Soon, the next day arrived.
As the sun rose, the drizzling rain welcomed the day ahead.
The wind chimes clinked onto each other creating a melodious music .
The small plant inside the room had grown it's tiny new leaves. The reddish dots in the ladybug shone brightly as, it played around in its little home.
The sun hid behind the clouds like a flower bud awaiting the right moment to bloom.
After a while, the alarm rang loudly creating an irritating sound.
Aarav instantly pressed in it , but it didn't stop.
His hands wrapped around the blankets, unwilling to leave it's warmth yet.
After few more minutes, he finally woke up and turned off the alarm.
He stretched out his arms and opened the window. The fresh earthly scent of rain made him feel calm and relaxed.
He freshened up, had his breakfast and soon got ready before heading towards college.
As he entered the classroom, his eyes searched for her. She wasn't here yet.
" Maybe she will arrive a little later . " He thought.
After 30 mins, the class started but she hadn't arrived.
" Maybe she woke up late . Let me just text her." He took out his phone and sent her a message.
Finally after an hour, she arrived. But just as she was about to enter the classroom, she turned back after receiving a phone call. She stood out for almost ten mins, talking quietly on the phone.
His eyes remained fixed in her.
" Maybe it's something important. Anyways she has already arrived. " He whispered to himself .
But after the call ended, she walked away from the classroom instead of entering.
Aarav looked confused, wanting to ask her why she left. But he also didn't wanted to make her uncomfortable so, he didn't message further.
As the class ended, he walked towards park hoping to find her. After wandering around for a while, he finally spotted her.
She was sitting alone in a bench in the corner - looking completely zoned out. He stood far away, hiding from her sight.
" Maybe she wants some space . I will come back after an hour." He quietly left and spent time roaming around the city.
Meanwhile, prabha sat there heartbroken after the phone call. It was her mother who has called.
She thought to herself, " Why was I born ? Just to give her life long pain ? "
The tears rolled down her cheeks.
" Isn't the pain I am already receiving enough ? Please...Lord ,I can't hold this anymore. "
She cried quietly burying her face in her lap.
" I am sorry. I won't spend a penny again...Please forgive me. I will try to become a good daughter . Lords, just don't take her away from me..... I can't bear that feeling. "
Her heart ached as she spoke in a trembling voice.
After a while, she finally stopped crying. She took deep breaths and calmed herself down.
Almost, after forty minutes, she wiped her tears and fixed her hair.
Suddenly, she remembered her meeting with Aarav and quickly checked her phone.
He had texted, " I am really sorry but something urgent came up. I will be almost an hour late. "
She let out a sigh of relief. She stood up and walked towards Library. About twenty minutes later, Aarav arrived as well.
He didn't ask her anything. Instead, He quietly took out the books and started studying. The atmosphere between them felt awkwardly silent.
Even though she tried her best to hide, aarav instantly noticed the sadness on her face.
The two of them continued studying for almost two hours. Prabha wasn't ready to start a
conversation as her mind was lingering with that phone call.
Finally , Aarav decided to speak up.
" While I was coming, I saw a few people distributing cookies to strangers. I also received a packet, so I wanted to share some with you. "
He gently passed her half of the cookies in a small box.
" Hmm. Okay " Her eyes tried her best to avoid meeting his.
He noticed this and softly said," Come on let's go to cafe and take a short break. "
" A cafe? But I am not hungry. " She responded immediately.
" Actually my friend works at that cafe." He explained nervously.
" He gets two free coupons twice a month and yesterday,he gave me one of them . Since, I am here already with you, I thought we could use it together . " He nervously explained.
" Maybe you could go tomorrow with someone else. " She tried rejecting him politely.
" Hm. I was thinking of that too but the coupon only works till today. So, I am sorry for troubling you. " He spoke as he packed his books.
" Umm. Okay .Let's just go quickly,alright. "
She replied.
Prabha waited outside the cafe while Aarav went inside to get the drinks.
" How's the drink ? "
He asked after returning .
