13-04-2025, 11:59 PM
Episode 15: Beneath the Surface
The weekend passed slowly for Arjun, but not in the relaxing way weekends usually did. Everything he did—from brushing his teeth to scrolling his phone—was shadowed by that moment in the staff room.
The way Meera had reached, the pleats loosening just enough. Her bare waist catching sunlight like it was trying to tempt him on purpose, though he knew it wasn’t.
She hadn’t noticed.
But he had. Every detail. Every second.
And it wasn’t leaving him.
He wasn’t proud of how his mind kept circling back to it. But he also couldn’t stop it. Something in him had crossed a threshold. This wasn’t just a collegeboy crush anymore.
---
Monday Morning – Staff Room
Meera walked in just as the bell rang, in a steel grey cotton saree with a thin red border. Her hair was in a braid today, fresh jasmine tucked in neatly. Calm, as always. Collected. Still unaware of how close she had come to giving away more than she knew.
Priya, already at her desk, watched her for a moment longer than usual.
She hadn’t told Meera what she’d seen on Friday.
Not yet.
She’d replayed it in her head a few times over the weekend—Arjun’s eyes, the way they didn’t blink, the way his body stilled. It wasn’t a look of harmless admiration. It was focused. Charged.
And Meera hadn’t noticed a thing.
Priya took a slow sip of her tea and decided she would wait—just a little longer. She didn’t want to make Meera paranoid. Not unless she was sure the boy’s thoughts were bleeding into behavior.
But she would be watching now.
More carefully than before.
---
Back in the Staff Room – After Lunch
The room was warm and quiet. Only a couple of teachers remained inside, scribbling remarks onto papers or checking their phones.
Meera was sitting with her legs crossed, a pen in her mouth, lost in thought over a worksheet. Priya sat nearby, munching on murukku from a paper packet, legs folded under her.
“You know,” Priya said mid-chew, “for someone who’s still new to this college, you’ve gotten frighteningly efficient at ignoring people.”
Meera looked up, amused. “Meaning?”
“Meaning,” Priya said, pointing her snack at her, “you’ve built this teacher-wall around you. Cool. Collected. Dbangd in sarees like some temple idol. Do you even see the nonsense that goes on around you?”
Meera laughed softly. “I see it. I just don’t react.”
“That’s why you’re dangerous,” Priya said, popping another piece into her mouth. “You don’t raise your voice. You don’t chase anyone. You just exist and people adjust themselves.”
“Sounds like you’re either impressed or mildly terrified.”
“A bit of both,” Priya grinned.
They shared a quiet laugh.
Outside, the college bell rang. The break was over. Students began filling the halls again, the familiar rhythm returning.
Meera stretched her arms overhead, letting out a soft sigh. Her blouse tightened against her shoulders and Priya caught it out of the corner of her eye.
She didn’t comment.
She didn’t need to.
She just noticed.
And filed it away.
---
In Class – Arjun’s Perspective
It was second period. Math. Arjun sat two rows back, his usual seat. Meera was explaining coordinate geometry. Her voice was calm, confident. Her tone clipped yet soft in all the right ways.
He tried to take notes.
He really did.
But his eyes kept drifting—down her arm, across the soft curve of her shoulder, following the pleats of her saree to where they vanished around her waist.
The memory of Friday made it worse.
He had seen enough to imagine more.
And now, everything she did looked slower. More layered.
She turned slightly, writing something on the side board. The fabric shifted again. Not enough to show. But enough to hope.
Arjun leaned back in his chair, staring without blinking. Completely lost.
---
To be continued…
The weekend passed slowly for Arjun, but not in the relaxing way weekends usually did. Everything he did—from brushing his teeth to scrolling his phone—was shadowed by that moment in the staff room.
The way Meera had reached, the pleats loosening just enough. Her bare waist catching sunlight like it was trying to tempt him on purpose, though he knew it wasn’t.
She hadn’t noticed.
But he had. Every detail. Every second.
And it wasn’t leaving him.
He wasn’t proud of how his mind kept circling back to it. But he also couldn’t stop it. Something in him had crossed a threshold. This wasn’t just a collegeboy crush anymore.
---
Monday Morning – Staff Room
Meera walked in just as the bell rang, in a steel grey cotton saree with a thin red border. Her hair was in a braid today, fresh jasmine tucked in neatly. Calm, as always. Collected. Still unaware of how close she had come to giving away more than she knew.
Priya, already at her desk, watched her for a moment longer than usual.
She hadn’t told Meera what she’d seen on Friday.
Not yet.
She’d replayed it in her head a few times over the weekend—Arjun’s eyes, the way they didn’t blink, the way his body stilled. It wasn’t a look of harmless admiration. It was focused. Charged.
And Meera hadn’t noticed a thing.
Priya took a slow sip of her tea and decided she would wait—just a little longer. She didn’t want to make Meera paranoid. Not unless she was sure the boy’s thoughts were bleeding into behavior.
But she would be watching now.
More carefully than before.
---
Back in the Staff Room – After Lunch
The room was warm and quiet. Only a couple of teachers remained inside, scribbling remarks onto papers or checking their phones.
Meera was sitting with her legs crossed, a pen in her mouth, lost in thought over a worksheet. Priya sat nearby, munching on murukku from a paper packet, legs folded under her.
“You know,” Priya said mid-chew, “for someone who’s still new to this college, you’ve gotten frighteningly efficient at ignoring people.”
Meera looked up, amused. “Meaning?”
“Meaning,” Priya said, pointing her snack at her, “you’ve built this teacher-wall around you. Cool. Collected. Dbangd in sarees like some temple idol. Do you even see the nonsense that goes on around you?”
Meera laughed softly. “I see it. I just don’t react.”
“That’s why you’re dangerous,” Priya said, popping another piece into her mouth. “You don’t raise your voice. You don’t chase anyone. You just exist and people adjust themselves.”
“Sounds like you’re either impressed or mildly terrified.”
“A bit of both,” Priya grinned.
They shared a quiet laugh.
Outside, the college bell rang. The break was over. Students began filling the halls again, the familiar rhythm returning.
Meera stretched her arms overhead, letting out a soft sigh. Her blouse tightened against her shoulders and Priya caught it out of the corner of her eye.
She didn’t comment.
She didn’t need to.
She just noticed.
And filed it away.
---
In Class – Arjun’s Perspective
It was second period. Math. Arjun sat two rows back, his usual seat. Meera was explaining coordinate geometry. Her voice was calm, confident. Her tone clipped yet soft in all the right ways.
He tried to take notes.
He really did.
But his eyes kept drifting—down her arm, across the soft curve of her shoulder, following the pleats of her saree to where they vanished around her waist.
The memory of Friday made it worse.
He had seen enough to imagine more.
And now, everything she did looked slower. More layered.
She turned slightly, writing something on the side board. The fabric shifted again. Not enough to show. But enough to hope.
Arjun leaned back in his chair, staring without blinking. Completely lost.
---
To be continued…
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