Naina
I couldn't get him out of my head.
Even now, walking through the campus gates with my earbuds in and a coffee I didn't even need, Abhay Rawat was stuck in the back of my mind like a song I couldn't forget. His smirk, the infuriating calm in his voice, the way he leaned back in his chair like he was watching a scene unfold exactly as he predicted. His fluffy hair that sat perfectly and went incredibly well with his black shirt. I hated that I noticed all of it. Hated even more that I remembered it in such annoying, stupid detail.
And the worst part? He didn't even do anything. He was just making conversation and socializing with my family. But, somehow, his words still crawl under my skin hours later. I keep telling myself it was irritation. Embarrassment, maybe. But if that were true, why did I keep replaying that glance he gave me at the end of the night, dark and intense, like he was trying to read something in my eyes?
I was spiraling and going crazy from one night, no, a few hours of proximity. That much was obvious. It felt as if he was the dregs at the bottom of my cup, forcing me to acknowledge his presence in my life. So when I slid into my usual spot across from Ira in the college canteen, I didn't even bother pretending was fine. My face probably gave me away before I could open my mouth.
I didn't have the energy to put effort into my appearance, I put on the most basic outfit, baggy jeans and Kurti, with a bindi and just prayed that my slept in hair looked presentable.
After two back-to-back lectures, I enter the canteen and slump into the seat beside ira, exhausted.
"You look like someone chewed on your hair and didn't even wash it," she said, not even looking up from her phone.
"What does that even mean?"
"That you look like you haven't slept even a little," she said, still typing. "Did you lose your favourite lip gloss?" I groaned and dropped my head onto the table. "No. Nothing like that happened. It's just that I saw him last night."
Her fingers paused mid-text, and she looks up. "Who?"" Abhay."I lifted my head slowly and nodded. "At a restaurant. With his family. It was... infuriating." Ira blinked. "Oh, my god. What are the odds?"
"Right?" I sit up, rubbing my temples. "And of course, our dads already knew each other. So it became this whole cheerful, 'Oh look, the kids know each other too! So let's eat together and catch up' moment. And he—Abhay—had the audacity to bring up the milkshake thing, in front of everyone."
Ira looked at me, dumbstruck, like I'd just handed her the best gossip of the week. "He didn't." "He did. He was smiling like it was some inside joke I'd signed up for. I wanted to kick him under the table."
"And you didn't?" she asks, amused. "My dad was there. I'm trying to act like a semi-respectable adult."
Ira finally set her phone down and leaned in, her expression shifting from teasing to thoughtful. "Okay, we need real talk. Why is this bothering you so much?"
I hesitated. Because I didn't have an answer. Because saying it out loud made it real, somehow. "I.. don't know," I said finally. "It's just that every time I see him, he gets under my skin. Like, instantly. Like there's this switch in my brain that flips and suddenly I'm in this... back-and-forth with him and I don't know how I got there. I'm not like this, you know that. I get along with most everyone. "
"Because you enjoy it," she said, not unkindly. "You like the way he looks at you. You like that he pushes your buttons."
I stared at her. "I like being annoyed? Whenever I meet him, he embarrasses me by saying something nonsensical!"
"No," she said, tilting her head. "You like being seen for once and he sees you. He doesn't let you hide behind all your walls that you've built up over the years. That's why you hate it. It's not the milkshake, it's not even the dinner. It's that he noticed you. And you noticed him back."
I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Because she wasn't wrong. Somewhere beneath all the eye-rolls and muttered insults, there was this weird electricity between me and Abhay. Not exactly attraction, no, that would be too simple. It was something else. Something messier. He looked at me like I was a challenge. Like he liked the fight.
And maybe, just maybe... I didn't mind giving him one.
Ira leaned back, looking satisfied. "You're quiet."
"I'm processing," I muttered.
"You're spiralling," she corrected, smiling.
I sighed and took a sip of the coffee that had long gone cold. "So what do I do, love expert?"
"Nothing," she said. "Let it mess with you a little. You don't have to figure it out right now. Take it one day at a time. Don't let it stress you out. Just... don't pretend it's not happening, like you'd told me when I liked Reyansh at the start."
I nodded slowly, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach at the thought of seeing him again. He'll probably be smirking, overjoyed by the thought of riling me up.
"What's going on with you two? It feels like I've missed a lot since the beginning of your relationship." I look over to see Ira setting down her phone and giving me her undivided attention. "Oooh, are we talking about deep things? I love talking about serious things," Avani gushes and snags a chair and Alana does the same. Ira's eyes widen, shocked by their sudden appearance.
