Ayaan's POV

Pain.

Actual, physical pain.

For a few seconds, I completely forgot where I was. My entire body seemed to focus on the fact that this girl had just attacked me with alarming accuracy. I bent forward instinctively, one hand gripping my side while I tried to recover enough dignity to stand upright.

What the hell was wrong with her?

No.

The better question was what kind of girl reacts like that?

I slowly straightened, ignoring the dull ache in my ribs. The corridor around me had gone suspiciously quiet. A few students had definitely seen what happened. Some looked shocked. Others looked entertained. One guy was trying so hard not to laugh that his face had turned red.

I shot him a warning look.

He immediately looked away.

Smart decision.

Meanwhile, the girl responsible for my current suffering was already halfway down the corridor. She didn't glance back once. Not even out of courtesy. No apology. No embarrassment. Nothing.

She simply walked away as if kicking me was another task on her daily schedule.

I watched her disappear around the corner and felt something unfamiliar settle in my chest.

Annoyance.

Not because she hurt me.

Well, partly because she hurt me.

But mostly because she genuinely didn't seem impressed.

Most people knew exactly how to act around me. They smiled a little wider. They paid a little more attention. They tried to leave a good impression.

Kavya had looked at me as if I were an inconvenience.

An obstacle.

Something blocking her path.

And somehow that irritated me more than the pain.

I was still standing there trying to process the disaster when a voice echoed through the corridor.

"Ayaan! Ayaan Mishra!"

I turned to see one of Dad's business associates approaching quickly. Relief washed over me. Finally, someone normal.

"You made it," he said as he reached me. "Your father has been calling everyone since morning. He wanted to make sure you settled in properly."

I adjusted my jacket and forced a casual smile.

"I'm fine."

His eyes drifted briefly toward the direction Kavya had disappeared before returning to me.

Then they lowered slightly.

A strange expression crossed his face.

"...You sure?"

I stared at him.

He stared back.

Neither of us said anything.

A few awkward seconds passed before he cleared his throat.

"Never mind."

Good choice.

After he left, I finally started walking toward my classroom. Students moved around me, conversations filling the hallways, but my mind kept returning to the same irritating girl.

Kavya.

Even her name sounded arrogant.

The worst part was that she had every reason to be. She was beautiful. Not in the desperate, attention-seeking way most girls tried to be. Her beauty felt effortless, almost unfair. The kind that made people stop talking when she entered a room.

And she knew it.

You could see it in the way she carried herself. Confident. Composed. Untouchable.

Normally, that would have made me lose interest immediately.

But this girl had managed to injure both my ribs and my ego within ten minutes of meeting me.

That had to be some kind of record.

As I entered the classroom, my phone vibrated inside my pocket.

I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

SOULMATE.

The mysterious girl from the app still hadn't sent another message after calling me ridiculous.

I looked at her last text and laughed under my breath.

Ridiculous.

That made two girls in less than twenty-four hours who clearly weren't impressed by me.

One had insulted me.

The other had physically assaulted me.

What a wonderful start to life in a new city.

For the first time in a long time, however, I wasn't bored.

And that realization was far more dangerous than either of them.