Sameera's POV:
I hadn't moved. I couldn't.
Not even after he walked away, leaving behind a whisper that cracked through time like thunder.
"If someone told me years ago that little ladoo would grow up to look like this... I wouldn't have believed them."
Ladoo.
Only one person in this entire world ever called me that with that stupid smirk and those honey-dipped eyes.
And that person... was standing right there, walking away with a guitar slung over his back like some movie scene, acting like he didn't just casually blow my mind.
Saharsh.
As in Saharsh Wankhade, my classmate from 2nd B Rose, Nagpur. My childhood friend. My... okay, maybe not "crush" crush but-okay fine, yes. A little crush. A big one, maybe.
What were the odds?
I wasn't even aware I was walking after him until I caught up-until the lights and noise of the party started fading behind us, and the soft quiet of the campus took over.
He turned slightly when he heard my footsteps. "So," I started, hands crossed, trying not to let my voice shake, "you were just going to keep that to yourself?"
A smirk tugged at his lips. "I only realized a few days ago. The name... your laugh. It clicked. But tonight? That was the final nail."
"And you didn't think to mention it sooner?" I elbowed him lightly, with a playful hit.
"Didn't want to weird you out," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or scare you off. What if you didn't remember me?"
I rolled my eyes, a smile creeping in despite myself. "You were literally the most annoying person in our entire section. How could I forget?"
He laughed-a rich, warm sound that made my skin feel electric. "Still annoying?"
I glanced at him sideways. "Still up for debate."
We kept walking-no direction, no hurry. Just us and the campus around us, glowing under the yellow streetlights, shadows trailing behind like our past walking quietly along.
"You've grown up, you know," I said, softly. "I mean... taller. Definitely smugger. But also... kind of nice-looking."
He raised a brow. "Nice-looking?"
"Don't let it get to your head."
"I'll take it," he said, nudging me. "You're... breathtaking, Sam. And not just tonight. You've turned into this confident, smart, beautiful woman. Still stubborn. Still loud. But damn."
My cheeks warmed, my heart doing that weird flutter thing again.
"And your singing," I added, desperate to deflect. "God. You were already famous in school for that, but now... there must be a typhoon of girls lining up, huh?"
He smirked. "Well, yeah. But I was waiting for the girl who used to steal my tiffin and say I sang like a constipated goat."
I snorted. "That was one time!"
He stopped walking and turned to face me, his eyes catching the soft light like molten amber. "And still... here I am. Holding out for her."
I blinked, my stomach doing things I was not emotionally prepared for.
"Ladoo," he whispered again, this time without teasing. Just softly. Fondly. Like he was remembering every version of me, all at once.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn't mind the name.
Not when he said it like that.
We walked in step, his arm just barely brushing mine with every stride. The silence between us was... charged. Not heavy, not awkward-just full of something I didn't have the vocabulary for yet.
Saharsh glanced sideways at me, that lopsided grin already forming on his face.
"You know," he said, voice low and teasing, "I wasn't lying when I said you looked stunning tonight."
I scoffed lightly, eyes ahead. "You waited a whole performance to say that."
"I wanted to say it the moment I saw you," he replied, stepping slightly closer, "but you kind of looked like a walking dream, and I wasn't ready to make a fool of myself."
I turned to look at him, and regretted it instantly. His eyes were already on me, soft and mischievous, the kind that made your stomach do twirls. The fairy lights cast a golden glow on his face, and suddenly I felt too warm.
"This dress," he continued, eyes drifting down to take in the full look, "it's like it was made for you. White's never looked that good on anyone."
I rolled my eyes, trying to play it cool. "You're clearly trying too hard."
"Only because you're trying too hard not to blush."
God. He wasn't wrong.
I looked away quickly, hoping the breeze would calm the heat rushing to my cheeks. But then-his hand brushed mine.
I froze. So did he.
