After school hours, the small café near the campus had slowly become Aarav and Ishika’s regular meeting spot. Nestled between tall gulmohar trees, the café was a quiet place, often filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the soft hum of background music—perfect for two students buried under the pressure of approaching exams.
Every afternoon, they'd settle into their usual corner by the window. Aarav, who usually found it hard to focus for more than ten minutes at home, had started looking forward to these study sessions. Ishika was a patient tutor—until she picked up a pen. The moment she began explaining something, her entire demeanor shifted. Her tone became serious, her eyes sharp, and there was no room for nonsense. Aarav found this transformation both amusing and impressive.
Through their daily interactions, he began learning small, endearing details about her—like how she refused to eat anything that had capsicum in it, even if it was just a slice on a pizza, or how she always carried two pens: one for writing and one as a ‘backup’ that she rarely used but never left behind. These quirks made her more real to him—not just the top student in class, but someone full of color and quiet charm.
Days melted into each other. Books were read, doubts cleared, laughter shared. And soon enough, the day of the final exam arrived. After finishing his paper, Aarav stepped out into the corridor, blinking at the brightness of the afternoon sun. His eyes searched instinctively—and there she was, standing a little apart from the crowd, waiting for him.
"So? How did it go?" Ishika asked, eyes scanning his face for clues.
Aarav hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. "Umm..."
"Come on, tell me!" she demanded, stepping closer with a concerned frown.
He lowered his eyes and pulled a dramatic sad face.
"That bad?" she asked, her voice dropping into worry.
A moment passed—and then Aarav grinned. "Don’t worry. I actually did really well."
"You—" Ishika let out a breath of relief and smacked his shoulder lightly. "You seriously scared me for a second."
Aarav laughed, but even as he joked with her, a thought tugged at the back of his mind. The exams were over now. What about their café routine? Would she still want to meet him? Or had all of this only been about studies?
He glanced at her, his heart beating a little faster.
"Ishi..." he started, unsure of how to ask the question forming in his mind.
But before he could get the words out, a voice cut through the air.
"Aarav!"
Both of them turned. Vivan was walking toward them, carefree as ever, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and that familiar lopsided grin on his face.
Ishika stepped back. "Okay, see you tomorrow," she said with a smile, and before Aarav could respond, she disappeared into the crowd.
Vivan reached him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yo, Aarav!"
Aarav sighed. "Dude, your timing really sucks."
"Huh? What did I do now?" Vivan asked, pretending to look wounded.
"Nothing," Aarav muttered, shaking his head.
"Anyway! How was the exam?" Vivan asked.
"It went well."
"Perfect. Let’s go to my place," Vivan said, already dragging him by the arm.
"Why?"
"Why? You ask why? It’s been ages since we spent proper bro time. Come on, no excuses today."
Aarav hesitated only a second before smiling. "Okay, okay. I'm coming."
The rest of the evening passed in a comfortable blur. At Vivan’s house, they ordered junk food, argued over controllers, and played video games until the city outside was silent. For a while, Aarav managed to push away the question that had begun forming in his heart.
But as he walked home that night under the quiet sky, he couldn't help but wonder—would Ishika show up at the café tomorrow?
The exams had come and gone so quickly that it all felt like a blur now. The long hours at the café, the endless notes, the whispered discussions between sips of coffee—all of it had led to this moment.
The result day.
The school campus was more alive than usual, buzzing with nerves and excitement. Students gathered in tight groups near the notice board, jostling to catch a glimpse of their ranks. Some were hopeful, others visibly anxious, and a few already bracing for disappointment.
Aarav stood a little distance away, hesitant to step forward. His heart was beating faster than it had on the day of the exam. He took a deep breath, moved through the crowd, and stared at the board.
He scanned the names quickly—down the list, name after name—until his eyes locked on one.
“3. Aarav Sharma”
He blinked, stunned for a moment. Then a slow, genuine smile spread across his face.
"Not bad, Aarav," came a familiar voice behind him.
He turned—and there she was.
Ishika Thakur stood a few steps away, her schoolbag slung over one shoulder, hair tied neatly, and that calm confidence in her eyes. She was smiling—one of those proud, heartfelt smiles that instantly made everything feel better.
"You got the third position! Congratulations!" she said, her tone filled with excitement, more than he’d expected.
Aarav scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. "It’s all thanks to you. Really, I couldn’t have done this without your help."
"Don’t mention it," she said, brushing it off casually, though her smile said she appreciated the recognition.
"What about you?" Aarav asked, glancing back at the board.
"Why don’t you look yourself?" she said, tilting her head slightly toward the top of the list.
He looked up, eyes tracing to the very first line.
“1. Ishika Thakur”
His jaw dropped slightly. "Hey—you’re first?!"
She nodded, almost a little bashfully. "Yeah."
"That’s amazing! Congrats, Ishika!"
"Thank you," she said, her cheeks warming slightly under his gaze.
Before he could say more, two loud voices cut through the moment.
"Aarav!"
He turned and saw Vivan Mehta and Shreya Singh making their way through the crowd toward them, Vivan waving dramatically while Shreya grinned wide.
"Congrats, dude!" Vivan said, clapping Aarav hard on the back.
"You too, Ishika—first place! No surprise there!" Shreya added with a playful wink.
"Thanks!" Ishika replied warmly.
Shreya clapped her hands together. "Hey, now that the results are out, let’s go celebrate! I mean, exams are done, results are out, and we all survived!"
