Aitai : I want to see you.

Gleam✨

Days had passed since the incident days that felt like months to Sidharth. His logical mind, so sharp and calculative, was at odds with the storm of emotions brewing inside him. Every fiber of his being was drawn toward the mysterious woman he had encountered. Her name, he didn't even know her name but her smile, oh, that smile! It was like a spark that ignited something deep within him, something primal and pure.

Every morning, Sidharth found himself standing on his balcony, pretending to check his phone, his posture casual but his eyes scanning the campus with a quiet desperation. He told himself it was just curiosity nothing more. But then, why did the thought of seeing her again consume him like a fever? She was young, yes, beautiful, undeniably. But this was more than attraction, more than fleeting desire. There was a soulful pull, a gravitational force that tugged at him every time he remembered her face. Her aura had lingered long after she had gone, filling the air around him with an intoxicating warmth.

Sidharth was a man of intellect, a man who solved complex problems with ease, a man who built his world around reason. And yet, for the first time, his heart seemed to defy that logic. He wanted to know her everything about her yet something within kept him from pursuing her too eagerly. He didn’t want to appear desperate, though every morning that passed without seeing her felt like a missed opportunity, a small heartbreak.

Shehnaz, too, found her thoughts drifting to the mysterious man she had met. His tall, commanding presence was impossible to forget. There was a quiet power in his eyes, something both gentle and intense, something that sent a thrill down her spine every time she recalled their brief exchange. She didn’t know his name, and yet he lived in the shadows of her mind, a ghostly figure that both comforted and unsettled her.

This morning, she rose early, her heart filled with a strange anticipation. She wrapped herself in a white suit, the fabric soft and cool against her skin, and draped a golden yellow dupatta over her shoulders. The colors were radiant, reflecting the gentle glow of the dawn, and as she stepped out into the early morning light, Shehnaz looked like a vision a goddess come to life, her beauty delicate yet undeniable.

She made her way to the gurudwara, the air she stood outside the campus, waiting for an auto, the wind picked up slightly, causing her dupatta to flutter gently, catching the rays of the sun. Shehnaz waited outside the university for an auto because she was heading to the gurudwara, and as the road was jammed with trucks, that’s when she saw him.

And then, as if fate had answered her silent prayers, she felt it
that unmistakable presence. Across the street, she saw him.

He had spotted her, his steps faltering as he took in the sight of her standing there, bathed in the golden morning light. His heart thundered in his chest, and for a moment, he could hardly breathe. She was breathtaking. In that white suit, with her yellow dupatta swirling around her, she seemed ethereal, almost untouchable. His mind raced, logic fleeing as emotion surged. He wanted to run to her, to finally speak, to hear her voice, her name. His very soul seemed to scream for it.

But something held him back. His thoughts, usually so sharp, now jumbled. He couldn’t act too hastily, couldn’t ruin this. She was too perfect, too exquisite for a clumsy approach. He stood there, just watching, feeling the tension between them like a taut wire about to snap.

And Shehnaz, though she pretended not to see, felt his eyes on her. Her pulse quickened, her heart soaring with a strange, almost dizzying happiness. She knew he was there. She knew he was watching. And yet, neither moved.

The world around them slowed, the morning sounds fading into a distant hum. It was just the two of them, suspended in time, caught in the magnetic pull that neither could resist nor fully understand. A silent promise hung in the air, unspoken but palpable: Soon. Soon, they would meet. Soon, their names would be exchanged, and the connection that both felt so deeply would be sealed.

But for now, they lingered in this moment longing, waiting, anticipating. The world, vast and endless, suddenly felt small, as if it had shrunk to contain just them.

Sidharth stood on the narrow street, waiting for the truck from Mumbai. His car was finally arriving after weeks of waiting. He had spent months living here, riding his bike everywhere a machine he loved but now, with work piling up and deadlines looming, the practicality of his car was something he needed. The thought of getting back behind the wheel after so long felt strangely exciting.

The truck driver waved to Sidharth, signaling the arrival of his car, but for a moment, Sidharth couldn’t move. He was transfixed. She was right there, just across the road, and yet, she was worlds away. The last time he saw her in the library, he had given her the name library girl in his mind, but now that name seemed inadequate. She was more than that a vibrant presence, alive with energy and beauty that stood out from the noise of the world around them.

As he signed for the delivery, his eyes kept drifting back to her. She hadn’t noticed him, and maybe that was for the best. He didn’t want to approach her like this—not yet. The timing wasn’t right, and the last thing he wanted was to come across as desperate. But there was something undeniable between them, even if it was only in his own mind.The truck pulled away, leaving his car parked in front of him, but Sidharth’s thoughts were elsewhere.

Shehnaz thought to herself, how stupidity is this ek hello hi to kr he sakti and then she waved her hand and said, " Hello! "
Sidharth smiled at her quickly, a little surprise by her charm.

She tried to cross the road to meet him, but Sidharth stopped her and shouted,  wait, I am coming!

He hurried over to her and they both asked to each other, apka naam kya hai?
Tmhra naam kya hai hai?

Sidharth smiled and said, Sidharth is my name.
Shahnaz replied and i am shehnaz.

They both smiled, their eyes sparkling with excitement as a new friendship began to blossom between them.