Their Wonder Years: Fall 98

Chapter 203: Post Haiku

That’s when Zara walked in.

And everything cracked.

She was wearing a violet cropped cardigan, buttoned low showing ample cleavage. Her lips were cherry-glossed, and her jeans hugged her like a compliment. She looked casual - but calculated.

And she was humming.

Ayesha blinked. “You look…”

Zara smiled. “Extra cute today? I know.”

Ayesha crossed her arms. “Don’t tell me this is about Bharath.”

Zara’s eyebrows lifted. “Why not?”

“You hated him.”

“I barely knew him,” Zara said, flipping her hair. “And he’s… evolved. That walk this morning? Quiet. Confident. Mysterious.”

“You said he was a shy doormat.”

“That was August me,” Zara said breezily. “November me has taste.”

Ayesha’s jaw clenched. “You made fun of me for even talking to him that first week.”

Zara didn’t flinch. “And you made fun of him all on your own after that.”

A pause.

The mirror reflected too much.

Ayesha turned away.

Zara leaned against the bench. “Look, I’m not saying he’s available. I’m saying if he is… it’s going to be a race.”

Ayesha forced a laugh. “You think he’d go for you?”

Zara smirked. “I think I’d make him forget every name but mine.”

The words stung - not because they were mean. But because Ayesha wasn’t sure they were wrong.

She'd had her moment. Her chance.

That cab ride. His warm, shy smile.

And she’d thrown it away with an eye roll.

She looked at herself in the mirror again, this time with something closer to desperation.

No more pretending.

If he’s really alone now, I’m going to remind him who looked like royalty that day in August.

And if Zara wanted a fight?

Well.

Let the best girl win.

It wasn’t even lunch yet, and already Ayesha had reapplied her lipstick twice.

Not because she needed it. Just… as preparation.

She’d seen the whispers. The stares. The way people tilted their heads like they were watching the wind shift. Something had changed today.

And now, she was going to see him herself.

She and Zara had timed it perfectly - “accidentally” choosing a bench near the CoC building, claiming they needed to kill time before Calculus. Half the student body was passing through anyway. Easy. Casual.

And if Bharath happened to be nearby?

Perfect.

“I heard he’s in CS this morning,” Zara murmured, tucking her sunglasses into her hair. “But people said they saw Marisol walking in earlier without him.”

Ayesha nodded, pulse quickening. “Sarah wasn’t around this morning either. Maybe they’re giving him space.”

Zara smirked. “Or maybe he’s already shopping for his next muse.”

Ayesha gave a tight smile. She didn’t like the way Zara said next - like she was already imagining herself in the middle of his next love story.

She didn’t want to admit it, but her stomach felt light. Not nervous. Hopeful.

And then they heard it.

Laughter. Cheers. A sudden whoop from someone near the CoC doors.

A girl ran past them, holding her backpack like it was too heavy to process what she’d just seen.

“You missed it,” she said breathlessly to her friend. “Sarah ran across the quad and launched herself at him. It was like watching Baywatch on DVD!”

Another guy walked past seconds later, talking into a bulky flip phone. “No, I’m serious - she kissed him like she hadn’t seen him in ten years. Then Marisol claimed him like a trophy. It was like public mating season out there.”

Ayesha’s heart thudded.

Zara blinked. “That… can’t be right.”

Someone else passed by. “I think the asphalt actually melted. People were cheering.”

Ayesha stood up. “No. They were apart. We saw them.”

But her feet were already moving.

The two girls crept toward the side corridor that led to the shared first-year math lecture halls. Most of the seats were open - students either already inside or waiting to dash in last-minute.

And then they saw him.

Bharath.

Head down. Laughing at something someone had said.

And on his right…

Marisol.

Tucked neatly under his arm, as if she’d never left.

Her hair spilled over his shoulder like they belonged there. Her fingers were looped with his. Her thumb stroked absentmindedly across his palm like it was habit - muscle memory.

Ayesha stopped walking.

Zara froze beside her.

They didn’t need more confirmation.

Because there was no space between them. No tension. No “we’re figuring things out.”

There was only affection. Fluid. Effortless.

Marisol was laughing at something Bharath whispered into her ear.

Zara exhaled through her nose. “So much for opportunity.”

Ayesha didn’t respond.

