ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏꜱ

.Eye Contact༊˚

AUTHOR'S POV :

It was a free period now, as it was the last period. The basketball team was practicing since the match was near, and everyone was gathered there except Avni and Nidhi, who were sitting on a bench.

Nidhi and Avni saw Neha congratulating Ishan with a handshake, which Ishan rejected.

Avni spoke, "Neha is crazy about Ishan, isn't she?"

Nidhi replied, "Yes, even after being rejected, she still sticks around."

Nidhi then changed the topic, "They gave you iPads this time. I'm jealous."

Avni replied, "You want it? You can have it."

Nidhi chuckled and said, "I was joking." She then added, "What's your Instagram handle?"

Avni replied, "Instagram handle? I don't have one."

Nidhi responded, "What? You're not on social media?"

Avni shook her head, indicating no.

Nidhi asked, "Why?"

Avni replied, "It's distracting, that's why I don't use any social media platform"

Nidhi replied, "What? Give me your phone, I will make an account for you."

Avni said, "Wai-"

But Nidhi snatched her phone and created an account.

"What should I keep as the profile picture? And the first post?" Nidhi asked.

Avni sighed, "I don't know. You created the account, you should know."

Nidhi thought for a moment, then said, "Let's post the photo you took at the competition today as the first post."

Avni nodded reluctantly. Nidhi quickly uploaded the picture and handed the phone back to Avni.

"There you go. Welcome to Instagram, Avni!" Nidhi said, smiling.

Avni looked at the account and smiled slightly. "Thanks, I guess. But I'm not going to be as active as you."

Nidhi laughed, "That's okay. Just enjoy it!"

Avni said, looking at her phone, "I got a notification, from Instagram."

Nidhi said, "Show me," and added, "Your picture is getting a lot of likes and comments, from our school students and others."

Avni asked, "What? So quick? It’s just a normal picture."

Nidhi replied, "You’re a natural star. Let me mute the notifications so you won’t be disturbed."

Avni nodded.

The rest of the period, they talked about social media.

When the bell rang, they went to their class to collect their bags.

As they exited the school and reached the gate, they ran into Ishan and Aaron.

Aaron said, "I heard everyone talking about Avni's post. We didn't know you had an account."

Nidhi replied, "She didn’t; I made her one today and posted that."

Ishan asked, changing the topic, "Shall we go, Avni?"

Avni, confused, asked, "What do you mean?"

Ishan replied, "We live nearby, remember?"

Nidhi asked, "You guys are neighbors?"

Avni explained, "No, he lives nearby, about one kilometer away."

Aaron asked, "Don’t you usually ride your bike?"

Ishan replied, "Not today; I’ll take the bus with Avni."

Avni whispered, "What a trouble!"

Nidhi replied, "We will leave then. Bye, Avni."

Avni and Ishan both headed to the bus stop. They entered the bus, but it was crowded, so they stood throughout the journey. As they neared their stop, the bus driver suddenly braked, causing Avni to stumble. Ishan quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him to prevent her from falling. They shared an eye contact for few seconds before Avni quickly looked away and exited the bus as they arrived. She hurried home.

As soon as Avni entered her home, she leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

She wondered to herself, "What's wrong with me?"

Then she washed her face, refreshed herself, and had a snack.

Meanwhile, Ishan, still flushed from the moment, went to his home, then his room. He picked up his cat and gently stroked its fur, his mind replaying the incident on the bus.

When his cat moved away, Ishan snapped out of his thoughts. He fed the cat, freshened up, and had some snacks. After eating, he lay on his bed and looked at the photo Avni had posted. He zoomed in on the picture to see them together closely and a smile appeared on his lips.