Phones buzzed. Laughter echoed in text form.
The group chat that had once been meant for trip pictures had turned into an unofficial confession corner.
It was 11:47 PM.
Everyone should've been asleep.
But no one was.
Not when the night was filled with unread messages, unsaid feelings, and hearts that refused to rest.
Eyana's POV
I should be sleeping.
But I was scrolling through our group chat for the fifth time.
The picture of me and Avyansh—both stuffing our faces with fried chicken—should've made me cringe.
But somehow... it didn't.
His message still lingered on my screen.
"Make me, baby girl."
I typed and deleted a reply.
Typed again.
Deleted.
God, what was wrong with me?
My chest felt warm and tight at the same time. Like I was floating. Like I'd fall if he wasn't holding me.
My phone lit up again.
Avyansh:
"Still awake? Or thinking about me again?"
I stared at the screen. Blushing.
Not answering.
Because yes.
Avyansh's POV
I knew she was still awake.
I knew she'd seen my text.
I also knew she wouldn't reply.
She was stubborn like that.
But damn... I liked this side of her. The shy, soft version. The one who bit her lip and got lost in her thoughts.
My puffer fish.
I sent another text.
"Sleep, Love. Or else I'll sneak into your dreams and ruin your peace."
Three seconds later...
Eyana: "You already ruined it. Goodnight."
I smiled.
Tejal's POV
I was brushing my hair when my phone buzzed again.
Atharva: "You don't actually look like a chicken, btw. More like... a hot & spicy nugget."
What the hell does that even mean?!
But somehow... I laughed. A genuine, silent laugh that made my chest feel lighter.
I didn't know what this was between us—just teasing or something more.
But if I was being honest with myself?
I didn't mind hearing from him at the end of the day.
And that terrified me.
Jhanvi's POV
I was lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling fan, trying to make sense of my feelings.
Veeryansh had been teasing me non-stop about his "crush."
I didn't knew. No one knew.
Because how do you explain it when even you don't understand it.
A flicker of a name. A memory. A moment where everything paused.
That's all it took for me to spiral.
I opened our group chat and saw a new message from him.
Veeryansh:
"Thinking about my mystery girl again, Miss Daydream?"
I typed a reply.
Paused.
Deleted it.
Locked my phone.
Ugh this sucks.
Back in the Group Chat:
Atharva: "We should do this again. Another trip."
Tejal: "Yeah, after my legs stop working from this one "
Veeryansh: "I vote for a beach next time. We need sun, sand, and scandal "
Avyansh: "And maybe less chaos?"
Eyana: "Chaos follows us. We don't plan it."
Jhanvi: "Let's just survive this week of school first "
As the messages slowed, hearts still raced.
What they wouldn't say out loud was quietly written between the lines.
Love wasn't confessed.
But it was there.
In the teasing. In the silence. In the way no one wanted the night to end.
"Midterms Mayhem"
The next morning – 7:48 AM
The school bell rang. The usual energy of a new day was missing.
Everyone was either yawning, dragging their feet, or pretending to be awake. The trip had drained us, and no amount of chai, coffee, or cafeteria samosas could bring us back to life.
I walked into class with half-closed eyes and the same hoodie I wore last night. I wasn't the only one.
Tejal looked like she fought her closet and lost.
Atharva was chewing gum like it was his only source of energy.
Jhanvi had her glasses on and was scrolling through her camera roll like she was trying to relive the trip.
Veeryansh, for once, wasn't cracking jokes.
And Avyansh?
He smirked the moment he saw me. Like the memory of last night was still fresh.
"Good morning, Love," he said, low enough that only I could hear.
I glared. Blushed. Walked past him.
In Class:
"Alright everyone," our class teacher Ms. Viyanka announced with a forced smile. "Now that your trip's over and your souls have returned to Earth... let me remind you—your midterm exams begin in 21 days."
You could literally hear the collective what-the-hell echo in the room.
"Grade 11 isn't going to wait for your romance and reunions. Get your notes sorted, and your priorities in place."
