Sana's eyes widened as she realized what was happening "you are claustrophobic? Oh god"

Sid gave a short nod, his eyes darting around the room as if the walls were closing in "mujhe… mujhe yahan se nikalna hai. I can't breathe."

Quickly assessing the situation, Sana took a deep breath, trying to stay calm for his sake "Sidharth, listen to me. Breathe. Just focus on my voice"

Sid tried to concentrate, but his breaths were still erratic "Nahi… Sana, mujhe yahan se nikalna hai… I can't stay in closed spaces… bachpan mein kuch hua tha... I just...." He started taking deep breathe, his whole body was wet in sweat.

Sana gently placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her "Hey, hey… mujhe dekho. Just focus on me, okay"

Her voice was soft yet firm, and somehow, it cut through the fog of his anxiety. He looked into her eyes, trying to steady himself.

"Acha, deep breath lo, okay" Sana instructed, demonstrating a deep inhale and exhale herself. "Like this, follow me okay"

He tried to follow her, but his breaths were still uneven.

Sana moved even closer, cupping his face  "Dekho, main yahin hoon. Hum safe hain. Yeh darwaza bandh hai, par kisi na kisi ko pata chalega hum yahan hain, aur wo hume nikal lenge na, shaant raho bass tum"

Sid clung to her words as if they were a lifeline, focusing on her gentle, steady gaze. She could feel his heartbeat racing, and it hurt her to see him like this. She continued talking to him, hoping to distract him.

"Acha main apni story batau" she said to distract him.

“Tumhe pata hai ek baar main bhi aese hi fas gai thi" she said softly, deciding to share her own story. "Main aur mere friends ek lift mein phas gaye the… Aur tab main bhi panic kar rahi thi, lekin… koi tha wahan jo mujhe calm down karne mein help kiya"

Sid looked at her, his breathing slowing down a little as he listened to her soothing voice.

Sana smiled gently "tab us friend ne mujhe kaha tha ki bas apni aankhein band karu aur kisi khubsurat jagah ke baare mein sochu. Ek aisi jagah jahan tum safe feel karte ho. Soch sakte ho?"

Sidharth swallowed, trying to imagine a place where he felt safe. "Shayad… meri dadi ke pass" he murmured, his voice a bit more stable.

Shehnaaz nodded, her eyes encouraging "Perfect. Apne dadi ke  baare mein socho. Kaise wahan har cheez peaceful hai, sab kuch safe hai. Main bhi yahin hoon tumhare saath. Tum theek ho aur bohot jaldi hum dono idhar se nikal jayenge".

His breaths started coming slower, more regular. Sana kept her hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. After a few minutes, he managed to control his breathing.

"Better?" she asked softly.

Sid nodded, looking a bit embarrassed "Sorry… mujhe nahi pata tha yeh phobia mujhe itna affect karega”

Sana shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. "Arey, sorry kis baat ka? Sabke apne fears hote hain. Mera bhi hai"

"Tera fear kya hai?"

She squeezed her eyes "main kiu batau tune fyda utha liya to"

Despite his lingering panic, Sidharth let out a soft laugh "Tu… tu bohot achi ho, Sana. Thanks, and sorry for my previous behavior"

Shehnaaz shrugged playfully "Haan, woh toh main hoon, aur wo ladai to main bhul bhi gai. Lekin seriously, tu theek hai na?"

Before Sid could answer, they heard faint voices in the hallway. Their friends Reem, Ashi, Randeep, and Kabir appeared.

Shehnaaz smile and looked at him "lagta hai koi aaya hai tum betho idhar hi" she freed her hand from his and bang the door loudly.

"Help" she shout from inside.

Outside they hear a faint voice from a locked door.

"Lagta hai yahi hai dono" Reem said, they all nodded.

"But ye andar kese phas gaye" Randeep asked.

Kabir rolled his eyes "lagta hai kisi ne classroom ko lock karke chabi le li"

Shehnaaz sighed in relief but angrily shout "Abey gadho baad me baat karna pehle gate kholo."

"Haan yaar, Sid ko claustrophobia hai. Woh zyada der andar nahi reh sakta." Said Kabir being worried.

"Reem, yaar, darwaza kholo na. Hum yahan kaafi der se phanse hue ha!"

Sana said again.

Reem fumbled with the keys before finally unlocking the door. As it opened, a rush of air flooded in, and Sid exhaled deeply, stepping out.

Ashi noticed the tension on his face and raised an eyebrow "Sab theek hai?"

Sana squeezed his hand quickly before stepping away, giving him a reassuring smile "Sab theek hai. Bass kisi gadhe ne hume andar lock kar diya tha"

"Sid tu theek hai na?" Randeep asked.

"Haan yaar tujhe pata hai main kitna dar gaya tha" Kabir hugged him tightly.

Sid gave them all a sheepish smile, looking at Sana gratefully "Actually, haan all thanks to Sana".

"Thanks Sana tu nahi hoti to pata nahi andar kese rehta ye" Randeep said to Sana, she smile and nodded.

"It's fine guys wese ab thank you sabka ho gaya ho to chalein bahar?"

"Haan haan" they and nodded and headed outside.

