"Was it really this easy…?"
His voice barely escaped his lips, swallowed by the humming bus.
"All those years of suffering… hiding in my own house… from who?"
A young man sat by the window, watching the sky bloom in soft shades of blue.
Clouds drifted lazily like they had all the time in the world.
It looked peaceful. It felt relaxing.
But inside?
A storm still lingered.
"Then why the hell… do I feel no better?"
Yesterday had unraveled like a thread pulled too tight.
An injury.
The death of his kitten.
A strange girl who saw more of him than she should have.
And then, the chaos at home—
his chaos.
And yet, morning arrived draped in sunlight,
as if nothing had changed.
As if the world had forgiven him without asking why?
He hesitated,
then pulled out his phone.
"Right… I have to tell her !"
He dialed his sister's number. Once. Twice.
No answer.
"She must be at school," he mumbled.
His thumb hovered for a second—then chose to record instead.
"Hey. How are you these days?
I've sent you a recording. Already gave it to mom too.
I know it'll hurt…
but living under lies is worse than facing one hard truth.
Our house… is full of leeches and liars.
Smiling faces but Twisted souls.
And me?
I ran.
I locked myself in my room while everything hollowed around us.
I'm sorry.
Your brother is weak !
But you…
you've always been strong.
If you get home early… be there for mom.
She'll need you."
He added the audio file.
And just sat there.
His eyes turned again to the window—
to things he never noticed:
The way the light bent across a rooftop.
How the clouds shadowed the ground like memories.
When he stepped off at his station,
his face no longer wore the easy smile he was once known for.
It looked older.
Tired.
He limped forward, dragging yesterday behind him.
A sudden vibration.
> "A DM?"
Rare!
His heart dropped again. Just the college group.
"Dear students, due to scheduling changes, all batches (1st, 2nd, 3rd years) are required to attend a combined presentation session in the auditorium. This is a valuable learning opportunity. Attendance is mandatory."
"So… this is how it's going to be."
His voice was barely louder than a breath.
He kept walking, the ache in his ankle gnawing at him,
echoing the one in his chest.
The auditorium was packed.
Voices buzzing like flies in a jar.
Front rows already full, faces everywhere.
Too close.
Too loud.
Too many.
Claustrophobia prickled beneath his skin.
He scanned the rows—
and found a seat.
One spot.
Beside someone.
"Hey dude, can I sit her—"
His words cut off.
It was her.
The girl from yesterday.
Short, fluffy black hair that framed her face like shadows on snow.
Alabaster skin untouched by blemish.
Lashes that fanned over dark, abyssal eyes—
the kind that didn't just see,
but pulled.
Time hung still.
He wanted to turn.
To walk.
To vanish.
But before he could move,
the crowd behind pushed him forward—
a wave of bodies
pressing him beside her.
Crushed in the corner.
Nowhere to run.
"Indeed I was damn wrong! Although my life at home is going to get better than it used to be… but maybe I'll go to prison for what I did yesterday! Would she report me? It was a damn accident, wasn't it?"
His mind raced, spiraling through flashes of the day before.
It had begun in the most mundane way—class, dull and dragging. He had dozed off without even realizing it. By the time he opened his eyes, the clock had betrayed him; his gym routine was already slipping from his grasp.
Not wanting to face the unbearable stench of the locker room, he decided to change in the restroom instead. Shirt off, jeans lowered, he stood before the mirror. His lean, muscular body stared back at him—not with pride, but with silent questions.
What's the meaning of all this suffering?
Why do I keep doing this? Why push myself… only to wake up in pain every single morning?
That's when he heard a flush and the door opened.
A slender figure entered—small-built, almost frail—wearing oversized clothes and thick round glasses. A boy, or so he assumed. The stranger stared at him, eyes wide, lips parted as if he'd seen a ghost.
Aarav frowned at the look and spoke without much thought.
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? We're both men!"
The words hung awkwardly in the air.
He thought the kid must've been a nervous freshman—just shy or startled. But instead of responding, the figure turned sharply and rushed toward the basin. Water splashed hurriedly, hands trembling.
Something felt… off.
And then it happened.
She—still a stranger in his eyes—backed up too fast. Her foot found a loose tile. The floor shifted beneath her weight.
She slipped.
Aarav moved without thinking, lunging to catch her. But the angle was wrong, his balance gone. He stumbled too—and both of them went down.
Their bodies collided.
His bare skin pressed against hers, his elbow landing somewhere soft—his lips grazing her chin for a fleeting second. And in that suspended breath, he realized it.
She wasn't a boy.
