On the other side of the campus...
Riyan wanted to talk to Kaira, who was sitting alone..
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the scene from earlier.
The way Kartik had spoken to him...
That moment kept replaying in his mind over and over again.
But at the same time, he knew one thing.
From Kaira's expression, it was obvious that she hadn't liked Kartik's behavior either.
"Maybe... she only wanted to talk to me because I'm Anaya's close friend. But after what happened tomorrow ... she probably won't even want to talk to me anymore."
He sighed softly.
"How can someone order another person around like that? Just because he's her boyfriend doesn't mean he has the right to become toxic."
The thought disturbed him.
A few seconds later, he closed his book for a moment and smiled
"It's okay, Riyan... Focus on your studies. It's Kaira's life, her choices, and she'll handle everything herself. I respect her space... I should give her the time she needs."
With that thought, he forced himself to concentrate on his books once again.
Meanwhile...
Kaira couldn't stop thinking about Riyan.
"He must have felt really bad because of Kartik's behavior... That's why he hasn't spoken to me since then. I should apologize to him."
Before she could think any further, someone stood in front of her.
Kartik.
"Kis ladke ke baare mein itna kho kar soch rahi ho?" he asked with a suspicious look.
Kaira blinked, coming out of her thoughts.
"Huh... kya?"
"Mere alawa kis ladke ke baare mein soch rahi ho?" Kartik repeated.
She frowned.
"Kya, Kartik... kya-kya sochte rehte ho?"
He smirked.
"Tumhara kya bharosa..."
Without waiting for her reply, he walked away.
But those four words shattered Kaira's heart.
Her eyes instantly filled with tears.
Still...
She refused to let anyone see them.
Quietly, she walked towards the girls' washroom.
A few minutes later...
After washing her face, Kaira stepped out and started walking around the campus since there was still some time left before her next class.
Inside the classroom...
Riyan was completely immersed in his studies.
But the moment he looked outside , he noticed Kaira walking outside the classroom.
Something about her face...
Her eyes...
They looked different.
Heavy.
As if she was silently carrying a burden.
Without thinking twice, he immediately got up and walked outside.
He stopped in front of her.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Kaira forced a laugh.
"Haan... haan, mujhe kya hoga?"
Riyan smiled faintly.
"Tum kitna achha jhooth bol leti ho na..."
For a second, Kaira's smile faded.
Then she quickly looked away.
"Arey baba, kuch nahi... bas thoda sa sir dard ho raha hai."
She tried to normalize everything.
The next moment...
Words started pouring out of Riyan's mouth without him even realizing.
"Tum theek ho?
Khana khaya tha ya nahi?
Dawaai laaun?
Paani piya?
Agar zyada dard hai toh ghar chali jao...
thoda rest kar lo... aur..."
He kept speaking without taking a single breath.
Kaira looked at him in surprise.
There was no judgment in his eyes.
Only concern.
A genuine one.
She smiled softly.
"Main theek hoon... aur mujhe kahin nahi jaana. Itna bhi zyada sir dard nahi hai. Theek ho jayega."
Riyan stopped talking.
"I think I should stop... I don't have any right to tell her what to do."
He lowered his gaze.
"Okay..." he said quietly.
The two of them walked towards their classroom together.
As soon as everyone settled down, the class teacher entered.
"Students, I have an announcement."
The entire class went silent.
"Our Freshers' Party is coming up next week."
Within seconds...
The classroom erupted with excitement.
Everyone started talking about performances, dresses, music, and dance.
The teacher smiled.
"Girls who want to participate in the dance performance can give their names as soon as possible "
The excitement only grew louder.
After some time...
Riyan had once again buried himself in his books.
Suddenly...
He sensed someone standing in front of him.
He looked up.
Kaira.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Kya hua, Kaira?" he asked gently.
She looked a little nervous.
"Woh... mujhe tumse Kartik ke behavior ke liye sorry bolna tha. Woh bura nahi hai... bas hamare relationship ko lekar thoda zyada possessive hai."
She smiled awkwardly.
Those words pinched Riyan's heart.
A part of him felt jealous.
Another part felt hurt because she was defending Kartik.
But who was he to say anything?
He was just...
Her friend.
Or maybe not even that.
Not yet.
So he simply smiled.
"It's okay, Kaira. Mujhe bilkul bura nahi laga. Chill."
He lowered his head and started reading again.
A few seconds passed.
He realized...
She was still standing there.
He looked up once more.
"Kya hua? Kuch aur kehna hai?"
Kaira laughed.
"Mr. Padaku... kitna padhoge?"
He smiled.
She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Main tumhare alawa yahan kisi aur ko nahi jaanti... toh... can we become friends?"
For Kaira...
It was simply a way to make things normal again.
But for Riyan...
It wasn't just friendship.
It was the first ray of happiness his heart had felt in days.
The girl he secretly loved...
Was asking to become his friend.
For a few seconds...
He forgot how to breathe.
Seeing him silent, Kaira smiled awkwardly.
"Tension mat lo... I know tum bahut achhe ho. Anaya ne tumhare baare mein mujhe bahut kuch bataya hai. Bas isi liye poocha. Agar tum nahi chahte toh it's okay."
Riyan immediately shook his head.
"Arre nahi... nahi, Kaira. Mera woh matlab nahi tha."
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
He slowly extended his hand.
"So... friends?"
Kaira smiled brightly.