In the days following the classroom incident, Sid found himself drawn to Sana in ways he had not expected. Their dynamic had always been cold and filled with small, biting remarks, but now he could not look at her the same way. It was as if her calm, reassuring presence in that closed room had unlocked something inside him. He always thought she was just another chatterbox, but now he saw her warmth and sincerity.

One afternoon,as they both headed to their literature class, Sana caught up with him in the hallway.

"Arreyyyy, Sid! Wait for me!" she called out, jogging a little to reach him.

He paused, smirking "Tu ab mujhe follow kar rahi hai, kya?"

Shehnaaz rolled her eyes "Follow? Aur tujhe? Please, since we are friends now, I thought chalo, chalo, let's give Mr. Serious Khadus Insaan some company".

"Friends? Kab se?" Sid raised his eyebrows.

"Chal chal, zyada ban mat. Pata hai tu mujhe friendship karne ke liye marr raha hai. Ab main hu hi itni special."

Sana flipped her hair and Sid nodded in disbelief.

Then they shared a laugh, and as they entered the class together, heads turned, whispers filling the room. People who knew them were surprised, after all, Sana and Sid were known for their constant bickering.

"In dono ki friendship kab hui?" Ashi asked Randeep who shrugged off his shoulders.

Throughout the lecture, Sana would sneak glances at Sid, making faces whenever the teacher said something overly serious, trying to get him to laugh. After a few unsuccessful tries, she finally succeeded, catching him off guard with an exaggerated eye roll that had him choking back a laugh.

The teacher looked over, but Sid played it cool, clearing his throat and pretending to be engrossed in his notes. Sana grinned, proud of herself.

As they left the classroom, Sid gave her a sideways look "tu kuch zyda nahi udh rahi?"

Sana nudged him "panchi banu udhti firu mast gagan mein, aaj me aazad hu duniya ke chaman me" she laughed, when he give her "are you crazy" wala look.

"Are yaar teri baba adam ki zamane ki zindagi me thode tony kakkar ke gaano jese crazy cheez bhar rahi hu".

They strolled down the hallway, their conversation flowing effortlessly, the hostility that once defined their relationship gone. When they reached the school garden, Sana suddenly stopped.

"Chal, mujhe ice cream khila ab" she announced, grabbing his hand and dragging him toward the little shop outside the school gate.

Sid raised an eyebrow "Ice cream? Aur main kis khushi main tujhe ice cream khilau?".

Sana shrugged, flashing him a mischievous smile "hamari nai nai friendship hui hai treat de tu mujhe!"

Without another word, she ordered two cones, handing him one "Ye pakad aur paise de chal".

He took it hesitantly, watching her take an enthusiastic lick of her ice cream, her eyes sparkling with genuine joy. He could not help but smile, feeling an unfamiliar warmth spreading through him. He took a bite, and they stood there in comfortable silence.

Just then, Reem, Ashi, and Randeep passed by, stopping when they saw them together.

"Ohhh, kya ho raha hai, bhai?" Randeep teased, waggling his eyebrows.

Sid rolled his eyes "Dance ho raha hai karega"

"Hey Prabhu……. Hey Hari Ram Krishna Jagannath Premanand ye kya hua, tum dono saath me ice cream kha rahe ho?" Reem said dramatically.

Sid glare her, Sana grinned, not missing a beat "Are Sidharth treat de raha jo pasand ho kha lo"

Sid look at her with widened eyes and about to stop them but it's already late. He make a puppy "meri pocket money".

"Are koi na tu jo bolega main tujhe khila dungi bass" Sana said and patted his back.

They joined, and soon the group was laughing, chatting, and making jokes. Kabir arrived a bit later, eyeing Sid and Sana together with a hint of surprise, but shrugged it off.

Over the next few weeks, Sana and Sid's friendship became the talk of the school. They walked to classes together, studied in the library side by side, and even sat together at lunch. Every now and then, Sid would surprise himself by joining in on Sana's antics. She was unpredictable, and with her around, he felt like he was learning to enjoy life in a way he never had before.

One sunny afternoon, Sid was sitting in the library, engrossed in a novel, when Sana appeared out of nowhere, placing a sticky note on his forehead.

"What the..." he began, peeling it off to read her messy handwriting ‘Mr. Grumpy Pants’.

Sana giggled, pulling out another sticky note from her bag. "That’s you!" she said playfully.

He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And you’re… Miss Chatterbox?" he guessed, reaching for the notepad.

Sana shook her head, holding up a sticky note with "Shehnaaz Miss Fabulous" written on it in large letters.

"Oh really?" he asked, snorting with laughter.

She smirked, pleased with herself. "Haan, bas aur kuch nahi. Now, where's my compliment?"

He pretended to think about it, then wrote “Queen of Chaos” on a sticky note, placing it on her forehead.

Her eyes lit up "Oho, I like it. Tu toh mere secret admirer ban gaya hai!"

Sid chuckled, shaking his head. "Keep dreaming, Queen of Chaos"

Their friendship continued to grow, full of these small, endearing moments that slowly became part of Sid's daily life. Sana would bring him sweets, claiming he needed more sugar to lighten up, and he found himself teasing her back, encouraging her to study harder or focus during class.

For the first time, Sid didn't mind the chaos she brought into his life he welcomed it, knowing this friendship had somehow changed him for the better.

.........................

Hope you liked this chapter.

Thanks for reading ❤️