**Class XI classroom. Chemistry period.**
Sneha sat quietly at her bench.
Today she had chosen the third bench.
Again and again, memories of that night floated into her mind!
And Anurag Sir's touch… Her entire body trembled once more!
Megha, noticing her, asked with a teasing laugh,
"Sneha, is something wrong with you?"
From beside her, Baishali grinned and added,
"Was someone under the blanket with you on that cold night?"
At those words, Sneha's face went pale.
Megha and Baishali burst into giggles.
Just then—
Anurag Sir entered the classroom.
The entire class stood up.
There were deep lines of exhaustion beneath his eyes, but even more noticeable was a kind of restless agitation. His gaze swept the room, searching for one particular face.
Sneha.
For a fleeting moment, his eyes landed on her bench—then quickly darted away. But the glance was so unnatural that some of the girls immediately sensed something strange was going on.
Baishali leaned toward Megha's ear with a sly smile and whispered,
"There… did you see? Anurag Sir's eyes stopped right on Sneha for a second, then he looked away!"
Anwesha, from the back bench, pressed a finger to her lips and hissed,
"Quiet. Sir has started teaching."
But Sir's mind was not on the lesson.
His pen kept slipping from his hand; he paused abruptly, then continued writing on the board only to make mistakes again.
The girls whispered among themselves—who noticed what, who understood what.
Prathama said in a low voice,
"Sir seems a bit… distracted today, doesn't he?"
Tanwi replied,
"I feel like something has happened."
Sneha avoided eye contact with anyone.
The whispers of the other girls either didn't reach her ears or, if they did, she gave no reaction. Her chin was lowered, fingers tightly intertwined.
At the end of the lesson, Sir began asking questions.
But his eyes kept drifting toward Sneha. She wasn't looking at him today either.
Her distraction cut deep into Sir's heart.
Again and again the same question tormented him: What was Sneha thinking? About that night? Was she angry with him?
He couldn't bear not speaking to her.
So he called out,
"Sneha, will you answer?"
Sneha froze for a moment. At Anurag Sir's call, she stood up abruptly.
But she had no idea what the question was. Nothing from the lesson had entered her mind.
Anurag Sir thought to himself: Perhaps Sneha is angry with me. That's why she isn't listening.
In a gentle voice he said, "It's alright. Sit down."
His eyes looked like shattered soft glass. As though even one answer from Sneha would be the forgiveness he so desperately craved.
Sneha sat back down, but the corners of her eyes were trembling.
The rest of the girls watched in silence.
---
Meanwhile, at Anurag Sir's house.
A silent afternoon. Anurag Sir was not home—he had gone to school.
The house felt eerily still, with only the faint hiss of the gas stove from the kitchen and a slight breeze slipping through the windows. Anirban Sir had not gone to school today.
In that quiet atmosphere, suddenly—*ting-tong… ting-tong…*—the doorbell rang insistently.
Anirban Sir frowned and walked toward the door. He was wearing a loose T-shirt. When he opened it, he froze at the sight of the girl standing there.
"Priya?"
His voice was surprised, but cold.
Priya stared straight into his eyes, as though searching for Anurag within them. In the next instant, she pushed past him and rushed madly into the house.
"Where is my Anurag? Where is my Anurag?" she almost shouted.
Anirban Sir looked at her calmly but gravely and said,
"You're quite the actress. You weren't satisfied even after getting your boyfriend to have Anurag beaten all night in jail for no reason—and now you've come back!"
Priya's heart seemed to bleed at his words.
Anirban continued,
"You left with that worthless Shubhankar for money, when Anurag needed you the most. Why have you come back now?"
Priya froze. Disbelief filled her face.
"Shut up! I really came to see him. Is Anurag okay? Please tell me—where is Anurag?"
Anirban Sir:
"Anurag's life no longer has any need for people like you. He has moved far ahead. Go away, Priya. Don't hurt him anymore."
Priya:
"Where is my Anurag?"
Anirban Sir:
"I won't tell you."
Furious, Priya stepped forward, grabbed Anirban's collar, and pulled.
"Where is my Anurag? Tell me!"
Anirban was stunned. He thought to himself: Since when did this girl become so aggressive?
Still, he steadied himself and said,
"I won't tell you. And yes—Anurag has found someone far better than you in his life now."
Those words shattered something inside Priya. Tears welled in her eyes. Suddenly her voice softened.
"Please… just let me see him once. I still love him. Truly love him."
Anirban remembered what Anurag had once said:
"No one in this world can act as pitifully as Priya. And emotional blackmail? It's her innate talent."
So, suspicious, he replied,
"You're acting again, Priya. Leave."
But this time Priya collapsed at his feet. She clung to Anirban's legs, sobbing desperately.
"Just once… just once… I want to see Anurag. I really need to meet him. Please… please tell me where he is…"
Anirban stood there, stunned. Was this crying, this pleading, real—or just another performance? He couldn't tell. But the situation became so overwhelming that he finally gave in and said,
"He's now working as a temporary Chemistry teacher at a private school. He joined almost a year ago."
"Really?"
A strange brightness lit Priya's eyes.
"You mean… he's working now?"
"Yes," Anirban's voice was rough, "not for you. For himself. And his life is finally getting back on track. Don't go and create any trouble."
But Priya was no longer listening. The moment she got the address, it was as though electricity surged through her. She grabbed her bag and ran out of the house.
Anirban Sir stared at the doorway. A quiet line of worry creased his face.
"Who knows what new trouble this girl is going to stir up…"
But just then he remembered—the milk was boiling on the gas.
He hurried back to the kitchen.
To be continued...