The next day arrived in a moment of glance. Coincidentally, both of them entered the classroom at the same time.
They gave each other a hesitant wave of smile and then went on to their seats.
Throughout the classes, they just exchanged glances quietly without letting each other know.
As the class ended, they both walked together towards the park.
As they were walking, both of them remained silent , awkward to initiate the conversation.
After a while, they both sat on a bench. Then Prabha took out a notebook - turned over the page and handed it to Aarav.
" These are the lists I made on topics . So do you have any suggestions regarding this ? " She asked looking at him.
Aarav glanced over the notebook and said , " it's pretty good. Let's divide the topic and start our research then ." He answered
Prabha hesitated for a while and then finally spoke, " umm.... Are you free today ? "
" Yes I am , but why ?" He replied quickly.
" I was actually thinking of doing this research together and completing it by today if possible. So if you are free, let's go somewhere and do it for like 4-5 hrs. "
" Or.. if it ends faster, then it's way better." She blurted it out.
After a brief pause, Aarav glanced over his phone and looked up.
He stood up , carried his bag and responded, " Then let's go. I already found a cafe nearby. It also has library in its area. So we can go there as well. "
Prabha stood up and spoke , " Then I think it's better to go library. We don't have to keep moving back and forth in between library and cafe. "
" But , can we go grab something? I am really hungry right now . " Aarav said as he rubbed his stomach.
She simply nodded back and they headed towards the cafe. The awkward silence filled the air.
Aarav bought something and they both sat on a table. He slid half of the food over her side and didn't say anything.
He continued eating his food.
But,
Prabha looked confused. She stayed silent and used her phone.
After a while, he noticed something - the food on Prabha's side was still untouched.
So he asked her , " Why aren't you eating anything? That's for you . "
She hesitated, looking slightly startled.
" Hmmmm. For me?
But I wasn't hungry. " Her tone was soft, with a trace of awkwardness.
" We both arrived the class in similar time and here we are till now. And I haven't seen you eating anything yet . So , it's obvious you will get hungry too." He replied back.
" Umm.. okay . How much was it, if you don't mind me asking?"
" Don't worry. It's my treat today. And it wasn't expensive either. " He answered confidently, with a friendly smile in his face.
But she wasn't comfortable at all. She felt uneasy but she couldn't let the food go waste as well.
So she ate in a slow pace.
Aarav instantly noticed it.
"Or maybe you can also consider this as a treat for giving me a lift that day on airport. " He said as he cleared his throat.
Surprisingly, this made her feel better.
She gave a warm smile to him.
He felt relieved seeing her smile.
After a moment, they went to library. They found a quiet corner and sat there.
Aarav searched over few of the books and collected them. As Prabha was busy in her phone,he gently tapped over the table looking at her.
She noticed . Aarav answered, " Do you think these books would be helpful for our research? "
She started looking over the books . After a while, she responded back, " Umm. Most of the books are really helpful but it would take us a little bit more time to cram over them. So..."
" Then let me do the cramming and you can search over the internet. " He replied.
Prabha paused for a while and then spoke , " Maybe I should also do the same. At the end , it's better to cram over book rather than searching in the internet. " She grabbed a book sighing over.
Both of them continued this activity for almost 2 hrs.
Aarav glanced over her. She was silently cramming through the pages, understanding every word and highlighting every important point.
He hesistated for a while and finally gathered the courage and asked , " Should we take a break now ? "
" Hmmm." She replied still fixed her eyes in the book.
" I don't think I can do it anymore. The words are new and difficult to understand. I am barely able to highlight the important points. "
She finally looked over him.
" Okay. You can take the break . I will just continue. " Prabha answered.
" But I think you should also take a break. Why not just stroll around the park for a while ? " He asked.
" That's a good idea but what about these books ? " She replied.
" Don't worry, let me put them back and then we can take it again when we come back after strolling. " Aarav took the books and placed it back to it's original place.
They went out for a stroll and sat over a bench for few minutes. The melodious chirping of birds - the gentle wave of wind made the air relaxed and calm.
Prabha glanced over Aarav . He was closing his eyes feeling the gentle touch of wind .
The awkwardness was silently fading away slowly but not completely.
After a while , they stood up and walked around the park.
The kids running around ,
Their mothers gossiping together,
The birds flying over in a group,
The leaves of trees dancing with wind,
And those different faces of cloud made the environment much more peaceful and relaxing.
As they walked together matching each other's pace, the footsteps left a subtle mark - Quietly reflecting as the people destined to become lovers.
After 25 minutes of strolling and walking around, they went back to library and sat on their previous place.
Prabha glanced over phone and said , " I think we should conclude for today. Maybe we can continue tomorrow. If you are free ."
She waited for his answer.
But his mind seemed distracted.
So she knocked over the table.
Finally, he responded, " Ummm. Sorry. What were you saying? "
" I was asking if we could continue this tomorrow as it's already exhausting enough to continue. " She repeated.
" Sure. I am free as well. so, let's come back tomorrow. " They collected their belongings and walked out .
Soon they walked past the cafe and reached park.
Aarav paused for a second and said, " I think I want to relax in the park for a while. So if you are in hurry, you can head back. "
Prabha looked over her watch and answered, " Honestly , it's more better being here than at home. "
They both understood and went towards the lake.
Aarav took out his phone and took some pictures.
After a while , Aarav asked , " By the way where are you from ? Your accent feels kind of familiar but I never got the chance to ask you till now . "
" I am from Nepal and you ? " Prabha replied.
" I am also from Nepal. So that's why it felt familiar. " Aarav looked surprised yet expected.
" Maybe...." She murmured.
" So, why did you decide to study here in Norway ? If you feel comfortable enough to share then only, otherwise it's fine not wanting to answer. " He asked respecting her choice.
" It's fine.
It's weird but,
One day as I was just walking around in the park, I heard a stranger talking with his friend on the call. He was telling him about his plan of applying for Norway. He also said something related that really strikes my mind. So, I ended up following him."
Her lips curling up to a painful smile yet pretty.
" Honestly,I don't remember it anymore. But it's just that he was angry and said something that made me realise about my situation."
" Sadly, I won't have the chance to meet him personally but I hope he gets the best of best in his life. Because he doesn't even knows how he has helped me indirectly. " Her words hinted a feeling of emotional release.
"Who knows, fate may bring you to him again . " He answered back.
" Then, I won't be able to recognise him. Because I just remember the month and place where I met him - not his face or anything that would identify him."
He just listened her words not able to show any exact reactions. So he preferred remaining silent rather than speaking.
" What about you ? Why did you come Norway? " She asked looking towards him.
" It's just that I love this place so I thought of settling down here. " He answered simply.
She didn't ask anything further and just nodded back.
After a while, Prabha returned home. But, beore walking away -- she waved good bye to Aarav.
He also waved back and went back home slightly after few minutes.
Aarav didn't notice but the one he wished for her to meet was actually him.
Maybe she forgot his voice not those words.
Those words still echoed in her mind -- reminding her to be grateful of the choice she was able to make.