"Ira's going to tell us about her man while we single people die of jealousy," I tease, nudging her playfully. Her cheeks flush, and she tucks her hair behind her ear before speaking," Although, let's be honest, I don't think I'm the only one with a love interest. I mean, you clearly have Abhay—"
"Abhay?" Avani gasps, nearly choking on her drink. "I knew something was going on with you two!" She turns to Ira. "Didn't I tell you? The tension? It's been sizzling. Veer was right," she whispers the last part, but I hear it.
Alana smirks and mimics Avani. "So... Veer was right."
Ira squints. "Wait. Veer? The same guy we blacklisted after he ghosted you on while he was away?" Avani shrugs, trying to act cool. "It's nothing like that. We're just.. friends." "Mm-hmm," I mutter. "Sounds like someone's memory is selective."
Alana leans back with a groan. "All of you are exhausting. I came for gossip, not to watch my friends get paired off like it's a matchmaking reality show. I feel so single that I want to fling myself off of a cliff."
"Single by choice or by rejection?" I ask sweetly.
She narrows her eyes. "By choice. And I stand by it."
Before she can retaliate, the boys arrive—like they've been summoned by drama. Reyansh spots Ira and walks straight over to her without hesitation. "Why do I feel like I just walked into an intense conversation?" "That's because you did," Ira says, grinning up at him.
He grins and sits beside her. "Cool. I'll take the investigation if it means sitting next to you." She tries not to smile, but her eyes betray her.
Veer saunters in next and drops his bag under the table. "So what's the verdict, ladies? Who's getting exposed today?" Avani shakes her head. "No one, as long as you behave."
"That's no fun," he says, inching a little too close to her.
And then Abhay shows up—quiet as always, hands in his hoodie pockets, his eyes skimming the table before landing briefly on me. It's barely a second. But it's enough to make my pulse jump. He takes the seat across from me, nodding once. "Afternoon."
"So," he adds, tone perfectly casual, "I hear I'm someone's love interest now." I narrow my eyes. "My brother said one thing—" "Didn't deny it," he says.
Alana leans forward with an evil grin. "You should've seen her in building materials. She kept on staring like he was a home she wanted to furnish." I groan. "That's because he was stabbing his notebook with a pen like a serial killer!"
Avani snorts. "You've definitely got a type." Abhay quirks an eyebrow. "Violent and mysterious?" "No," I say. "Annoying and smug."
"Wait, I'm your type?" "Oh, shut up," I mutter, exasperated.
Reyansh glances between us, then mutters, "Wow. The sexual tension is actually tangible."
Alana shakes her head. "If this turns into a live enemies-to-lovers arc, I'm quitting this friend group. I cannot watch another happy relationship every day." Veer, not letting it go, turns to Abhay. "You didn't answer, man. Do you watch her the way she watches you?"
Abhay leans back in his chair. "Not during class."
That gets a few hoots from the table. Avani spits out her coffee on the table and splutters. I don't say anything, but my face is already burning. Then, quieter—only I catch it—he adds, "But I sure do notice things."
Just then, Atharva—my classmate—walks over, hand outstretched like we're about to shake on a deal. I frown. "What are you doing?"
"Arey, maine bola tha na," he says casually, "you were going to give me yesterday's notes." Right. Between dinner and Akshay Bhai's surprise return, it had completely vanished from my head.
"Yeah, I'll give them to you in class, okay?"
"That's fine." His eyes flicker toward the table—toward Abhay. "Hi, Abhay." That's when the shift happens. Abhay, who had been half-listening until now, stiffens.
"Atharva," he says, his voice clipped, guarded. Not a greeting. More like a warning.
Atharva holds his gaze for a second too long. Then he looks back at me, offering a slightly smug smile before turning and walking out. The silence at the table thickens like fog.
"Do you know him?" I ask. Abhay didn't answer immediately. His jaw ticks once. "Yeah. We went to the same school." "Oh." I pause, then ask, "Friends?" He laughs—but there's no humour in it. "Not even close." The air changes.
Avani senses it too. She glances between us, eyebrows raised. Ira shoots me a look. Even Alana stops scrolling on her phone. There's history there. And it's not looking good.
Abhay's posture stiffens like he's gearing up for a silent war. His arms cross, jaw clenched, that brooding look settling onto his face like second nature.
I glance at him. "You okay?" "I Didn't know you were close with him," he says, staring straight ahead.
"We're not," I reply, confused. "He just asked for notes." "That's how he usually starts." I blink. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Before Abhay can answer, Reyansh leans in, smirking. "Oooh, this got personal real fast." ira raises an eyebrow. "Wait—that was Atharva? Your rival from school?"
"Rival?" Alana echoes, looking intrigued for once. "As in... academic rival? Sports? Or dramatic Bollywood backstory?"
