The week of the literature fest arrived like a gust of wind — fast, loud, and full of color. The Xavier's campus was transformed into a vibrant maze of stalls, stage setups, string lights, and painted backdrops. Every department had its own corner, every student their own sparkle.
For Ruhi, the days blurred into rehearsals, scripting, organizing committee meetings — and more time with Rudra Sharma than she had mentally prepared for.
They'd grown... cooperative.
Not friendly. Not quite.
But something unspoken had softened between them. She no longer rolled her eyes every time he smirked. And he didn't tease her as much — though sometimes, a joke would slip through when she was stressed, just to make her smile.
It was the third day of fest preparations when it happened.
Ruhi was adjusting the microphone on stage, flipping through cue cards, when Priyanka — a bold, confident girl from the Mass Media department — strolled over to Rudra, who was setting props nearby.
She twirled a strand of hair and leaned close, voice flirtatious. "So, Mr. Basketball, how about co-hosting next year's fest with me?"
Ruhi glanced up.
Rudra chuckled politely. "Let's survive this one first."
Priyanka laughed and touched his arm. "You know, you could do better than standing next to a girl who looks like she's going to faint on stage."
Ruhi's back stiffened.
She didn't say anything. Didn't need to. Her hands gripped the card tighter.
Rudra's smile faded slightly.
He glanced at Ruhi — who was pretending not to care — and then looked back at Priyanka.
"You know what?" he said calmly. "Ruhi may look quiet, but she's the reason this entire thing is running smoothly. I'm lucky to stand next to her."
Priyanka blinked.
Ruhi's breath caught.
Without waiting for a response, Rudra walked past Priyanka and joined Ruhi on stage. "We're running Scene 2 again?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.
Ruhi didn't look at him. "I thought you liked girls like her."
"I thought so too," he said softly.
She turned, startled. He was looking at her, not with flirtation — but clarity.
And she had no idea what to do with that.
Later that evening, Ruhi sat curled in bed with her diary — Beyond the Buzzer — resting on her lap like a secret heart.
Simran was at her dance rehearsal. The room was quiet, lit only by the yellow bulb hanging above Ruhi's desk.
Beyond the Buzzer – Page 26"He defended me today. Not out loud. Not dramatically.Just… calmly. Honestly.And it meant more than I wanted it to.""Why does my chest ache when he looks away?Why does it burn when someone else touches his hand?""I'm falling. Not like in books. Not like in movies.Quietly. Silently. Completely."
She closed the diary and hugged it to her chest.
Meanwhile, at the hostel basketball court, Rudra sat cross-legged on the bench, sweat dripping down his forehead after practice. Aarav threw a water bottle at him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Rudra said, distracted.
"You told off Priyanka pretty hard today," Aarav said, raising an eyebrow.
"She was being rude."
Aarav smirked. "To Ruhi, or to you?"
Rudra didn't answer.
"Bro…" Aarav leaned forward. "You've changed."
"Is that bad?"
"No," Aarav said. "Just rare."
Rudra looked away, eyes fixed on the court.
"I think I like her," he admitted finally.
Aarav blinked. "Wow. You're serious."
"She's not like the others, Aarav. She doesn't try. She doesn't pretend. And when she speaks… I feel like I'm not pretending either."
The next day brought more emotional weight — this time, for Simran.
Ruhi found her in the PG room, unusually quiet, staring at her phone.
"What's wrong?" Ruhi asked, sitting beside her.
Simran looked up. "My brother called. The wedding... it's postponed. He's sick."
"Oh no... is it serious?"
"Not life-threatening. Just viral. But… you know how important it was. I was so excited to take you all to the village, dress up, dance…"
Ruhi squeezed her hand. "We still will. Just later."
Simran smiled faintly. "I guess."
Ruhi hesitated. "You could talk to Aarav about it."
Simran blinked. "Why him?"
"Because... you two connect. Don't act like I haven't noticed."
Simran blushed. "I don't know what he thinks."
"He thinks you're not like the rest," Ruhi said, echoing Rudra's words from earlier.
Simran looked up, surprised.
Later that evening, she found Aarav alone outside the café. Sat beside him. Told him everything.
He didn't say much — just listened, nodded, and offered her his last KitKat.
And sometimes, that's all it takes to start something new.
On the final day of rehearsals, Ruhi and Rudra stood on the stage, waiting for final lighting tests. The crowd was gone. Only echo remained.
"Why are you so quiet today?" Rudra asked, adjusting his mic.
Ruhi shrugged. "Thinking."
"About what?"
She glanced at him. "About how this all started with us hating each other."
He chuckled. "You still hate me?"
She paused. Then looked at him — really looked.
"No," she said softly. "Not even close."
He stepped forward, gently.
"Good," he said. "Because I don't want to be someone you tolerate. I want to be someone you… trust."
She didn't reply.
But her eyes said everything.
To be continued...