The Echo of First Love

Chapter 10

Karan's POVThe morning was still and peaceful, at least until I heard Meera's muffled shout outisde the washroom. I was barely halfway through brushing my teeth when the bathroom door handle rattled, followed by a loud, frustrated, "Karan! Open up!"

I paused, half-amused, and took my time replying. "A little patience, Meera. Beauty takes time,"

I called back, grinning at my own joke, even though I knew it would only rile her up.

"Karan, please! I'm running late!" she said, her voice more desperate than annoyed this time.

"Maybe it's the universe's way of telling you to stay home with me today," I teased, the words slipping out before I could even think. The silence on the other side of the door was palpable, and I felt an immediate flicker of guilt. I wasn't sure where that impulse had come from, why I suddenly wanted her around today. I wasn't ready to analyze it, not yet.

"Karan, please," she called again, softer now, but with a hint of exasperation that made me smile despite myself. Finally, I unlocked the door, stepping back just as she barreled inside, practically darting toward the sink.

"Thank you," she muttered, barely sparing me a glance as she squeezed her toothpaste, her focus intense and hurried.

I couldn't help but linger by the counter, fiddling with my razor, just watching her with a small smile. "You know, I was here first," I said, nudging her lightly as I grabbed my razor, feeling a strange comfort in this unspoken, easy familiarity.

She shot me a look, her mouth full of toothpaste. "Fine, five minutes," she managed through the foam, giving me a playful shove as I tried to claim my space by the mirror.

Her hurried brushstrokes, the way she batted my elbow away to grab her hairbrush, it was all so... ordinary. But that warmth in my chest felt anything but ordinary. I hadn't felt this way in a long time-this comfortable chaos, this lightness in the air. The memories of the life I'd once built, with someone else, still clung to me, but there was something about Meera, a different kind of warmth, that made me want to see her smile more often.

Maybe it wasn't love, not yet. But I could feel my heart shifting, a softness creeping in, something that felt like the early stages of care, maybe even admiration. It was unsettling, almost foreign, but here in the bathroom, in the middle of this chaotic morning routine, I didn't mind it so much.

"Alright, alright, Miss Impatience, the mirror's all yours," I said, stepping back with a smile, letting her take the counter fully.

She rolled her eyes, but a small, reluctant smile played on her lips. "Thanks," she mumbled, her voice softening just a bit as she gave my shoulder a little shove, as if the gesture could lighten the unspoken things lingering between us.
And maybe it did, just a little.

Meera's POV

By the time I came back with my bag, he was already waiting by the door, pretending to check his watch with exaggerated impatience.