We were all laughing, sipping chai, basking in the afterglow of everything we'd become — until she showed up.
A girl from another school walked straight to our table, her heels clicking with confidence, her lip gloss catching the café lights. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around Avyansh.
"Oh my god, Avyansh! It's really you?" she squealed, her voice syrupy sweet and far too loud. "I can't believe it!"
Avyansh gave a small, surprised laugh. "Roohi... hey. It's been a while."
They fell into conversation too easily — like a bad habit neither had outgrown.
Atharva leaned toward us, voice low and amused. "That's Roohi," he said. "Avyansh's longtime fan. Or stalker, depending on how you look at it."
I saw her clearly then — the girl with too-familiar eyes, a smile she wore like a weapon, and hands that had hugged him like she'd done it a hundred times before. My fingers curled tighter around my chai, now cold in my hands.
Then, without warning, she looped her arm through his. "Excuse us, guys. I'm stealing Avyansh for a bit."
They stood up, and as they passed, she looked back and pointed at me. "Who's that?"
Avyansh barely glanced my way. "Just... a classmate."
A classmate.
The word sliced sharper than I expected. Tejal's and Jhanvi's jaws dropped in sync.
"That was not okay," Jhanvi whispered.
"Seriously? Just a classmate?" Tejal muttered. "He's such a—"
"Goofball," Atharva finished, trying to lighten the mood but failing.
"I'm fine," I lied, rising from my seat. "You guys stay. I've got to head home anyway."
"You sure?" Veeryansh asked, concern knitting his brows.
"Yeah. Take care. See you all at school."
As I walked out, I didn't look back.
"She's hurt," Veeryansh said softly.
Jhanvi nodded. "And he's an idiot."
"Someone needs to knock sense into him," Tejal growled.
"Calm down," Atharva tried. "Let's just go. It's getting late."
Avyansh's POV
I watched her leave.
Eyana didn't even glance back once — and somehow, that hurt the most.
I wanted to follow her, drop her home like I always did. But just as I turned, Roohi grabbed my arm.
"Wait, I'm not done. There's so much I still need to say."
But my mind had already left the café.
With her.
Eyana's POV
I walked faster. The lights blurred past me like ghosts of moments I wished I could erase.
Every step I took away from him felt like betrayal.
But staying... would've been worse.
The word classmate echoed in my head on a loop — cruel, cold, clinical.
As if I was just another name in a roll call.
Not the girl who knew the weight behind his silence.
Not the girl who had memorized the cracks in his voice and the shadows in his eyes.
Not the girl who once meant something.
I held back the tears until I reached home.
Then I sat by my window, watching the dark swallow the world outside, chai still untouched on the sill — just like how he left me.
Unnoticed. Unclaimed.
Avyansh's POV
I wanted to go after her.
God knows I did.
But Roohi wouldn't shut up. And part of me — the part I hate — stayed frozen.
Coward.
I kept looking at my phone. No texts. No calls.
She always used to send a "reached home" message.
Tonight, nothing.
I knew she was mad. I deserved it.
But I couldn't stop picturing her walking alone.
That blank look on her face when I called her "classmate."
Like I ripped something out of her.
She's not like the rest.
She never was.
I leaned back, closed my eyes, and cursed myself.
You screwed up, Avyansh.
And this time, you might've really lost her.
The Next Morning
Eyana's POV
I woke up feeling drained, my head still clouded with the mess from yesterday. Ugh, this is frustrating. Why do I care so much? I muttered to myself, glaring at my reflection in the mirror. "Focus on yourself, Eyana. Just... focus on you."
I got dressed, forcing on a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, and headed to school. As I joined my friends near the assembly area, I couldn't help but notice — Avyansh wasn't there.
We were just about to head toward the field when I heard a voice call out from behind.
"Eyana!"
I turned around. It was Siddhartha, jogging up to me with a cup of chai in his hand.
"You didn't get your regular drink today," he said, offering it with a warm smile. "Thought you might need it."
"Oh... yeah. I just forgot," I replied, taking the cup. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, Miss Eyana," he said playfully.
I raised an eyebrow. "That was... weird."
Siddhartha chuckled softly, then his tone turned serious. "I know by now you've probably heard the rumors... about me spending a night with a teacher."
I looked at him, surprised. "Yeah. I did."
"It's not true," he said quietly. "It was all a setup. Samiksha Ma'am orchestrated the whole thing."
My grip tightened on the cup.
"Because of her, I lost everything. My friends believed the lie. No one even asked for my side. They just... judged. And now I'm here, still pretending it doesn't hurt."