I felt my stomach drop.
During Recess – Group Corner
We sat in our usual spot under the big neem tree near the basketball court, heads down, eyes wide.
"TWENTY-ONE DAYS?" Tejal gasped, chewing on her straw like it owed her money.
Atharva nodded gravely. "They've given us a death sentence with a deadline."
Jhanvi was already scribbling in her planner. "We're dead if we don't start now. I'm not failing bio again."
Veeryansh added, "They literally said 'grade 11 matters'. For once, I think they're right."
I sighed. "We need a study plan."
Avyansh leaned against the tree casually. "So we're doing this? Like group study?"
"I'm in," Tejal said instantly. "If I study alone, I'll just end up watching conspiracy theory videos."
Jhanvi raised a hand like she was in therapy. "Same. I need structure. And snacks."
"Okay," I said, pulling out my phone. "Let's make a time table. One subject per day. We meet after school or on video call. Rotate houses on weekends."
Plan in Progress:
📘 Monday: Physics (at Veeryansh's place)
📗 Tuesday: Chemistry (video call)
📙 Wednesday: Biology (Jhanvi's house – she promised Maggi)
📕 Thursday: English (my place – chai included and snacks)
📓 Friday: Maths (we'll pray)
📔 Saturday: History & Political Science (Atharva's house – he has a whiteboard)
📝 Sunday: Review + Test quiz (Tejal's place – she's making popcorn)
"Should we even include Sunday?" Atharva asked.
"Yes," we all said in unison.
Later in the Day – A Reality Check
The moment we opened our textbooks, the romance died.
Avyansh's teasing eyes turned serious.
Tejal's sass got replaced by panic.
Atharva was googling formulas like his life depended on it.
Even Veeryansh shut up.
It was like war.
A silent war between time and syllabus.
Jhanvi whispered, "Are we... growing up?"
I shook my head. "We're just trying not to fail."
Night Group Chat:
Eyana: "I can't believe I forgot how to do integration "
Atharva: "Same. My brain has retired."
Tejal: "We should've gone to Hogwarts."
Jhanvi: "Even Hermione needed a Time Turner. What chance do we have?"
Veeryansh: "I'll bring Red Bull tomorrow. Everyone drink and fly."
Avyansh: "Don't worry Love, if you fail, I'll fail with you."
Eyana: " go study idiot."
Avyansh: "Make me."
Despite the chaos, the pressure, and the countdown, something about this made it feel like we weren't alone.
It wasn't just about marks anymore.
It was about making it through—together.
Midterms were coming.
But so were memories.
Friday – 5:47 PM – Atharva's House
Whiteboard? Check.
Snacks? Check.
A whole army of half-dead students? Also check.
We had our books sprawled all over Atharva's living room floor. His mom greeted us with a smile and a giant bowl of popcorn. We all pretended we weren't about to collapse inside.
"Okay," Jhanvi said, flipping through her history notebook like it held secrets to surviving this planet. "Let's start with World Wars."
"Again?" Tejal whined. "The only war I remember is me vs sleep."
"You vs sense, you mean," Atharva shot back.
I was trying to concentrate, I really was, but the words on the textbook were blurring into some weird code. I looked up to see Avyansh already staring at me. That soft, amused smile again. Ugh. Not now.
"Page 73," Veeryansh called out. "Read the causes of the war, and someone explain. Not Eyana though—she looks ready to throw the book."
I held up my pen like a knife. "Say that again and you'll be the cause of a war."
Laughter.
But then... silence.
Because none of us noticed Jhanvi had stopped speaking.
The Breaking Point
She sat cross-legged with her bio notes in one hand, the other clenched tightly. Her mouth trembled before any words could form. And then her voice cracked, soft but sharp.
"I... I can't do this."
All heads turned.
"What happened?" I asked gently.
"I don't know," she said quickly, too quickly. "I've studied this chapter four times, and I still don't remember the stupid heart chambers. Everything's just... mixed. And midterms are in eighteen freaking days. My brain is shutting down, and it's like I'm trying—but I'm just not enough."
