The winter holiday was over like a dream.
Late mornings, cups of steaming milk, cricket in the alley, endless discussions on nothing in particular — for the first time in months, things were peaceful again.
When school resumed in early January, there was still a gentle chill in the air. Our breath frosted over in the mist as we trudged through the gate, bantering about homework not yet done. The previous term's storm had blown away into rumours; teachers grinned once more, and students pretended that nothing ill had ever occurred.
And for a time… it was idyllic.
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Back to Normal
Weeks passed uneventfully. Classes were full of laughter again, prank wars continued, and lunch breaks became raucous.
Krishanu was again the boy everyone looked up to — class topper, placid, courteous, a man not to be disliked.
At times, he assisted freshmen with their problems; at others, he would join us on the ground, his voice carrying across the ground as we played football till the final bell.
There were times I'd see him laugh, actually laugh, and I'd think — *yeah, maybe the world finally gave him a break.*
After school, we'd usually drop by the roadside stall to have samosas and discuss everything — cartoons, teachers, dreams. The tension that once trailed us everywhere had disappeared.
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Exam Season
Before we knew it, February came, and with it, the familiar panic.
Finales were approaching. Study marathons replaced carefree days.
I sat with Krishanu after school, books strewn across the desks, comparing notes and bickering over answers that most likely both of us got wrong.
"I'm warning you, the math paper's going to be tricky," he told me one evening over the phone.
"You said that before," I teased. "And still scored full."
He chuckled. "This time, I'll beat you properly."
"Dream on, prodigy."
Results Day
The results were announced under a pale morning sun. The teacher stuck the list on the board, and in seconds, half of the class surged around it.
At the top there were two names.
1st – Krishanu Das
1st – Mayank Sharma
We just looked at it — and at each other.
He smiled. "Guess the universe couldn't decide."
I smiled. "Or perhaps it remembered who taught you fractions."
He rolled his eyes, chuckling. "You wish."
For an instant, fleeting as a star, it seemed like everything had come around in a circle — two boys, shoulder to shoulder, as they'd begun.
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A Quiet Winter End
That night, sunlight streamed through classroom windows while we gathered our school bags. Krishanu settled back in his chair and declared, "Let's do this again next year too — no brawls, no mess."
"Deal," I said.
Outside, the city shone golden in the late winter fog.
On our walk home, our breath froze into mist, and Krishanu spoke softly,
"I'm glad we tied. Means we're still walking together."
I smiled, not knowing then how dearly those words would come to matter later.
Because at the moment, winter was ending — and peace seemed eternal.
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To be continued…
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