She was staring.

They look like a painting, she thought.

Like one of those dramatic, tender posters you see in calendar shops. Windblown and golden. Perfect in a way that didn’t beg for attention - it commanded it.

She felt her chest tighten.

It wasn’t even jealousy, exactly.

It was grief.

Because for a second - for just one fragile hour this morning - she had believed there was a window.

A moment where she could rewind the clock.

Make herself that airport version again - light, hopeful, wanted.

But that moment was gone.

And Bharath?

He hadn’t even noticed she was there.

The second-floor study lounge was alive with the usual chaos: half-open textbooks, too many drinks, three separate highlighter color codes no one was actually following, and at least one Discman blasting TLC softly in the corner.

The gang had regrouped after class - sprawled across couches and chairs, pretending to study but really just waiting for Mia to arrive with the costumes.

And also, let's be honest - debrief the spectacle that had been The Bharath Show.

Ravi couldn’t even hold it in anymore.

“I’m sorry - I’ve been trying so hard to be respectful but I can’t.”

He sat up dramatically, pushing his notes away. “You guys. The dude hugged Bharath.”

Tyrel, lounging sideways with his cap pulled low, cracked one eye open. “Like a handshake?”

“No. Full-body clutch. Like an airport reunion on Lifetime.”

Jorge nearly spit out his Coke. “I told you he looked like he was gonna cry.”

Camila perked up from her corner. “Wait, what is this?”

“Oh,” Jorge said, eyes gleaming. “You missed it? You missed it?”

“He got fan-hugged,” Ravi said, spinning to face the girls. “Some sophomore - khakis, tucked-in polo, serious engineering energy - just walked up to Bharath outside the CS building and hugged him like he’d come back from the war.”

Marisol gasped with delight. “No way.”

Sarah folded her arms and smirked. “Okay, that’s better than the rumors I heard.”

“And then,” Ravi continued, gesturing wildly, “he said, ‘I never stopped believing in you’, and gave Bharath a haiku.”

“A WHAT?” LaTasha shrieked.

Tyrel slapped the table. “I thought Ravi made that up but nope. He got a folded note. Very serious.”

Ravi and Jorge took turns trying to narrate the Haiku but broke down laughing each time. Marisol finally ended up finishing it up for them although she couldn’t stop laughing either..

Everyone turned to Bharath.

He looked up from his Discrete Math book and sighed. “I was just trying to go to class.”

Camila leaned across the table. “You can’t just walk around without your women anymore, Bharath. It causes unrest.”

“He was alone for like twelve hours,” Ravi said, “and the whole campus collapsed like a poorly structured while loop.”

“I heard a girl in line at Pizza Hut whisper, ‘He looks emotionally available now,’” Nandita added, sipping her tea. “She was dead serious.”

Tyrel shook his head, grinning. “That’s what happens when you let the king wander the kingdom without his queens. People start thinking there's a rebellion.”

“Oh yeah,” Jorge said. “Some dude near Skiles was taking bets. One to three odds that Sarah and Marisol ran off together and left Bharath for philosophical enlightenment. Apparently he made a killing as noone guessed that they were getting back together.”

Sarah pretended to be flattered. “Honestly, not mad about that theory.”

Marisol grinned, stretching lazily. “We did look good walking in without him.”

Camila wagged her finger. “But nothing topped that reunion.”

“Oh my God,” LaTasha said, clapping. “Tell us everything.”

Ravi threw his arms wide. “Sarah ran at him across the quad.”

Jorge chimed in, excited. “Full Baywatch sprint. Hair flying. Everyone stopped.”

Sarah shrugged modestly. “I missed him.”

“She jumped into his arms, ass first!” Ravi added. “People screamed.”

Marisol smiled, leaning into Bharath’s side. “Then I ran up and made it perfectly clear who he belonged to.”

“And the crowd cheered,” Jorge said. “I’m not exaggerating. Someone clapped like it was the end of a movie.”

“It is the best show on campus,” Camila declared.

“I swear,” Nandita said, “if we put this in a soap opera, people would say it’s unrealistic.”

Tyrel raised his soda can. “To the king and his queens. May your drama never be subtle.”

Bharath covered his face with his hands. “Can we please go back to studying?”

“No,” they all said at once.