Before the Bell Rings (A short high school love story)
Before the Bell Rings
(Chapter 2 )
New Beginnings
Aarav and Maya’s project officially began after their quiet meeting in the library. But that wasn’t the end of the quiet connection they had started to form. It was, in fact, just the beginning of something neither of them had expected.
The next day in class, Mrs. Patel assigned them the task of presenting their work at the end of the week. Maya and Aarav were expected to work together every day, crafting a presentation that would express their interpretation of love. For Aarav, that meant more time spent with the girl who had filled his thoughts for over a year. But it was also intimidating.
Aarav was quiet by nature, and despite how much he wanted to open up, he was terrified of saying the wrong thing. He had always been the type to express himself through art — through the soft shading of a pencil or the sweeping lines of a landscape. Words, though? Words were too fragile for him. Too easy to twist, too difficult to control.
The days that followed were filled with awkward exchanges. Maya would come by the library after school, and they’d sit together at a table, their eyes glued to the project at hand. She had suggested writing a poem together, something that encapsulated both of their thoughts on love, but Aarav was hesitant.
“I’m not good with words,” he confessed one afternoon, closing his sketchbook and looking down at the table.
Maya tilted her head, considering him. “You don’t have to be,” she said softly. “I’ll do most of the writing, and you can… guide me. Tell me what you think love is.”
He stared at the table, his fingers nervously tapping against the wood. “I’ve never really thought about it. Love, I mean. It’s… It’s just always there. Like a feeling in the air, like… the way the light hits the trees or the way a song sounds when you’re not listening, but you feel it.”
Maya was silent for a moment. “That’s beautiful, Aarav.”
The words hung between them, light and fragile. Aarav had never realized that his silence spoke louder than he’d ever intended.
Trust and Tension
The project was due in a few days, and with each passing moment, Aarav grew more nervous. Maya was kind, but he wasn’t sure how to navigate the growing closeness between them. He wanted to say more to her, to explain the way she made him feel, but his words never came out right.
Meanwhile, Maya found herself thinking about Aarav more than she cared to admit. At first, she had only agreed to the project because it was a class assignment, but now she looked forward to their meetings. There was something so easy about being with him, so comfortable. She felt seen in a way that no one had ever really seen her.
One afternoon, Maya arrived at the library earlier than usual. Aarav was already sitting at their usual table, scribbling something in his sketchbook. He looked up when she approached.
“Hey,” she said, a little too brightly.
“Hey,” Aarav replied, his voice soft.
She could see the slight nervousness in his posture, the way his hands fidgeted with his pencil. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been… working on the poem,” Aarav said, pushing his sketchbook across the table toward her. “I think… I think it’s ready.”
Maya glanced down at the page. The words were simple but raw. Each line seemed to echo something deep within her, something she hadn’t even realized was there.
Love is the quiet pause in a noisy hallway.
The breath you take when you’re not sure what to say.
Love is the shadow that lingers after the light has gone.
And the feeling that stays when everything else fades away.
Maya stared at the words, her heart skipping a beat. This was the Aarav she had come to know — the one who saw her, even in the most fleeting moments.
“This is…” She swallowed hard. “This is exactly how I feel.”
Aarav shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “You think it works?”
Maya nodded, her eyes meeting his. “It’s perfect.”
There was a long pause. Then, Maya did something she never would have done before — she reached across the table, her hand brushing against his.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft but full of meaning.
Aarav’s heart raced. He wanted to say something, anything. But instead, he just nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips.
They sat there for a long time, not speaking, just being in the quiet comfort of each other’s presence.
Unspoken Truths
The day of the presentation arrived. Aarav and Maya stood at the front of the classroom, their project displayed on the screen behind them. The class was silent, their attention fully on them.
Aarav felt the nerves twisting in his stomach. But when he looked at Maya, standing beside him, a calmness settled over him. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, and for the first time that day, he didn’t feel like he was drowning in his own anxiety.
He took a deep breath and began. “Love isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s quiet. It hides in the spaces between words, the moments when you don’t say anything, but you feel everything.”
Maya stepped forward, her voice clear as she continued. “Sometimes, love is in the things you don’t even notice. The way someone looks at you when they think you’re not looking. The way they smile when they think you don’t see them.”
Aarav’s gaze met hers, and for a moment, the world outside of the classroom disappeared. All that mattered was the connection between them. They were speaking about love, but in that moment, it felt like they were speaking directly to each other.
When they finished, the class was still. There were no loud cheers, no applause, but the silence was full of understanding. Mrs. Patel, with a knowing look in her eyes, clapped softly.
“That was… beautiful,” she said.
Aarav and Maya exchanged a look, the kind that said more than words ever could. They had done it. They had shared a part of themselves with the class — and with each other.
The First Step
As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Aarav and Maya found themselves standing in the hallway, unsure of what came next.
Maya turned to him, her voice hesitant. “So… that wasn’t so bad, right?”
Aarav smiled, the tension from earlier finally easing. “No. It was… good.”
She smiled back, and for the first time, the warmth in her smile didn’t just feel like it was for everyone else. It was for him, too.
“Hey,” Maya said after a moment. “Would you… want to hang out sometime? Outside of class?”
Aarav blinked, surprised. “You mean, like… a date?”
Maya shrugged, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. “I don’t know. We’ll see where it goes.”
Aarav’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but he wouldn’t let the moment slip away. He nodded, his voice quiet but steady. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
They stood there, the world around them fading as the moment’s weight settled in. For the first time, Aarav felt like he wasn’t invisible. And maybe, just maybe, love wasn’t as far out of reach as he thought.
To be continued ……
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