丅he first day of May marked the beginning of a new session for the 11th graders and the school buzzed with new energy and enthusiasm. The pleasant weather was complemented by chattering students flooding the corridors as they all were meeting their friends after three months.

The warm sunlight kissed the school building and illuminated the school grounds which held a lot of memories. The bustling hallways were enlightened by the slow summer breeze as the students looked at the notice board for club sign-ups and tryouts for sport steam. The air was alive as the 11th graders explored the options of additional subjects available in their school with the help of the Notice board.

Amid this chaos, the stream selection was a big problem and increased the tension in the environment. The results of the Board Examinations weren't out. Therefore, stream selection became a big task. For most of the students, the results were the basis of choosing their streams.

Some pondered the possibilities of the results and weighed the pros and cons of each stream. Some were aware that, at any rate, they were supposed to choose Science as their stream because their parents had forced them to do so. On the other hand, most of them were confident about their choices, be it Arts, Commerce or Science.

Science stream had been considered superior in society from the very start. Despite being educated enough, parents thought that talented students pursued Science, whereas the ones with weaker brains took either Arts/Humanities or Commerce as a stream.

In defiance of all the chaos, there were two people.

Advik Singhania wasn't a bit tensed by the environment of stream selection. He was pretty sure he would opt for Science as a stream including Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM).

The plot twist was that he hated Mathematics. For him, the subject was illogical. The numbers roamed around like bugs and therefore, it caused him absolute pain.

Then, why was he opting for Science? And... that too including Mathematics!? The answer was simple: his love was taking it as a stream, and he wasn't a fool enough to ditch even a picosecond to be with her.

Let's see the other one.

Vritika Mathur's eyes were finding him as her mind was in full chaos.

Thunderstorms were striking in her brain, stopping her from thinking rationally. She recalled all the moments she had spent with him a few months ago.

The teachings, his occasional emotional breakdowns and how she felt giving him empathy with a broken heart of her own. She remembered it all.

She didn't want to ask him for that favor. She knew it was too much to ask for, but she was selfish. She loved and cared for her best friend's heart more.

Finally, she found him in his favorite place. Football ground. Vritika called him as her voice carried across the turfed-grassed football field, "Advik!"

Advik turned, his eyes moving towards her as he excused himself from the huddle with his football teammates. They were likely ranting things together because of meeting Advik after a long period.

As he walked towards her, his heart fluttered. It's been three months after the board examinations, and therefore, they haven't talked in a while. But, her effect... is that a thing that can be controlled?

Advik had a crush on Vritika since they were in Grade IX. The span of his love might be shorter than other teenagers around, but his love held the power. It was immense and limitless like oceans. He was desperate and unpleasant like a sea, which ran wildly to it's shore repeatedly. Vritika. She was his shore.

She was the one who had been the mantra for his survival lately. It wasn't a crush anymore. It was a lot more than that. It was merely not liking, admiration or attraction- it was love. The sacred feeling.

How did his feelings transformed from a crush to love? Now, that's his story to tell.

Unaware of the feelings of Advik, Vritika was going to take a big step. She didn't want to ask him such a thing, but she couldn't afford her best friend's depression when she was going insane for the boy in front.

Vritika and Advik were never too close but there had been something which had changed the direction of their bond in the past. A thread of relatability had tied them together. This thread of a bond was going to cost Advik a lot.

He always owed her. How? That's his tale to spill.

Vritika's heart was thumping. Her body was secreting Adrenaline at peak. "Hey, what's up?" Advik asked, his smile warm and friendly.

"You said you owe me one, didn't you?" Vritika asks, her voice dripping with unease but she stands straight, conceiving her sentiments. She was anxious to ask for a favour that could change the person's life who was standing in front of her.

Advik nods; he is always ready to give his love whatever she wants, but little does he know what is coming next.

Vritika continues, "Just accept the proposal or deny it privately." With that, she walks away, leaving him bewildered about the whole thing that she said. What proposal was she talking about?

