When Eyes Meet Again

                                    

                                          
It was already 9:10, and Varun muttered to himself, "Setha da iniki Meera mam kita" (There's no way to escape from Meera mam today). He rushed towards his class, nerves at their peak. But as he glanced through the window, he saw Nandhini ma'am in the classroom. He took a big breath and silently thanked God Meera Mam, his tutor, wasn't there. 
With a smile on his face, Varun looked at Nandhini ma'am and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, can I get in?" 
Nandhini replied with a hint of frustration, "Varun, it's been a year since college started, and from day one, you've never attended the first class on time." Though her tone carried a bit of anger, it wasn't from the heart.
Varun kept his face innocent and, with a little laugh, responded with the same old story, saying he was stuck in traffic and the bus was late. Nandhini ma'am replied, "Just get in, Varun." He could hear a mix of laughter and firmness in her voice. 
Varun walked to his seat and settled in next to his close friend Nalan.
As the class went on, Varun's thoughts were consumed by the girl he saw in his dream. He stared ahead, barely blinking, until a tear rolled down from his left eye. Realizing this, he quickly wiped it away. At that moment, Nalan asked, 
"What happened, da" 
For a second, Varun considered not sharing what had happened, but the impact it had on him was too strong to keep inside. So, with a faint flush in his cheeks, he told Nalan everything about the dream he had. 
Hearing that, Nalan, with a dry expression, said, "Macha, it's just a dream, da. Don't take it seriously." 
Varun looked at Nalan, his face showing regret for having shared it. Sensing Varun's disappointment, Nalan quickly added, "Chill da," trying to change the topic. "You know we have a guest seminar next hour."
Varun, with a frustrated tone, said, "Ahh, shit, no broo." Nalan just nodded, laughing at his friend's annoyance. As time passed, the hour came to an end, and Nandhini ma'am asked everyone to move to the seminar hall. The hall was three blocks away, so the class made their way over.
Varun and Nalan waited outside the seminar hall since they had five minutes before the seminar started. They were chatting with their friends when Nalan, unable to resist, brought up Varun's dream to their other friends, Siva and Akash. 
The teasing began immediately, with Siva and Akash making jokes while Varun, blushing and laughing, lightly hit Nalan, saying, "Pothum da" (Enough da). Realizing they wouldn't stop teasing him anytime soon, Varun walked away from the group and stood near the steps, looking at his phone.
As he scrolled through his phone, he heard footsteps approaching. Looking down, he noticed a girl’s feet adorned with delicate ankle bracelets, each step bringing a faint jingling sound. As the footsteps drew closer, he heard a soft laugh. Curious, he looked up, and their eyes met—a brief connection that made him freeze for a couple of seconds. 
Those eyes—the same eyes from his dream—stared back at him. He could feel the intensity of her gaze, overwhelming him to the point where a drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead to his eyebrows. Blinking, he tried to get a better look at her face. There was a hint of doubt in her expression as she passed by and went up the stairs to her class.
But he recognized her. It was Kayal, his childhood love—the pure, innocent affection he had never confessed.
As he took a step toward the direction Kayal had gone, a voice rang out behind him—a voice filled with strong anger. "Varun! If you want attendance for today, then get in!" The tone was commanding and left no room for argument. An unfamiliar sensation washed over him as he turned back and walked into the seminar, leaving behind the memory of Kayal's gaze.