The next few days felt strange for both Riya and Aryan.
Riya continued avoiding him.
In class she sat quietly, focusing on her books and pretending not to notice him.
Aryan, on the other hand, couldn't understand what had gone wrong.
He kept thinking about their last conversation.
Everything had seemed normal before.
So why was she suddenly so distant?
One afternoon after class, Aryan decided he couldn't ignore the situation anymore.
As Riya walked out of the classroom, Aryan quickly followed her.
"Riya, wait."
She stopped but didn't turn around.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
Aryan walked in front of her.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
Riya hesitated.
"It's nothing."
Aryan shook his head.
"It can't be nothing."
Riya looked away.
For a moment she stayed silent.
Then she finally spoke.
"I saw you."
Aryan looked confused.
"Saw me?"
"Two days ago," Riya said quietly.
"You were talking to a girl near the staircase."
Aryan thought for a moment.
Then suddenly he understood.
"You mean Neha?"
Riya didn't respond.
Aryan sighed.
"Riya… she's my cousin."
Riya looked up in surprise.
"Your cousin?"
"Yes," Aryan said.
"She just joined the same college last week."
Riya felt embarrassed.
She realized she had misunderstood the situation completely.
"I didn't know," she said quietly.
Aryan smiled gently.
"You didn't even ask."
Riya looked down.
"I thought…"
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Aryan stepped a little closer.
"You thought I was hiding something from you."
Riya nodded slowly.
Aryan laughed softly.
"I guess that means you care."
Riya's cheeks turned slightly red.
She didn't deny it.
For a moment, both of them stood there in silence.
Then Aryan said something unexpected.
"You know… I care about you too."
Riya looked up quickly.
Aryan's expression was serious now.
"More than anyone else here."
Her heart began beating faster.
She had never expected him to say something like that.
But before she could respond, Aryan continued.
"I don't want misunderstandings between us."
Riya nodded.
"Neither do I."
For the first time in several days, they both smiled again.
The tension between them slowly disappeared.
But neither of them realized that bigger challenges were still waiting ahead.
Because sometimes life tests people just when they start becoming happy.
And their story was far from over.