Terna jr Collage. Monday. 12:42 PM.
Nick stood by the canteen, staring at the plate of biryani in front of him. It was lunchtime, and the canteen was filled with the usual buzz of laughter, food trays clattering, and the occasional shout from the sports boys in the corner. Pearl was sitting by the window, talking to her friends, a textbook open in front of her. Her messy bun was perched on top of her head, and Nick couldn't help but notice how effortlessly pretty she looked.
He had no idea why he was so nervous. They had shared a few words during group projects, and she had even smiled at him once. But now, with her sitting so close, his mind went blank.
"Just go talk to her, Nick," K said from beside him, looking thoroughly bored as he pushed his food around with his fork. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Nick opened his mouth to reply but immediately closed it when Pearl glanced his way. His stomach twisted, and his throat suddenly felt dry. "I-I can't," he stuttered, looking away. "What would I even say?"
K raised an eyebrow. "You know, it's a miracle you're able to breathe, but you can't even say 'hi' to a girl. You've been crushing on her for like, a year. This isn't rocket science."
Zaid, sitting across from them, chimed in while munching on a cream roll. "Hey, at least you're not trying to impress her with your 'smooth moves' this time. Remember the mango tree incident?"
Nick groaned, his face burning with embarrassment at the memory. It wasn't just the mango tree—he had tried to be smooth by picking a mango and handing it to her like some kind of love-struck hero. Except the mango had slipped from his hand and hit her square in the face.
He still hadn't lived that down. The boys reminded him every chance they got.
"Look, I'll be fine," Nick muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "I'll just—wait for the right moment."
But the "right moment" never seemed to come.
Pearl was still talking to her friends, laughing at something one of them said. Nick's heart hammered in his chest. He'd been staring for too long. He could feel his face heat up. K and Zaid exchanged knowing glances.
"Hey," K said, leaning toward him, "if you don't ask her anything now, I swear I'm gonna—"
Nick abruptly stood up, panic setting in. "I—uh—I'll just go get some water!" He turned and sprinted away before either of them could say another word.
Later, during Physics class
Nick was at the back of the classroom, pretending to pay attention to Preeti mam, but really, he was just replaying his failed attempt to talk to Pearl. His textbook was open in front of him, but all he could think about was the way she laughed with her friends. How her smile made everything else in the world seem less important.
He shook his head, trying to focus. Focus, Nick. Focus on the atoms. Not on the girl. But it was hard. The more he tried to block it out, the more the thoughts swarmed in his head. He wasn't the kind of guy who could just casually talk to a girl. Especially not someone like Pearl.
"You're looking awfully deep in thought," Zaid whispered from the seat beside him, his pencil tapping on the desk. "Something on your mind?"
Nick looked at him, his face turning a little red. "Nothing. Just… physics."
Zaid raised an eyebrow. "Physics, huh? Because you're really absorbed in this 'tension and force' thing. Must be the equations."
Nick didn't answer, but he could feel the weight of Zaid's teasing gaze. Zaid was too good at noticing when something was off. "Okay, fine," Nick admitted in a whisper, "I just don't know what to say to her."
Zaid's expression softened for a second, before he smirked. "You're not even trying. Just talk to her like you talk to us. Keep it simple. You don't have to act like some romantic hero."
Nick frowned. "I can't. What if I mess up?"
"Bro," Zaid said with a shrug, "you'll mess up. But that's part of the charm."
After class, in the hallway
Nick was walking out of the building when he saw Pearl again, this time in the hallway, holding a water bottle and chatting with some friends. She was just a few steps away, her back turned to him. Nick froze. This was it.
His hands felt clammy, and his legs were suddenly too heavy to move. Okay, this is it. Just walk up to her. Talk to her. You can do this. But as he took a small step forward, something happened—he tripped.
Nick's foot caught on the edge of the doorframe, and in an instant, he stumbled forward, landing straight into the door with a loud bang. The impact knocked him off balance, and he swayed, barely managing to catch himself on the nearby wall.
