The Beginning of Us
Shuva laughed again, and this time, it felt like she was letting me in on a secret. "I was just teasing you! Do you really think I'm so foolish that I don't understand what's happening?"
I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "So... what do you understand then?"
She looked away for a moment, then back at me, her expression softening. "I understand enough. But I have to go home now. Maybe we can talk more another day."
"I don't know when we'll meet again," I said, my voice filled with a sudden rush of emotion. "But today, my heart feels lighter than it has in months. You're like the North Star—constant and bright. And I think... I think you feel the same way I do."
She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either. She just gave me a long, meaningful look before turning to walk away.
That was the end of our first day, but it was the beginning of everything else. In the midst of a global pandemic, while the world was falling apart, something beautiful was starting to grow between two strangers in a small village school. We were just beginning to walk the path of love, and neither of us wanted to look back.