Aarohi almost didn’t take the bus that day. Work had drained her, and the temptation to book a cab hovered like a shiny button on her phone screen. But her finger hesitated And then she didn’t press it.
So here she was again, standing at the bus stop trying not to feel like she was waiting for something or someone.
The bus came to a halt with its doors opening with their usual hiss. She stepped inside scanning seats like a normal commuter.
Totally normal.
And there he was.
Same seat near the back. But the hoodie was different today. Navy blue. Clean and soft. The color catching in the evening light and making his skin look warmer and his face sharper. His hair was a little messy, like he’d run his fingers through it too many times. His phone rested loosely in his hand, and when his eyes flicked up and caught hers a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
It wasn’t a full smile. But it was enough to make her stomach feel like it had just dropped three floors.
The seat next to him was empty again. Aarohi hesitated only a second this time before walking towards the seat and pretending this was purely about convenience.
“Hi,” she said as she sat down.
“Hey.” His voice had that same calmness as yesterday but now it carried something else, something lighter.
For a while they sat in easy silence. The bus jerked, and Aarohi gripped the metal bar beside her. Arjun noticed and smirked faintly.
“Not a fan of buses?” he asked.
“Not a fan of sudden physics experiments,” she shot back.
He chuckled, the sound warm and low curling through the hum of the engine. “Fair.”
Aarohi relaxed a little. “So” she said, “photographic memory guy, what else do you remember from school?”
He tilted his head pretending to think. “Hmm. That you were obsessed with drawing eyes. You filled the back of every notebook with them.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? You noticed that?”
He glanced at her with an amused expression. “Hard not to. Every time the teacher turned to the board your pencil was moving.”
She laughed a soft, surprised sound. “Wow. Stalker much?”
“Observer” he corrected lips twitching. “Big difference.”
Aarohi shook her head smiling despite herself. “Okay, Mr. Observer. Anything else?”
“Plenty” he said with mock seriousness. “But I’ll save those for future rides. Gotta keep the suspense alive.”
The way he said future rides did something weird to her chest.
Warm and dangerous.
“Suspense, huh? You sound like a bad thriller movie,” she teased.
“Maybe” he said. “But at least you’d keep watching.”
That earned him a laugh she couldn’t hold back. Loud and genuine. It slipped out before she could catch it and then, to her horror it turned into a tiny snort.
Aarohi froze. He grinned. Wide this time.
Did you just...”
“Nope!!!” she said quickly, eyes widening. “That was… the bus.”
“The bus snorted?” His voice was full of laughter now eyes crinkling at the corners.
She groaned while trying to hide her face with one hand. “Oh my god, stop talking.”
He laughed again, really laughed this time. A deep, warm sound that made something flutter inside her.
When his laughter faded silence returned. But it wasn’t awkward. It felt easy, comfortable in a way Aarohi hadn’t expected.
Her stop was coming up. Too soon, like always. She stood slowly, adjusting the strap of her bag.
“See you tomorrow?” he said before she could. His tone was casual but there was a glint in his eyes that wasn’t casual at all.
Her pulse skipped. “Yeah” she said, her voice softer than she intended. “Tomorrow.”
She stepped off into the cool evening air, the sound of his laugh still tangled in her chest.
Behind her, Arjun leaned back in his seat earbuds forgotten in his lap, a faint smile ghosting across his face.
Future rides, he thought. And for the first time in a long time, tomorrow didn’t feel ordinary anymore.
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