Her voice broke at "not enough."
And that's when the tears came.
Jhanvi, the most composed of us all, suddenly looked so small. Like she was drowning in her own thoughts.
Everyone froze.
Until Tejal crawled closer, pulling Jhanvi into a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder. "You don't have to be perfect. You just have to breathe, okay? You're not doing this alone."
Veeryansh passed her a tissue without a word.
Atharva turned the whiteboard around and drew a heart diagram with two smiley faces in it. "There. Now even I know what atria and ventricles are."
It made her laugh a little through her sniffles.
Avyansh handed her water. "We're all losing it in our own ways, Jhanvi. You were just brave enough to show it."
I nodded. "You're allowed to break down. Just don't give up."
She wiped her tears, still shaken, but somehow lighter.
"I'm sorry for snapping—"
"Don't be," Tejal cut in. "We all need that meltdown moment. You just scheduled it before the rest of us."
Later That Evening
We didn't do much history after that.
But something shifted in the room.
We were no longer just classmates.
We were a safety net.
A pack of burnt-out, overcaffeinated, chaotic misfits... who still showed up for each other.
That night, Jhanvi sent a message in the group chat:
Jhanvi: "Thanks for being my anchor today. I really needed it."
Tejal: "Always. And next time, bring tissues. Mine ran out."
Atharva: "I think I learned more in that breakdown than the whole week."
Eyana: "Let's make this pact—no one drowns alone this term."
Veeryansh: "Deal. Even if I fail math, I'll be there for the meltdown."
Avyansh: "And I'll bring chai. And cuddles. Mostly for Eyana."
Eyana: "Shut up."
"Somewhere Between Pages and Pulses"
Saturday – 4:11 PM – Tejal's House
Her living room was soaked in the scent of butter popcorn and a hint of rose incense. The air was quieter than it was at Atharva's place yesterday. Books were neatly stacked on the table, post-its decorated the walls, and a giant thermos of chai sat in the middle like it ruled the session.
Jhanvi and I were sprawled on the carpet, scribbling notes from history chapters that read like ancient gossip. Veeryansh had his earphones in, nodding as if music could fix his failing math grades.
And then there was Tejal—sitting on the windowsill, the golden afternoon sun brushing her face, flipping through her English literature book with the calm of a storm about to hit.
Atharva was sitting opposite her, trying very hard to read Macbeth but clearly failing. His eyes kept drifting up.
"Are you even reading?" she asked without looking up.
Atharva smirked. "I was... until Lady Macbeth started sounding like you."
Tejal raised an eyebrow. "Manipulative and mad?"
"No," he said, leaning back, "bold and unforgettable."
For once, Tejal didn't throw a sarcastic comeback.
Instead, she closed her book softly. "You know, you joke too much when you're nervous."
He didn't deny it.
Their eyes met—no teasing, no filters. Just silence thick with the weight of something unsaid.
A Moment Out of the Noise
Tejal stood up and walked to the kitchen, pretending to refill her glass of water. Atharva followed.
"Hey," he said quietly, away from the others. "You okay?"
She didn't turn. "I'm tired, Atharva. Tired of pretending like I don't care. About school. About people. About... whatever this is."
She finally faced him. "I don't know what you're doing. One day you're joking about chicken and the next you're looking at me like I'm not just your classmate."
Atharva took a step closer, not laughing this time. "Maybe I'm tired of pretending too."
Her breath hitched.
"Maybe I notice the way you chew your straw when you're anxious, or how you memorize poems out loud when no one's looking. Maybe... I've been noticing for longer than I meant to."
Silence again.
She whispered, "This isn't the right time."
He nodded, then smiled sadly. "Maybe not. But you still smiled just now. So maybe it's the right feeling—wrong timing."
Tejal looked down, heart thudding louder than her thoughts. Then she slowly said, "You can hold my hand... but just until exams are over."
