The soft afternoon sunlight filtered through the classroom windows, casting long shadows across the floor. The ceiling fans were spinning lazily, but the heat still lingered. We were students of Class 12, sitting on the last bench—me, Aryan, and my girlfriend, Barsha.
Our school, New Horizon High School, was an ordinary school. But to me, it was my entire world. Because that was where I first saw Barsha.
Barsha was sitting by the window. The sunlight falling on her hair created a golden glow. She was sketching something in her notebook—probably a galaxy. She had a strange habit of always thinking about the sky, stars, and time.
I leaned closer and asked softly,
"What are you drawing?"
She smiled slightly.
"A time loop."
I laughed. "What even is a time loop?"
She turned the notebook toward me. There was a circle drawn on the page. Inside it were two tiny figures—a boy and a girl—standing hand in hand. Around the circle were little star-like dots.
"Imagine," Barsha said, "what if we were living the same day over and over again? Stuck in the same moment… but only the two of us realize it?"
I paused. "That would actually be fun! If we got the same day before exams again and again, we'd finally finish studying!"
Barsha shook her head.
"No, I'm serious. What if the whole world moves forward, but we're trapped in a single day? And the only way to escape… is to lose each other?"
A strange chill ran through me at her words. It felt as if the air from the fan had suddenly turned cold.
Just then, the school bell rang.
Tang—Tang—Tang—
But strangely, the sound seemed to stretch longer than usual. Everyone stood up, yet something felt off.
I looked at Barsha.
She was completely still.
"Barsha?" I called.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
---
I opened my eyes.
The same classroom.
The same sunlight.
The same fan.
The same bench.
The teacher was saying the exact same sentence—
"Write down what I'm putting on the board."
My heart started pounding.
Slowly, I turned to my side.
Barsha was sitting by the window again, sketching a galaxy in her notebook.
She looked up at me.
Paused for a moment.
Then smiled softly and said—
"Do you know what I'm drawing? A time loop."
The pen slipped from my hand.
"You remember too…?" I asked, my voice trembling.
There was a mysterious sparkle in her eyes.
"Yes, Aryan. We've returned to the beginning."
My heartbeat grew louder in my ears.
"But why? How?"
Barsha looked outside the window and said—
"Because time is giving us a chance."
"A chance for what?"
She gently held my hand.
"To prove our love."
Outside the classroom, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, even though the weather report had predicted sunshine.
Thunder roared in the distance.
And just then, the school clock stopped—
at 12:17.
Barsha whispered—
"This was the moment something happened… something we failed to change."
I didn't know whether to be afraid or amazed.
But one thing was clear.
We were trapped inside a time loop.
And inside this loop, only Barsha and I knew the truth.
She looked at me and said—
"If we make the wrong choice this time, maybe we'll never remember each other again."
Suddenly, a crack appeared on the classroom window.
Time itself… seemed to be breaking.
---
To Be Continued…