Through The Pages of Us

Chapter 3 - The conference

Late Morning

The long table was filled with staff members, notebooks open and pens scribbling. The sound of chairs scraping and the occasional murmur echoed as everyone settled in.
The faculty meeting had been called to discuss upcoming events and changes to the school curriculum, but for Ashutosh and Avinash, their focus was anywhere but the agenda.

Ashutosh sat near the middle of the table, his eyes fixed firmly on the notes in front of him. His back was straight, and his face was a mask of composure. But beneath the surface, his thoughts were racing, still replaying the almost-kiss from the day before.
The heat of Avinash’s body so close, the way his fingers had lingered on the knot of his tie, the words they shared—it all hung over him like a shadow he couldn’t shake.

At the far end of the table, Avinash was speaking with another colleague, nodding politely, but his usual ease seemed forced.
He was avoiding looking directly at Ashutosh. Every now and then, his gaze would flicker across the room, and he will catch Ashutosh staring at him with an intense look which caused Avi to quickly look away.

//A few minutes forward//

The Principal, Rajesh Maheswari, standing at the head of the table, flipping through his notes with a small sigh. “Alright, everyone , this year’s annual fest needs to be better organized than…well, last year.” He said with a wry smile that earned a few chuckles from the teachers.

“I need at least 5 students at each stall, and each of you will be in charge of a group. Yes , that means keeping them from wandering off to the food stalls or getting lost in the maze of activities.” 

“And no , Ashutosh , we are not having another pie – throwing contest.” The principal’s voice cut through Ashutosh’s mind , as the room filled with light laughter.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh couldn’t help but steal glances at Avinash, his thoughts less about the meeting and more about how close they had come yesterday.

His fingers absentmindedly played with his pen , and at one point , when he shifted in his seat , he accidently knocked over his water bottle with a loud clang.

All eyes turned to him, including Avinash’s , who was biting his lips to hold back his laugh.

“sorry , sorry!” Ashutosh stammered, as he hurried to clean up the spill, feeling a flush rise up to his neck. The principal raised an eyebrow but continued.

“I know we are all excited about the festival , Mr. Ashutosh, but let’s save the waterworks for later.”

Ashutosh could feel Avinash’s eyes on him, and the heat between them surged once more. Trying to cover his embarrassment, he grumbled under his breath, “if only some ‘people’ weren’t so distracting…”

(well..breaking the 4th wall here..we both know who are the ‘people’ he’s talking about )

Avinash let out a soft , amused snort, glancing away quickly to avoid anyone catching on to what Ashutosh might mean.

The principal handed out a stack of forms to be passed around, outlining the various tasks.

As the meeting dragged on, the principal stated some more things for each of the teachers to do and after some time, finally, the meeting drew to a close.

“Alright, that’s all for today. Let’s make sure we’re all prepared for the festival next month.” Said the principal as he made his way out.

Chairs scraped back, people began to rise, chatting with each other as they gathered their belongings.
Avinash hurriedly packed up his things, eager to escape the room, to clear his head. But just as he stood, he felt a presence beside him.

“Avi”, Ashutosh called.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The bustling noise of the faculty around them felt distant, like background static. Ashutosh started the convo.

“Hey , you don’t have a class after this, do you?” He asked .

It took a while for Avinash to answer, as he was kind of flustered with Ashutosh in front of him . “No..i don’t..” –silence—“do you?” he continued.

“great, so why don’t we go home together? We live nearby after all!” Ashutosh suggested.

Avinash hesitated, glancing back with wide eyes, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks. “Oh, um, Sure. I mean, if you want to” he replied trying to sound casual, but his heart was doing somersaults.

“Great!” Ashutosh grinned, the corners of his mouth twitching with mischief. “Just think of all the valuable time we can spend discussing the fine art of avoiding pie-throwing contests.”

Avinash chuckled, the awkwardness easing slightly. “Yes, because that’s a skill we’ll definitely need in life.”

As they stepped out together, the weight of the previous day's almost-kiss hung in the air between them, mingling with the comfortable banter.
The playful conversation provided a thin veil over their shared tension, each glance and laugh a reminder of how close they had come.

As they walked side by side, Ashutosh glanced at Avinash, a teasing glint in his eye. “You know, if we keep this up, I might just start thinking you enjoy my company a little too much,” he said, a shy smile creeping onto his face. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me… for now.”

Though , the sudden statement made him get butterflies , Avinash shot him a playful glare, trying to hide his smile. “Oh, really? How generous of you.”

“Just doing my part to keep the charm alive,” Ashutosh replied, leaning in slightly. “But seriously, Avi , I feel good around you…You’re fun.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” Avinash said, feeling warmth spread through him. “You make even the boring stuff entertaining.”

Ashutosh chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Well, that’s my superpower. Just wait until I unleash my best material.”

Avinash laughed, shaking his head. “I can’t wait. Just make sure it’s not all bad puns.”

“Hey, no promises!” Ashutosh said with a grin as they reached Avinash’s gate.

With a playful salute, he turned to leave, leaving Avinash with a smile as he watched Ashutosh walk away, the playful energy lingering in the air.

As Ashutosh walked alone, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself . “Why did I have to flirt so much , he’ll think I’m a weirdo..Now, I’m just a nervous wreck!”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head, “Why can’t I just tell him how I feel.
He’s not just fun , he’s everything..Ugh , get it together Ashutosh , you can do it.”

(Get your man , sir 😏)
Also ..any references with reality are purely coincidence ...ok