Heartbeats on the Battlefield: Love, Duty, and Espionage

CHAPTER -6 : ASHISH

Ashish pov

It's her, it's Aadhya Shetty .

In that moment, seeing Aadhya Shetty again, memories flooded my mind like a tidal wave. Why did you comeback in my life now doctoree ?
Seeing her name on the medics list,I thought it might be someone with the same name,but when I saw her in CO office brought back a rush of high school nostalgia. It was as if I was transported back to my 16-year-old self, standing in the school grounds, and seeing her for the first time

Flashback

11th May,2015

It was in mid summer,as our school will open in 2 weeks, because I was in NCC I volunteered for work at school,
It was still morning 9 and the heat beating down on us mercilessly like it's noon.
Our school grounds were vast, divided into sections for volleyball, the main field, and the college ground.

In college ground, the old BSc lab had been renovated into a high school classrooms, as we were doing some work in main field which is connected to college ground, I saw a girl running,I think she was here for her entrance exam and obliviously he was late,as I got a close up look of her, their was nervousness on her face despite that her beauty was undeniable, with soft features that exuded innocence and charm. Yet, there was a hint of clumsiness ,her belongings scattered as she hurriedly made her way.that was cute , I don't know but some part of me wanted her to pass this exam and join our school,
Before I could gather my thoughts, Annoyed at the interruption , I was called away on an errand by our PE teacher. a spark of excitement ignited within me upon realizing I'd get to see her again. As I entered class 902 with the bundle of answer sheets,
there she was ,a rush of nostalgia swept over me as I saw her sitting in my previous seat. It felt strangely comforting to see her occupying that space. Confused by my own emotions, I handed over the answer sheets to the teacher and stole one last glance at her. She seemed nervous, her gaze fixed downwards, I couldn't help myself I just blurted out words of encouragement to the class, hoping to ease her tension. Despite the laughter from the others, her smile warmed my heart, and for a moment, she seemed at ease.
As I left the room, I couldn't shake the feeling that she had looked up at me as I walked away. Regretting my hasty exit, I wished I had taken the opportunity to walk out in slow motion, perhaps giving our eyes a chance to meet.
Throughout the week, thoughts of her consumed my mind,even in Akshay's absence as he is in his ajji Mane( grandmother house) in Coorg. We had planned to go together to see our little cutiepie Aadhi baby, but I had school responsibilities intervened. Nevertheless, with Akshay returning tomorrow, I will tell him about that girl.

17th May,2015
As Akshay returned from Coorg, his sadness at leaving Aadhi behind was palpable as he was still a 2yr old and I couldn't help but share in his sorrow. He expressed his desire to join 11th in Coorg to be closer to Aadhi, a sentiment I understood all too well. However, upon discussing it with my dad, he suggested I move to 12th there, assuring me that he would accompany me. And just like that, the decision was made.

As I opened up to Akshay about the girl I had seen, I almost forgot how delusional Akshay was,I didn't even get to talk to her,he is imagining our kids being bestfriends ,WTF dude I couldn't help but laugh along with him.ahh this idiot .

26th May,2015

The first day of our 10th grade. With anticipation for the year ahead, I stepped into the school grounds, greeted by our PT sir Ramanan.
He said he had something to discuss with the volleyball team so he asked everyone to gather in the volleyball ground as I was the leader of the team,
After everyone gathered there PT sir started "we are having our most important practice match in the next week it's with Royal public school" hearing this everyone were shocked, then he continued "I know this is sudden but guys u have to practice well,we are not losing this match at any cost"he said and finished the announcement.
The competitive spirit ignited within me. Rivals in every aspect, especially in sports like volleyball, victory was non-negotiable. Glancing at Akshay, I knew he shared my determination. As the discussion concluded, we headed to the assembly,
And there she was coming out of princi's office ( I mean principal) ,I tried to draw Akshay's attention, but he was preoccupied flirting with his junior, seriously Akshay,
Frustrated, I motioned for him to look, but he seemed oblivious," hey laude nodo alli" ( dude look there🤫)
Before he turned to see her she disappeared,but I wave of relief flood through that she joined the school,
" It's Aadhya Shetty" Akshay said out of nowhere "What","It's her name ,and is in class 902,she is the one who aced the entrance exam" I was too stunned to speak," where did you get this information " I managed to ask, still trying to process the news. Akshay beamed proudly, and in my excitement, I hugged and kissed him on the cheek without a second thought. It wasn't until the stares of everyone in the auditorium bore down on us that I realized the magnitude of my actions.