ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏꜱ

.His Place༊˚

AUTHOR'S POV:

Ishan's room was a reflection of his personality—neat, organized, and filled with touches that made it his own. The walls were a soft grey, giving the space a calm, relaxed vibe. Posters of basketball players and abstract art pieces decorated the walls, revealing his interests. A tall bookshelf near the bed was crammed with textbooks, novels, and a few trophies from various school competitions. His desk, positioned by the window, was cluttered with notebooks, a laptop, and a couple of pens scattered around. The window offered a view of the garden outside, and the light streaming in made the room feel warm and inviting.

The bed, dressed in a dark blue comforter, had a few cushions tossed haphazardly on it. Nearby, a bean bag sat in the corner, next to a small shelf that held a framed photo of his family and a small plant. Ice, his cat, had a bed of his own near Ishan's, but he preferred lounging wherever he pleased.

Avni walked into the room, her eyes taking in the details, while Nidhi and Aaron made themselves comfortable on the bed. Ishan pulled up a chair from the desk and sat next to Avni, who chose to sit at the desk.

"Alright, let's get started on the project," Ishan said, flipping open his notebook.

He began explaining the concept of projectile motion in detail, ensuring everyone understood the basics before moving on to the actual model. Nidhi and Aaron listened intently, occasionally adding their input, but Avni remained silent, absorbing the information.

After he finished, Ishan closed his notebook and said, "That's the basics. What are your ideas?"

He looked at Avni, who appeared to be deep in thought. She finally said, "I don't think we need a model for this. The topic can be explained using an example and a few objects. But still, it might be better if we create one."

Nidhi and Aaron nodded in agreement.

Nidhi said, "Let's make a rough sketch first."

Aaron added, "It would be better if it's digital; we can adjust it as needed."

Ishan asked, "You mean on the laptop?"

Avni replied, "Drawing on a laptop is quite difficult. What about using the iPad?"

Nidhi turned to Ishan. "You have one, right?"

Ishan replied, "Mine is out of battery."

Avni said, "No problem, I brought mine."

She reached into her bag and pulled out the iPad, still in its box.

"I haven't used it yet. I just charged it yesterday and kept it back in the box," Avni explained.

Ishan said, "Perfect! Let's set it up."

They moved to Ishan's desk, where Avni unboxed the iPad. Ishan connected it to the Wi-Fi and helped Avni navigate through the setup process. Nidhi and Aaron gathered around, eager to see how the device could be used for their project.

Once the iPad was ready, Avni opened a drawing app and began sketching their model. The digital format allowed them to easily make adjustments and refine their design. Ishan shared his ideas, and Avni translated them onto the screen. When the sketch was almost done, Ishan got up and left the room.

Aaron and Nidhi helped Avni complete the sketch. After a while, Ishan returned with some snacks. He offered them to Nidhi and Aaron, then placed a few on the desk for Avni, who was still focused on the iPad. Avni glanced at the snacks and then at Ishan.

Ishan asked, "You didn't eat, did you?"

When Avni didn't respond, he added, "Even after I told you to eat."

Avni took a snack, popped it into her mouth, and said, "I did now. Stop lecturing."

She then turned her attention back to sketching. Avni added some final touches, and it was done. They had been working on it for more than 2 hours.

Ishan looked at the clock and said, "We are done with the sketching. Let's wrap up for now and continue tomorrow."

They all agreed and packed up their things. Before leaving, Avni gave Ice one last pat and, after saying goodbye, left.

After reaching home, Avni freshened up and began searching for references and read books to prepare the presentation slides for their project. Soon, her parents arrived, and they sat down for dinner.

Her father said while eating, "I heard there's a national-level physics test in two days."

Avni replied, "I didn't know about it."

Her father continued, "A colleague mentioned it. Why don't you participate?"

Avni explained, "We're working on a group project right now."

Her father responded, "So? The test is more important."

Avni tried to protest, but her father cut her off, "No arguments. Give your name to the teacher by tomorrow."

Avni fell silent.

After dinner, Avni went upstairs to her room, feeling uncertain about her next steps. She knew she couldn't disobey her father or let her friends down. Lost in her thoughts, she lay down on her bed and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Avni woke up to find that her parents had already left for work. She quickly got ready, grabbed a quick breakfast on the bus, and headed to school. Upon arriving, she noticed that everyone had already arrived, and the teacher soon walked in.