"Some people walk in slowly,
not to rush your heart…
but to make sure it never forgets them."
---
She started hearing his name more often now.
"Rishi" — whispered between friends, floating in giggles behind her, and scribbled in the corners of girls' notebooks.
But what bothered her was…
he never flirted.
Never chased.
Never tried to "impress."
He just stayed — at a distance, quiet, watching…
like he knew she would come closer on her own.
And it worked.
Avni found herself wondering about him —
What music he listened to.
What kind of family he had.
What made him so… still.
---
One day after class, she heard her friend say:
"Rishi is so calm, na? Acha ladka lagta hai."
Avni didn't reply.
But her silence was not her usual silence anymore.
It was a silence filled with noise.
---
A week later, their tuition teacher asked everyone to stay late for group project planning.
And fate — or something else — made Rishi and Avni land in the same team.
He looked at her, for the first time, with a small smile and asked:
"Tumhare ghar ke paas mil sakte hain kya? Group work ke liye…"
Avni nodded.
No words. Just a soft yes in her eyes.
She went home that day and stood longer in front of the mirror.
Not for makeup. Not for beauty.
But to understand why she suddenly wanted to be seen.
---
She didn't know his truth.
She didn't know that "Rishi" was a name he chose… not the one he was born with.
But hearts don't check ID cards.
They just… feel.