Their cheeks flushed with a light hue of red-violet as their paths crossed the following morning. Along with the essence of coffee beans, a new emotion hung in the air in their regular watering hole. A feeling to which they were both naive – shyness. Their exuberant morning conversations had suddenly petered out to a few pleasantries. Although they both tried to avoid eye contact by looking down at their phones initially, they were unable not to lock gazes and get lost in each other’s dilated pupils. For a fraction of a second, the hustle and bustle around them seemed to slow down before the barista snapped them out of the trance with their orders. They quickly gathered themselves and headed out to separate morning lectures, their paths diverging across the sun-kissed campus. Both knew how the other felt. But, they didn’t know how to proceed.
The lectures, which were once enthralling, felt like a dense fog. Their minds were preoccupied with the events of the previous evening. To properly understand the lessons, they both sauntered to the library, where once again, their paths collided.
However, this time they were adamant about having a proper conversation. So adamant that they spoke at the same time, paused to let the other speak at the same time, and speak again at the same time. Their awkward start drew out a chuckle from her, which he had grown to adore, and it broke the ice. But since their following lectures were fast approaching, they nestled in adjoining chairs to get their work done. He set up the Pomodoro timer while she pulled out her Lofi playlist. Like they had always done, but this time more endearingly, they shared earphones and began their notes with their elbows grazing.
Conscience of Aniket 