As the door clicked shut behind Dhruv, Riya slumped back into the couch with a soft exhale, her mind still processing what had just happened.
"Did you see the way he was staring at you?" Anu's voice broke the silence, and Riya's heart skipped a beat.
"No!" Riya blurted out, her voice a little too loud. She quickly cleared her throat, avoiding Anu's eyes. "He wasn't staring at me. He was just…" She trailed off, unsure how to explain it.
"Riya." Anu sat down beside her, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You, my friend, have officially been rescued by Mr. Cool himself. Dhruv. At your house. In your room. With soup and medicine."
"Stop," Riya muttered, blushing furiously. She pulled her blanket tighter around herself, trying to hide her face. "He was just being nice, okay? I'm sick, and he brought medicine. That's it. End of story."
"Oh, really?" Anu raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Nice? Since when does a guy who barely speaks ever do something nice like that?"
Riya's heart beat faster as she realized the truth of Anu's words. Dhruv had been unusually kind. It wasn't like him to just show up uninvited, carrying a bag of medicine and warm soup. And then the way he had been so gentle, so careful, while she was dozing off… It felt different. Like… he cared.
But she wasn't ready to admit that out loud.
"No, Anu, really. He's just.... " She couldn't find the words. "He's just... Dhruv."
Anu leaned forward, her grin widening. "Riya. You are blushing. Like a tomato. A ripe, juicy tomato."
"I'm not!" Riya squeaked, her face heating up even more. She could feel her cheeks burn, and there was no way to hide it.
"Oh yes, you are," Anu laughed, nudging her with her shoulder. "Don't even try to deny it. You were practically glowing when he was here. And I swear, I saw him soften just a little when he looked at you. I mean, when does Dhruv soften? He barely shows emotion to anyone, let alone you."
"Anu, please!" Riya groaned, her face now as red as a lobster. "Can we not talk about this right now? I'm already embarrassed enough as it is."
But Anu wasn't letting her off the hook that easily. "Oh, but I'm so loving this," she teased, bouncing on the couch like a kid with a secret. "You have a crush on him! A big, juicy, very obvious crush."
"I don't!" Riya nearly shouted, but the way her voice cracked at the end made it clear she was lying through her teeth.
"Oh, but you do, don't you?" Anu's grin grew wider. "I mean, who wouldn't? Dhruv is, well, he's Dhruv. And he just made you soup, for God's sake. Soup, Riya. That's practically a declaration of love."
Riya groaned and flopped backward, letting the blanket swallow her whole. "You're insane."
"No, you're just in denial," Anu said, crossing her arms. "But don't worry. I'm here to help. I've got your back. I'll be your personal cheerleader while you work through your, how do you call it, 'feelings.'"
Riya threw a pillow at her. "I do not need a cheerleader, Anu. I'm fine. Really."
"Oh, sure," Anu rolled her eyes dramatically. "Totally fine. Nothing weird happened tonight. Just the guy you've been avoiding for weeks suddenly showing up at your house and taking care of you."
"I wasn't avoiding him!" Riya's voice was a little too high-pitched, and she cursed herself for it.
Anu raised an eyebrow. "Sure you weren't. You've been all 'I don't want to deal with Dhruv' and 'I don't like him that way' and now... this happens."
"Stop it, Anu!" Riya cried, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. "This is too much!"
"Oh, come on. Admit it. You're secretly swooning," Anu teased, nudging her again. "You like him. And guess what? He likes you too. Maybe more than you think."
Riya peeked through her fingers, eyeing Anu warily. "He does not like me. He was just, he was just being nice, that's all. He probably felt bad because I was sick."
Anu leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Okay, maybe he was being nice, but there's a spark there. I can feel it. You can feel it too, don't lie. The way he looked at you, the way he stayed so close, he was worried about you, Riya. And that's something, even for Dhruv."
Riya sat up slowly, feeling a flutter in her chest at Anu's words. Was it really possible? Was she really reading into something? The last thing she wanted was to fall for someone who wasn't the slightest bit interested in her. But… she couldn't deny that there was a strange warmth in her heart whenever Dhruv was around.
And it wasn't just because of the soup.
"Okay, fine," Riya admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe there's… a little something."
Anu's eyes widened dramatically. "A little something?" She grinned like she'd won the lottery. "Girl, you are absolutely crushing on him!"
Riya buried her face in her hands again. "I hate you."
Anu laughed, completely unbothered. "No, you don't. You're just embarrassed because you like Dhruv. And I'm here to tell you that it's perfectly okay to like him back."
Riya stared at her for a long moment, then sighed deeply. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
Anu simply winked. "Oh, definitely."
And for the first time in a long while, Riya couldn't help but laugh. The absurdity of it all, the idea of Dhruv, the aloof, almost unreachable Dhruv, actually caring about her, was still too much for her to wrap her head around. But deep down, a small part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe, Anu was right.
That there might be something more than just soup after all.
- - - to be continued - - -