Stuck Voyage of 20's

The festival had ended, but the air around campus still carried its echoes — half-lost conversations, leftover fairy lights, and that weird exhaustion that feels more emotional than physical.

Avantika sat on the library steps late one evening, hoodie zipped up, earbuds in, watching a reel about "how to stop overthinking your 20s."

She didn't laugh.

She just nodded.

That's when she heard footsteps behind her. Familiar ones.

"Are you always this dramatic with your deep thoughts and staircases?" Dhruv asked, holding two cups of cutting chai.

She took one without a word. Sipped it.

He sat beside her. Their shoulders not touching — but almost.

They didn't need to fill the silence.

That had become their new thing: comfort in quiet company.

---

1. Late-night talks

They started walking home together after classes or rehearsals. Sometimes in silence. Sometimes with discussions like:

> "Do you think everyone secretly panics when they hear, 'Where do you see yourself in 5 years?'"

"Every. Single. Time."

"Cool. So it's not just me."

It wasn't about flirting anymore.

It was about existing side by side.

With someone who didn't try to fix you — but understood the chaos.

---

2. Protective Dhruv Moments

One afternoon, Avantika got into a heated debate with a classmate who undermined her ideas during a committee meeting.

Later, as she vented while walking, Dhruv handed her a chocolate bar and said:

"Next time he does that, I'll dunk a basketball on his ego."

She burst out laughing. "You're going to throw a ball at my problems now?"

"Yup. Full-court emotional support."

---

3. The World Noticing the Shift

Her best friend asked, "So… is something happening with you and Dhruv?"

Avantika didn't say yes.

She just smiled. "Something… is growing. Slowly."

Even her mom had started dropping strange one-liners.

"Beta, just remember… people who walk at your pace are harder to find than people who'll run with you."

---

4. Parallel Realities

While Avantika prepared for her first internship interview, Dhruv was training extra hours for an upcoming national tournament.

They weren't always available.

They didn't always text constantly.

But they showed up when it mattered.

One night, she called him at 2:03 a.m.

"I didn't get the shortlist," she whispered.

He didn't say anything cheesy. Just:

"Sleep now. We'll rise stronger in the morning."

And that — oddly — helped more than any motivational quote.

---

5. A Moment at the Temple

On a random weekday, Avantika went to the Mahakaleshwar temple alone. No plan. Just needed space.

She stepped outside, and there he was — leaning against his bike, holding her favorite guava ice candy.

"How did you—?"

"I have a theory," he said, handing it to her. "You run to temples when you're overwhelmed and guava when you're tired. So… combo emergency?"

She laughed, eyes soft.

Then they just stood there, watching the bustle of faith, the scent of incense wrapping around them.

Not as a couple.

Not yet.

Just as two people learning how to be present in each other's lives — without rushing toward a label.

---

And that's how they were now — two people in the middle of becoming, in a world that kept asking them to be already formed.

Not love yet.

But something honest. Something quiet. Something real.