Aarohi was late.
Not by much just a few minutes but the bus was already fuller than usual when she climbed on. People were standing,holding onto the bars, shifting bags and umbrellas. The driver didn’t wait. As soon as she stepped in the door folded shut behind her with a hiss, and the engine grumbled forward.
She scanned the bus quickly. No free seats in the front. She hated standing in moving vehicles especially in heels. Her eyes flicked backward and her heart skipped a beat before her mind caught up.
He was there. Arjun.
And next to him was an empty seat.
For one brief second she thought about pretending she didn’t see it. She could stand. She could avoid all of this.
But the bus jolted hard and she stumbled catching herself on a metal bar. Someone muttered behind her. There wasn’t time to think.
Her legs carried her before her brain could stop them. She walked to the back and slid into the seat beside him with her tote bag on her lap like a shield.
It was a small space. she was close to him maybe too close because she could feel the warmth radiating off his arm. She tried distracting herself focusing on her hands and the tine droplets of water running down her palms.
Should she speak up? This was her chance. Or she could just sit there in the awkward silence until her stop comes.
Her her beat so loud she could hear it in her ears. She opened her mouth trying to get out the words but closing it again. Why was she so nervous, it was never this hard for her.
and then finally without giving much thought she spoke up,
“Hi.”
He turned to her pulling out one earbud. His voice was rougher but calm when he spoke. “Hey.”
judging by the tone maybe he did recognize her, Aarohi thought.
She hesitated then smiled. “You’re… Arjun, right?”
His eyes flickered with amusement. “Yeah Aarohi.”
Her chest eased. “Wow, you remember.”
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said. “Small city, I guess.”
Yeah,” she murmured tucking her hair behind her ear. “It took me a second yesterday. To recognize you.”
“You didn’t look too sure” he said with his tone teasing just a little.
She looked at him surprised. “You noticed?”
His mouth curved. “You kept turning around.”
Heat rose in her cheeks. “Okay, stalker.”
He chuckled under his breath. “You were obvious.”
Her laugh slipped out before she could stop it. The tension loosened, just a little. The silence that followed was soft and comfortable not heavy anymore.
“So,” he said turning slightly towards her, “what do you do now?”
“Graphic design,” Aarohi replied “Mostly freelance stuff like logos, posters, social media campaigns. That kind of thing.”
“That sounds cool,” he said with genuine curiosity in his voice. “You were always good at art right? I think I saw your drawings in the school exhibition once.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “You remember that?”
He shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You used to doodle on the last page of your math notebook when classes got boring.”
She laughed. “Wow. good memory.”
“Photographic memory,” he corrected lightly grinning .
“What about you? What do you do?”
“Copywriting,” he said after a pause. “Branding agency. Which sounds fancy but it’s just writing catchy lines really, for toothpaste and energy drinks.”
“That doesn’t sound boring,” she said. “That’s like… writing but with pressure.”
“Exactly,” he said his tone dry. “Pressure and endless revisions.”
Aarohi chuckled. “Clients always know what they don’t want. Never what they do want.”
He looked amused. “You sound like someone who’s had the same pain.”
“Oh, absolutely,” she said. “Once a client asked me to make their logo pop more. Like what does that even mean? I made it neon orange.”
Arjun laughed. a real laugh. low and warm. It made something flutter inside her chest.
They fell into a comfortable silence for a beat justthe sound of rain filling the space between their words. Then he said quietly almost as if thinking aloud, “I don’t think we ever talked in school, did we?”
“Not really” she admitted. “Except maybe once. I borrowed a pen from you during an exam.”
He nodded slowly. “Blue pen. Math paper. You were panicking.”
Aarohi stared at him. “You remember that?”
He glanced at her and his smile was small but steady. “Photographic memory remeber. And you gave it back with a thank you note. I probably still have it I think.”
Her laugh came out softer this time. almost disbelieving.
The bus hummed under them. Rain tapped against the glass like a whisper.
“It’s nice” she said without thinking. She didn’t know if she meant the rain, the ride, or this conversation they’d had.
He looked at her for a moment before replying. “Yeah. It is.”
Her stop arrived too soon. She stood up her fingers tightening on the strap of her bag.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked before she could stop herself.
His answer came quick. “I’ll be here.”
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