THE SUNRISE

Running away from my dreams, I woke up earlier than usual. The night before had been filled with dreams of Priya, and I was still basking in the happiness of our meeting. As soon as I opened my eyes, I grabbed my phone, eagerly checking for a message from her. But there was nothing. A wave of disappointment washed over me.

"Why did I even wake up this early?" I thought to myself.

Everyone in my room was still fast asleep. Feeling restless, I stepped onto the balcony. The cool morning breeze brushed against my face, and for the first time since coming to Tamil Nadu, I witnessed the sunrise. It was a mesmerizing sight. Until now, I had never woken up before 7 AM, but today was different.

It was 6 AM, and I decided to take a bath and get ready for college. Unlike my usual hurried routine, today I took my time. I bathed thoroughly, ensuring every bit of drowsiness was washed away. I got dressed slowly, carefully, as if preparing for something special. By the time I finished, the clock struck 7 AM, and just then, Ganpat woke up.

Still half-asleep, he rubbed his eyes and, to my surprise, slapped his own cheek before staring at me in disbelief.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Is it really you? When did you wake up?" he asked, still trying to process the unusual sight.

"At 5 AM," I replied casually.

"What?! But how is that possible? You never wake up before me!" He sounded genuinely shocked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. My eyes just opened at 5 AM automatically. I even tried to sleep again, but I couldn't. So, I thought I might as well get ready."

A sly smile appeared on his face. "This, my friend, is the magic of love."

I hesitated and quickly denied it. "No, no, bro! You're reading too much into it." My voice carried a hint of panic. How did he know?

"Your face says it all," he chuckled. "Anyway, I better get ready fast, or I'll be late." Saying this, he rushed into the bathroom.

Just then, my phone vibrated, and a notification sound echoed in the room. Normally, I kept my phone on silent, but today, I had turned the sound on—just in case she texted me. My heart raced as I hurried toward my phone, still plugged into the charger.

A message from Priya!

"Hey, good morning! Are you awake?".

A wide smile spread across my face. Without wasting a second, I unlocked my phone and typed back.

"Hey, good morning! I woke up at 5 AM today. :)"

As soon as I sent it, I saw the typing indicator appear. She was replying! My mind raced with countless possibilities of what she would say next.

"Really? How? I also woke up at 5 AM, but I thought you'd be sleeping, so I didn't text."

I read her message and cursed myself. "Why didn't I text her first? I'm such a fool!"

I quickly replied, "Oh! And here I was thinking you were still asleep."

I kept staring at the chat, waiting, overanalyzing every second that passed. Then, her reply came.

"Okay then, see you in class. We're getting late!"

I glanced at the time—7:55 AM.

"What?! How did time fly so fast?"

I looked up and found Ganpat staring at me, fully dressed, smirking. He had clearly been observing my changing expressions as I texted.

"Shall we go now? Have you completed the 'important task' for which you woke up early?" he teased.

I avoided his gaze, trying to hide my smile. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."

Without wasting another second, we rushed toward the classroom.