Their eyes met. Hers—black and bottomless—shone wide beneath thick lashes, her face flushed, breathing ragged. Her alabaster skin held no imperfections, only confusion and rising panic.
He froze.
Then came the sting.
A slap—sharp and deserved.
Without another word, she bolted, leaving only silence and her pair of spectacles on the tiled floor.
And Aarav—still shirtless, still breathless—was left behind, weighed down by a mistake he hadn't meant to make.
But a question lingered in his mind. He gritted his teeth and instinctively touched his cheek, still feeling the phantom sting from yesterday.
"What the hell was she doing in the men's restroom?"
His eyes wandered toward her, hesitant and uneasy. She sat just a few steps away, unaware of the storm inside him.
"Why the hell does she have to be so damn beautiful…"
He clenched his jaw. "It's not like I'm simping or anything—it's just… I haven't seen a girl that pretty this close."
He quickly brushed the thought away, heat creeping to his ears.
I didn't mean it like that—damn it. I'm a perv… Ahhh, what the hell am I even thinking!?
He reached for his bag, trying to center himself. Unzipping the front pocket, he pulled out the pair of glasses—thick, round, unmistakably hers. They felt heavier in his hand than they should've.
Should he return them? How? What would he even say?
His voice cracked slightly as he spoke.
"Umm… excuse—"
She turned toward him. Their eyes met. A spark of recognition flashed in hers, and then… panic. That same panic from the restroom.
Dammit! There's no way she'll think this is a coincidence. She'll think I followed her here. Stalking her to a corner like some—
"Okay, breathe. Just keep a calm face," he told himself, the spiral loud in his mind.
"I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday!" he blurted out, bowing his head, firm but sincere.
"The pair of glasses you dropped—I thought I should pick them up, and, well… if somehow I found you, I'd give them back. And then I saw you here—what a relief!"
Aarav exhaled sharply the moment the words left his lips.
That was smooth. Okay. Now she won't think I'm a creep… right?
"I'm really sorry about yesterday. I know it was… really inappropriate, and I didn't mean it—It was an acci—"
Before he could finish, the girl gently cut in.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slap you! But…"
Her voice—soft as a breeze brushing across water—momentarily stunned Aarav.
What the hell—snap out of it! he scolded himself, dragging his mind back to the moment.
"I'm sorry… You were just trying to save me from falling and instead…"
Her words trailed off, cheeks blossoming a deep crimson. She averted her eyes, gathering composure before continuing.
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have been there in the first place."
Moved by her sincerity, Aarav placed a trembling hand on her shoulder—before his mouth ran ahead of his mind.
"It's okay. I can understand exactly what you're going through. I know how it feels—short hair, oversized clothes, going to… ahm… you want to be a boy! There's nothing wrong with that. It's your life. You don't owe anyone an explanation."
The girl stared at him, blank. Her expression—utterly deadpan—spoke volumes.
Aarav blinked, frozen.
"WAIT! I didn't mean that—I mean, I didn't mean I understand because—No! I'm good, I'm not gay or anything!"
He practically melted into the bench behind him.
Great. Now she'll definitely think I'm a toxic man… What does it matter anyway?
A pause. She shifted her gaze. A blush crept back to her cheeks.
"No, I'm also… not what you think," she said, hesitant.
"It's just…" her voice faltered.
"I was afraid you might think I'm some sort of…"
Her eyes lowered. She whispered, almost inaudibly, "Slut."
Aarav's expression turned serious. The word hit heavier than he expected.
"I didn't really have any choice at that time. When I was going to the female restroom, there was a janitor."
"A janitor?" Aarav asked, the tone of his voice now laced with tension. "What did he do?"
She hesitated again.
"He… was cleaning."
Aarav's thoughts scattered for a moment.
Are you kidding me? Isn't that what a janitor is supposed to do?
And then, it clicked.
"Oh… now I see. A male janitor in the female restroom. That's… weird."
"What exactly did he do?" he asked again, this time softer.
"He… smiled."
Her voice was barely a whisper, yet he caught it—each syllable holding more weight than it should've.
"So you went to the male restroom instead…"
And just like that, the image of it all crashed into him. He burst into laughter.
"A smile?! Really?"
She smacked him, clearly flustered.
"Idiot."
Soon, the atmosphere between them softened. Aarav took a breath and introduced himself.
"I'm Aarav. Third year. Nineteen."
The girl's eyes widened.
"Wow, really? You're in your final year at just nineteen? That's amazing!"
Aarav gave a faint, disappointed smile.
