The classroom door flung open with a dramatic dhadam. Every head turned.

And then walked in the two legends - fresh out of a school punishment, but entering like revolutionaries returning from a freedom march.

Ritik and Naira stepped in, shoulders straight, faces proud, like they had just won a case in Supreme Court.

"Hum wapas aa gaye!" Ritik announced, arms raised like a war hero.

Naira rolled her eyes, whispering under her breath, "Yeh kya nautanki hai?"

"School jail jaisa lag raha tha bina tere," Ritik clutched his chest dramatically. "Aur jail mein sirf jailer madam thi... aur mere khwabon mein tu. Kya khaufnaak combination tha."

The class burst into laughter.

Aarohi didn't react much-just gave a cold glance and went back to writing in her notebook. But for a fraction of a second, something in her eyes softened.

From the back, Rajvansh noticed it.

There it was.

The tiniest crack in her when ritik and naira came back, otherwise perfect wall. A fleeting moment. A spark that showed she cared-even if she'd never admit it.

He couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

After their drama, Ritik went to his seat next to Rajvansh

"Tu naye admission wala hai na?" Ritik asked, dragging a bench close to Rajvansh's.

"Naam kya bola tha...?"

"Rajvansh," he replied, calm, composed as always.

"Royal naam hai bhai. Rajgharana se ho kya?" Ritik joked, raising a brow.

"Not yet. Bas observe karta hoon," Rajvansh said with a soft smirk.

There was something quiet and careful about him. Not the usual new guy chaos. He didn't try to impress anyone, didn't speak much...

But Ritik noticed something else.

The way Rajvansh's eyes subtly shifted to Aarohi whenever she moved. It was subtle - too subtle for most. But Ritik had seen enough love stories around him to recognize the signs.

"Kya yeh banda Aarohi ko pasand karta hai?"

The thought crept in.

Ritik's smile faded for a second. Then, he smirked again - but this time, with a touch of mischief.

"Interesting..."

Lunch Break - Head Girl Mode: Activated

In the lunch break, Aarohi was standing near the canteen, clipboard in hand, scanning the crowd like a soldier in charge.

Her posture was straight, her expression serious. The head girl badge pinned on her uniform gleamed just like her attitude - sharp and untouchable.

Suddenly, a group of junior girls screamed, running behind someone, "Aarav tum kitne cute ho!"

The poor guy - Aarav, a junior - looked absolutely terrified as he tried to escape their attention.

One of the girl poked his cheeks,

Bas ek date hi to maang rahi hoon, haa bol do naa

Kanyaon, meri sundar cheek bones ko baksh do, aur apne prem par thoda sabr lagao, hehe.... He nervously said

Before things could get worse, Aarohi stepped in.

"Excuse me!" Her voice cut clean through the chaos.

The girls froze.

"This is a school, not a Karan Johar audition. Sab apni class mein jao."

There was such authority in her voice that no one even dared to protest. The girls quietly dispersed.

Aarav looked up at her, grateful. "Thanks, didi."

From a short distance, Rajvansh was watching everything.

Aarav was his little brother - the school clown, the mischief-maker, but also the kindest soul. Usually, it was Rajvansh pulling him out of messes.

Today, Aarohi did.

And just like that, something shifted in Rajvansh's chest.

She still has that fire. That instinct to protect. That kindness buried deep beneath all that control.

He didn't even realize he was smiling again.

But someone else noticed.

The Suspicion Begins

Ritik, standing near the corridor wall, had his arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed.

Rajvansh's gaze. His smile. The way he'd gone still when Aarohi stepped forward to help.

It was all adding up.

"Yeh toh confirm hai..." Ritik muttered under his breath.

He called Naira to the side.

"Sun... mujhe lagta hai yeh Rajvansh kuch zyada hi Aarohi ko dekh raha hai."

Naira munched on her chips and grinned, "Toh? Jealous ho kya tum uske royal chehre se?"

Ritik glared, "Main jealous nahi hoon, Cupid hoon. Aur yeh mera pehla suspect hai."

"Cupid Holmes!" Naira laughed. "Kya case pakda hai aapne."

Ritik narrowed his eyes like a detective in a spy movie. "Yeh love story shuru ho gayi hai. Bas heroine ko pata nahi."

Naira's expression changed, cupid banne se pehle observe kar ki kya he bharose ke layak hai ya nahi.

Aise thodi hamari aaru ko ise de denge.

Arey janta hoon main, isliye aaj pure din se observe kar raha hoon,

Something is different in his gaze, there is no creepiness but something else something different

Evening - Rajvansh's House

The golden sunlight slipped through the curtains as Rajvansh threw his bag on the couch and collapsed on it with a dreamy sigh.

Rajshree peeked from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "Aaj itne khush kyun ho mere hero?"

He sat up, trying to look casual but failing miserably. "Bas... aaj pehla din tha... sab acha gaya..."