"Well, all of the above," Reyansh mutters, sipping her drink. "They basically hated each other on sight." "I didn't hate him," Abhay mutters. Reyansh snorts. "Sure you didn't. You only almost punched him during that interschool debate because he 'smirked too much.'"
I try not to laugh. "You really hate his face that much?" "He's fake," Abhay says tightly. "Always playing the good guy." "Sounds like someone's threatened," Avani sings.
"I'm not threatened," Abhay snaps.
Everyone at the table just goes still for a beat." Cut it out, man. Don't take your anger out on her." Veer says, his eyes sharp. Abhay mutters a small sorry to Avani and stares at his food. "I have no feelings towards him."
Then Ira deadpans, "You literally just glared a hole through the back of his head." "Yeah," Alana adds, "your nostrils were flaring. That's how we know it's serious."
"I wasn't—"
"Abhay," Veer cuts in, grinning now, "you're jealous." "I'm not," he mutters, but even he knows he's lost this round.
"You so are," Avani says, delighted. "Honestly, it's kind of adorable. In a murdery way."
"I'm not jealous," Abhay insists. "I just don't trust him. You can do better." he looks at me and my heart thumps. Reyansh claps him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, bro. If she liked the charming type, she'd be with me."
"God, no," I say immediately, and everyone laughs. Abhay doesn't smile, but I catch the way he glances at me, quick and guarded, like he's checking if what I said really meant something.
I did. But I don't say that out loud and just like that, the mood lifts, lighter now, but the undercurrent is still there. Quiet. Simmering.
Later that day, I spotted Atharva standing just outside our classroom, casually leaning against the notice board, eyes glued to his phone like he was deep in some existential crisis. His curly brown hair caught the sunlight filtering through the corridor windows, the loose strands bouncing slightly as he moved. He was fair-skinned, with those soft light brown eyes that always seemed to flicker with charm.
I walked over, holding the folded notes in one hand. "Hey," I said, raising the papers. "Your notes." He looked up, his face lighting up with that practiced, annoyingly charismatic smile. "Ah, the saviour herself. You just saved me from academic doom."
I rolled my eyes. "You're so dramatic. It's four pages, not divine intervention." Still, he took them with almost exaggerated gratitude, flipping through the sheets. "Neat handwriting," he said, glancing up at me. "I Didn't peg you for the type."
I arched an eyebrow. "I can still surprise you, shocking." Atharva laughed, his shoulders relaxing as he stepped a little closer. "You know, you're easier to talk to than I expected. This is not what I imagined."
"And what did you imagine?" I asked, crossing my arms, amused. He smiled, shrugging. "Someone a little scarier." Before I could respond, that familiar prickling sensation crept over me—the unmistakable feeling of being watched. I turned slightly.
Abhay stood a few feet away, arms crossed tightly across his chest, his gaze fixed on us with the kind of intensity that could burn through brick. His face was unreadable, but I understood that look—it was all sharp edges and tension he wasn't even trying to hide.
"Atharva," he said, voice even too calm to be genuine. "I Didn't expect to see you still hanging around."
Atharva just smiled, unbothered, as always. He turned slightly, so the sunlight caught his curls. I could practically hear the mental gears turning in Abhay's head, his hatred towards Atharva was clearly visible.
"I was just picking up notes from Naina," Atharva replied smoothly, waving the sheets a little. "She's been kind enough to help me." Abhay's eyes flicked to the papers, then to me. "You didn't mention he needed them urgently."
I frowned, shifting my weight. "I didn't realize I had to send you my schedule." His expression didn't change, but I could see the way his jaw tightened. Something was simmering behind that careful stillness.
Atharva, sensing the shift, casually stepped forward. "Anyway, thanks again, Naina. You're the best." He smiled at me and patted me on the back, then glanced once, deliberately, at Abhay before strolling away down the corridor.
The silence he left behind felt hollow.
I turned to face Abhay fully. "Okay. What was that?" "What?" he said, his voice flat. "That weird energy. You looked like you were about to lunge at him. Are you still jealous of him?"
"I didn't lunge."
"You glared. You brooded. You—God, I don't even know. You did that thing where men act like they don't care, but your entire face is screaming, I care so much I might implode. Trust me, I know, I've seen it in my brother."
He sighed, looking away briefly. "I just don't trust him." "Because he asked for notes?" "Because I know him," he said sharply. "Better than you do."
I crossed my arms. "You sure this isn't about something else?" His jaw clenched again. Bingo. "I'm not jealous," he muttered. "Right," I said, stepping past him. "That's exactly what someone not jealous would say."