Advik's mind races as he tries to understand what Vritika means. What proposal? Whose proposal? The questions swirl, but before he can process them, the school bell rings, signaling the start of the lunch break.

He was twisted by her words but he knew the thing with Vritika. Her words never meant the same as they were spoken.

He made his decision to think about this later and went towards the school canteen. Advik and his best friend had a plan for lunch there.

The school canteen was made at the very corner of the school campus to cause no distress to students during their classes by the aroma of the freshly cooked food.

The school canteen was a spacious, well-lit area with the help of natural sunlight. Wooden benches and tables were neatly set up for students to enjoy their respective meals.

The canteen usually used to remain less crowded because after buying, students used to prefer their lunch somewhere near the school grounds, which had more open and comfortable space.

Advik entered the canteen and not-so-surprisingly saw Vritika and her best friend sitting at the window side table.

It had been one of their most frequent lunch spots. Even if they won't buy anything from the canteen, they still preferred sitting there.

He was going to take his seat in front of Vritika, sharing the same table. But he had to stop moving when Disha stood up from her place with the intent to say something to him.

"Advik.", she starts.

"Mhm.", he responded, his mind distracted. His eyes were on Vritika who was staring the soul out of the void space. He wanted to run 2x to whatever she wished to say and quickly wanted to sit in front of Vritika.

Disha took a deep breath, her voice ringing out across the canteen, gathering everyone's attention.

"Advik, I have had this feeling for you since Grade VIII, which kept increasing."

Advik looked at her, wide-eyed. His heartbeats immediately increased as he found himself in a very helpless situation. This wasn't what Vritika was talking about, right?

"I thought it was a crush. But, the feeling never stopped and kept increasing. Here I am, madly feeling things for you.

"Will you take a chance on me, on us, and see where this journey takes us?"

The question hangs in the air, echoing off in the silent canteen.

Advik's eyes darted to Vritika, who sat there while staring at the same place, her expression unreadable.

"Will you be my boyfriend, Advik Singhania?" The air in the surroundings becomes thick, and Advik stands there as his mind races back to the earlier conversation with Vritika. 'Just accept the proposal or deny it privately.' It was too hard for him to process anything. Didn't she ask him too much as a favour?

His mind raced as he whispered a soft "yes", feeling burdened by Vritika's words.

The attentive students erupted in cheers and applause as Disha beamed with joy. Advik's mind reeled, trying to comprehend what just happened. Why did he agree? And what had he just gotten himself into?

As the crowd went silent, he wasn't able to process anything. He thought that he still had an option of denying privately but was it all practically possible? Won't it destroy the whole map of Disha's beaming wide smile? He never wanted to be the cause of someone's tears.

His mind was a whole chaos. Thoughts dumped there like torn pieces of paper.

As a sign of celebration, Disha went to take ice-creams. He didn't realise when he took a seat in front of Vritika.

Vritika stared at him, who was lost in a parallel universe. "Thanks, Advik. You won't regret this."

But Advik already felt the weight of his decision, like a thread pulled taut, waiting to snap.

And there, Yuvaan stood at the door of the canteen. His heart burnt with raging intensity as he understood the depth of the whole situation. How could the sane Vritika behave like a madwoman out of some heavily driven sentiments of her best friend? Advik was his best friend but could he ask the same type of favor from her?

✧ ✧

1585 words. Here, I am with the very first chapter of my dream book!

How was the chapter?

Hope you all liked it!

Pinterest did not live up to my imagination, so I've included the image of the school canteen above, which was created by Meta AI. I will continue adding images of the places where the most significant scene of the chapter takes place, for enhanced reading experience! ^ ^

All the chapters in the book are going to be written from dual perspectives (Advik & Vritika).

This is the only chapter which has been written from a third person's perspective to set the mood for the story!

Moreover, I enjoy writing from characters' perspectives more. I mean.. I like reading the books with dual POVs only!

Enjoy the beautiful journey of Advik and Vritika as the way unfolds.

Will provide a sneak peek to the next chapter on my message board!