The bell rang sharply across the school grounds, and the afternoon sun poured onto the cracked cement, creating a lazy golden haze. Tushar swung his backpack over one shoulder and made his way toward the school bus, weaving through clusters of chattering students. He scanned the windows instinctively — there she was, Amrita, already at their shared spot by the window, her nose buried deep in a thick notebook.
Tushar climbed aboard, tossing a grin at the driver, and slid into the seat next to her.
"Already lost in another universe?" he teased, nudging her lightly.
Amrita snapped the notebook shut, cheeks warming. "Just… doodling," she mumbled.
Tushar, of course, was curious. "Lemme see!"
"No way!" she protested, holding the notebook against her chest.
He pouted dramatically, crossing his arms. "Best friends don't keep secrets."
Amrita considered this for a long second. Then, hesitantly, she opened the notebook — but not at the front where her class notes began. She flipped all the way to the back, to the last page, where a careful sketch bloomed across the paper.
It was a drawing of the two of them — seated by the bus window, heads together, laughing. She had captured every tiny detail: the scrapes on Tushar's knee, the stack of bracelets around her own wrist, the way the sunlight cut across their faces.
Tushar stared, stunned. "You drew this?"
Amrita gave a small shrug. "I draw what makes me happy."
For a long moment, neither said anything. The bus rattled forward, the engine humming a familiar song. Then Tushar broke the silence.
"Amrita," he said, voice softer now, "promise me something?"
She looked up, startled by the seriousness in his tone.
"Promise that no matter how busy life gets, or how far we have to go… we'll keep finding moments like this. Our seat by the window."
Amrita smiled — a slow, sure smile — and hooked her pinky finger around his.
"I promise."
Outside the window, the world sped by: fields, trees, dusty roads. Inside, time seemed to stand still.
Their friendship was stitched tighter that day, stitched with invisible gold threads of trust, dreams, and a promise made under the sleepy afternoon sun.
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Moral:
True friendship is found in small, shared moments — and strengthened by promises we choose to keep.