Behind me, I heard him sigh, low and frustrated. "Just... be careful with him, okay?" I didn't turn back, but a small smile tugged at my lips.
"Okay," I said over my shoulder. And for once, I didn't mind knowing he was still standing there, watching me walk past him.
That evening, we were all at our usual corner in the canteen, the table cluttered with cold coffee cups, half-eaten sandwiches, and absolutely no peace. I'd barely sat down when Avani narrowed her eyes at me like a hawk spotting prey.
"You're quiet," she said. "Which means something juicy happened, and you're pretending it didn't?" I raised a brow. "Maybe I'm just tired."
"Nope," Ira chimed in. "You've got that look; like you're mentally replaying a conversation and over analysing it to death." Alana sipped her iced tea without looking up. "That's her default setting, though."
I sighed, sinking back into my chair. "Okay, fine. Something did happen." Four heads snapped to attention.
I braced myself. "I was giving Atharva the notes he asked for, and Abhay showed upright in the middle of it. He looked... tense, kind of. Said almost nothing, but he was giving full death-glare energy."
"Oof." Ira leaned in. "That boy's got a stare that could melt steel when he's pissed." "I knew it," Avani said, slapping the table. "He saw Atharva — Disney-prince energy—and panicked; as he should."
"I mean, let's be honest," Alana added, "Atharva's hot. Like, unfairly hot. If I were Abhay, I'd be suspicious too." "Especially since he's flirty without even trying," Ira nodded. "And Naina was giving him notes, standing close, probably laughing at something dumb—"
"I was not—"
"You so were," Avani cut in gleefully. "And Abhay lost it, didn't he?" I groaned. "He denied being jealous." "Which means he absolutely is," said Alana calmly. "Classic male denial."
Reyansh, sitting nearby with his feet up on a chair, raised a brow. "Honestly? I'd be sweating too if a guy who looks like Atharva was hovering around my... person of interest."
"My what?" I asked, but he ignored me.
"So, what did you do?" Ira asked eagerly. "Did you call him out?" "I may have told him he was jealous." "YESSSS!" they all shouted in chorus, drawing a few annoyed glances from other tables.
"You guys are embarrassing," I muttered, trying not to smile.
Avani clutched her chest like she was witnessing a live romance drama. "This is everything I live for. Jealous Abhay, and an Unbothered Naina with a hot third party. Honestly, this is better than half the web series I've watched. I'm kind of starting to want a relationship now."
"You're seriously blowing this out of proportion," I said, sipping on some coffee. Ira grinned. "Are we though?"
I sighed, because even with all their dramatics... maybe they weren't wrong. Maybe Abhay had been jealous.
Just when I thought the chaos had peaked, Veer slid into the empty seat next to Avani like he owned the entire cafeteria. He dropped his bag beside him, ran a hand through his messy hair, and looked around with interest.
"What's all this yelling? Did someone get dumped?" he asked, grinning. "Naina made Abhay jealous," Ira announced gleefully before I could even open my mouth.
"Oh? Again?" Veer perked up immediately, turning to me with all the enthusiasm of a man who lived for this kind of drama. "I Didn't peg you as the type to play with fire."
"I wasn't—" I started.
"She was talking to Atharva," Avani added helpfully. "Giving him notes. You should've seen Abhay's face." Veer whistled low. "Man, how I wish I could've been there for your intervention?"
"Damn." He leaned back, looking almost impressed. "No offence, but that dude's like a walking shampoo advertisement. If Abhay didn't short-circuit, I'd be concerned."
I buried my face in my hands. "Why are all of you like this?" "Because we care," Veer said solemnly. "Also, because this is better than watching reruns of The Office."
"He totally glared at Atharva," Reyansh offered from across the table. "I know it. I think he now has murderous intentions." Veer smirked. "Ah. Classic Alpha Male Behaviour. He should've just peed around you like a territorial wolf."
"Veer!" I shouted, half-horrified, half-choking on my coffee.
"I'm just saying," he shrugged, unbothered. "If I had feelings for someone and saw her with a guy who looks like a human cinnamon roll dipped in aesthetics, I'd freak out, too."
There was a pause, and everyone turned slowly toward him.
"What?" he said. "I'm observant."
Avani rolled her eyes. "You're something, all right." Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. I glanced down.
Abhay (Asshole): Can we talk?
My stomach did a little somersault.
"Uh-oh," Veer said, peeking over my shoulder like a nosy little gremlin. "And the plot thickens."
Oh. My. God. I almost got 3500 words! I'm so happy right now and it's 3 am while I'm editing this. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Do tell me your thoughts and show my book some love, I'm working very hard on it:)
Word count: 3490
Love,
Adi<3
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