The Accidental Love

UNSEEN UNTIL NOW

(This is Chapter 2 of The Accidental Love, Checkout chapter 1 here - https://todaysurvey.life/chapters/the-accidental-love)

Advika’s father’s voice echoed through the house, cutting through the morning silence. “Wake up, or you’ll miss the bus!” Startled, Advika’s eyes flew open. The clock flashed 6:30 a.m. Her heart raced. She had snoozed her alarm again. Rushing through her morning routine, she barely managed to tie her hair and skipped breakfast. Her father, noticing her panicked state, sighed and decided to drop her off. He complained about her skipping meals all the way to school. Advika tuned him out, staring out the window, her mind already on the day ahead.

When she finally stepped into the classroom, it was almost full. No empty seats in the front row, her favorite spot for taking clear notes. Reluctantly, she settled at the back. Advika and Jay had been in the same section since sixth grade. For years, she thought she knew him—a carefree boy, always laughing, teasing friends and even teachers. But today, something changed.

As she unpacked her books, a commotion broke out. Jay and Ishaan were bickering, voices rising. Suddenly, Ishaan’s hand swung wildly, and Advika felt a sharp nudge. Before she could react, Jay’s voice cut through the noise.

“Stop it, Ishaan! You’ll hurt Advika.” His tone was sharp, protective. It stunned Advika. It was the first time she saw this side of Jay. Not only this, but she had never seen a boy behaving like this; this was the first time she saw a boy respecting a girl. And this hit her hard.

The rest of the day, she found herself watching Jay. She noticed the way he spoke, his casual jokes that made everyone smile, the way he seemed serious when talking about studies. And for the first time, she noticed his physical features—the slight messiness of his wavy black hair, the way his deep brown eyes seemed to light up when he laughed, and the faint dimple that appeared on his right cheek whenever he smiled. She observed how he walked, how he talked, and how he finished every sentence with some peculiar word that used to make everyone laugh. She had never paid attention to these details before.

At one point, she overheard him telling his friends, “We shouldn’t waste time chasing girls now. Focus on studies. That’s what matters.” Her heart skipped a beat. Who was this Jay? And why did his words make her feel something she couldn’t quite name?

Later, at her tuition class with her best friends, Tanya and Diksha, laughter filled the air. “Has anyone seen that ad where a dog is driving a car?” Mrs. Aggarwal, their tutor, asked with a grin.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s hilarious!” Tanya giggled.

“I didn’t get it,” Diksha said, frowning. “How can a dog drive? Their legs are so short. How do they reach the accelerator?” The class burst into laughter.

“It’s just an ad, Diksha! The dog wasn’t really driving,” Tanya laughed, almost falling off her chair.

“Next, Diksha will ask why superheroes wear their underwear over their pants,” Advika teased, grinning.

“Because they’re too fast to put it on normally!” Diksha shot back, making everyone laugh even harder.

In these moments, Advika forgot all her worries, and it was moments like this that she enjoyed very much.

That evening, as Advika sank into her couch, she lost herself in her favorite romantic series, smiling and laughing. The drama, the love stories—she loved it. But later, when she finally opened her math book to study, the very first problem read, 'Jay bought five apples…' and suddenly, his voice, his smile, and his words rushed back to her mind. A warmth spread through her, one she didn’t understand yet. But maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to understand the first flutter of something special.