Ayaan's POV
Morning came with clear skies, like last night’s rain had never happened.
Ayaan walked into school with his usual careless attitude. Laughing with his friends, shoulders relaxed, eyes forward.
And then he saw her.
Tara was standing near the notice board, talking to someone. Her hair neatly tied, bag hanging from one shoulder. Calm. Normal.
Ayaan felt the familiar pull but stopped himself.
He looked away.
Bas.
He decided.
No thinking. No overanalyzing. No unnecessary curiosity.
She was just his brother’s tutor.
Nothing else.
During assembly, he stood a little farther than usual. In the corridors, he changed his route. When their eyes almost met once, he turned first.
Tara noticed.
Of course she did.
But it didn’t bother her.
She had seen enough indifference in her life to recognise it instantly. And she was fine with it. More than fine.
Sometimes distance was easier.
Tara's POV
Later that evening, tuition started like always.
The kids settled down, opening their books, complaining about homework. Tara explained patiently, walking around the room.
Everything felt normal.
When she reached Arnav, she paused for a moment and said softly,
“Kal apne bhai ka number leke aana.”
Arnav looked up, surprised.
“Kyun?”
She smiled slightly.
“Agar kabhi late ho jao, ya koi problem ho, toh call kar saku.”
“Aise barish mein kisi ko pareshaan nahi hona chahiye.”
Arnav nodded quickly.
“Theek hai, didi.”
Tara moved on to the next student.
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
No mention of yesterday.
But somewhere else—
Ayaan was scrolling through his phone, trying not to think about why his chest felt tight for no reason at all.
He told himself again—
He was doing the right thing.
Ignoring was easy.
What he didn’t know yet was Sometimes, the more you try not to care, the louder everything becomes.
Ayaan's POV
Ayaan
That night, Arnav walked into his room without knocking.
Ayaan was lying on his bed, earphones in, phone in hand, pretending to be busy.
Arnav sat on the edge of the bed.
“Bhai.”
Ayaan pulled one earphone out.
“Hmm?”
“Didi ne bola hai aapka number dene ko.”
Ayaan froze.
Just for a second.
Then he masked it.
“Kyun?”
Arnav shrugged.
“Kal barish thi na. Unhone bola agar late ho jaun ya problem ho toh.”
Ayaan stared at the screen, but the words blurred.
She was thinking ahead.
She was being careful.
He exhaled slowly.
“De de.”
Arnav looked at him, surprised.
“Sach?”
Ayaan nodded, casual.
“Haan. Koi badi baat nahi.”
But it was.
He turned his face away so Arnav wouldn’t notice the slight change in his expression.
After Arnav left, Ayaan sat up.
So much for ignoring.
She had created a reason to stay connected without even trying.
No drama.
No emotion.
Just responsibility.
And somehow, that made it worse.
He picked up his phone, opened contacts, typed his number, and sent it to Arnav.
As he lay back down, staring at the ceiling, one thought refused to leave—
She wasn’t pushing him away.
She was simply… being prepared.
And for the first time, Ayaan wondered—
How long would ignoring actually work
____
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