-Tara's POV
After school’s time has always been in hurry for Tara.
She never stayed back for gossip or laughter. Her day didn’t end with the last bell; it only shifted to responsibility.
In front of the school gate, the familiar noise surrounded her. Students rushing home, parents waiting in cars, and a few kids standing around her with notebooks clutched to their chests. These were the kids who came to her for tutoring. Their voices blended into the evening chaos.
She stepped closer to one of them and said calmly,
“Arnav, kal maths ka test hai. Fraction revise kar lena.”
Arnav listened carefully and nodded. He always did.
Tara closed her notebook and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. One more responsibility done. Or so she thought.
Just then, the sound of a car slowed near the gate.
Not an ordinary one.
Black. Shiny. Expensive.
Tara’s steps faltered for a second. She didn’t look up, but she didn’t need to. Some things were felt before they were seen. The atmosphere around her changed, like the air itself had become heavier.
She glanced sideways.
The car door opened.
Her heart skipped, not out of excitement—but instinct.
She moved closer to Arnav and spoke in a low, urgent tone,
“Abhi ghar jao.”
Before he could react, a familiar careless voice cut through the noise.
“Arnav?”
Tara froze.
Slowly, she turned.
Ayaan Malhotra stood there—school’s golden boy with a broken reputation. Tie loose, blazer hanging carelessly, confidence written all over his posture like rules had never applied to him.
His eyes moved from his brother… to her.
For a second, the world paused.
Recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by a slow, teasing smile.
Tara’s grip tightened on her bag. She had heard about him. Everyone had. And she wanted nothing to do with boys like him.
He tilted his head slightly, amusement clear on his face, and said,
“Tum?”
That single word felt heavier than a full sentence.
Tara straightened her back, refusing to look intimidated but wanted nothing to do with this guy so she turned to Arnav
"Uhh. Arnav..mujhe thoda kaam hai mai chalti hun! Tumhara bhai bhi aagaya hai! Byy!" I said and left in rush not waiting for their response
Arnav looked towards my figure leaving and confused "aree Tara dii ko kya ho gaya?" he looked at ayaan who was also looking at my figure leaving he smirked to himself arnav noticed his brother smirking and grinned with mischievous look and ayaan saw him and realized he had been staring at my figure and clear his throat his expression neutral "chalo ghar!" He said and sat in the car..Arnav also went and sat in car and they left..
Ayaan's pov
After school time was never exciting for Aryaan.
For him, it was just another day ending without anything waiting at home. He stepped out of the car slowly, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. His eyes went straight to the school gate.
He was about to call the driver when he noticed someone familiar.
Arnav.
He frowned slightly. Arnav usually waited inside the car, not outside the gate like this. Today, he was standing with a girl. She was holding a notebook, explaining something, and Arnav was listening carefully. Too carefully.
Aryaan stood there for a moment, watching.
The girl looked simple. No loud expressions. No trying to impress anyone. She spoke calmly, and Arnav nodded like every word mattered.
That caught his attention.
He walked closer and called out,
“Arnav?”
Arnav turned around quickly. His face showed clear nervousness.
The girl also turned.
Their eyes met.
Ayaan felt something pause inside him. He didn’t know why. She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t scared either. She just looked at him like she already knew he was trouble.
Interesting.
She moved slightly in front of Arnav and said in a low voice,
“Abhi ghar jao.”
Ayaan raised an eyebrow.
She was telling his brother what to do?
He took one step forward and asked casually,
“Tum?”
The girl straightened her posture. She didn’t answer. She didn’t look away either. She just stood there, holding her bag tightly, like she was ready to leave but not afraid to stay.
Ayaan smirked.
He didn’t know her name.
He didn’t know why she mattered.
But one thing was clear.
This girl didn’t like him.
And for the first time, Ayaan realised he wanted to know why.
Aryaan got back into the car, but his eyes kept going back to the school gate. The girl was gone. Still, her face stayed in his mind. He tried to remember where he had seen her before. In class? In the corridors? Somewhere around school? He searched his memory, but nothing came clearly. It bothered him more than he expected.