His voice cracked slightly. "I'm just a student. What could I even do? I've just been enduring it all... alone."
didn't know what to say. For a moment, I just stood there—holding that warm cup of chai between my fingers while a lump sat heavy in my throat.
He wasn't lying. I could see it in his eyes—raw, tired, wounded. The kind of look someone wears when they've been fighting alone for too long.
"I'm sorry," I finally said, softly. "You didn't deserve that."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "No one thinks so. You're probably the first person to say that."
I looked at him—really looked at him. For once, not the rumors. Not the whispers in the hallway. Not the stories people spun. Just Siddhartha—tired, misunderstood, and surprisingly... kind.
"You know," I said, "I've learned that people are quick to believe what entertains them, not what's true. That says more about them than it does about you."
He stared at me like no one had ever said anything like that to him before. And maybe... no one had.
The bell rang in the distance, pulling us back to reality.
"We should go," I said, adjusting the strap of my bag.
He nodded but before I could turn away, he said, "Eyana?"
I met his eyes.
"Thank you... for seeing me."
My heart tensed a little. Maybe it was the way he said it. Or maybe it was because I knew exactly how it felt—to be unseen by the one person who mattered most.
"Anytime," I whispered, and walked toward the assembly hall—chai in hand, storm in heart.
Assembly Hall – Eyana's POV
The air in the assembly hall buzzed with the usual morning chatter—teachers whispering, students half-asleep, and the principal preparing his endless monologue. I stood in line with my friends, trying to focus on the announcements, but my thoughts kept circling back to Siddhartha. His voice. His words. That look in his eyes. I didn't know what it meant, but it stayed with me like an echo.
Siddhartha had taken the spot next to me in line, just a little behind. I could feel the silence between us—not awkward, but comfortable. Calming, even.
"Are you always this calm in chaos?" I asked under my breath, eyes forward.
He chuckled softly. "Only when I have chai in my hand and someone like you beside me."
I bit my lip to hide the unexpected smile that crept up.
That's when I felt it.
A shift in the air.
Someone watching.
And I didn't have to turn to know who it was.
Avyansh.
He was standing across the hall, just behind his group, his eyes locked on us—on me and Siddhartha. His jaw was clenched, his brows furrowed. He wasn't listening to the announcements. He wasn't talking to his friends. He was just watching. Burning holes through the space between me and someone else.
I turned my head slightly, pretending not to notice—but I felt the heat of his stare crawl across my skin.
Tejal nudged me lightly. "Uh-oh. Looks like someone's not liking what he sees."
"I didn't do anything," I murmured.
"Exactly. And that's what's bothering him."
I glanced again. Avyansh hadn't moved, but now he looked pissed. Possessive. Like he didn't know whether to walk over or walk away. But either way, something had shifted.
Maybe this time, he knew what it felt like to be the one watching from the outside.
And maybe... that was the beginning of a new battle.
One that had nothing to do with words—and everything to do with hearts.
Avyansh's POV
I hadn't even planned to come early today. But something in me—restless, agitated—pushed me out of bed and through the gates faster than usual. And now I knew why.
There she was.
Eyana.
Smiling.
Not at me—but at him.
Siddhartha stood too close, holding a damn cup of chai like he knew her. Like they shared some unspoken secret. I caught the way she tilted her head, the slight curve of her lips when he spoke, the warmth in her eyes—eyes that used to look at me like that.
And suddenly, the morning didn't feel cold anymore.
It felt like fire in my chest.
What the hell is he doing with her?
I clenched my fists, jaw tight. I didn't even realize Tejal was talking to me until Atharva gave me a sharp nudge.
"Dude," he said. "You good?"
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
Because Eyana turned her head then—just slightly—and our eyes met.
For one heartbeat, the world paused. Her smile faltered. Her gaze locked with mine like she was trying to read my thoughts, but I had too many. Too much anger, confusion, regret. And something darker I didn't want to name.
She looked away first.
That hurt more than I expected.
Siddhartha leaned in, whispering something to her.
And that was it.
I stormed out of line.
"Ay! Where are you going?" Veeryansh called behind me, but I ignored him. I couldn't stand there and watch it anymore.
Classmate?
That's what I'd called her last night.
And now someone else was making her laugh like she never even needed me.
Serves me right.
Still... if he thinks he can just slide into her life—into my place—he's dead wrong.
Because if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's this:
She isn't his.
Even if I don't deserve her. And I don't know why I'm feeling like this when it comes to her.
Eyana's POV
The second our eyes met, I forgot how to breathe.
There he was—Avyansh—standing across the assembly ground, his gaze burning through me like wildfire. It wasn't just a look. It was a storm. A question. A thousand unspoken things crashing into me all at once.
And for the first time, I couldn't hold his stare.
I looked away.
Coward.
