Part-69

  Friday arrived, and James found himself fidgeting at the designated meeting spot – a dusty park bench behind the school library. Mili had been unusually secretive about their destination, sending chills of apprehension down his spine. He wasn't even sure why she'd picked this day. "Wasn't a date, right?" he'd thought, opting for the fort of his worn tracksuit over anythiely fancy.

  "Of course, it isn't a date. After all, she did say she has a boyfriend or crush something," James said, scratg his cheek.

  Fifteen miicked by, eae stretg into ay. Just as James was about to call it quits and decre Mili a master of cryptidezvous-es, she appeared. But unlike her usual utilitarian attire, she wore a cute sundress, the vibrant colors g with the drab park surroundings.

  James, momentarily thrown off guard, fot his pre-poicism. "Wow, you look…" he trailed off, unsure if a pliment was the right move at a time like this. The st thing he needed was another yer of awkwardness on top of the swirling fusion.

  Mili, however, seemed oblivious to his internal struggle. She simply raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "Why the tracksuit, James? Didn't think we were going for a jog."

  James flushed, his earlier worry repced by a sheepish grin. "Uh, well, you didn't say where we were going, and I thought maybe…" He trailed off, the ridiculousness of his assumptioling in. "Never mind. It's stupid."

  Mili let out a shh, the sound surprisingly pleasant to James' ears. "Not stupid, just… enthusiastibsp; Alright, enough chit-chat. We o get going." With a surprising dispy of grace, she hopped onto a bicycle parked nearby, a worher satchel dangling from the handlebars.

  James stared at the bike, then back at Mili in disbelief. "Wait, a bike? You wao ride a bike with you… in a dress?"

  Mili rolled her eyes, a pyful smile tugging at the er of her lips. "Rex, drama king. There's another bike for you, behind the library. Now e on, before su."

  A strange mix of excitement and trepidation bubbled within James. He had no idea where they were headed, but for the first time sihe fight with Sourov, a feeling other than fear or frustration coursed through him. He grabbed the spare bike, a rusty traption in desperate need of a tune-up, and followed Mili out of the park, the setting sun painting the sky in vibrant hues.

  Dhaka's bustling streets werely built for leisurely bike rides, especially firl in a dress. James felt a pang of awkwardness as he followed Mili, the honking horns and weaving rickshaws creating a chaotic symphony around them.

  An even more awkward fact was that James was following her rhythmically on his own bicycle, his pedaling aligning with the ce of her movements. He gnced around nervously, w if people were looking at them oddly. His eyes darted from side to side, catg glimpses of curious onlookers as they navigated the busy streets of Dhaka.