[The wait]
The chat ended. The screen went dark. Honey set the phone aside, but his mind didn't follow.
Was I too weird? Did "take care" sound too dramatic? Maybe I should've just said "okay." No… "okay" would've sounded cold. But what if "take care" sounded clingy? Damn it…
He grabbed his sketchbook, flipping to a blank page. His pencil scratched quickly..words, faces, half-finished lines. He drew a box, scribbled the words "Was I weird?" inside it, arrows pointing to tiny doodles: a confused face, a bored expression, a little stick figure holding a phone.
Another box: "Too personal?"
Arrows again—one pointing to a smiling Priyanshi, another to her ignoring him completely.
Honey stared at the messy web of thoughts. It looked chaotic, like his head spilled onto paper. He exhaled sharply. Stop. Just stop. She said she'll text. That means she didn't mind. Right? Right…
Setting the sketchbook aside, he unwrapped his snack and ate slowly, still chewing over every word in his head as much as the food. "Must be tiring"… ugh, why did I say that first? I sound like a teacher. And "keeps my head busy"? Bro, that's basically a confession.
After changing clothes, he tried distracting himself. The physics test tomorrow loomed in his mind maybe that could silence the overthinking. He opened his notebook, flipped to the section on motion and laws.
"Work, energy, power… Newton's second law… derivation of F = ma…" he murmured, jotting down formulas. His pen scratched over the page, forcing his brain into numbers instead of words.
He paused, glancing at the theorem practice question: A block of mass m sliding down a smooth incline… Honey sighed. Better focus. If I mess up this test, no excuse will save me.
Minutes passed into hours. Derivations, solved examples, short notes—page after page. Slowly, the storm inside him dulled, replaced by the rhythm of study.
And then—
Buzz.
His phone lit up at exactly 6:01.
Priyanshi: Reached home just now.
Honey froze, pen hovering over the theorem he'd been revising. His chest tightened again, the quiet of his room suddenly louder than ever.
She texted. She really texted.
Honey's fingers were already on the keyboard before the screen even dimmed.
6:02 PM
Honey: Oh nice… must've been a long ride. You okay?
He hit send. No hesitation this time. But as soon as the message ticked blue, his brain kicked in. "You okay?" Bro, why would you ask that? She's not sick. She just came home. Now you sound like a doctor. Idiot.
The dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
6:03 PM
Priyanshi: Yeah, just tired. Bus was too noisy.
Honey exhaled softly, tapping back quickly.
6:04 PM
Honey: Yeah, I get that… sometimes school is noisier than the bus.
Simple. Safe. She replied almost instantly.
6:04 PM
Priyanshi: True 😂 at least the bus ends. School doesn't.
Honey smiled faintly. For a few minutes, the chat was easy—small complaints about noise, jokes about teachers, random things about the day. For once, it felt normal. Casual.
Then, without thinking, his fingers typed:
6:09 PM
Honey: Tbh… I think you're the only person in class who looks calm even when everything is chaos.
He stared at the message for a second too long, thumb hovering. Should I delete it? No, no, she'll know I typed something. But what if she thinks it's weird? Too personal. Too much. She'll think I'm watching her too closely…
The message had already sent. It was too late.
His chest tightened. Idiot. Idiot. Why did you say that? She'll think you're obsessed. Or worse… creepy.
The three dots appeared. His heart jumped.
6:10 PM
Priyanshi: Hmm… thanks. I just don't like making noise. Easier to stay quiet.
No emoji. No teasing. Just a plain, honest reply.
Honey blinked at the screen, frozen. She didn't mind? She didn't… find it weird? She just… answered. Like it was normal.
And yet, his head spun with doubts anyway. Did she mean it? Was she just being polite? Should I say something back or just let it end here?
6:21 PM
Priyanshi: Yeah, sure. I'll send you the pics after I'm done with my part. Don't worry.
Honey exhaled so hard he almost laughed. Relief crashed into him, followed immediately by more panic.
Should I thank her again? Or is that too much?
His thumb hovered over the keyboard, brain rewriting and erasing replies:
"Thanks a lot 😊" — too flirty?
"Ok 👍" — too cold?
"You saved me lol" — too casual?
He finally settled.
6:22 PM
Honey: Thanks… really. I owe you one.
He dropped the phone beside him, flopping onto his pillow. His heart raced as if he had just confessed his LOVE to someone, even though it was just a project request.
To her, it was simple. To him, it felt like handing her a sealed envelope that read: Dear Priyanshi, please don't hate me. I really love you
Buzz.
6:23 PM
Priyanshi: Haha don't owe me. Just pass me Physics notes sometime 😅
Honey blinked. Wait… she joked back? Did she actually just say that? Is she being casual… or is she testing me?
He typed, erased, retyped.
6:24 PM
Honey: Deal 😅 but my notes are messy… can you even read them?
6:25 PM
Priyanshi: Better than nothing 😂
Honey smiled faintly at the screen. His heart was pounding, but the conversation felt… normal. Too normal.
Still, Does this mean she's comfortable talking? Or is she just being polite? What if I annoy her?
He scribbled in the margin of his notebook: Don't overdo it.
6:27 PM
Honey: Okay… you'll probably save my life with this project. Thanks again.
6:28 PM
Priyanshi: Haha don't exaggerate. It's just a project.
Honey read that line three times. Just a project. To her, maybe. But to him, it felt like a lifeline—and also, like a small thread tying them together.
The chat slowed down after that. Honey kept the phone beside him, every buzz making his pulse spike. He got up, paced his room, splashed water on his face, muttering, Just act normal. Don't stare at the screen every two seconds.
Finally, after what felt like forever—though it was only 12 minutes—his phone buzzed again.
6:40 PM
Priyanshi: Okay, done. Sending now.
A series of photos followed: neat pages, diagrams, answers carefully written.
Honey stared at them, heart caught between gratitude and something else he couldn't name.
6:41 PM
Honey: Got them. You're a lifesaver. Seriously.
He placed the phone down, but his mind didn't calm. Did I thank her too much? Should I send an emoji?Just stop, Honey. Just stop.
He closed his eyes, exhaled deeply. For now, the project was saved.
Honey sat back, staring at the phone one last time before putting it face-down on the table. Enough, stop checking. She's not going to message again tonight. Focus.
He spread out his notebooks, pulled his chair close, and began copying the project neatly. The clock ticked on, the quiet of his room broken only by the scratch of his pen and the occasional rustle of paper. Every now and then, he'd pause, glance at the photos, and copy each line carefully.
When the project was finally done, he exhaled softly. One task down. But the night wasn't over.
Physics notes were still waiting for him. Theorems, formulas, laws—all jumbled in his head like puzzle pieces that refused to fit. He forced himself through them, whispering definitions under his breath, scribbling small diagrams.
"Newton's second law… centripetal force… oh, and the derivation…" he muttered, flipping pages. His mind wandered at times—back to the lab, back to Priyanshi's nod, back to the chat—but each time he dragged himself back to the page in front of him.
Hours slipped by quietly. His room grew dim, the streetlights outside flickering to life. By the time he closed his notebook, his eyes burned with exhaustion, but the sense of completion felt good. He had survived the day—projects done, physics revised, thoughts (mostly) under control.
Honey stretched, switched off the light, and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind still replayed fragments—her nod, her texts, her quiet voice—but eventually, his tiredness pulled him under.
The day ended not with chaos, not with laughter, but with a silent calm. A fragile calm, but enough to carry him into tomorrow.