Chapter 2: Silence and the Scent of Tea
That library table was empty today.
Samiksha took her books out of her bag, but her mind kept going back to the corner seat where he'd been sitting yesterday. Yesterday's rain had changed everything. That page of her diary was now with Sameeksha—her own portrait, drawn with such passion that it reflected her soul.
"Will he come today?" she thought to herself.
Just then, the heavy wooden door of the library slowly opened. There was Aryan, with the same disheveled hair, glasses, and the same old sketchbook in his hand.
He quietly went and sat down in his old place. He didn't look at Sameeksha once. It was as if yesterday's magical evening had never happened. Sameeksha's heart began to pound. She gathered her courage and stood next to him.
"This... you forgot this yesterday," Sameeksha said in a trembling voice, placing the sketch page on his desk.
Aryan slowly raised his head. There was a strange glint in his eyes, as if he'd been caught. "I didn't forget," he said softly, "It was for you."
Seeksha's cheeks flushed. "But why haven't you ever spoken to me? We've been sitting at the same table for the last three months."
Aryan opened his sketchbook and began penciling on a blank page. "Some things lose their charm when spoken, Sameksha. I thought you might think I'm a weird guy who just keeps staring at you."
"You are weird," Sameksha smiled and pulled up a chair in front of him, "but not a bad one."
That day, for the first time, the silence in the library was broken. They didn't study. Aryan described how he would capture her changing facial expressions on paper every day—sometimes irritated when she couldn't understand math, sometimes relaxed when she read her favorite novel.
"Let's go for tea today?" Sameksha asked suddenly.
Aryan hesitated, then smiled. "Only if you give me 10 more minutes for my next drawing."
It was still drizzling outside the library. Two strangers under the same umbrella were no longer strangers. That's the beauty of slice-of-life—no major events are needed, just a cup of tea and a little courage are enough to start a new story.