Today was the first time they were going somewhere together.
Shuvo was driving the car, occasionally glancing at Pari. Suddenly, he smiled and said,
"You know, Pari… you are very beautiful."
Hearing him praise her, Pari felt shy. Looking down, she softly replied,
"We are very poor people…"
While driving, Shuvo gently placed one hand over hers and said in a calm voice,
"I like you, Pari. I can do anything to have you."
After driving for a while, Shuvo found a quiet and beautiful place and stopped the car.
"Let's step out for a bit," he said.
Pari quickly replied,
"No, let's stay in the car. Someone might get suspicious seeing my uniform."
Shuvo smiled.
"Alright, we'll stay in the car."
He had brought chow mein for her from a nice restaurant in Sylhet. Sitting inside the car, they ate together.
After finishing, Shuvo took out a small box from his bag and handed it to Pari.
Surprised, Pari asked,
"What is this?"
Shuvo replied,
"A mobile phone. It's for you."
Pari became nervous and said,
"Sorry… I can't take this."
Shuvo looked confused.
"Why? It's a gift for you."
Pari spoke softly,
"I haven't said 'yes' to you yet. And if I take this home, everyone will ask questions."
Shuvo smiled gently and said,
"You came with me—that means you've already started liking me. I know… very soon, you'll say yes."
Pari stayed silent for a moment. Then she said,
"I don't even know how to use this kind of phone."
Shuvo replied warmly,
"I'll teach you everything."
He turned on the phone and began showing her how to use it.
"With this phone, you'll talk to me every night on video call. No one will even know. And once a week, we'll meet like this."
After some insistence from Shuvo, Pari finally accepted the phone. He patiently taught her everything and even inserted a SIM card and data for her.
After a while, Pari said,
"It's almost time for college to end. Please drop me near the college."
Holding her hand, Shuvo said softly,
"Alright."
He drove her back and dropped her near the college gate. As Pari stepped out of the car, she turned back once.
Shuvo was still sitting there, looking at her.
Then slowly, he drove away toward the city.