The first time Aarav met Reyansh, he was half-asleep, and the other boy was already stealing his pen.
Literally.
Aarav had just placed his favorite blue gel pen on his desk, yawned once, and then—whoosh—it was gone. He blinked, and there it was, between the fingers of the new boy sitting beside him.
“Excuse me,” Aarav said, his tone polite but with the patience of a saint on the edge. “That’s my pen.”
Reyansh looked up, flashed a grin so bright it could’ve powered the classroom lights, and said, “Oh, really? It looked lonely.”
Aarav sighed. Why do handsome people always say nonsense like this?
“Return it,” he said.
Reyansh twirled the pen like some magician showing off. “Hmm… only if you tell me your name.”
Aarav’s jaw dropped. “You’re holding my pen hostage for my name?”
“Exactly.” Reyansh winked. “I’m new here. I need friends. You seem like a safe option. Or at least, safer than that guy who’s currently chewing his ruler.”
Aarav couldn’t help it. He laughed. Just a tiny laugh, but it slipped out.
“Fine,” he said. “I’m Aarav. Now give me the pen.”
Reyansh handed it over dramatically. “Nice to meet you, Aarav-the-Pen-Owner. I’m Reyansh, the Pen-Thief.”
From that moment, Aarav knew his school year was doomed.
---
Reyansh turned out to be that student — the one who always smiled at everyone, asked too many questions, and somehow got teachers to forgive his late homework.
And somehow, he decided Aarav was his best friend.
During classes, Reyansh would whisper things like, “Do you think our physics teacher ever smiles?”
And Aarav would mutter, “Not since Newton dropped that apple.”
They’d both try to hide their laughs behind textbooks, but the teacher always caught them.
“Reyansh! Aarav! Detention after school!”
Reyansh would whisper, “Worth it.”
Aarav would glare, but his lips would twitch.
---
After a few weeks, everyone in class had accepted the truth: if you saw Aarav, you saw Reyansh right next to him.
Lunch break? They shared food.
Group projects? Always partners.
Sports period? Reyansh was hopeless at running but still chased Aarav around pretending to be “motivated.”
Once, Reyansh forgot his notebook and leaned over Aarav’s desk. “Can I copy your notes?”
Aarav, pretending to be annoyed, said, “You don’t even write properly, what’s the point?”
Reyansh grinned. “That’s okay. Your handwriting is pretty. It’s like you’re doing calligraphy every day.”
Aarav blinked. “That’s... weirdly nice of you.”
“I’m a nice guy,” Reyansh said, and then added with a grin, “especially to pretty people.”
Aarav dropped his pen again. “Excuse me?”
Reyansh shrugged innocently. “What? You heard me wrong. I said ‘pity people.’ You know, like charity work.”
Aarav squinted at him. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” Reyansh said. “You laughed.”
And, well, he had.
---
By mid-year, Aarav’s diary—yes, he kept one—was full of complaints like:
Reyansh is annoying.
He talks too much.
Why does he smile at me like that?
I hate his stupid grin.
...His grin is actually kind of nice.
He didn’t tell anyone about that last line.
---
One day, it rained heavily. The whole school was chaos—umbrellas flipping, shoes slipping, students screaming like it was the end of the world.
Aarav forgot his umbrella, of course.
He stood near the gate, waiting for the rain to stop, clutching his bag to his chest. Then someone tapped his shoulder.
“Hey,” Reyansh said, holding his umbrella out, “you’re gonna get soaked.”
Aarav hesitated. “There’s only room for one.”
Reyansh smiled, stepping closer. “We’ll fit.”
They didn’t, really. The umbrella tilted dangerously as they walked, their shoulders brushing, their shoes splashing in puddles. Aarav tried to act normal, but his heart was beating so fast it was probably audible over the rain.
“Why are you always nice to me?” Aarav asked quietly.
Reyansh looked at him for a long moment, raindrops sliding down his hair. “Because you’re my favorite person here.”
Aarav froze. “You say that to everyone.”
Reyansh chuckled. “Nope. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find someone who listens to my nonsense without running away.”
Aarav smiled softly. “Maybe I should start running then.”
“Too late,” Reyansh said. “You’re stuck with me.”
---
That night, Aarav wrote in his diary again:
Reyansh shared his umbrella today. I think my heart short-circuited.
He paused, then added:
Also, I need to buy a bigger umbrella.
---
Exams came, chaos returned, and even Reyansh got serious for a while. Aarav helped him study, sitting together in the library for hours.
Reyansh, of course, found a way to turn studying into flirting.
“Explain this again,” Reyansh said, pointing at a formula. “My brain refuses to understand.”
Aarav sighed. “It’s literally addition, Rey.”
“Exactly,” Reyansh said, leaning closer, “you plus me equals distraction.”
Aarav smacked his arm with a book. “Focus!”
“Hard to, when you’re this close.”
“Reyansh!”
He grinned. “Okay, okay, I’ll focus.”
For the next ten minutes, he did. And then he fell asleep on the desk, head on his notes. Aarav groaned, but he didn’t move him.
He just watched him sleep, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Idiot, he thought, but kind of my idiot.
---
After exams ended, there was a farewell event for seniors. Everyone was dressed up, laughing, taking photos.
Reyansh found Aarav near the school garden. “You clean up nice.”
Aarav smirked. “You look... less disastrous than usual.”
Reyansh clutched his heart. “Compliments? From you? Historic day.”
Aarav chuckled. “Don’t get used to it.”
Reyansh looked at him seriously for a second. “You know, next year we’ll be in different classes.”
“Yeah,” Aarav said quietly. “I know.”
“I’ll still steal your pens though.”
Aarav rolled his eyes. “You can’t steal them if I give them to you.”
Reyansh blinked. “You’d give me your pen?”
Aarav nodded, pulling out the same blue gel pen from months ago. “Keep it. A reminder of how annoying you are.”
Reyansh took it, smiling softly. “Thanks, Aarav.”
Then, in that sudden boldness only teenagers get, he leaned closer and whispered, “I’ll return it someday. Maybe when you like me back.”
Aarav’s brain completely froze.
“W-what—?”
Reyansh laughed, walking away before Aarav could say another word.
---
Weeks passed, and school life went on. Aarav tried to act normal, but every time he saw Reyansh’s empty seat in another classroom, his stomach twisted a little.
Then one afternoon, he found a note on his desk.
“Check the back of the library after class — Rey.”
Curious (and slightly nervous), Aarav went.
Reyansh was there, holding out that same pen.
“You’re returning it?” Aarav asked, confused.
Reyansh shook his head. “No. I’m giving it back because I already got what I wanted.”
“What’s that?”
Reyansh grinned. “Your name, your friendship… and maybe your heart?”
Aarav stared at him, cheeks warm. “You’re unbelievable.”
Reyansh shrugged. “That’s why you like me.”
Aarav rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. “Maybe I do.”
Reyansh beamed. “Then I guess I’ll need a new excuse to steal your pens.”
Aarav laughed. “Or you could just ask.”
Reyansh leaned in, eyes twinkling. “Where’s the fun in that?”
---
And just like that, the boy who borrowed Aarav’s pen ended up borrowing his peace… and his heart, one bad joke at a time.
---
The End.
