"I'm a walking embarrassment. God, please uninstall me."
– Divyanshu's internal monologue, 11:27 a.m.
---
Scene: Canteen, post-message disaster.
Divyanshu clutched his phone like it was a ticking bomb.
> "Maybe the internet will crash. Maybe her phone will fall into a drain. Maybe—MAYBE—there's a parallel universe where that message didn't send, and I live peacefully as a zookeeper or something."
Aditya stared.
> "Or maybe… you finally did something bold for once."
> "By accident! It was supposed to stay in the DRAFTS!"
Just then—DING. A new WhatsApp message.
> Khushi: 😂😂
Divyanshu nearly dropped his phone.
> "She replied. Oh my god. She replied. SHE LAUGHED. Is that good? Is she laughing AT me?"
Aditya peeked at the screen.
> "Bro. She didn't say 'ew' or block you. This is progress. For you? This is like winning the Olympics."
Divyanshu blinked.
> "You think so?"
> "Yes. But only because your emotional bar is underground."
Divyanshu slowly slid to the floor behind the counter and stared at the ceiling fan.
> "This is worse than that time I accidentally said 'I love you' to the biology teacher instead of 'thank you.'"
Aditya choked on his Pepsi.
> "THAT was iconic, though."
---
Scene: The Next Day, School Hallway
Divyanshu entered school like he was sneaking into a courtroom where he was on trial for emotional vulnerability in public. Every footstep echoed like a countdown to doom.
Khushi was already at her desk.
She looked up.
She smiled.
> "Hey, Divyanshu."
OH NO IT'S HAPPENING.
> "H-hey," he replied, somehow turning a single syllable into a cough and a panic attack.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
> "That message yesterday… it was cute."
He blinked. Twice.
> "You're joking."
> "Nope." She shrugged. "No one's ever said something like that to me before. Especially not by accident."
He nodded like he totally understood human interaction.
> "Yeah, haha, I uh... I write poetry sometimes. In my head. By mistake."
She giggled.
> "Well, I liked it."
Brain: SYSTEM ERROR. Please reboot.
Aditya (watching from across the room):
> "My boy is dying but thriving."
---
Scene: Later, During Project Work
Maya was not impressed.
> "I swear if you zone out one more time while I'm explaining this PowerPoint, I will report you to the government as a national distraction."
Divyanshu blinked back to reality.
> "Sorry. Just… thinking."
> "Is your brain always this laggy?"
> "No, it's worse when Khushi smiles."
Maya looked up sharply. Then back at her laptop.
> "You're such a lost cause."
> "I know. But like, a charming one?"
> "No."
Divyanshu sighed. Then realized Maya had stopped typing.
> "Wait… are you smiling?"
> "No."
She absolutely was.
---
Scene: End of the Day – WhatsApp Notification
Khushi: So… are you always this dramatic or just when you text people by mistake? 😄
Divyanshu stared at the message, heart racing. Then typed:
Divyanshu:
> Depends. Want to find out?
Delivered.
Read.
Typing…
Stopped typing.
Typing…
Khushi:
> Let's see. Start with not hiding behind the cold drinks counter tomorrow 😂
He nearly fainted.
---
Scene: Diary Entry – 11:59 p.m.
> *"Dear Diary,
Today I made a girl laugh. Not just any girl. Khushi.
And I didn't die. Yet.
Maya didn't kill me. Yet.
Aditya stole my aloo patty. Again.
But… she said it was cute. The message. Me.
Could this… possibly… be the beginning of something?
Probably not.
But maybe.
And for once, that maybe feels good."*
---
To be continued...