Atharva chuckled softly, reaching out. "Deal. Study-partners first, emotional mess later."
Their fingers brushed. And then, without making a big scene, they just... stood there. Quietly together, among books and brewing feelings.
Back in the Room
"Found you two lovebirds," Veeryansh called out, dramatically peeking around the corner.
"Coming!" Tejal yelled, cheeks flushed.
Atharva winked. "Let's go ace Macbeth, Juliet."
"Wrong play, idiot."
"Still fits."
Group Chat – 10:27 PM
Tejal: "Notes updated. Pics in drive. I want a medal for handwriting."
Atharva: "Also give her one for being cute."
Jhanvi: "Oh god. Please confess and spare us."
Eyana: "I second that."
Veeryansh: "I third. But also—are we doing maths tomorrow?"
Avyansh: "We're doing hell tomorrow."
Eyana: "Same thing."
Eyana's POV
Somewhere between deadlines and chaos, something shifted in all of us.
We weren't just students anymore.
We were hearts learning to carry pressure... and still beat.
Together.
The school gates felt heavier that morning. It was as if they knew what was coming.
"Guys, 21 days. That's it. Twenty-one days till midterms," Jhanvi groaned, half-asleep, holding a flask of chai like it was oxygen.
"Why would you say that out loud?" Tejal whined, clutching her bag tighter, already feeling the weight of expectations press on her shoulders.
Grade 11 wasn't a joke. Not anymore. The trip was a distant memory now—a three-day blur of stolen glances, shared meals, and secret crushes. Reality had walked back in wearing a lanyard and holding a stack of textbooks.
As students filled the classroom, the group quietly slumped into their benches. Atharva was oddly quiet—flipping through a math guide as if numbers had finally started haunting him.
"Okay. Serious talk," Veeryansh said, slamming his physics book on the desk. "We need to make a proper timetable. No distractions."
"Starting from today?" Jhanvi asked hopefully.
"Starting from now," Eyana added firmly, already scribbling in her planner.
Group Study Begins
By lunch, the six had formed an unofficial war council.
Physics on Monday and Thursday. Chemistry on Tuesday. Math every alternate evening. Sundays were reserved for mock tests and panic.
Group study started the same evening—at Tejal's place. Her living room transformed into a battlefield: books stacked like ammo, highlighters in every corner, and sticky notes breeding across the table.
Jhanvi was surprisingly organized, Eyana was the definition of calm, and Veeryansh handled every equation like it owed him money. Atharva, meanwhile, tried not to fall asleep on the periodic table.
Tejal kept snacks flowing and avoided looking at Atharva every time he said "we'll fail together." Because that "we" hit her in the heart.
Siddhartha's Silence
Far from the group, Siddhartha sat by the window in the library, eyes scanning the corridor.
He spotted Eyana. Laughing. Surrounded. Carrying books with Veeryansh teasing her about her serious "study face."
He had been meaning to talk to her ever since the trip. Something had shifted—subtly, but undeniably. But now she was always surrounded. Always studying. Always somewhere else.
He closed his book without reading a single line.
The Mock Test That Changed Everything
Sunday arrived with tension in the air and notes fluttering like autumn leaves. The six sat around the dining table at Veeryansh's house, the silence louder than usual.
It was the first mock test—Physics.
"I'm going to cry," Atharva said as he flipped the paper. Tejal smacked him with a pencil and whispered, "Read first, panic later."
The timer started. Pens moved. Time evaporated.
By the end, everyone was either pale or pretending they were fine.
When results were checked an hour later, shock rolled over the room.
Veeryansh, who always topped Physics, had failed. Eyana scored the highest. Jhanvi passed by one mark. And Atharva... forgot to write his name on the paper.
Chaos.
The mock test cracked their illusion of control. Suddenly, twenty-one days felt like twenty-one minutes. The pressure hit like a wave—loud and choking.
Later that night, Eyana sat on her bed, hair messy, books open, and Avyansh's message blinking on her phone:
"Proud of you, Love. But don't forget to revise, okay?"
