill me? First, you slap me, now you throw your bag at my face. What's next, running me over with a truck?" he grumbled, rubbing his forehead where my bag had landed.
"Bro, just chill. I didn't mean to, okay? You keep triggering my reflex actions," I replied defensively, already rolling my eyes internally at how dramatic he was being.
"Fine, just—forget it," he sighed, noticing the crowd of students watching our little spectacle like it was the latest Netflix drama.
Great. Just great.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me aside to a nearby staircase, out of earshot of the curious onlookers. "Did you look into it?" he asked urgently.
"Look into what?" I asked, genuinely confused.
YOU ARE READING
Waiting for You
RomanceWith trembling fingers, I pressed the phone back to my ear, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I took a shaky breath, barely able to steady my voice as I whispered, "Hello?" The silence that followed was deafening, thick with a...
