"Raindrops & Heartbeats: A Love Soaked Story"

🫧 First_Part!!

The bell rang, signaling the end of Akshara's exam. She sighed with relief. She had been waiting for this moment—her final paper was done, and she could finally breathe. Finally, it's over. She gathered her things slowly, and placed them in her bag, mentally replaying the questions she had just answered.

After finishing up with her things, she glanced at the clock, realizing that Abhinav must already be outside, waiting for her. Of course, he would be. He had insisted on picking her up, as usual, despite his busy schedule. He always worried about her, especially when it came to exams.

She glanced out the window, noticing the cloudy sky and hearing the distant rumbling of thunder. Looks like the rain's coming, she thought as she packed up, heading outside. Now, All she wanted was to see Abhinav and go home.

Meanwhile, outside the college gates, Abhinav stood by the car. His hands were clasped together, and his lips were moving silently in what seemed like an internal prayer.

He was worried, even though he knew she had prepared well. But lately, seeing her juggle so many responsibilities—household duties, her studies and yes, the jam business —made him nervous for her. His thoughts ran wild: Did she manage the time well? Was the paper too difficult? She was too tense about the last few chapters...Did she skip any questions?___maybe I should have taken care of her well.

His hands fidgeted as he scanned the crowd, waiting for her to appear. Just let her come out soon.

As soon as Akshara stepped out of the college gate, her eyes instinctively searched for him amidst the crowd of students. She spotted Abhinav almost instantly, standing there, his anxious eyes darting through the crowd in search of her with his unmistakable warmth and concern.

A warm smile tugged at her lips. There he was—her constant, her support. She raised her hand in a small wave, and as soon as Abhinav saw her, his face lit up with relief. Without wasting a second, he rushed towards her, his eyes filled with concern.

"How was it, Akshi? All good? You must be exhausted, na?" he asked in a hurried breath, already reaching for her bag and slinging it over his shoulder before she could even protest, like it was his duty, and without a word, He handed her a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap immediately, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of discomfort.

"Here, have some water first," he urged, his voice filled with concern. Before she could even take a sip, he started bombarding her with questions.

"Did it go okay? Did you finish everything? Did you have time to revise?  Were there any questions you didn’t expect? You didn’t strain your eyes too much, did you? How’s your head? Is it aching?"

Akshara blinked, slightly overwhelmed by the flurry of questions. She reassured him, "It went well, Abhinav. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Everything was manageable." She reached for the water, taking small sips to calm him down.

But Abhinav wasn’t satisfied just yet. He launched into more fussing, "You know, it’s okay if some questions were tough. Not everything needs to be answered. Some are meant to be skipped."

"No point stressing over it. You did your best, that’s what matters. Teachers throw in those extra questions just to confuse you anyway. They're unnecessary!" His words came out in a rush, as if he needed to make sure she wasn’t feeling bad about anything.

Akshara couldn’t help but smile at his over protectiveness. She took another small sip from the bottle and placed her hand gently on his arm. "It went fine, Abhinav. Really. You worry too much," she reassured him softly, her voice filled with affection.