She smiled, feeling both seen and overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Siddhartha stared at the same message thread from their school trip—unsent words heavy in his chest.
He typed once.
"Hey, can we talk?"
Then deleted it.
Some things had to wait. For now, she was out of reach.
Siddhartha's POV
The classroom air was thick with formulas and tension, but Siddhartha wasn't looking at the board. His gaze kept returning to the third row, to Eyana—head bowed, eyebrows furrowed, lips slightly parted as she mumbled under her breath while solving something in her notebook. A strand of her hair fell across her cheek, and she tucked it behind her ear without thinking.
He wanted to talk to her. No, he needed to. Since the trip, something between them felt... unsettled. Like the silence between two songs.
They hadn't spoken properly since returning. A few polite exchanges. A glance. That was it.
Every time he gathered the courage to approach her, she was surrounded—laughing with Jhanvi, sharing notes with Veeryansh, or more often, whispering something with Avyansh. That stung.
He leaned against the corridor wall during lunch, waiting. She had just stepped out of the chemistry lab, alone for once, thumbing through her phone.
Now. Just go.
He took one step toward her—then froze.
Avyansh was suddenly beside her, slipping his hand into hers like it belonged there. She looked up, startled, but didn't pull away. Siddhartha noticed the way her eyes softened just slightly. It was subtle—most wouldn't catch it.
But Siddhartha did.
He turned away, pretending to check his watch. His throat felt tight.
Before he could walk off, a voice stopped him.
"Thinking of saying something?" Avyansh stood next to him now, voice calm, but there was nothing casual about the way he said it.
Siddhartha didn't answer. He just stared ahead.
Avyansh leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "You had your chance, didn't you?"
Siddhartha stiffened.
"I'm not here to fight," Avyansh added, eyes sharp. "Just letting you know—some things are better left in the past. Don't confuse silence for an invitation."
There was no smirk. No arrogance. Just quiet assertion.
Avyansh turned back and walked to Eyana, who was now waving at Tejal. His hand brushed against her back as he leaned in to say something. She laughed. Siddhartha didn't hear what, but he didn't need to.
He felt it.
That dull ache in the chest that comes when someone else gets to be the person you wanted to be, when time punishes you for hesitating too long
Later That Night
The pages in front of him remained untouched. Lines of derivations blurred into streaks, paragraphs of political theory read like static. The mock test was in three days, and the pressure should've been consuming him—but all Siddhartha could think about was her.
Eyana.
Her laughter outside the lab.
Her stolen glances toward her phone.
Her smile that no longer reached him.
He sighed and shut his notebook.
"Concentration zero," he muttered to himself, tossing the pen across the table. It bounced off a stack of flashcards and hit the floor. Perfect metaphor for his brain right now.
He leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling fan. It spun, slow and steady. Unlike the storm in his chest.
Why couldn't he just let it go? Why now, when he should be focusing on anything but feelings?
Because something about watching her slip further away made him feel like he was watching a sunset he hadn't even realized had started.
He pulled out his phone and opened their old chats. The last real conversation—three weeks ago. During the trip. Before everything changed. Before that kiss she never talked about. Before Avyansh.
Maybe she had moved on. Maybe he was just another side character in her story now.
Still...
The silence between them wasn't sitting right. Not when they used to talk about everything. Not when they shared quiet smiles and notes scribbled in margins.
He needed to clear the air. Say what he had buried under mock tests and unread messages. For closure. Or maybe... just to breathe again.
His fingers hovered over the screen, then typed quickly:
"Can you come outside for a moment? I'm outside your house."
He hit send before he could overthink.
His heart pounded as he threw on a hoodie and slipped out of his room. The road was quiet when he reached her gate, the yellow streetlamp painting soft shadows on the pavement.
He waited.
The world felt still—like time was holding its breath.
Would she come?
Eyana's POV – The Message That Froze Me
I was curled up with my mock test revision notes, halfway through attempting a question on alternating current, when my phone buzzed beside me.