But what was I supposed to do? Pretend I didn't hear the way his voice sliced through me last night? "She's my classmate," he'd said—like I hadn't spent months trying not to fall for him, only to fail completely.
I wanted to hate him.
I wanted to scream.
But I just stood there, sipping on Siddhartha's chai and pretending my heart wasn't still stitched to Avyansh's name.
Siddhartha leaned in, saying something about the teacher again—but I wasn't listening anymore. My mind had left the assembly. It was back in the café. Back at that table. Back to that moment he let her pull him away from me.
And now here we are.
The boy who turned cold overnight.
And the girl too proud to chase after a heart that stopped choosing her.
But still... I felt his stare even as he turned and walked away. His shoulders tense. His jaw clenched. Like he saw something he didn't want to see.
Like maybe, just maybe...
he still cared. .And I don't know why I'm feeling like this when it comes to her.
Eyana's POV
The second our eyes met, I forgot how to breathe.
There he was—Avyansh—standing across the assembly ground, his gaze burning through me like wildfire. It wasn't just a look. It was a storm. A question. A thousand unspoken things crashing into me all at once.
And for the first time, I couldn't hold his stare.
I looked away.
Coward.
But what was I supposed to do? Pretend I didn't hear the way his voice sliced through me last night? "She's my classmate," he'd said—like I hadn't spent months trying not to fall for him, only to fail completely.
I wanted to hate him.
I wanted to scream.
But I just stood there, sipping on Siddhartha's chai and pretending my heart wasn't still stitched to Avyansh's name.
Siddhartha leaned in, saying something about the teacher again—but I wasn't listening anymore. My mind had left the assembly. It was back in the café. Back at that table. Back to that moment he let her pull him away from me.
And now here we are.
The boy who turned cold overnight.
And the girl too proud to chase after a heart that stopped choosing her.
But still... I felt his stare even as he turned and walked away. His shoulders tense. His jaw clenched. Like he saw something he didn't want to see.
Like maybe, just maybe...
he still cared.
The bell rang, signaling the end of assembly, and the crowd began to scatter like fallen leaves in wind. My friends gathered near the corridor, already gossiping about the new girl from 11-B who apparently wore heels to school. I smiled faintly, pretending to care.
But I could feel him.
Avyansh.
Somewhere behind me. Not close. Not far. Just... there. His presence was like gravity—pulling at me even when I didn't want to move.
I walked ahead, brushing past students, trying to lose myself in the noise.
"Eyana," a voice called from behind—not loud, but sharp.
I turned, instinctively, already knowing.
Avyansh stood a few feet away, arms folded, his expression unreadable.
He looked at me the way someone looks at a half-solved puzzle. As if trying to understand what changed.
"You didn't tell anyone you were hurt last night," he said, voice low.
My lips twitched. "You were too busy with Roohi."
His jaw clenched. "That wasn't—"
"Wasn't what?" I cut him off. "Important? Meaningful? Or were you going to say it wasn't what it looked like?" I laughed bitterly. "Don't worry, Avyansh. I'm your classmate. I get it."
I could see the words hit him, hard.
He took a step forward. "Eyana... why were you with Siddhartha?"
And there it was. His jealousy—painted in concern, dipped in coldness.
I tilted my head. "You didn't ask who I was last night, but you want to know who I'm with now?"
He looked stunned for a second. And in that pause—I walked past him.
One step. Then another.
Until I was ahead of him again, this time with my pride barely stitched together.
The classroom was buzzing, sunlight slicing through the windows and dancing on the desks. I took my usual seat beside Tejal, quietly flipping through my notebook, pretending to be focused. But inside, I was still burning—burning with last night, with this morning, with everything him.
Avyansh walked in five minutes late.
He didn't look at anyone. Not even Atharva, who tried to fist-bump him like always. He walked straight to the back, but then—he stopped.
"Miss Eyana," he said out loud.
The whole class turned to look.
I looked up, startled. He never called me that. Not like that. Not with that intensity.
He walked over to my desk, slow and deliberate. Everyone was staring now. It was dead silent—except for the way my heart pounded in my ears.
He took my notebook from in front of me, scribbled something on a page, then tore it cleanly and folded it once.
Then he leaned down—close enough that I could smell the faint scent of his cologne and the chaos behind his silence.
And with a voice low enough only I could hear, he said,
"I don't like sharing what's mine, Eyana. You were never just a classmate. Read this."
He placed the folded paper in my hand and walked back to his seat like nothing had happened.
Tejal's mouth dropped open beside me.
I sat frozen for a second, heat crawling up my neck. My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the paper:
You think I didn't see the way he looked at you?
But more than that—
I saw the way you looked back.
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