Through The Pages of Us

Chapter 1 - The Walk

The crisp scent of autumn filled the air as Avinash slid the last set of botony quizzes into his overcoat. The sun, a soft golden hue, streamed through the classroom window, casting shadows across his neatly organized desk. It had been another long day at Fallon Academy, and he was more than ready to unwind.

Just as Avinash reached for his coat, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps in the hallway. 

He glanced at the clock—well past 8 p.m. Most teachers had gone home, save for the occasional dawdler. His heart beat a little faster, knowing exactly who those footsteps belonged to. Ashutosh, the charismatic zoology teacher , whose  smile seemed to light up every corridor he walked through.

Ashutosh appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Still burning the midnight oil, Avi?"

Avinash chuckled, slipping his coat on. "Just winding up. And you? finished with all the grading?"

Ashutosh smirked ,pushing his glasses up onto his head , “Keep living under a rock ,Avi . I even finished distributing it among the students .”

A faint pink hue crept up Avinash’s cheeks at the nickname “Oh.. I see , seems like you are keeping up with Mr.Perfect title. So why are you still here, hmm?

Ashutosh shrugged, running his hand through his dark hair. "I figured I’d wait around. Maybe run into ‘you’."

Avinash swallowed, his chest tightening in that familiar way it always did around Ashutosh.

They'd been colleagues for a couple of years now, exchanging playful banter in the hallways, sitting together during faculty meetings. But lately, something between them had changed.The air seemed thicker than usuak. It was in the way their gazes lingered a little too long, the way their conversations seemed to wrap around something.. unspoken...almost feeling corrupted. 

"Running into me,huh" Avinash replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "Seems like a good excuse to procrastinate."

"Or maybe it's just the highlight of my day," Ashutosh said softly, stepping into the classroom, closer to Avinash now.

For a brief moment, the air between them thickened, charged with a tension neither dared to fully acknowledge. Avinash looked away, feigning distraction with his bag. He couldn't deny the magnetic pull he felt toward Ashutosh, but teachers didn’t often venture beyond professional boundaries here.

"Walk with me?" Ashutosh asked, breaking the silence, his voice suddenly softer, almost tentative.

Avinash met his eyes, those deep black eyes that always seemed to be laughing, even when they weren’t. He hesitated, but only for a moment. "Yeah, I’d like that."

As they left the classroom together, their footsteps echoing down the empty halls, Ashutosh wondered if tonight would finally be the night they stopped pretending there wasn’t something more between them.

The schoolyard was almost deserted as both the men made their way out of the bulding. The day had been long , with the usual chaos of students and endless grading , but now that it was over , the silence between them felt tempting than it used to.  

Avinash glanced at Ashutosh , feeling the need to fill the silence as they walked ,“You ,uh..feeling hungry?”he asked, his voice more strained than he intended.

“ Ah... yes I am...but just for you”, he smirked,as he leaned closer to his ear.

Avinash’s face flushed red as he tried to contain himself and not pass out at the sudden statement made by his colleague, “huh!”.

Ashutosh chuckled at his reaction “just kidding ..let’s grab a snack..so , would you prefer to eat or drink?” he asked , trying to strike a normal convo.

“Both , and you are paying.”

Avinash said as he walked faster.“whaaa...why me again!” Ashutosh said playfully, as he ran to catch up with Avinash.