Neither of us pulled away immediately. His pinky curled slightly, grazing mine again, and something fluttered violently in my chest. Like tiny fireworks. Like every teenage romcom cliché suddenly made sense.
Why did his hand feel like that?
I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He was still walking, casual on the outside-but the tension in his jaw gave him away.
Before I could process any of it, a loud voice broke the spell.
"Well well well! Look who snuck out of the party!"
We both turned abruptly to see Aryan walking toward us with that stupid smug grin. Behind him was Kiara, looking equally amused.
"Oh, we weren't-" I started, but Aryan held up a hand.
"Don't even try. You two literally vanished mid-crowd like some romcom leads."
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Need we give you space? Candlelight? A violinist?"
"Shut up," Saharsh muttered under his breath.
I could still feel the warmth of his hand brushing mine.
Still feel the way he looked at me.
Still feel the butterflies.
And none of that was going away anytime soon.
Back at the party, everything felt louder.
The lights, the music, the laughter-the way my friends looked at me with a thousand unspoken questions. Like I'd just walked out of a secret romcom scene and into reality, dazed and blushing.
Atharva smirked as we entered. "Ayyy, look who's back. Hope the campus tour was enlightening."
Shivam added with a grin, "And romantic."
"Grow up," I mumbled, elbowing him as I passed. But even I couldn't deny the heat still dancing on my cheeks.
Everyone was either half-dancing or plopped on bean bags, tired but buzzing with post-event energy. There were leftovers, discarded glow sticks, glitter in people's hair, and some wild selfies being taken in corners. It was chaos-but the good kind.
Saharsh slipped into the crowd beside Aryan like nothing happened, but every few minutes, I caught him sneaking glances. Each one made my skin tingle like he was actually touching me again.
"Girl," Janhvi whispered in my ear, dragging me toward the food table, "you have to tell me what happened. Aryan said you two looked like a scene. Like cinema."
"We just walked," I muttered.
"Yeah, walked with tension, spark, and maybe forehead kisses-don't lie."
I swatted her with a paper plate. "Shut up."
But the teasing didn't stop. Everyone seemed to be in full matchmaking mode by the end of the night. My protests were useless against the way people were smirking whenever Saharsh and I were even remotely close.
---
Later That Night
The event finally wrapped up around midnight. People began shuffling out in small groups, half asleep, fully exhausted.
Our group-me, Janhvi, Sanskruti, Shreya, and the boys-stood near the college gate, yawning and arguing about rides.
"Auto nahi milega abhi," Aryan said, unlocking his bike. "Saharsh, you dropping the girls to Janhvi's?"
He nodded, keys already twirling between his fingers. "Yep."
My stomach flipped.
"I'll go with Atharva," Janhvi said, far too quickly, exchanging a glance with Sanskruti. "Shreya and Sanskruti can go with Aryan and Shivam."
And just like that, they all conveniently assigned themselves seats-leaving me without a choice.
I turned to glare at Janhvi. She just winked like the traitor she was.
"Sam," Saharsh called out casually, already perched on his bike, "helmet's in the front if you want it."
I took a deep breath. Oh God.
I walked toward him slowly, hyper-aware of every single pair of eyes on us. Slid the helmet on and climbed behind him-awkwardly, trying not to touch too much.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm."
But as the engine revved, I had to grab him for balance. My hands found his shoulders-broad, warm, familiar. And when the bike surged forward, my arms wrapped instinctively around his waist.
His jacket smelled like cold air and something sweet-maybe vanilla, maybe trouble.
Neither of us spoke.
But I could feel everything.
The buzz in my fingers. The wild rhythm in my chest. The way my cheek accidentally brushed his back when we turned a corner.
And just before we reached Janhvi's place, I swear I felt him rest his hand on mine-light, just a second too long to be innocent.
He didn't say anything.
Neither did I.
But when I got off the bike and handed him the helmet, he looked at me, we were in the middle of something neither of us could name yet.
Like something had started tonight.
And I wasn't sure how to stop it.