Love Before Graduation

The evening had passed. It was half past seven when we all stand up—tired, but with the relief of returning home.

"Math..." I took a deep breath and spread my hands, "...sucks away the brain."

"Really!" Nami yawned and said, stuffing the books in her bag, "I don't know who invented this poison."

We were packing our things when Suhina's laughter echoed.

"No wonder you both are weak in math—you stare at boys more than books."

The wind stopped for a few moments. My face hardened.

"And have you become some Einstein? Is Tenzin's tuition now called 'talent'?" There was bitterness in my tone.

She smiled, but that smile was nothing less than poison. "At least i have better marks than you."

"Why wouldn't they? With tutors like Tenzin available 24 hours a day." The tone had become increasingly harsh by now.

"I study myself!" Suhina was now completely furious.

Nami, who had been silent till now, said with her arms folded, "Whether you study yourself or someone teaches you, it doesn't mean that you should look down on others."

Suhina's face changed. There was a strange glow in her eyes—as if she was hurt. She pressed her lips together, sighed, and then turned away. As if tears would flow over the slightest thing.

"Stop it now!" Rian interrupted, there was fatigue in his voice.

I clenched my fists. "Okay, whatever you say."

She looked at me, as if disappointed. "Aira, why do you let Suhina dominate you?"

"What did I do?" I raised my eyebrows.

"You and Nami always stand up against her"

"You were listening, right? She started it!" Nami was completely enraged now.

Rian just sighed in exhaustion. "Enough is enough."

I didn't say anything. He always thought of me as his younger sister, but when it came to Suhina, he never stood by us.

One day you will see Suhina's true face, Rian...

I thought to myself.

A voice came from behind, "Suhina, come on. You have to come with me."

We all turned around. Tenzin was standing. Suhina quietly picked up her bag and went with him.

Nami and I just kept looking at each other. There was only one question on our faces—what did we do wrong?

"Unbelievable..." Rian muttered and walked out.

The room fell silent.

Then came Arin's voice—calm, firm, "You two did nothing wrong."

I looked at him.

While we were all entangled, he was sitting quietly on the side. As usual.

"At least someone understands," Nami heaved a sigh of relief and went out.

I was about to pick up my bag when Arin came near me and patted my forehead gently. He went away without saying anything.

I froze there. It was as if my heart had stopped beating.

When I regained consciousness after a few moments, I saw that Nami had reached the stairs. "What are you doing? Come quickly!" she called out.

I picked my and came out.

We had just reached the bikes when I suddenly grabbed her t-shirt and stopped her.

"Nami..." I said softly.

"What happened?" She turned around.

I pointed towards the nearby park. "Swing..."

She looked at me, then a soft smile came on her lips. "Let's go?"

I nodded. And we ran towards the swings like running kids.

The wind was touching our faces. The swings went up sometimes, down sometimes. After a while we climbed the slide, and sat on top, dangling our legs.

Nami sighed. "I was really angry at Suhina today."

"I always am."

She laughed. And nodded.

"Listen," I looked at her, "I have to tell you something."

She widened her eyes. "What?"

I smiled, pressing my lips. "I think... I like someone."

"Who?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Guess first."

"Aira!" she moaned.

I laughed lightly. "Arin."

She was startled. "Arin?"

I nodded.

She was quiet for a while. "I've heard weird things about him... his vibe..."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not getting married to him."

She laughed. "Oh really? Just a crush? No bells ringing?"

"Shut up!" I pushed her gently.

I looked up at the sky. "It's just talking... sometimes we meet... don't know what's next..."

She smiled. "Okay. Now let's go?"

We got up, dusted our clothes, and headed towards the bikes.

On the way, I played a song on my phone and we started singing loudly. Like there was nothing else in this world.

Then Nami shouted, "Do you want to leave the cafe?"

I didn't hear. "What?"

She stopped singing. "Do you want to leave the cafe?"

"Yes, leave me there."

The bike sped up. We left, talking to the wind.

But even in that strong wind, the slight warmth of Arin's hand still remained on my forehead.

I don't know what this feeling was... but one thing was certain - I wanted to know him more.