02-05-2025, 06:43 AM
Episode 38: The Echo That Stayed
The corridor outside the staff room was quiet for once.
Arjun wasn’t meant to be there.
He’d taken the long way back from the library—again.
Not for any real reason.
Except… maybe hoping. Hoping for a glimpse. Hoping to hear her voice.
As he passed the open door, voices floated out—familiar, clear, casual.
He didn’t mean to stop.
But he did.
---
The Glimpse He Didn’t Expect
It was Priya’s voice, unmistakably playful.
> “...you do realize you’re going to look insanely hot near a waterfall, right?”
Then Meera’s soft, laughing protest.
Then the words that came next:
> “A light saree, loose hair, wind, water…”
Arjun stopped breathing.
He didn’t hear the rest.
He didn’t need to.
His mind filled in everything.
The image took over:
Meera, near falling water, her saree clinging to her form, her hair wet and loose, her smile softer, more real.
He stood frozen by the wall, unable to walk, unable to move.
And then—Meera’s voice again.
Still laughing. Still light.
But he heard something else in it this time.
He couldn’t name it. But it clung to him.
---
Arjun’s Spiral
By the time he walked away, the world felt louder around him.
His chest ached in that low, tight way again—like he was holding in something too big to name.
He didn’t know what Priya had touched.
He didn’t know what Meera had said after.
But just hearing those words... just knowing they were talking about the trip, about how she might look...
It was enough.
Too much.
---
Inside Arjun’s Head
He tried to shake it.
Tried to go back to class, to sit still, to pretend.
But the idea had taken root.
And now it was growing—
fast and wild.
> She’s going to be there.
She’s going to wear something light. Maybe something that shows more. Maybe her hair will be loose.
Maybe she’ll laugh differently. Look freer. Look at someone else the way she never looks in class.
He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to pull himself out of it.
But he was already lost in a world that didn’t exist yet.
A world he wanted so badly, he couldn’t admit it even to himself.
---
That Night – The Dream
Sleep didn’t come easily.
Arjun lay still in the dark, the room silent except for the slow creak of the fan overhead.
But his mind—
his mind wouldn’t quiet.
He kept hearing it.
Priya’s voice, half-laughing:
> “Loose hair, wind, water…”
And Meera—her soft laugh in response, like something unguarded, almost private.
By the time his body drifted into sleep, his thoughts had already built the dream for him.
---
The Waterfall.
The sound of it roared in the background, endless and clear.
Meera stood near the edge, just close enough that her saree swayed gently from the breeze rising off the falls.
She wasn’t facing him.
But he could see her hair—long, open, wet at the ends.
He could see the soft cling of her saree where the fabric pressed to her waist, catching the light in all the places his eyes always lingered.
She turned slowly, smiling, unaware of him at first.
Then she noticed.
And in the dream, she didn’t look away.
Her eyes held his.
And her smile—softer now—didn’t vanish.
She stepped closer.
Her fingers lifted to her hair, brushing it back, revealing the smooth line of her shoulder. The blouse she wore in the dream was lighter than anything he’d ever seen her in—simple, but shaped to her body in a way that made his chest feel tight.
He wanted to speak.
He wanted to move.
But he couldn’t.
He just stood there, watching, caught in the impossible beauty of her.
And for once, she wasn’t his teacher.
She wasn’t anyone’s.
She was just… herself.
Soft. Real. Present. And near.
---
The Wake-Up
He woke with a sharp breath, chest rising quickly, hands clutching the blanket.
He was flushed.
His shirt clung slightly to his back.
His heart pounded like he’d run a mile.
He stared at the ceiling, letting the dream dissolve slowly, one shimmering image at a time.
But the feeling—
the feeling stayed.
> What if it’s like that?
What if I get to see her that way, just for a second?
He didn’t know if it was hope or delusion.
But he clung to it anyway.
Two weeks.
He could wait.
---
To be continued…
The corridor outside the staff room was quiet for once.
Arjun wasn’t meant to be there.
He’d taken the long way back from the library—again.
Not for any real reason.
Except… maybe hoping. Hoping for a glimpse. Hoping to hear her voice.
As he passed the open door, voices floated out—familiar, clear, casual.
He didn’t mean to stop.
But he did.
---
The Glimpse He Didn’t Expect
It was Priya’s voice, unmistakably playful.
> “...you do realize you’re going to look insanely hot near a waterfall, right?”
Then Meera’s soft, laughing protest.
Then the words that came next:
> “A light saree, loose hair, wind, water…”
Arjun stopped breathing.
He didn’t hear the rest.
He didn’t need to.
His mind filled in everything.
The image took over:
Meera, near falling water, her saree clinging to her form, her hair wet and loose, her smile softer, more real.
He stood frozen by the wall, unable to walk, unable to move.
And then—Meera’s voice again.
Still laughing. Still light.
But he heard something else in it this time.
He couldn’t name it. But it clung to him.
---
Arjun’s Spiral
By the time he walked away, the world felt louder around him.
His chest ached in that low, tight way again—like he was holding in something too big to name.
He didn’t know what Priya had touched.
He didn’t know what Meera had said after.
But just hearing those words... just knowing they were talking about the trip, about how she might look...
It was enough.
Too much.
---
Inside Arjun’s Head
He tried to shake it.
Tried to go back to class, to sit still, to pretend.
But the idea had taken root.
And now it was growing—
fast and wild.
> She’s going to be there.
She’s going to wear something light. Maybe something that shows more. Maybe her hair will be loose.
Maybe she’ll laugh differently. Look freer. Look at someone else the way she never looks in class.
He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to pull himself out of it.
But he was already lost in a world that didn’t exist yet.
A world he wanted so badly, he couldn’t admit it even to himself.
---
That Night – The Dream
Sleep didn’t come easily.
Arjun lay still in the dark, the room silent except for the slow creak of the fan overhead.
But his mind—
his mind wouldn’t quiet.
He kept hearing it.
Priya’s voice, half-laughing:
> “Loose hair, wind, water…”
And Meera—her soft laugh in response, like something unguarded, almost private.
By the time his body drifted into sleep, his thoughts had already built the dream for him.
---
The Waterfall.
The sound of it roared in the background, endless and clear.
Meera stood near the edge, just close enough that her saree swayed gently from the breeze rising off the falls.
She wasn’t facing him.
But he could see her hair—long, open, wet at the ends.
He could see the soft cling of her saree where the fabric pressed to her waist, catching the light in all the places his eyes always lingered.
She turned slowly, smiling, unaware of him at first.
Then she noticed.
And in the dream, she didn’t look away.
Her eyes held his.
And her smile—softer now—didn’t vanish.
She stepped closer.
Her fingers lifted to her hair, brushing it back, revealing the smooth line of her shoulder. The blouse she wore in the dream was lighter than anything he’d ever seen her in—simple, but shaped to her body in a way that made his chest feel tight.
He wanted to speak.
He wanted to move.
But he couldn’t.
He just stood there, watching, caught in the impossible beauty of her.
And for once, she wasn’t his teacher.
She wasn’t anyone’s.
She was just… herself.
Soft. Real. Present. And near.
---
The Wake-Up
He woke with a sharp breath, chest rising quickly, hands clutching the blanket.
He was flushed.
His shirt clung slightly to his back.
His heart pounded like he’d run a mile.
He stared at the ceiling, letting the dream dissolve slowly, one shimmering image at a time.
But the feeling—
the feeling stayed.
> What if it’s like that?
What if I get to see her that way, just for a second?
He didn’t know if it was hope or delusion.
But he clung to it anyway.
Two weeks.
He could wait.
---
To be continued…
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