The rain had finally stopped by morning, but the air in the classroom still felt thick with whatever happened yesterday—like the universe itself forgot to reset overnight. Sara stepped inside, cheeks warm from the cool wind, and instantly spotted Aarav already at his desk. He wasn't reading. He wasn't pretending to ignore her. He was just… staring at the door like he'd been waiting for her since dawn.
And the moment he saw her, something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not teasing.
Not the smug smirk he always used as a shield.
No—this was different.
Sara felt her heartbeat stutter like it tripped on its own feet. "Morning," she said, walking past him.
But Aarav stopped her with just one word.
"Sara."
Her name… soft. It hit different.
She froze. Not dramatically, not like in the movies—just that tiny pause your body does when your heart takes over the decision-making.
He stood up from his seat slowly, like he didn't want to scare her off. "Can we talk?"
There it was again. That tone that told her this wasn't about an argument. This wasn't about the detention incident. This wasn't about the almost-kiss, the too-close moment at the staff room door, or the way he kept choosing her even when he shouldn't.
Something deeper was sitting between them now. Quiet. Heavy. Real.
Sara gave a short nod. "Okay."
They walked to the back of the corridor—away from the gossipers, away from every pair of eyes that would absolutely explode if they saw the two of them talking like this again.
Aarav leaned against the wall. Sara stood a step away, arms crossed to hide the shaking she hated herself for.
He looked at her like he was studying every small reaction. "You didn't message last night."
Sara blinked. "You… expected me to?"
"I didn't say that." His jaw tightened. "I just—checked my phone more than usual."
Her heart thumped harder. "Why?"
He dragged a hand through his hair. "I don't know how to explain this without sounding like an idiot."
She waited. Aarav never struggled with words. Never. He always had something clever, something sharp, something that would make her glare at him for hours. But now—he looked almost nervous.
"You matter," he finally said.
The wind might as well have stopped.
Sara frowned. "I don't understand."
"I know," he murmured. "Because I keep messing this up."
She didn't speak. Not because she had no words—but because every nerve in her body was listening.
Aarav took a small step closer. Not inappropriate. Not crossing boundaries. Just enough that she felt the gravity of him.
"You walked out yesterday… and I felt like—" He sighed. "Like I lost something I wasn't supposed to care about."
Sara's lips parted. "Aarav…"
"No. Let me finish." His voice steadied. "I didn't realize it until I saw you leave. Until I couldn't follow you. Until I knew you wouldn't look back."
Her chest tightened—painfully, beautifully.
"And then," he continued, "when you didn't message last night… I realized it wasn't anger I felt."
He paused.
"It was fear."
Sara blinked hard. "Fear of what?"
"That you were finally done with me."
Her breath caught.
He wasn't joking.
He wasn't teasing.
He wasn't trying to win a challenge or prove a point.
Aarav, the boy who always looked untouchable, was standing in front of her admitting he was scared of losing her.
"I'm not done with you," she whispered.
He exhaled—relief, raw and clear. "Good. Because I don't want this… whatever this is… to end."
Sara felt her pulse race. "Then stop confusing me."
Aarav nodded instantly. "I know. And I will."
She stared at him. "You can't keep being hot one second and cold the next."
"I'm trying," he said. "But every time I get too close, I panic. You make me panic."
"Why? I'm not scary."
"You're terrifying, Sara."
She blinked again. "Excuse me?"
He stepped forward, slow, deliberate. "Because you're the only person who gets under my skin like this. The only person who makes me lose control. The only person I—"
He swallowed the last word.
"What were you going to say?" she asked softly.
"I'm not ready to say it yet," Aarav admitted. "But I will. Just… not yet."
Silence stretched between them—but it wasn't awkward. It was magnetic.
He reached out very slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Sara didn't move. His touch was warm, careful, almost reverent.
"You look tired," he whispered.
"I couldn't sleep," she confessed.
"Because of me?"
Sara hesitated. "Maybe."
A small smile tugged at his lips—not cocky, not teasing. Just… happy. Quietly happy.
"I couldn't sleep either," he said.
Their eyes locked again, and Sara felt the moment tilt—like they were standing on the edge of something big, something dangerous, something beautiful.
A voice suddenly shouted from the hallway:
"Ayyo Sara! Miss is calling you!"
The moment shattered instantly.
Aarav straightened. Sara pulled back. The world rushed in again—the noise, the people, the reality they had to return to.
"Go," he said softly. "I'll see you after class."
She nodded. But before she could walk away, he added—
"And Sara?"
She turned.
"Don't avoid me tonight," he said. "Message me. Please."
The word please coming from Aarav hit harder than anything else today.
Sara swallowed a smile. "Fine."
She walked away, heart thundering, feeling his eyes follow her the entire way down the hall.
And for the first time in this entire messy, tangled connection—they weren't running from the moment.
They were stepping into it.
Together