The sky had dimmed into hues of dusky orange and soft lavender. Lanterns flickered around the open camp clearing, their warm glow casting golden light on the circle forming around a crackling fire.
Laughter, chatter, and crackles from marshmallows roasting on sticks filled the air. But the real buzz started when Aarav leaned forward, his smirk wide.
"Okay," he announced, clapping his hands once, "we're doing this the classic way—Truth or Dare. No skipping, no chickening out."
"Uh, have you met half of us?" Ruhi raised a brow. "This group was made for chaos."
A few classmates chuckled. Tejal clapped excitedly. "Bring it on!"
They all shuffled to sit cross-legged or on logs—Avyansh, Siddhartha, Eyana, Veeryansh, Atharva, Tejal, Jhanvi, Meghana, Ruhi, Aarohi, Sohel, Kian, and others. Marshmallow sticks were traded for tension and curiosity.
Aarav spun the bottle first. The glass gleamed in the firelight as it twirled—and landed on Kian.
Aarav grinned. "Truth or dare?"
Kian gave a crooked smile. "Dare."
Aarav's grin widened. "I dare you to sing the school anthem in a dramatic opera style."
The group burst out laughing as Kian stood up and performed a horrifyingly dramatic rendition, complete with fake vibrato. It broke the initial awkwardness, and the game continued—jokes, silly dares, and goofy truths.
But then—
The bottle spun. Slowed. And pointed straight at Eyana.
A hush fell. All eyes turned.
"Truth or dare?" Aarohi asked, grinning devilishly.
Eyana hesitated. Her eyes flicked briefly to Avyansh, then to Siddhartha—both watching her far too closely.
"Truth," she said softly.
Aarohi smirked. "Safe choice. So... is there someone here you've had feelings for—but haven't told them completely?"
The fire popped. Everyone leaned slightly closer.
Eyana's breath hitched. For a second, no one moved.
Her gaze dropped. "Yes."
Whispers stirred.
"Who?" Veeryansh prompted, half-joking.
"Wait, wait, wait. We said one question," Eyana deflected quickly, a soft laugh escaping her lips—too forced, too fragile.
"Hmm," Aarav chuckled, "we'll get back to that."
The bottle spun again. This time it pointed to Avyansh.
Everyone leaned in again. Tejal's eyes lit up. "Dare."
He smirked, unfazed. "Hit me."
Jhanvi spoke up this time. "I dare you to whisper something you've never said to the person you've liked the most."
Eyana froze.
The group whooped and ooh-ed, nudging Avyansh. But he didn't react.
He got up.
And without breaking eye contact, he walked over to Eyana.
Dead silence.
He leaned down, his lips a breath away from her ear—and whispered something so quietly that not even the fire dared interrupt.
Eyana's eyes widened.
And then his lips brushed just behind her ear, slow and intentional, sending a wave of heat down her spine before he straightened and walked back without looking back once.
The group exploded in howls, half of them yelling, "Broooo," and "That was so smooth," while Eyana sat frozen, pulse in her throat, face warm.
Siddhartha didn't laugh. His jaw tensed as the bottle spun again.
It pointed at him next.
"Truth," Siddhartha said coolly.
Aarav raised a brow. "Would you ever date someone your best friend was in love with?"
That was it.
The air shifted.
Avyansh's eyes snapped to Siddhartha.
Siddhartha didn't blink. "Only if she chose me instead."
A sharp pause. A few students laughed awkwardly, not quite understanding the weight behind it.
But Eyana did.
And so did Avyansh.
Her fingers curled slightly into her palms.
The game continued, but for the three of them—Avyansh, Siddhartha, and Eyana—it wasn't just a game anymore.
It was war beneath a smile.
It was truths never fully said.
And it was the beginning of something that would no longer stay hidden.
After five or six wild rounds, the bottle spun again—and this time, it landed squarely on Atharva.
Aarav leaned in. "Truth or dare, buddy?"
With a confident smirk, Atharva said, "Dare."
Avyansh, mischief twinkling in his eyes—maybe trying to deflect attention from his earlier moment with Eyana—smirked.
"Kiss the person directly opposite to you."
Everyone froze.
Especially me and Jhanvi.
Atharva lifted his head slowly... and looked straight ahead.
Tejal.
She was sitting directly opposite him.
Even Tejal looked stunned—her eyes widened in shock.
