What after That?

Ch 22.

As the physics answer sheets circulated in 11th A, the room was filled with the usual mix of relief and disappointment.

Ishan was tasked with distributing them, having scored 20/25—the highest in the class, though he still kicked himself over a few silly mistakes.

As he handed Shubman's sheet over, his eyes quickly glanced at the score: 7/25. A stark contrast, but what surprised Ishan more was Shubman's reaction—completely unfazed, lost in his thoughts, as if the marks didn't even register.

Ishan's inner monologue kicked in. What's wrong with him? He looks tense, but is it really because of the marks?

He tried to dismiss the thought, rolling his eyes at his own concern. "He's nothing less than a headache," Ishan muttered to himself, trying to ignore Shubman.

But despite his efforts, his gaze kept drifting back to Shubman's answer sheet.

Ishan's brow furrowed when he noticed something. "Shubman... ye 3 marks ka answer correct hai," he said, his voice filled with disbelief.

Shubman looked at him slowly, as if emerging from a fog. "Toh kya?" he replied flatly, clearly uninterested.

Ishan, incredulous, stared at him. "Toh kya? Matlab kya hota hai? Correction karwao! It's 3 marks, yaar!"

Shubman, still disengaged, simply shrugged. "I don't care," he said, the words heavy with indifference.

Ishan rolled his eyes in frustration. They sat in silence for a moment, Shubman clearly uninterested in correcting his answer sheet. But Ishan's patience had its limits.

Without saying another word, he snatched the answer sheet from Shubman's desk and marched toward the physics teacher for the correction.

Shubman watched him go but didn't make any effort to stop him.

When Ishan returned to his seat, he noticed Shubman had his head down, seemingly lost in his own world.

But as Ishan settled beside him, Shubman subtly turned his head to meet Ishan's gaze.

Their eyes locked—Shubman's intense, slightly narrowed eyes focused on Ishan, while Ishan's own eyes shifted nervously under the weight of that intensity.

Feeling a sudden tension between them, Ishan forced a tight-lipped smile and muttered, "Kya?"

Shubman's voice was low and calm, yet carried a strange seriousness. "Why did you help me?"

Ishan blinked, a bit caught off guard by the question. "Kyunki... wo 3 marks the... and now you're passing, you ungrateful bamboo tree," he shot back, trying to maintain his usual sarcastic tone.

But Shubman didn't smile. Instead, he stood up slowly, still holding Ishan's gaze, stepping just close enough for Ishan to feel his presence.

His voice lowered as he asked again, "And why do you care?"

Ishan's breath hitched. He was trying hard to maintain his composure, but there was something about Shubman's eyes—something that made him nervous.

His brow furrowed slightly as he searched for words. His own eyes softened a little, as if he was trying to understand the question on a deeper level. "Wo..."

Shubman tilted his head slightly, urging him to continue. "Wo?"

Ishan swallowed hard, trying to gather his thoughts. "Wo..." He could feel Shubman's unrelenting gaze, and it was almost unbearable.

Shubman leaned in just a bit, his voice softer but still pressing. "Haan, wo?"

Unable to withstand the intensity of the moment, Ishan finally broke eye contact and looked away, his voice faltering slightly as he muttered, "Kyunki hum kuchh galat hote nahi dekh sakte, bas..."