"It's nothing, really. I'll be twenty in two months... Graduating as a teen does sound cool, but it's not as impressive as it sounds."
"Ohh, I see. By the way—I'm Alisha. First year. Seventeen."
Aarav's face turned grim.
"Seventeen? Wait… is she a minor? Crap—what am I doing here? This could get me in serious trouble."
His panic crept into his face.
Alisha burst into laughter.
"Ha! Look at your expression—so priceless! Just kidding. I'm twenty-one. Second year."
Aarav exhaled in relief, narrowing his eyes at her.
"What's with this girl?"
Soon, the background chatter of the presentations faded behind their conversation. They spoke of random things—interests, hobbies, movies, the future. It was easy. Comfortable. Almost too easy.
Then, in a hesitant voice, Alisha asked,
"About your back?"
Still in a playful mood, Aarav smirked.
"My back? Ohhh, you saw me yesterday? My body? Muscular, right? You like it?"
"What the hell did I just say!? Why am I like this?"
He wanted to vanish on the spot.
Alisha smacked his shoulder, flustered.
"No! You idiot!"
Her face bloomed in crimson. After a pause, she composed herself.
"I meant... I saw a scar. On your back. Yesterday. I was just... curious."
Aarav looked at her for a moment, something unspoken stirring.
"Why does she feel so familiar… like someone I've known forever?"
His heart drummed louder. Her black eyes drew him in—calm and deep, like the ocean at night.
He tried to brush it off.
"It's just..."
But before he could finish, another student squeezed into the bench, pressing them closer. Their shoulders touched. Faces inches apart. Hearts racing.
Aarav muttered, "Sorry..."
"It's okay," she whispered, equally flustered.
A brief silence settled between them like fog.
Then Aarav said softly,
"It's a long story. Something that happened a long time ago. You'd get bored."
"It's okay," she replied gently. Then, after a pause, with a shy voice she added,
"If you're free... we could go somewhere after the presentations. I know a nice café."
Aarav's soul was a whirlpool of feelings—joy, confusion, self-loathing. He paused, unsure.
"I'd love to, but... I forgot my wallet. If it weren't for my bus pass, I wouldn't have even made it here. Lucky me, I guess."
"Is she... asking me out? No way. A girl like her? Too good. Out of my league. I'm broke. I'm pathetic. She must pity me... Right?"
Their bodies still close, their eyes met again. She smiled, a little flustered.
"It's not a problem. My treat. Let's go after college."
Aarav stared at her. Emotions surged—shame, disbelief, hope.
"I'm a failure… But if I let this moment pass, I might regret it for the rest of my life."
He smiled softly.
"Let's go, then. After college."
Alisha hesitated, then spoke in a stuttered voice, cheeks pink.
"Hey Aarav… are you… single?"
Aarav thought his heart might explode. He was about to respond when—
"Roll No. 098! Aarav Nashit! Please come to the stage for your presentation."
"Yes, sir!" Aarav shot up, half dazed, and turned to her, still flustered.
"I'm deluding myself. She probably meant it casually… right?"
"Best of luck!" she smiled. "I'll see you after this."
"Could I finally get a girlfriend? No… I'm not good enough."
Aarav stood up—something felt off.
"No... Hell no..."
"You okay?" Alisha asked, her voice concerned.
Sitting this close, it had activated something primal. Aarav blushed furiously.
"Shit!"
Thankfully, his oversized clothes were his saving grace.
Grabbing a file from his bag, he muttered,
"I'm leaving my bag here, okay?"
She nodded. Aarav limped off to the stage, hiding the chaos inside him.
Aarav walked toward the stage with a slight limp, his mind still tangled in the whirlwind of emotions. Eyes followed him, but he didn't care. He stood up, adjusting his posture, took a breath, and opened the file to read the presentation topics.
Then—he froze.
"Where... are my clothes?"
His heart skipped a beat.
But that wasn't even the worst of it.
He looked up.
Trees.
Tall. Foreign. Looming.
He blinked hard, confused—terrified.
The auditorium... gone.
The murmuring students... gone.
Alisha... gone.
All of it—vanished.
In its place stood an eerie, unfamiliar forest. Silent. Unmoving. Almost unreal.
Panic hit him like a wave.
He scrambled to hide himself behind a tree, arms wrapped tightly around his bare body, breath shaky, mind spinning.
"What the hell is this...?!"
He spun around again, desperate for any sign of reality—but there was nothing.
Just leaves rustling softly.
Just shadows and bark.
He screamed at the top of his lungs—
"WHERE THE HELL AM I!?"