His life in Pune

Arvind's point of view:

Pune was quiet that morning — like a city holding its breath. The breeze wandered lazily through the trees, and the sky above was soft, watercolored with gentle streaks of light. He pedaled through empty lanes, the creak of his cycle the only sound in rhythm with his thoughts.

Tomorrow was the start of 10th.

That thought had been sitting in his chest like a stone for days now. Not fear. Not excitement. Just… weight.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel. Maybe he should’ve been more focused, more driven like his sister Meera, who was already halfway through her NEET preparations. She was older by three years — sharp-minded, always calm, and never one to forget assignments or lose sleep over late-night thoughts. Their parents called her the example.

And him?

He was trying.

Trying — that word followed him everywhere. No matter how hard he worked, fourth or fifth place was all he ever reached. Close, but never close enough. He remembered the way his parents’ voices sounded — not harsh, just tired.

"It’s not bad... but you need to work a little more."

"Meera managed to top at your age, didn't she?"

Sometimes he wondered if trying so hard was ever going to be enough.

He slowed the cycle near the curve that overlooked the old football ground. It was empty now, just dust and silence. He leaned against the handlebar and stared ahead. His fingers itched for the pencil tucked in his journal at home — the one he only used when no one was watching.

Sketching had always been his quiet thing. He liked lines. Shades. The curve of shadows on the side of a face. The swirl of a falling leaf. But it never felt important enough to speak of. Not when there were tests to crack and ranks to climb.

His thoughts wandered like that — soft, shapeless — until the sound of a bus in the distance reached his ears. He looked up lazily, watching it groan to a stop ahead. A few students got off, maybe new arrivals for school. Some kids laughed, dragging bags, others walked with sleepy eyes. He didn’t really look at them.

Just another day in the city.

Except… for the briefest second, his eyes brushed past a girl stepping down slowly from the bus. There was nothing striking — just something oddly quiet about her presence. Hair catching the breeze. Eyes on the ground. She looked like she was listening to something far away.

He blinked — and she was already part of the moving crowd.

He didn’t notice her.

Not really.

Just a blur in his line of sight. A smudge of motion in an otherwise still morning.

He adjusted his cycle grip and turned the corner.

The road ahead was long. He’d probably spend the rest of the day reviewing math chapters. The pressure of “tomorrow” would keep him from picking up the pencil again.

Because even now, even when the air was so calm —

He felt like he wasn’t doing enough.

So he kept going.

Trying.

Always trying.

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

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

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

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

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

First Day Of School

---

part 2: The First Day of school

The school gates came into view—same faded red, same squeaky iron latch, same group of juniors standing awkwardly near the tree.

Arvind pulled the brakes gently, the cycle slowing beneath him. His chest rose and fell with that quiet, familiar anxiety, but there was something else under it today. A current he couldn’t quite name.

He swung one leg off the cycle, feet planted on the earth, and looked up.

And there she was.

She wasn’t stepping out of a bus. She was walking alone—unhurried, calm, like the day itself bent around her pace. Her hair swayed slightly with each step, and her gaze was steady, not rushed or distracted like the others around her.

And then…

She looked at him.

Their eyes met.

Just for a moment. Maybe less.

But it was enough.

Something stirred inside him—a kind of flutter. Awkward, unfamiliar, almost uncomfortable. Like the beginning of a thought that had no words yet.

Puberty, maybe. Or something deeper. The kind of feeling that arrives unannounced and leaves you standing still while the world keeps moving.

“Arvind!”

A voice cut through the quiet. His friend’s.

He blinked, breaking the eye contact, his head turning toward the voice instinctively.

By the time he looked back—

She had already walked past.

He swallowed, unsure of what he was feeling....

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

...----------------...

Arvind had no idea, not yet. He couldn't have known that this simple, ordinary moment — a glance, a distraction — would set off something far more extraordinary. The world has a way of pulling people into its twists and turns when they least expect it.

And for Arvind, this was just the beginning. The cycle of routine was about to shift. The question is... would he notice the change before it was too late?

But don't rush to find out. Some things are best left to unravel on their own.

---

As you read the next chapter, dear reader, let yourself drift into the quiet moments that are about to unfold. Arvind’s story is just beginning, and with every turn, you'll see how things might change—slowly, yet unmistakably. Stay with him, stay with the story. After all, sometimes the most beautiful things take time to reveal themselves. 👀✨

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***