She placed her hand in his.
"Haan... bilkul."
For the very first time...
Their hands met.
It was just a simple handshake.
Nothing more.
But for Riyan...
It felt like his entire world had paused.
No one knew how long he had waited for this one moment.
Even the smallest touch of her hand felt precious.
Something he knew he would never forget.
After a few moments, Kaira pulled her hand back.
"Achha... chalti hoon. Kal milte hain."
She waved before walking away.
Riyan simply stood there...
Watching her leave.
A soft smile remained on his lips.
He slowly nodded to himself.
"Kal milte hain..." he whispered.
************
The Next Morning...
Anaya reached school with a heavy heart. The incident from yesterday kept replaying in her mind, making her chest feel heavier with every step.
The moment she entered her classroom, she quietly placed her bag on her desk. Without wasting another second, she turned and walked towards the Principal's office.
She knew how much she had hurt Principal Ma'am. She knew how angry she must be. But no matter what happened, she had to apologize.
Standing outside the office, Anaya took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
Knock... Knock...
"Come in."
Hearing the voice from inside, Anaya slowly opened the door.
She inhaled deeply before stepping inside.
"Good morning, Ma'am..." she greeted nervously.
It was strange.
Every time she spoke to Principal Ma'am, she was always confident, fearless, and straightforward.
But today...
She couldn't even meet her eyes.
"Good morning, Anaya." Principal Ma'am replied calmly.
"M-Ma'am... I... I want to apologize for whatever happened yesterday. That wasn't my speech... and it wasn't my presentation either. Whatever happened... I didn't do it intentionally. I think someone played a prank. Please, Ma'am... give me one chance. I promise something like this will never happen again."
She spoke everything in one breath.
Principal Ma'am silently looked into Anaya's eyes.
Years of experience had taught her how to recognize honesty.
She could clearly see that Anaya wasn't lying.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"It's okay, Anaya. I'm giving you one chance. Don't disappoint me again."
The tension that had been suffocating Anaya finally disappeared.
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much, Ma'am..."
After a brief pause, she hesitantly asked,
"Ma'am... what about the guests? How will I apologize to them?"
Principal Ma'am smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, beta. I've already fixed a meeting with them today. I'll handle everything. You should go back to class."
A small smile finally appeared on Anaya's face.
"Thank you, Ma'am."
She left the office.
Although she felt lighter than yesterday...
She still couldn't forgive herself.
In the Classroom...
Anaya sat quietly on her seat like a statue.
Her eyes clearly reflected the guilt, stress, and exhaustion she had been carrying since yesterday.
From the other side of the classroom...
Anay couldn't take his eyes off her.
Seeing her like this made guilt settle even deeper inside his heart.
"I think... I went too far."
"She's so disturbed..."
"It's all my fault."
"I shouldn't have done that..."
"I should apologize to her."
Lost in his thoughts, Anay started walking absentmindedly.
Thud!
He accidentally collided with someone.
He looked up.
It was Anaya.
For a moment...
Both of them froze.
Their bodies were only a few inches apart.
Neither of them spoke.
Suddenly, Anaya remembered something.
In all the chaos of yesterday...
She had completely forgotten to apologize for slapping him.
Just as Anay was about to leave...
She softly called out,
"Suno..."
He stopped but didn't turn immediately.
Then, with a small smile, he looked back.
"Sunao."
Anaya blinked.
"Wait... he smiles too?"
"He actually looks... good while smiling."
She quickly shook away the thought.
"Kahan kho gayi? Tumhe kuch kehna tha?" Anay asked.
The truth was...
He wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Looking into her eyes only made his guilt worse.
Anaya took a deep breath.
"Woh... I wanted to say sorry."
"I'm really, really sorry for slapping you... especially in front of everyone."
"I know I overreacted."
"At that moment I wasn't able to understand anything."
"But now... I feel really bad."
"If possible... please forgive me."
There was genuine regret in her eyes.
Anay felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart.
Even after everything...
Even though she herself was hurting...
She was the one apologizing.
And what had he done?
He had taken revenge.
His guilt now felt unbearable.
He wanted to tell her the truth.
He wanted to confess everything.
But he didn't have the courage.
Anaya crossed her arms.
"So... have you forgiven me or not?"
A small smile appeared on Anay's face.
"Haan... I'll forgive you."
"But on one condition."
Anaya's eyes sparkled immediately.
"Done! Tell me... what do I have to do?"
Anay looked at her for a moment before speaking.
"Since morning you've been roaming around with a face like an angry monkey."
"So first... fix that."
He chuckled softly.
"It doesn't suit you."
"You look much better when you're confident..."
"When you're arguing with everyone..."
"When you're busy making your rule book..."
"That Anaya suits you."
He smiled faintly before turning around and walking away.
Anaya stood there completely frozen.
Her brain took a few seconds to process what had just happened.
Then suddenly...
"Whattt?!"
"Usne mujhe bandar bola?"
"Bas... ab toh uski khair nahi!"
She muttered dramatically before bursting into laughter.
For the first time since yesterday...
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
*****************************************************
So reader log how was the chapter??
I know this chapter is long than other chapters
So do you like kaira and riyan seen?? 🧐
Or do you find kartik toxic ??
And what about anay and anaya seen and why anay is feeling to much guilt?? 🤔🤔
And for the first time they don't fight they talk so do you like there seen??
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