Love in the Shadows of Time

starting having feelings

Shasha’s Story – Part 2

I was getting ready for tuition, something I never really cared much about before. But today was different. The girl who usually just tied a simple ponytail was now in front of the mirror, attempting a hairstyle. I even tried a bit of makeup—who was I becoming? Normally, I’m the simple girl, the one everyone calls ladli, but today I wanted to look good. Why? Just for him.

Once ready, I entered the tuition. The room was quiet—sir had stepped out, and it was just me and Ansh. He sat there, focused on his book, and my heart began to pound. The silence between us thick, heavy, like there was something unsaid in the air. I could feel his presence even though he wasn’t looking at me.

I sat down, pretending to study, but my eyes kept glancing toward him. Every slight movement he made felt magnified in the empty room. This is ridiculous, Shasha, focus! I told myself, but all I could think about was him sitting just a few feet away.

After a few minutes, sir came back, and the rest of the students arrived shortly after. The moment had passed, but the intensity of it lingered.

During class, I struggled with a math problem. Sir noticed and called out, "Ansh, help Shasha with this question."

Ansh stood up and walked toward me, his footsteps echoing in my ears. "Can I see your notebook?" he asked, his voice quiet but steady.

I handed it to him, our fingers brushing for a second. My heart skipped a beat. He solved the problem quickly and handed the notebook back to me.

“Here.”

I wanted to say, "Could you explain this to me?" but before I could gather the courage, he was already walking back to his seat. I watched him, feeling the weight of every step he took. Was he nervous? Or maybe he just didn’t like talking to girls? Either way, I stayed silent, and the rest of the class continued as usual.

---

That evening, when I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he looked at me, how our fingers touched for just a moment—it was all I could think about. I grabbed my diary and wrote everything down, like I always did. But this time, it felt different. More real. After pouring out my feelings on the page, I hugged my diary tight and fell asleep, dreaming of him.

---

The next morning, I woke up in a panic. "Oh no, it’s 7:30! I have tuition at 8:00!" I rushed through my morning routine and barely made it on time. As I entered, my heart leapt. Today, there was an empty seat next to Ansh. I hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside him.

"Hey," I said softly, trying not to let my voice tremble.

"Hi," he replied, glancing up at me from his book. His voice was quiet, but it sent shivers down my spine.

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. The silence was filled with unspoken words, feelings we couldn’t quite express. After a while, I gathered the courage to ask, "How’s your math coming along?"

"It’s fine. What about you?" he asked, his voice soft but steady.

“I’m getting there,” I smiled, feeling a little braver now. We talked for a few more minutes, nothing major, just small talk, but it was enough. Enough to make me happy.

That night, I added another entry to my diary, writing down every little detail of our conversation. I even took the page where he had written in my notebook, carefully cut it out, and pasted it into my diary. Later, my sister came over, and we talked for about an hour. She and my cousin were teasing me, saying, "You should tell him how you feel!"

I laughed nervously, "There’s no way I can do that! He barely talks to girls. He’ll definitely reject me."

But deep down, I wasn’t ready for rejection. I didn’t want to ruin whatever little connection we had.

---

The next day, at tuition, I was helping the younger kids with their studies. They wanted to throw a small dance party, so I decided to ask sir for permission.

“Sir, can we have a little dance party? The kids really want to.”

Sir thought for a moment before nodding, "Alright, but keep it short."

The kids were thrilled, especially the girls. My sister was there too, and after sir left, we started playing some music. We had a bowl with chits, each with someone’s name. One by one, the girls danced, and everything was going smoothly—until the next chit was picked. It had my name and Ansh’s.

I immediately knew my sister was behind this. She must have convinced the other kids to set this up. My heart raced as I stood there, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on us. I started to dance around him, awkwardly moving to the beat, but my legs felt weak, and before I knew it, I tripped.

I gasped, bracing for the fall, but then I felt it—his hands around me, catching me before I hit the ground. His arms wrapped securely around my waist, holding me close. For a moment, time seemed to stop.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, my cheeks burning, "Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks." My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

For a second, I didn’t move. His hands lingered on my waist, and our eyes locked. The world around us faded away, and it felt like it was just the two of us, standing there in that moment. My breath caught in my throat, and I could feel the heat between us, the tension, the unspoken feelings we were both too scared to admit.

Finally, I pulled away, straightening up. He let go of me slowly, and the moment was gone, but the intensity of it stayed with me. I could still feel his hands, the warmth of his touch.

The party ended shortly after, and everyone packed up to leave. I stayed back to finish tidying up, still replaying that moment over and over in my mind. Suddenly, I heard the doorbell ring. I looked around, confused, and headed to the balcony. No one was there. The bell rang again, this time three times. I quickly went downstairs and opened the door to find some of the tuition kids standing there, including Ansh.

One of the boys blamed another for ringing the bell, but the others started laughing, "It was Ansh who did it!"

I looked over at him, but he stayed quiet, a small, shy smile playing on his lips. As I was about to leave, I noticed him starting to walk away, avoiding eye contact.

“Why did he do that?” I whispered to myself, watching him disappear down the street, my heart still racing from the events of the day.

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So that’s all for today. Thanks for reading!