Ayyan's POV :
Today, after school, all the boys decided to meet up to check out coaching classes. I threw on my black t-shirt and jeans—simple, but trust me, I looked good.
We hopped from one class to another, but every time one of us had some issue. Finally, we gave up for the day and went for street food instead.
We were laughing, eating, joking around when out of nowhere, someone said,
"Guys, who do you think Siya likes? Ayyan, right?"
I almost choked on my food.
Like—what? Out of syllabus question!
But then they laughed and said, "Not that Siya… we're talking about Ayesha."
Still, Siya's name was stuck in the middle of it. Because today, she'd cried. In front of the whole class. Like an actual crybaby. That's why she was in their heads.
I laughed it off, pretended I didn't care. "Whatever about Ayesha. I don't anymore."
But of course, Nayaan had to tease me. "Yeah right, bro. Now you've got one more. What's her name? Tanuuuu!"
The whole gang screamed her name, laughing like idiots.
And honestly… I laughed too.
Because Tanu… she was different. She's the reason I even downloaded Snapchat. The reason I stay up at night, waiting for a "typing…" that sometimes never comes. The reason I check my phone more than I should. Yeah, I liked her. Maybe more than I should admit.
After dinner, I went home, flopped on my bed, and texted her. She didn't reply. So I sat with my family in the living room, half-watching TV. On-screen, the heroine was crying.
And that's when it hit me again.
Siya.
Her swollen eyes. The way her voice broke when she said, "I know."
God. Why did I remember that?
I don't even care about her. But today, she was stuck in my head.
---
The truth? Siya never mattered to me. Not the first day I saw her—pale face, two long braids, big eyes above a black mask. She was just another girl in class.
Because that day, my eyes were only for Ayesha.
The girl I'd liked for years. The girl I once called mine. The girl who made me believe in something, only to break me down again and again. She used me. She left me. She even cheated once… but back then, I was just a dumb kid in class 5 or 6. I let it go. I told myself: She's prettier, smarter, better. If she once chose me, I should be grateful.
Pathetic, right?
But even after all that, I still cared for her. Even when she hung me like a question mark, never clear, always two-sided. I held on. Until I couldn't anymore.
So I walked away. And now that I've walked away, she's chasing me.
Do I still like her? I don't even know anymore.
---
But back to Siya.
She's… strange. Always lost in thoughts, always laughing at something in her head. At first, I thought she was just blending too easily with everyone—Vish, Nayaan, even me. But then there were moments.
Like the time I blamed her for the issues between Anisha and Tanav. I warned her not to spread things, expecting her to just nod. Instead, she snapped back—bold, fearless. "I'm not like you."
Her words echoed in my head all night.
Because… no one ever dared to say that to me.
Later, she explained what she meant, and I realized she wasn't the type to bitch behind people's backs. She was just… Siya. Simple. Honest.
She gets tense over small things, like the mic or exams. I still remember in the science test, she forgot one answer and panicked so much that I sat there staring at her instead of writing my own paper. Not because I cared in that way. But because… how could someone get so worked up over one little mistake?
She was like that—a magnet for problems, for tension.
But also… the reason half of us passed our 9th standard exams.
I helped her once too, with her drawing exam. That was it.
Balance done.
So yeah. If she likes me… it's not good for her.
Because I don't.
At least… I don't think I do.
Ayesha was always the girl in my heart. Maybe now Tanu.
But Siya? No.
She's just… Siya.
And yet… tonight, when the lights are off, when my phone stays silent, when I close my eyes…
It's not Ayesha or Tanu I see.
It's her.
Her tears.
Her voice.
And for the first time, I wonder…
What if Siya really does like me?