Not because anything dramatic happened.

Because everything felt normal.

And Nila was starting to enjoy it.

---

Every morning, she found herself looking for Aaradhya without realizing it.

Near the library.

In the corridor.

Outside the classroom.

Anywhere.

It was ridiculous.

They weren't even that close.

Right?

---

"You're smiling at your phone."

Divya's voice nearly gave Nila a heart attack.

"I'm not."

"You absolutely are."

"I'm reading memes."

"You've been staring at the same message for ten minutes."

Nila immediately locked her phone.

"Mind your business."

Divya narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Then gasped dramatically.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"It's Aaradhya."

Nila almost choked on her coffee.

"Shut up."

"I knew it!"

"You know nothing."

The smile on Divya's face became evil.

Which was unfortunate.

Because she was right.

---

That afternoon, Nila walked toward the library looking for Aaradhya.

Not intentionally.

Probably.

Maybe.

Fine.

Very intentionally.

But as she reached the entrance, she stopped.

Aaradhya was standing there.

Talking to someone.

A senior.

Tall.

Confident.

Handsome.

The type of guy people naturally liked.

They were laughing about something.

Aaradhya looked comfortable.

Relaxed.

Happy.

Nila immediately felt something unpleasant twist inside her chest.

A strange feeling.

Sharp.

Irritating.

Unwelcome.

---

The senior gently touched Aaradhya's shoulder while saying goodbye.

A completely harmless gesture.

Yet Nila hated it instantly.

Why?

She had no idea.

And that made it worse.

---

"Nila!"

Aaradhya's face brightened slightly when she noticed her.

The uncomfortable feeling somehow became stronger.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

"Hi."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

Aaradhya looked confused.

"Long enough for what?"

Nila shrugged carelessly.

"Nothing."

---

The senior smiled politely.

"You must be Nila."

Nila frowned.

"How do you know me?"

Aaradhya answered.

"I mentioned you."

Something inside her chest immediately forgot how to function.

"You did?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Aaradhya nodded naturally.

"Of course."

Of course.

Two simple words.

Yet they followed Nila for the rest of the day.

---

Later that evening, they sat together working on their assignment.

Or rather...

Aaradhya worked.

Nila distracted her.

As usual.

---

"Who was he?"

Aaradhya looked up.

"Who?"

"The senior."

"Oh."

A smile appeared.

"Dhanush."

Nila hated that smile.

Not because it was beautiful.

Because it appeared after mentioning him.

"He helped me during my first year."

"Mhm."

"He's really nice."

"Mhm."

"And very supportive."

"Mhm."

Aaradhya slowly lowered her pen.

"Nila."

"What?"

"Why do you sound angry?"

"I'm not angry."

"You look angry."

"I always look angry."

That was unfortunately true.

---

Aaradhya stared at her for several seconds.

Then suddenly—Her expression changed.

As if she had figured something out.

Something interesting.

Something dangerous.

A small smile appeared.

Slowly.

"Are you jealous?"

Nila nearly dropped her notebook.

"What?"

Aaradhya looked entirely too amused.

"You're jealous."

"I am absolutely not jealous."

"Really?"

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

Way too quickly.

Aaradhya laughed.

Actually laughed.

And somehow that felt even worse.

---

For the next hour, she kept smiling occasionally.

Like she knew a secret.

Like she was enjoying herself.

Meanwhile, Nila was suffering.

---

As the sun disappeared outside the classroom window, they finally packed their bags.

The campus had become quiet.

Peaceful.

Beautiful.

Aaradhya stood and stretched slightly.

Then looked toward Nila.

Still smiling.

"You're cute when you're jealous."

Nila froze.

The entire universe stopped.

Her brain stopped.

Her heartbeat definitely stopped.

"What?"

Aaradhya immediately realized what she had said.

And froze too.

The smile vanished instantly.

A rare blush appeared.

For the first time since meeting her...

Aaradhya looked flustered.

Human.

Adorable.

Neither knew what to say.

Neither looked away.

The silence stretched between them.

Heavy.

Warm.

Dangerous.

Then Aaradhya cleared her throat.

"We should go."

"Yeah."

Neither moved.

---

And for the first time...

Both of them began wondering the same terrifying question.

What exactly were they becoming to each other?