Maria hesitated for a second before answering the call.
"Hello…?"
For a moment, only the sound of traffic echoed from the other side.
Then a female voice spoke.
"Maria? This is Nisha… from the bus."
Maria tried to remember.
Nisha…?Then it clicked.
The quiet girl who usually sat near the front seat.
They never really talked, but they traveled in the same van every day.
"Yes…?" Maria replied cautiously.
Nisha sounded unsure.
"Sorry for calling suddenly. I got your number from the attendance list. I… I needed to tell you something."
Maria's grip tightened on the phone.
"Tell what?"
There was a small pause.
"Yesterday, when it rained… I saw something."
Maria frowned slightly.
"Saw what?"
Nisha continued slowly, as if choosing her words carefully.
"When Dhiran's head fell on your shoulder… you didn't move even once."
Maria's heart jumped.
She quickly looked around the empty road, as if someone might have heard.
"It was just an accident," she said quickly.
"I know," Nisha replied softly. "But… the way you looked after he moved away… it didn't look normal."
Maria felt heat rise to her face.
Why was this girl saying all this?
Nisha continued,
"I used to look at someone like that too. Last year."
Maria's steps slowed.
"And?"
Nisha laughed faintly, but it sounded tired.
"And nothing. He changed schools. Didn't even remember my name later."
Silence settled between them.
Wind rustled through the trees.
Then Nisha said something that made
Maria's chest tighten.
"Just… don't build your whole world around someone who doesn't even know he's important to you."
Maria swallowed.
The words hit too close.
Too real.
Too honest.
Nisha continued softly,
"I'm not saying stop liking him. Just… don't forget yourself while liking someone."
Maria didn't know what to reply.
No one had spoken to her so directly before.
Not judging.
Just… understanding.
After a moment, Nisha spoke again.
"Anyway, sorry if I interfered. I just… saw you yesterday and remembered myself."
The call disconnected
Maria slowly lowered the phone.
Her mind replayed everything.
The rain.
The bus.
Dhiran sleeping peacefully, unaware of the storm in her chest.
And now this.
A stranger noticing her pain before the person she liked ever did.
That night Maria can't able to sleep that the thought of Dhiran and about Nisha it made her awake and feel something strange
In next in school
Dhiran was sitting with his friends in his usual place–
Maria entered the classroom and sat before Dhiran–Dhiran noticed Maria
…he noticed something was different.
Not in the obvious way.
Maria was still quiet. Still avoided eye contact. Still opened her notebook neatly like every other day.
But she didn't turn around even once.
Usually—without realizing it—she always did. A small glance. A quick check. As if confirming he was really there.
Today, nothing.
Dhiran leaned back in his chair, joking with his friends, but his eyes kept drifting forward.
Maria's shoulders were stiff. Her pen paused often. She kept staring at the same line without writing.
She looked… tired.
On the evening time Maria was standing in the corridor, that time there is a two girls that they are talking about Dhiran
Maria listened to them...they said–
"Hey do you know that Dhiran has a girlfriend from his tution and they were so close"
Hearing this Maria's heart sinked and this made her pain more and more
She returned back to the classroom,she ignored Dhiran and sat in her place.
Dhiran noticed her and asked her that–
"Hey Maria did you completed the assignment?"
She just answered with
"Hmm"
Dhiran noticed the change in Maria's behaviour and he asked-
"Maria,are you okay?"
"Yes"Maria answered in simple words
(but definitely she is not okay)
Dhiran understood that Maria was not in the mood so that he just for now didn't disturb her.
Maria reached her home after a emotional long day in school–
Without any word she directly went to her room and started to cry under the blanket, like that itself she slept.
Next day in school–
As usual Maria sat in her desk with a exhausted sigh
She decided that she will focus on her studies from now on...
On that time Dhiran entered the classroom and without any warning he sat near Maria 😳
This made her heart skip a beat... slowly she turned her head towards him, Dhiran gave a warm smile to her.
Every one in the class was shocked including Maria– she somehow managed to speak
"H-hu, w-what a-a sad-den c-change?"
Dhiran replied nonchalantly
"Hmm, I just like this place and,the person next to me"
At first Maria didn't get it, after that only she realised
"oh ok, wait... what??"
Dhiran laughed at her–
"You heard correctly"
Maria was still in a shock
Dhiran rested his elbow on the desk, chin on his palm, eyes on her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Yeah," he said lightly. "You."
Her fingers tightened around her pen.
The classroom noise faded for her. The laughter, the fan humming, the shuffling of bags—everything felt distant.
"You're joking," Maria said, forcing a small laugh that didn't reach her eyes.
Dhiran didn't laugh back.
Instead, he leaned a little closer. Not enough to cross a line. Just enough for her to feel his presence.
"I don't joke about seats," he said. "Or people."
Her heartbeat went wild.
The distance between their desks felt smaller. Too small.
Then Dhiran slid something toward her.
Her notebook.
"You forgot to write the date," he said.
She blinked. He was right.
"Since when do you notice my notebook?" she asked, half-teasing,
half-defensive.
Dhiran shrugged.
"Since I started paying attention."
Her hand brushed his as she took the notebook back.
It was brief.
Accidental.
But electricity shot through her fingers.
She pulled her hand back instantly, heart pounding.
Dhiran noticed.
He didn't say anything.
He just smiled again—this time slower, warmer.
She kept her hand on the table–that time Dhiran also kept his hand above Maria's hand...😳
She frozed for a sec,
"W-w-what i-i-is th-this?"
He replied that–
"It's just that I am reassuring you, I am there for you so, don't worry about anything"
He moved so close to her face and moved to her ears and whispered
"Everything that happened from the starting was not a coincidence
She froze–
The umbrella,
The bus scene,
The watch,
The message,
The letter.
Is not a coincidence??
——×——×——×——×——×——×—–
Thank you so muchhhh for reading my novel guysss 🎀💓
Please support me,I will definitely provide a valid entertainment content for you all!!❣️
Let's see what happens next in chapter 7
Secret★:In real life Nisha is not a real character that, real life Maria's inner voice is Nisha in. This is what she expected a advice from others when she was in pain