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Chapter 10 - A little secret story of Love

It was late evening at Sejal's college hostel.

Dinner was done, and the dorm room was dimly lit with a soft yellow glow. Her roommates were lounging on the beds, gossiping and laughing in low voices.

In the middle of all this, Sejal suddenly spoke up in a dazed, distant tone—

"You know... I have a friend. She's been in love with a boy since she was very young. It's a one-sided love... always has been. The boy is much older than her, so he never really paid her any attention. She confessed her feelings so many times... but he rejected her every single time."

Her voice held a quiet sadness, like a story that still stung even in its retelling.

The room went silent for a moment.

Then, her closest roommate looked at her with a mischievous grin and said, "I know exactly who you're talking about, Sejal. You're obviously talking about yourself, right?"

Sejal startled slightly and turned toward her. "What? I didn't say that!" she replied, flustered.

Her roommate laughed softly. "You don't need to say it. I've already figured it out. It's Dean, isn't it? You've known him since childhood. You've always been in love with him."

Sejal lowered her eyes, lips silent.

Her roommate reached over and gently patted her head. "Look, don't let it eat you up inside. If there's even a little space for you in his heart, he'll come back to you on his own. And if he doesn't… then maybe it's time to let go."

Sejal listened quietly, her heart tangled in hope and pain.

Her roommate nudged her again and said teasingly, "And besides, what about Ken? He's so smart and handsome. Why don't you give him a chance?"

Sejal frowned a little. "I've only ever seen Ken as a childhood friend. I've never thought of him like that. Not even once."

Her roommate smirked and leaned in mischievously, "Come on, don't you have a picture of your crush? Show me!"

Blushing, Sejal unlocked her phone and pulled up a photo of Dean—

Black shirt, power glasses, a serious expression on his face.

Her roommate gasped.

"Whoa! He's seriously HOT! Now I get why you're obsessed!"

Without warning, she grabbed the phone and forwarded the picture to their hostel's WhatsApp group with the caption:

"Look! This is Sejal's crush—Dean!"

Within seconds, the group chat exploded.

One message read:

"OMG Sejal, congrats! He's sooo handsome!"

Another teased:

"He looks like a total senior-level hottie! Isn't he way older than you???"

Sejal's cheeks turned crimson with embarrassment, but somewhere deep inside, she couldn't deny the strange joy bubbling in her chest.

From that day onward, everyone in the hostel started calling Dean "Crush Brother-in-law" whenever he came up in conversation.

And just like that, bit by bit, all her hostel friends came to know—

how long Sejal had loved Dean,

how deep and quiet her one-sided love truly was...

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To be continued… 💫

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