I thought it was Avyansh. He had been texting off and on—his typical mix of subtle flirting and intense academic motivation. I smiled, brushing hair off my face as I picked up the phone.
But it wasn't him.
"Can you come outside for a moment? I'm outside your house."
— Siddhartha
My breath caught.
Siddhartha?
For a second, I just stared at the screen. My heart did something weird in my chest. I hadn't spoken to him properly since the trip. Since that moment. Since things between Avyansh and me... shifted.
I stood up slowly and walked to the window, peeking through the curtain.
And there he was. Hoodie pulled over his head, hands in pockets, standing in that quiet sliver of orange light beneath the streetlamp. His figure looked smaller than usual, like the silence of the night had folded in around him.
He looked... anxious.
My pulse quickened. This wasn't just some random drop-by. He had something to say. And it couldn't wait.
I slipped on a jacket and tiptoed past my mom's room. Quietly unlocking the front door, I stepped outside, wrapping my arms around myself as the cool air kissed my skin.
He turned the moment he heard the gate open. Our eyes met.
"Eyana," he said softly, his voice a mixture of relief and hesitation.
"Siddhartha... why are you here?" I asked, not cold, but cautious.
"I—I needed to talk. I couldn't hold it in anymore," he said, eyes scanning my face like he was searching for something he'd lost.
There was a long pause.
And I hated how my chest ached at the familiarity in his voice. The concern in his eyes. But there was something else in me now, too. Guilt. Confusion. Loyalty—to someone else.
That someone else's name flashed on my phone screen in that exact moment.
Avyansh: [1 new message]
I glanced down.
And I knew this wouldn't go unnoticed.
Avyansh's POV
He was lying on his bed, scrolling through old texts with Eyana and smiling at her latest voice note where she mimicked her chemistry teacher's lecture like a stand-up comedian. God, she was adorable.
Until he noticed something strange.
Her location—shared since their trip—hadn't updated in a while. Still said "Home," but the dot had moved slightly, just beyond the radius of the house.
Front yard?
Weird.
Something buzzed inside him. A flicker of unease. He tapped open her chat.
No reply to his last message.
Just as he was about to text again, something made him pause.
A feeling. An instinct.
He tapped back into the location, eyes narrowing.
"She's not alone," he muttered, sitting up.
He didn't know how. But he knew.
And if his guess was right... Siddhartha better know exactly what line not to cross.
Eyana's POV
Siddhartha stood in front of me, barely able to meet my gaze now. The streetlight behind him flickered slightly, and for a moment, it felt like we were standing inside a memory—something too quiet, too heavy to belong to now.
"I didn't mean to disturb you this late," he began, voice low. "I just... I couldn't focus. And it wasn't the test. It was... you."
I swallowed. "Me?"
He nodded. "After the trip, everything changed. You changed. I saw it. You laugh, but it doesn't reach your eyes when I'm around. And I get it, Eyana. Maybe I'm too late... but I just needed to know if it's really over before I—"
He stopped.
My heart pounded. "Before you what?"
He looked up, something raw flickering in his eyes.
"Before I say something I can't take back."
I froze.
I didn't know what I would've said. What I could've said. The truth was tangled in too many things—Avyansh's touch still lingering on my skin, Siddhartha's voice echoing in my past, my mind screaming for space and clarity.
Then...
headlights.
A motorbike came to a stop at the end of the road. Its engine hummed low before going silent. I didn't need to look twice.
Avyansh.
He removed his helmet slowly, eyes locked on us. More specifically—on Siddhartha. Then at me.
His jaw clenched.
I stepped back instinctively, guilt spreading through me like ink in water.
"Hey," he said coolly, walking toward us. "Didn't think you'd still be out here. Especially not with... him."
Siddhartha didn't flinch, but his shoulders tensed.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Avyansh was already beside me, sliding a hand around my waist—gentle but claiming.
"I was waiting for your reply," he said softly, but his eyes never left Siddhartha. "You okay?"
