The rain at St. Xavier’s College always had a way of slowing things down. While everyone else rushed to find shelter under the red-brick arches, Ishaan stood near the library exit, completely unbothered.
He liked the quiet that came with a downpour. It gave him an excuse to just stand still and watch the campus blur into shades of green and grey.
Ishaan checked his watch. The 9:00 AM Advanced Data Structures lecture was starting in ten minutes, and the sky showed no signs of clearing up.
He unzipped his backpack to check his notes one last time, making sure his papers were dry. He was a creature of habit—always early, always prepared, and always in his favorite corner of the library.
But today, his quiet routine was about to be completely disrupted.
A sudden, frantic splashing sound made him look up.
A girl dashed under the library awning, shaking water off a bright yellow umbrella that had clearly seen better days. One of its metal spokes was bent completely out of shape.
"Great. Just brilliant," she muttered to herself, pushing a stray, damp lock of hair behind her ear.
Ishaan recognized her. She was in his morning batch—Avnika. She was the girl who always sat near the window, often staring out at the trees instead of the whiteboard.
She caught him looking and offered a small, sheepish smile. "I think the wind won this round," she said, gesturing to her broken umbrella.
Ishaan smiled, the usual stiffness in his shoulders melting away. He reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out a sleek, sturdy black umbrella.
"Here," he said, holding it out to her. "Take this one."
Avnika blinked, looking at the umbrella, then up at him. "Oh, no, I couldn't. What about you? You'll get drenched."
"I run fast," Ishaan lied smoothly. In reality, he hated running. But looking at her damp books clutched tightly against her sweater, he didn't really care about getting a little wet.
She hesitated for a second, then took it. Her fingers brushed against his for a fleeting moment, and Ishaan felt a sudden, unexpected warmth against the chilly morning air.
"I'm Avnika, by the way," she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Ishaan."
"Well, Ishaan," she said, opening the black umbrella with a satisfying thwack. "You're a lifesaver. I promise to return this to you by the lunch break. Canteen?"
"Canteen works," Ishaan replied, his heart doing a strange, unfamiliar flutter.
She stepped out into the rain, the black canopy shielding her perfectly. After a few steps, she turned around and waved, her yellow broken umbrella tucked under her arm like a trophy.
Ishaan stood under the awning as the cool rain sprayed against his face. He was going to be completely late for his lecture, and he was definitely going to get soaked walking across the quad.
But for the first time all semester, Ishaan didn't mind a change in the schedule
Write a comment ...