hard bank

show time.

The ride to my house felt like an eternity, each passing minute heavy with the weight of my thoughts. The wind whipped through our hair, but all I could think about was her-Sanjana. How had this happened? How had I, the guy who had always kept his distance, fallen for her? The past two years flashed through my mind like a reel of memories. Two years of holding everyone at arm's length, two years of being the popular guy at the hostel who never seemed to care. I had always been the one who rejected the girls' advances, the one who rolled his eyes at their silly games of collecting as many suitors as possible. To me, they were just attention-seeking distractions, never more than a passing amusement. But Sanjana was different. She wasn't just another girl in the crowd. She was the one who had somehow managed to break through the walls I had so carefully built.

As we neared my house, my phone buzzed, breaking me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw Vishesh's name flashing on the screen.

"Yo wsg dawg, where you at?" he asked, his voice casual but with an undertone of urgency.

"I'm going home, why what happened?" I replied, trying to sound as normal as possible despite the nervous energy thrumming through me.

"Dawg, I think I've gotten the app ready. You gotta finish the rest, man," he said, and I could almost hear the excitement in his voice.

"Alright, give me a few mins, I will call you back," I said, cutting the call as we pulled up to my community gate.

The timing was perfect. We had just reached my house, and I could feel the anticipation building up inside me. Our house had recently undergone a renovation, and it looked better than ever. I couldn't wait to see her reaction. I wanted to impress her, to show her a glimpse of the life I was building-one that I hoped she could be a part of.

We parked the bike, and as she got down, I watched her eyes widen as she took in the sight of my house. I opened the gate and led her in, and she followed, her gaze lingering on every detail. As we climbed the stairs, her attention was caught by the floating platform garden that my mom had painstakingly created.

"This is so beautiful, omg," she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

"Yeah, mom made it," I replied, feeling a swell of pride in my chest.

"I want to meet your mom now, omg," she said, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Sure, you will," I said with a smile as we reached the front door.

I knocked, and a few moments later, my mom opened it. She took one look at Sanjana and smiled warmly, welcoming her inside. As Sanjana stepped in, my mom pulled me aside, a curious expression on her face.

"So, this is the first girl you bring home, huh? You've never mentioned anything about her," she whispered, her tone teasing yet concerned.

"It's nothing like that, mom. She's just a friend," I replied quickly, though even I didn't believe the words coming out of my mouth.

Mom just nodded, clearly unconvinced, but she let it go for now. I led Sanjana into the living room while Mom and she exchanged pleasantries. I excused myself, needing to get some work done, and headed up to my room. I booted up my computer and called Vishesh back.

"Yo, let's start, man," I said as I logged in.

"Alright, hop on Slack," he replied, and we both dove into the project.

Time flew by as we worked, our focus intense. It wasn't until I heard my mom calling me downstairs for dinner that I realized how much time had passed. I grabbed my secondary laptop and headed down, placing it on the teapoy as I entered the dining room.

"Shlok, come here and serve your friend something," Mom urged, but before I could move, Sanjana jumped in.

"No, it's okay, aunty. I will serve instead," she said with a smile, already reaching for the serving spoon.

Her offer caught me off guard, and for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to get closer to my mom to get closer to me. The thought was absurd, but in that moment, it felt all too real. I shook it off and walked over to serve her mom's special pulao and some desserts.

I sat down next to her, trying to appear calm and collected.

"You do all of this while eating?" Sanjana asked, eyeing the napkin I had carefully placed on my lap and the one I had tied around my neck.

"No, he is probably doing this because you are here. Otherwise, this boy has no manners," my dad quipped, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Dad, no. I'm just preparing for my future," I replied, trying to maintain my composure.

"What future?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious.

"Give me two minutes," I said, quickly finishing my mom's delicious pulao. I got up and grabbed my laptop from the teapoy, logging into my bank account as I moved closer to where Mom and Sanjana were chatting.

Mom was asking Sanjana about me-how I had treated her, what she thought of me. My heart pounded in my chest as I strained to hear her response.

"He was really sweet, and he's a nice person, aunty. He helped me out so many times in these few hours I was with him," Sanjana said, her voice sincere and warm.

A small smile tugged at my lips, but I didn't dwell on it. I had something important to do. I went to my room and grabbed a box where I had kept the jewelry I had bought for Mom. Returning to the living room, I called out to my parents.

"Dad, Mom, come here for a second!" I called out.

They looked up, curious, and I asked Sanjana to help cover my mom's eyes while I covered Dad's.

"Dad, open your eyes in 3... 2... 1... Now!" I said, stepping back.

When they opened their eyes, they were greeted with the sight of my laptop, the screen displaying my bank statement. The numbers were clear and undeniable-13 lakhs and 26 thousand, all earned by me.

"How the hell?" Dad's voice was a mix of shock and disbelief.

"Dad, I told you I'm gonna make it," I said, my voice steady but filled with emotion.

The room fell silent as the reality of the situation sank in. My dad, usually so stoic and composed, suddenly broke down. He pulled me into a tight hug, and in that moment, I felt like the happiest son in the world.

Mom stood beside us, her eyes shining with pride and tears, while Sanjana looked on with a soft smile. The world around us seemed to blur as I realized that everything I had worked for, all the sacrifices and the late nights, had led to this moment. I had proven myself, not just to my parents, but to myself as well.

And as I looked over at Sanjana, who was watching the scene unfold with a look of admiration, I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something more-something worth holding on to.