I nodded, trying to find my breath. "Yeah. We were just—"
"—Done talking," Avyansh finished for me, calm but sharp. "It's late."
Siddhartha stepped back slightly, his silence burning hotter than any words.
"Eyana," he said, almost a whisper. "Take care."
And then he walked away.
Later That Night – Avyansh and Eyana
He didn't take me home immediately.
Instead, he rode to a quiet alley near the park where we had once sat eating pani puri after school. He parked, turned the engine off, and sat there in silence, the air tense and unsaid.
"Are you mad?" I asked gently.
He leaned back, resting his head against the seat. "I don't know. Should I be?"
"I didn't know he was coming," I said. "I didn't ask him to—"
"I'm not mad you talked to him, Eyana," he said, voice softer now. "I'm mad that he waited this long and still thought he had a chance."
I looked away.
He turned toward me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Do you?" he asked, gently but firmly. "Think he has a chance?"
"No," I whispered. "I just... I didn't know how to tell him."
He nodded. "That's fair."
We sat in silence for a moment.
Then his hand found mine, fingers intertwining. "You're allowed to have history with people. I'm not gonna lock you in a glass box and keep you to myself."
My chest tightened.
"But," he continued, pulling me gently toward him, "I'll keep reminding you—every single day—why now feels better than then ever could."
He leaned closer, forehead resting against mine. His breath was warm, his voice slower now.
"I don't need to mark you, Eyana. But I want you to feel... safe. Seen. And very, very wanted."
I didn't speak.
I just tilted my face up and cupped his face I know, I said reassuring him.
Eyana's POV
The next morning, the sun was too bright and my sleep too shallow. I woke up groggy, heavy with the memory of last night.
Siddhartha's words still lingered.
Avyansh's kiss lingered deeper.
And now—school again. Back to routine, back to reality. No room for feelings here.
Twenty days left for midterms.
Grade eleven.
Everything mattered now.
By the time I reached school, everyone looked like walking anxiety. Hoodies up, books in hand, eyes buried in notes—even Tejal looked like she hadn't slept. That was saying something.
"I think I forgot how to breathe," Jhanvi muttered while flipping through her chemistry notes. "I've read this paragraph eight times and I still don't know what a ketone is."
"You're becoming a ketone," Tejal mumbled. "Colorless, volatile and highly unstable."
We all laughed nervously.
Even Atharva wasn't teasing. His notebook had more highlighter ink than words. That's how you know it's serious.
"Okay listen," I said, pushing my hair back. "We need a proper schedule. Like a real one. We can't study randomly anymore."
"Group study?" Veeryansh offered.
"Every alternate evening," I suggested. "Two hours, one subject, rotating houses. And no phones. Seriously."
"Except one for doubts," Avyansh added. "Or emergencies."
I nodded. "Fine. But one phone only. And if I catch anyone scrolling—especially you, Atharva—I swear I'll delete your entire playlist."
He dramatically gasped. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me," I smiled faintly.
The planner began.
Subjects were split.
Time slots decided.
We were trying. Desperately.
But something inside me kept slipping.
Every time I sat down to study, my thoughts drifted.
To Siddhartha's eyes.
To Avyansh's voice calling me "Love."
To the quiet war no one was talking about.
Later That Evening – Group Study at Veeryansh's Place
We sat on his terrace, books spread, chai cups cooling by our side.
Avyansh sat across from me, head bent over his math textbook. The light from his phone glowed softly against his face.
He looked tired. And beautiful. And a little distant.
I watched him quietly for a second too long.
He looked up. Caught me.
"What?"
I shook my head quickly, returning to my textbook.
But he leaned forward slightly. "You good?"
I nodded again. "Just tired."
He didn't say anything. Just offered me the last bite of his chocolate bar. No words. Just a soft, quiet offering that said he understood more than I was letting on.
I took it.
His fingers brushed mine.
Not on purpose. But not by accident either.
And somehow, despite the pressure building like storm clouds around us, that tiny moment made it easier to breathe.
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