Rajshree narrowed her eyes. "Ye 'sab acha gaya' wali smile to teri tab aati hai jab ya to marks ache aaye ho... ya vo ladki..."

Before he could reply, Aarav entered dramatically, holding a cold drink like it was a trophy. "Mummy, mummy guess what? Aaj school mein kisi ne humare Rajvansh baba ka dil chura liya hai..."

Rajshree turned sharply toward her son. "Sachhhh?"

Rajvansh groaned. "Aree yaar Aarav-mummy ignore him, isse bas bakwas karni hoti hai."

Aarav jumped on the sofa beside him. "Ayeee mujhe sab pata hai... usi ladki se takra gaye the na aap... jo head girl hai or aapko tharki samajh baithi thi?"

Rajshree gasped. "WHAT?!"

"Aree mummy, exaggeration ho raha hai," Rajvansh quickly defended.

Aarav continued, loving the drama. "Mummy, ladki ne inhe aankhein dikha di, tharki bola, aur ye to wahin khade reh gaye jaise KJo ka dramatic hero... full background music and all."

Rajshree laughed, teasingly pulling Rajvansh's ear. "Mera beta to sach mein filmy nikla!" sach bata ye ladki vahi hai naaa??? Bachpan vali???

He nodded, laughing despite himself. "Aree bas! Usne mujhe pehchana nahi... but main usse zarur pehchan gaya... aakhein, par andar kuch to badal gaya hai..."

Aarav rolled his eyes. "Yeh lo... ab poetry shuru..."

Rajshree looked at her son fondly. "Jo bhi ho... mujhe uss ladki se milna hai. Jaldi."

Rajvansh blushed slightly and escaped toward his room. "Mujhe homework yaad aa gaya!"

Aarav grinned. "Homework nahi... dreamwork."

The evening sun filtered softly through Rajvansh's window, casting warm golden hues across his study desk. His room, usually scattered with books and basketball gear, had one sacred corner - quiet, personal, filled with pencils, charcoal, and a sketchbook worn at the edges.

He sat down, pulling the sketchbook close like it was a part of him. He turned the pages slowly - memories in every stroke.

Childhood Aarohi. Messy braids. Mischievous eyes. A lollipop always in hand.

"She never recognized me," he murmured. "Still the same dimple when she grins. Still bites her lip when she's confused

"She never recognized me," he murmured. "Still the same dimple when she grins. Still bites her lip when she's confused.

There she was, again and again.

Aarohi - as a child, laughing while holding a water balloon.

Aarohi - mid-kick in her Taekwondo pose.

Aarohi - trying to tie her shoelaces with her tongue sticking out.

He'd captured them all.

Every time someone else had forgotten her, he had remembered. When she left the town, the sketches kept her alive for him. He had grown up, but she had never grown out of his heart.

And now - after years - she had walked back into his life, scolding him like nothing ever changed.

He flipped to a new page.

His fingers itched with emotion as he picked up a pencil. Slowly, gently, he began sketching...

Two figures colliding near a school gate.

Her eyes, wide and brown, filled with fire and pain.

Strands of hair falling on her forehead.

Her lips parted mid-scolding.

Him - standing awkward, stunned, and hopelessly smitten.

He shaded the corners, bringing depth to her glare, detail to his startled expression. There was warmth in the chaos - a frozen moment of a decade's worth of waiting.

When he finally looked at the finished drawing, he whispered,

"You're still the same... but something in your eyes changed."

He closed the sketchbook, placed it gently on his nightstand, and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

"I met you again, Aarohi. And now, I won't let fate be the reason we part."

The moment Aarohi stepped inside her house, the warmth of school vanished. The silence of her home hit her like a wall.

She took a deep breath, placing her bag gently and changed her school dress and started studying.

The clock ticked on the wall - loud in the stillness. The TV was off. No music. Just her.

She took out the sabzi she had prepared in the morning and quietly placed the plate on the dining table.

As she was about to walk away, Manav entered from his room, newspaper in hand.

"Khana banaya hai," she said simply.

"Hmm," he muttered, not looking at her.

There was a pause - not comfortable, but practiced.

She turned to go, but his voice stopped her

Tumne school ka form bhara tha na... head girl banne ka?"

"Ji. Ban gayi hoon," she replied.

"Hmm," again. No smile. No pride. Just indifference.

She waited a second longer, hoping maybe... just maybe he'd ask how her day was. But nothing came.

She nodded silently and walked to her room. Inside, she changed into a comfy tee, sat by her window, and looked out at the stars peeking through the clouds.

They always felt like better listeners than people.

She picked up her diary and wrote:

"Everyone smiled at me today. I smiled back. But I don't remember when someone last smiled for me."

Downstairs, Manav slowly ate the food she made.

He looked at the plate, then at her empty chair, and whispered to himself - "I'm sorry."

But again... only the silence heard him.

************************************