Pearl turned around, wide-eyed. "Oh my God, Nick! Are you okay?"
His face burned hotter than a thousand suns. He stood there, his hands shaking. "Yeah, I—uh, I'm fine. Just… uh, just checking the door. For… for stability."
The entire hallway fell silent for a moment.
Zaid, who had been walking behind him, couldn't help but snicker. "Right, Nick. You just wanted to test the door's… structural integrity."
Pearl raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "That's… not what I thought you were doing."
"Yeah, well, the door's very sturdy," Nick mumbled, wishing for the floor to swallow him whole.
Pearl chuckled, but her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Okay, seriously, you should be more careful. Don't want to break yourself before exams."
Nick nodded, too embarrassed to say anything more. He was still trying to process the fact that he had literally tripped in front of her. He had officially reached a new level of awkward.
But then, to his surprise, Pearl smiled at him—a small, genuine smile. "It's okay. Happens to everyone."
Nick's heart skipped a beat. That smile made everything else feel less awkward.
Later, at the the entrance of the collage
K and Zaid stood waiting, watching Nick pace back and forth with his phone in his hand.
"You good, bro?" K asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nick rubbed his face. "I just—I can't believe I tripped like that. It's bad enough I can't talk to her, but I had to do it in front of the whole school."
Zaid sighed. "You're still alive, right?"
"Yeah," Nick muttered, glancing at his phone. "I guess… but I just want to go home."
"Well, you know what they say," K said, looking amused. "The best way to get over a crush is to fall flat on your face in front of them."
Zaid snorted. "Yeah, because that's exactly how to win their heart."
Nick looked up at them, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I just need to stop overthinking everything."
Zaid patted him on the back. "You're getting there, man. It's all about taking the first step. Even if that step is tripping over a door."
Nick grinned, feeling a little lighter. "Well, if it's the only step I'm taking, I guess I'll just have to live with it."
evening.
Nick tapped lightly on the 9th-floor door with the side of his fist. After a second, AN opened it, her long hair tied up loosely, wearing a comfy oversized T-shirt and shorts.
"You alive, An Apple?" Nick grinned.
AN rolled her eyes but smiled. "Barely. What's the plan?"
Nick shrugged. "Walk? Garden? Mock random people?"
"Approved," she said, slipping on her slippers.
They headed down the stairs, skipping the elevator out of pure habit. The third-floor garden was quiet, except for the distant sounds of kids playing cricket downstairs and some uncle loudly talking on the phone from his balcony.
AN flopped onto one of the swings, casually swaying back and forth. Nick sat on the swing beside her, twisting the chains a little just for the fun of it.
"So," Nick started, "some dude at my school today tried to 'accidentally' bump into the principal just to see if she's real."
AN laughed. "Was she?"
"Sadly, yes. And terrifying."
She chuckled, pushing the swing slightly with her foot.
"My school had a fight over whose tiffin had better chutney."
Nick blinked. "That's… intense."
"Full-on table flipping."
They both burst out laughing.
A little girl ran past them with a balloon tied to her wrist. Somewhere upstairs, someone started singing off-key.
Nick leaned back, looking up at the darkening sky. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"
"What does?"
"That we're almost grown up. Like, technically adults… but also… idiots."
AN smiled softly. "Speak for yourself. I'm already mature."
Nick snorted. "Sure, An Apple, the wise one."
She threw a crumpled leaf at him. He dodged dramatically, nearly tipping off the swing.
After that, they just sat swinging lightly, not talking, not needing to. Just the occasional creak of the metal chains filling the gaps.
Finally, AN said, "We should do this more often."
Nick nodded. "Before we get boring and old."
"Too late for you," she teased.
"Rude," he said, standing up and giving her a mock bow. "Come, O ancient one."
They laughed, heading back upstairs together, the night slowly swallowing the colors of the sky.