"WTF... Did I just hear that right?" she whispered to Eyana and me. We couldn't even respond—we were just as stunned.
The group burst into hoots and cheers.
"Atharva! Atharva!" they chanted.
But Tejal sat there, frozen, her mind going blank.
Atharva stood up slowly, walked over to her, knelt slightly—and kissed her softly on the cheek.
She didn't move. She was too stunned.
But Atharva knew exactly what was going through her mind.
He leaned in closer to her ear and whispered,
"You thought I'd kiss you on the lips, didn't you?"
Tejal's eyes widened even more.
How the hell did he know?
She let out a nervous laugh and tried to cover it up with a playful scoff.
"Don't flatter yourself," she mumbled, cheeks pink.
Back at the circle, Avyansh raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Didn't think you'd do it."
Atharva simply said, eyes still on Tejal,
"I don't back out."
The next round began.
The bottle spun and landed on Ruhi.
Aarav grinned. "Truth or dare, Miss Ruhi?"
Before she could answer, Ayansh and Atharva teased him,
"Why so formal, Aarav? Something special?"
Ruhi chose, "Truth."
Sohel jumped in, grinning mischievously.
"Who's the most unexpected person you'd date from this circle?"
Ruhi hesitated for a second. Then glanced up.
"Honestly... Siddhartha."
The group went silent.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Eyana.
Her face? Completely unreadable.
Siddhartha chuckled, brushing it off.
"Bold taste."
"Okay, second last round!" Arohi announced.
The bottle spun—and landed on Eyana.
Before she could speak, the others jumped in—
"No repeats!"
But curiosity got the best of them.
Eyana sighed. "Fine. Dare."
Veeryansh smirked. "Look into the eyes of the one you like the most... for 15 seconds. No breaking gaze."
The air changed.
This was too personal.
"That's not fair. Change the dare," Eyana demanded.
"I heard Eyana can sing," Tejal blurted out suddenly.
I turned to her, eyes narrowing.
"Why the hell would you say that?"
"Shut up, she's saving you," Jhanvi whispered quickly.
Aarav added, "Okay then. Sing a song and dedicate it to the one you like."
Eyana bit her lip. "Promise me you won't judge?"
"Promise!" everyone chorused.
She closed her eyes—and began to sing:
**"Dekheya main chand dekheya
Nooran wale sitare dekheya,
Par tere jaisa na koi dekhaya na main... hmmm...
Lagta hai nighaon mein teri
Bin doobe rehna hi nahi,
Mujhe ishq yeh karne se ab
Koi bhi na rok sakeya...
O haareya main dil haareya,
Main haara tujhpe o..."**
As her voice faded, the group sat silently, some smiling, some caught in thought.
Eyana opened her eyes and shrugged.
"It wasn't meant for anyone. Just my favorite song right now."
But deep inside, she knew exactly who it was for.
"Okay, last round!" Arohi said, spinning the bottle one final time.
It landed on Veeryansh.
"Truth or dare?" Aarav asked.
"Truth."
Kian groaned. "Ugh. Why would you do that?"
Aarav asked, "Do you have a crush on someone in this group?"
Without hesitation, Veeryansh said, "Yes."
Jhanvi blinked, clearly shocked.
"Wait, what? This guy has a crush?"
Meghana leaned in, playful but curious.
"Who is it?"
Veeryansh smirked. "Rules are rules. No second questions."
But his eyes locked with Jhanvi.
And that was answer enough.
Later that night, Tejal was walking back to her room alone. The air was cool, and her mind still reeled from Atharva's cheek kiss.
Just as she reached for her door, a hand gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back—right into Atharva's arms.
He leaned in close, his breath brushing her ear.
"You did want me to kiss you on the lips, didn't you?"
Tejal gasped softly.
His arm stayed firm around her waist.
Their eyes met.
Her chest rose with the silence between them—words unspoken but undeniable.
She looked away. "You're imagining things."
Atharva chuckled softly, leaning in just enough to make her heart race.
"Maybe. Or maybe... you're just good at hiding what you want."
Before she could reply, she heard Jhanvi and Eyana's voices echoing down the hallway.
Tejal pulled back immediately, cheeks burning.
Atharva didn't stop her—but that teasing smile stayed on his lips.