At home, the silence felt louder than usual. He dropped his bag on the sofa and sat for a moment, staring at nothing. The image of her standing in front of Arnav, protective and calm, kept replaying in his head. He didn’t like not knowing things. Especially not people.
His phone buzzed.
A message from his friends.
They were calling him out, asking him to meet. Normally, he wouldn’t think twice. Today, he hesitated. Still, staying home meant thinking more, and he didn’t want that. He picked up his keys and left.
The café was noisy, filled with laughter and familiar voices. His friends were already there, joking, talking over each other. Aryaan joined them, but his mind wasn’t fully present. He listened, nodded, even smiled once or twice, but his thoughts were somewhere else.
His friends noticed.
One of them leaned closer and said,
“Kya hua bhai? Aaj kuch zyada hi shaant lag raha hai.”
Another laughed and added,
“Lagta hai kisi ke baare mein soch raha hai.”
Aryaan rolled his eyes, pretending not to care.
“Bakwas band karo.”
They didn’t stop. They never did.
“Sach bata, kaun hai?” one of them teased.
Aryaan looked away, annoyed more at himself than them. He didn’t have an answer, and that irritated him. He had never been this distracted before.
He stood up, saying he needed some air.
As he stepped outside, the evening breeze hit his face. He took a few steps forward, trying to clear his head.
And then—
He saw her.
She was standing across the street, talking to someone, her bag slung over one shoulder. The same calm expression. The same presence that had stayed with him all day.
For a second, everything else faded.
This time, he was sure.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
She looked up.
Their eyes met again.
And suddenly, Aryaan realised—
He wasn’t trying to remember where he had seen her before.
He was already sure he would see her again. Ayaan stayed where he was, not moving, not looking away. For a moment, he thought maybe she would ignore him and walk away. That would have been easier. But she didn’t.
She looked at him the same way she had earlier that day. Calm. Guarded. Like she already knew he brought trouble with him.
She turned back to the person she was talking to and said something quietly. Then she started walking. Straight towards him.
Ayaan’s heartbeat picked up without permission. He didn’t understand why. He had faced teachers, rivals, even his father without flinching. But right now, he felt strangely aware of himself.
She stopped a few steps away.
Close enough.
Close enough for him to notice the tiredness in her eyes. Close enough to see how tightly she held her bag, like it was her shield.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched.
Finally, Ayaan broke it, his voice casual,
“Tum phir se?”
She frowned slightly, clearly not amused.
“Yeh jagah sirf tumhari nahi hai.”
That answer made him smile, even though he tried not to.
Most people either laughed nervously around him or tried too hard to impress him. She did neither.
He leaned back a little and said,
“Tum kaun ho?”
She hesitated. Just for a second.Then replied,
“Tumhe jaanne ki zarurat nahi hai.”
Ouch.
Ayaan let out a short laugh.
“Par mujhe jaanne ka shauk hai.”
She looked past him, like she was checking the time, then back at him.
“Mujhe late ho raha hai.”
She turned to leave.
Without thinking, Aryaan spoke again,
“Arnav tumhari baat maanta hai.”
That stopped her.
She turned slowly, her expression firm now.
“Woh mera student hai.”
Student?.
That word clicked something in his head.
So that’s what she was.
A tutor.
He nodded once, pretending it didn’t matter, though it clearly did.
“Achha padhati ho?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Achha padhta hai.”
He smirked.
Smart. Sharp. Unimpressed.
Before he could say anything else, voices called out his name from behind. His friends were coming out of the café, clearly curious.
She noticed them too.
Her shoulders stiffened.
She took a step back and said,
“Mujhe jaana hai.”
Ayaan didn’t stop her this time.
He watched as she walked away, disappearing into the crowd just like before. But this time, it felt different. This time, it felt unfinished.
His friends reached him.
One of them nudged him and said,
“Bhai, tu usi ladki ko dekh raha tha na?”
Another laughed,
“Lagta hai scene serious hai.”
Ayaan didn’t answer.
For once, he didn’t have a comeback.
He was still looking at the place where she had been standing.
And somewhere deep inside, he knew This wasn’t the last time their paths would cross.Not even close
_______
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