" You said I could bring anything so I choosed my favourite one. " He said.
" It looks good. Still, thankyou for this free drink. I really appreciate it. " She replied.
Just as she was about to take a sip, a little boy walked towards her.
" Sister! Can you give me this drink ? I really want to try it. " His puppy eyes tried their best to convince her.
" Umm. But can you finish it ? " She asked ,bending down slightly to his height.
" I can! " He replied smiling brightly and giggling.
" Joseph ! Joseph ! " His mother called from behind.
" Okay then. Take it. By the way, what's your name ? " She asked gently caressing his hair before giving him the drink.
" Joseph . Thankyou for this drink. Bye!"
He ran happily towards his mother.
" You really didn't have to give it to him . Can I buy you another drink ? " She asked her.
"No, It's completely fine.I am happy he liked it . "
" Are you sure ? I would love to return your kindness. "
" It's really okay.
I love seeing kids happy.
Besides,I wasn't drinking it anyway, so I would have felt sad if it went waste. I am glad someone deserving for to enjoy it instead. " She said with a soft smile.
The mother thanked her once again and walked away.
Aarav asked , " Didn't you want to try it? Why didn't you let her buy another one ? "
" I was only helping you use the coupon. As for drink , it's fine even if I don't get one. I mean, that kid deserved more. " She answered.
After a while they returned to library, packed the bags and walked towards the park together.
As they walked, the children nearby were playing as usual.
Suddenly Prabha took out the cookies and started distributing them among the kids.
In the end, only one cookie remained.
So she decided to taste a small piece of it.
" Oh wow...the cookie is really tasty. The kids must really love it. " She spoke looking at him.
" Yes , it really is. You could have kept few more for yourself though. " He replied.
" Hmm, it's fine. It feels better to share good things with everyone. Maybe God gives you good things so you can share them too." she replied warmly.
Her eyes sparkled with quiet gratitude and satisfaction.
Aarav was stunned by her answer.
" In my opinion, it's not the drink or cookie. It's you , who makes everything good.
Your parents must so proud to have such a kind daughter. " He praised her.
Her smile faded slightly.
"I don't know. Maybe not when it comes to my parents. So I try to make up for it by being kind to strangers instead. " She hesitantly answered.
" Why would you think that ?" He gently asked.
I am sure you must have been a really good daughter. Honestly, I hope I can be kind like you too. " He responded.
She let out a subtle laugh.
" You are good the way you are. You don't need to become like me. Maybe I have many bad habits you haven't seen yet. So don't praise me too much." She jokingly answered.
" Who doesn't have bad side ?
I have class too. It's completely normal. If it doesn't harm others, it's just a part of being human so don't feel guilty about it."
He paused for a moment before continuing, almost unintentionally revealing his thoughts.
"And honestly, I think you have far more good habits than bad ones. You're a good friend, polite, understanding and ...kind too."
" But those are just basic human qualities. I mean everyone should be kind, polite and understanding to become a good person. So it's nothing special. " She answered.
"Maybe it sounds basic. " he replied while smiling at her.
"But not everyone can be that naturally kind. Sometimes it actually takes courage to stay gentle. That's why I appreciate people who genuinely show it. So I think you should be proud of yourself."
Prabha slowly nodded her head and whispered softly, " Maybe I should... I don't know "
The two of them exchanged a playful smile and continued walking.
His words unknowingly comforted her. Prabha had always been criticized more for her small mistakes than appreciated for her good qualities. Because of that, she had learned to focus only on her flaws. But today, his words made her feel a little more worthy and valuable.
For the first time in a long while, Prabha felt her heart becoming a little lighter.
As for Aarav, he felt happy seeing Prabha's kindness and behavior. He was genuinely glad to have her as both his friend and classmate.
Neither of them realized it then, but that ordinary evening would stay in their memories for a long time.
Sometimes, a few genuine words could heal the wounds that years of criticism had created. And unknowingly, Aarav had done exactly that.