Somewhere Between Almost and Always

Chapter 6 ?

"Today's Chemistry class will be a combined session for CBSE and State board students. Kindly reach by 5 PM sharp."

Tanvi stared for a moment, eyebrows raised. "Combined class?" she mumbled. Her stomach did a small flip. Uska batch bhi hai na? Her eyes squinted in mock dismay, then she brushed it off with a light shake of her head.

Meanwhile...

Jay had just returned from college, slouched on the bed when he saw the group notification.

Combined Chemistry Class.

He blinked. Sat up.

"Matlab...  dono batch ka combined class?" he whispered to himself. His heart skipped a little. He closed the message quickly and stared at the ceiling.

"Calm down. Normal behave karna hai. Class hi toh hai," he told himself.

But the tiny smile at the corner of his lips gave him away.

Tanvi  tied her hair into a half-bun. As she rolled out the scooty for the first time, her hands trembled just a bit with excitement. Krishna stood at the corner, her usual calm self, but with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mujhe ek baat bata de tu aaj.. tu mere saath aisa kyun karti hai?.. matlab tu pehli baar scooty chala rahi hai aur experience ke liye mujhe pakad liya...pata nahi mere papa ne mera insurance kiya hai ya nahi. Waise chala toh legi nah?" Krishna asked, adjusting her bag.

Tanvi smirked. "Chup reh. Helmet pehn aur tight pakad lena. Hum pehli baar udne ja rahe hain."

The road to tuition was filled with laughter, Tanvi struggling with sudden turns, Krishna making silent jokes only Tanvi could hear, and the occasional bump that nearly threw them into giggle attacks.

They arrived just on time, parking the scooty like two undercover agents trying not to attract attention.

The classroom was buzzing more than usual. Students from both batches filled the room. The chairs were pushed closer, fans squeaked louder, and the air had the flavor of mild chaos.

Krishna and Tanvi sat together, just beside Kabir's bench, who turned with a grin. "Oye! Look who finally upgraded from school van to private jet."

Tanvi raised an eyebrow. "Scooty hai Ranawat, not helicopter."

Krishna, as usual, passed a silent joke only Tanvi could understand. Tanvi chuckled, elbowing her slightly. Kabir shook his head. "You two speak in some alien frequency."

Jay, sitting next to Kabir with Supriya, had already noticed them. His eyes lingered for a second longer than usual before shifting to the board. He didn't speak, but the corners of his lips twitched when Tanvi confidently raised her hand to answer a chemical equation. And Krishna added a one-liner that made half the class chuckle.

The chemistry teacher, known for his unexpected wit, suddenly pointed at Jay.

"You always have full marks in tests, Sharma. Tell me, why does water boil at 100°C?"

Jay, without skipping a beat: "Because sir, if it boiled at 99.9, it'd feel incomplete."

The class broke into a ripple of laughter. Even Tanvi smiled. She whispered, "Toppers bhi maze karte hain?" Krishna shrugged, amused.

The first hour ended at 6. As students stretched, yawned, and whispered across benches, Tanvi reached down to pick her pen. Her gaze fell on a tiny blotch of red near her right foot.

She blinked. "Yeh... khoon?"

Right then, Jay stepped out from the bench beside her.

"Jay!" she called instinctively, then paused. Her skipped once...twice...thrice.. Her voice wasn't loud, but it made him freeze midstep. He turned slowly.