"Kiss him," the timid boy's friend urged, nodding subtly in Sreyan's direction, the popular jock whose presence was impossible to ignore.
Ronit's cheek turned bright red at the thought. "That is ridiculous!" he said, flustered. He was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, grappling with the weight of his decision to accept the dare, driven by the need to prove his masculinity to his friends.
"C'mon, it's just a kiss! one friend said, excitement in his voice.
Feeling the pressure mount, Ronit took a deep breath. "Okay, fine! I'll do it!"
Ronit felt his legs were going jelly as he approached Sreyan.
"Uhmm! Sre-re-y"
"Hey, what's up, bro?" Sreyan grinned, his friendly demeanour as disarming as ever. He clapped a hand on Ronit's back, sending a jolt of electricity through him.
Suddenly, Ronit felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "No—nothing! Nothing at all," he stammered, his voice a pitch higher than usual.
Sreyan raised his brows, a hint of confusion on his face.
Is he judging me? Ronit thought, mortified as he hurried to the safety of his seat by the classroom window, his pulse still racing.
His friends grinned at him.
"So, what about the dare?"
"I-I-" Ronit fumbled for words as he still felt flustered by what happened.
"What dare?" a curious voice asked behind Ronit.
"Sreyan!" Ronit's friends suddenly screamed with joy.
"Sreyan", Ronit said, mortified and praying his friends wouldn't reveal the dare.
"We just asked him to kiss you", the short heighted spectacled girl said, grinning at Ronit.
"But he is a bit too shy", the boys laughed and then added, "So, he will be receiving a punishment instead."
Ronit looked down at his feet, wanting to sink into the floor.
"Ronit", Sreyan said. His eyes were full of mischief. "You certainly don't want your reserved nature to be the reason for receiving a punishment, do you?"
"No-o", Ronit said sheepishly.
Before Ronit could finish his thought, a playful pair of hands gently cupped his face, and a soft kiss fluttered on the corner of his lips.
Sreyan looked at Ronit, with mischief still playing in his eyes. "There, now I saved you from a punishment. Won't you thank me?"
"Than-n-nk you", he said, unable to believe he had been kissed.
Sreyan bowed comically and said, "My pleasure, my lady", and left towards his friends.
"Ronit", the spectacled girl, suddenly poked at Ronit, which brought him out of his trance.
"Your ears are red!" she said, squealing a bit. "You liked it! You liked it!" the spectacled girl's friend said excitedly.
"Don't spout nonsense! I am not into boys!" he said, still flushed.
"Maybe Sreyan is the exception", the boys said teasingly.
"Shut up!" Ronit said, a mix of anger and confusion bubbling inside him as he hurried out of the classroom. He needed a moment to breathe, to gather his thoughts—because somewhere in the chaos of that kiss, a flicker of something profound had ignited within him, and it was a feeling he couldn't quite ignore.