Avyansh's pov
Avyansh didn't wait. As soon as the group scattered, laughter echoing into the quiet night, he caught Eyana's wrist and gently but firmly pulled her away from the fire.
The warmth of the flames was replaced by the quiet rustling of trees and the sound of their breaths as he stopped beside a tall oak and pinned her gently but firmly against it.
The moonlight glinted off his sharp jawline, and his eyes — darker than usual — held hers with a fire she hadn't seen before.
"For how long are you going to keep pushing me away, Eyana Dhritya?" he said, her full name falling from his lips like a secret too heavy to carry anymore.
Her breath hitched.
The way he said her name — slow, deliberate — sent a shiver up her spine. And then, he reached up.
His fingers brushed softly against her cheek, and with a tenderness that felt so intimate, he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I knew that song was for me," he whispered, voice rough but low, a little amused, a little wounded.
"Baby girl, you don't have to lie to yourself. Not anymore."
And before she could say a word, his thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip, so gently it made her heart skip.
She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until he leaned in just close enough for her to feel his warmth without touching.
Eyana's POV:
My heart pounded so loud, I was sure he could hear it. I didn't know this side of Avyansh existed.
This raw, unfiltered version of him—he wasn't the sarcastic, teasing guy I used to fight with in class.
He was a man who saw right through me, who knew when I was pretending, even when I fooled everyone else. And the way he called me "baby girl"—ugh.
I hated how much I liked it.
I wanted to push him away.
I should've.
But instead, I just stood there, caught in the space between his palm on my cheek and his voice in my ear.
Meanwhile, back at the fire...
Veeryansh had his eyes fixed on Jhanvi, who was still frozen in shock after his confession.
"You good?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You've been staring at me like that for a full minute."
She blinked rapidly, then rolled her eyes and stood to walk away—but her foot caught on a log.
"Jhanvi—!"
Before she could fall, Veeryansh was there, catching her by the waist in one smooth move.
Her hands landed on his chest as he steadied her, and before she could move, he leaned in and whispered against her ear, "Careful.
My crush would get really mad if she saw me this close to someone else."
Jhanvi shoved him away, face flushed red. "You're so—ugh! Annoying!" she snapped, stalking off.
Jhanvi's POV:
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
One second he's being sweet, the next he's dropping those stupid cryptic flirty lines.
And why did he have to smell so damn good? Stupid Veer and his stupid smile. UGH.
Veeryansh's POV:
She's mad. She's cute when she's mad. And she totally caught the hint—I saw it in her eyes.
Atharva's POV:
I saw Veeryansh flirt with Jhanvi and nearly choked on my drink
. Man's playing a dangerous game. But hey... he's not wrong. Jhanvi does get all flustered.
Tejal's POV:
Why does Atharva always smile when something chaotic happens? I swear, that boy enjoys this drama too much.
Aarav's POV:
I should've recorded all this. This is better than any web series.
Eyana's POV (again, from afar):
I could still feel the press of Avyansh's thumb on my lips even after we'd returned.
And the way he said my name... Eyana Dhritya.
Not casually.
Not playfully.
Like he meant it. Like he wanted me to hear it and never forget it.
Siddhartha's POV:
I noticed Eyana was gone the moment the fire cracked too loud, and her laugh didn't follow.
Avyansh wasn't there either.
Something clenched inside me—not jealousy exactly. Not at first. More like recognition. A cold, quiet realization that the space between them wasn't just tension anymore.
They came back a few minutes later—she tried to act normal, laugh with Tejal, pretend like her eyes weren't softer, lips weren't trembling just a little. But I saw it.
I knew it.
His jacket was still on her shoulders.
She hadn't noticed.
She always noticed.
The group kept playing around. Tejal was laughing again, Jhanvi was flustered over whatever Veeryansh had whispered, and Atharva was being his usual smug self. But I couldn't hear any of it. My eyes were on her.
And his.
The way Avyansh looked at her—it wasn't the teasing, playful look I was used to. It was sharper. Like he'd made up his mind about something. Like he wasn't afraid of consequences anymore.
A part of me hated him for it.
Another part of me hated myself—for waiting too long.
I remember the night I told him:
"She'll be mine."
I meant it like a warning.
But now... it felt like prophecy backfired.
Still, this wasn't over.
She hadn't chosen him.
Not yet.
And I wasn't about to disappear without letting her see the side of me I've kept buried for far too long.
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