"Yeah, that’s a great idea!" Vivan chimed in enthusiastically.
Aarav nodded. "Sure, I’m in."
"You’re coming too, Ishika," Shreya said, pointing at her like it was a non-negotiable command.
"Me?" Ishika looked surprised. "I don’t know, I—"
"We won’t hear anything. You have to come!" Shreya insisted, looping her arm through Ishika’s.
"Yeah, Ishika. And tell Khushi to join too," Vivan added, nudging her with a smile.
Ishika hesitated, clearly unsure. Her eyes darted toward Aarav, searching.
"Come on," Aarav said gently, meeting her gaze. "It won’t be the same without you."
That was all it took.
"Okay… okay, we’ll come," she said, finally smiling. "I’ll go tell Khushi and meet you guys at the gate."
"Great!" Aarav nodded.
As Ishika walked away toward the corridor, Aarav turned back—only to find Vivan and Shreya grinning at him like two kids who had just discovered a secret.
"What?" he asked, frowning suspiciously.
Vivan suddenly grabbed his right arm. Shreya grabbed his left.
"Okay, now spill it!" Vivan said, narrowing his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Aarav said, confused.
"Don’t act innocent," Shreya said, laughing. "What’s going on between you and Ishika, hmm?"
"Nothing’s going on!" Aarav said, trying to wiggle out of their grip.
Vivan smirked. "Yeah, right. You looked at her like she hung the moon or something."
"Come on! Just tell us already!" Shreya said.
"Will you two just leave me alone?" Aarav groaned.
"Nope! Not until you confess!" Vivan declared dramatically.
Aarav sighed, realizing there was no escaping their teasing anytime soon.
"You two… wait a minute…" Aarav narrowed his eyes, his tone shifting from exasperated to suspicious. "Since when did you two start getting along so well?"
At that, both Vivan and Shreya instantly froze.
As if on cue, they let go of Aarav’s arms and took a small step back—like two guilty teenagers caught sneaking out past curfew. Their faces shifted quickly from amused to alarmed, eyes wide like deer in headlights.
Aarav watched their reactions closely. It was subtle at first—the way Shreya avoided looking at him directly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The way Vivan suddenly found something intensely interesting about the floor.
Then, they looked at each other.
And blushed.
Aarav blinked. Wait... seriously? He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Hold on—hold on! Is there something going on that I don’t know about?"
Shreya's eyes widened even more, and in a flash, she turned away. "Yeah! I-I’m coming!" she shouted to no one in particular, then walked off in the direction Ishika had gone, her steps a little too fast, a little too awkward.
Aarav turned to Vivan, arms crossed. "Seriously?"
"Huh? Oh! Right!" Vivan said, caught off guard. "I, um... I just remembered—I've got some important work!"
Aarav tilted his head slightly. "Oh really? Right now?"
"Yep! Super urgent!" Vivan gave a weak thumbs up and started backing away. "See you after school, buddy!"
And with that, he turned on his heels and practically jogged after Shreya.
Aarav stood there for a moment, watching their backs disappear down the corridor. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
He wasn’t dumb. Something was definitely brewing between those two. He’d seen it before—the casual teasing, the lingering glances, the way they always had some reason to bicker... or talk... or hang around each other.
So that’s what they were trying to distract me from.
But honestly? He didn’t mind. In fact, it worked in his favor. As long as they were too distracted with each other, they’d stop digging into his and Ishika’s business.
And for now… that was exactly how he wanted it.
Because whatever this thing was between him and Ishika—it was too new, too delicate to define. He wasn’t ready to have it joked about or turned into gossip. Not yet.
Not until he was sure of what it was.
After everyone agreed to celebrate together, Ishika quietly slipped away from the crowd. She walked down the quieter hallway toward the old staircase that led to the senior wing, where she knew she’d find Khushi Mehra—her closest friend and confidante, and the one person who truly understood her complicated world.
Sure enough, Khushi was there near her locker, humming a tune and flipping through her notes.
"Khushi," Ishika called gently.
Khushi looked up instantly, her eyes lighting up. "Oh! Ishika!" she said with a big smile, quickly walking over. "Congratulations! First place again—you never fail to amaze me!"
Ishika smiled, a little shyly. "Thanks."
"But wait, what’s up? You came looking serious."
"Nothing too serious," Ishika said, her voice softening. "Actually… Aarav and the others are planning to celebrate the results. They invited us to join. So I came to ask—will you come with me?"
Khushi tilted her head. "Hmm. Yeah, I don’t mind. Sounds fun." Then she paused, her smile fading just slightly. "But… are you sure? I mean, your father told you not to hang out with anyone from school outside class, didn’t he?"
Ishika hesitated. For a brief moment, her gaze dropped to the floor. The weight of her father's expectations always lingered in the back of her mind—strict rules, limited freedom, constant warnings about distractions and appearances. But…
"He left this morning for a business trip. He won't be back until tomorrow evening," she said quietly, almost as if reassuring herself. "So it won't be a problem. Just for today."
Khushi looked at her thoughtfully, then smiled and nudged her playfully. "Well in that case—let’s celebrate!"
Ishika let out a relieved laugh. "Thank you. Come on, the others are probably waiting."
The two girls walked down the hallway together, side by side, sunlight pouring through the windows and painting golden patterns on the floor. For the first time in a while, Ishika felt something light and exciting stir in her chest.
A feeling she hadn’t allowed herself in a long time.
Freedom.
And maybe—just maybe—a little bit of happiness that she wasn’t ready to name yet.
