The mood between us had lightened up a lot after that day at the fair. Maybe he wasn't so bad. I mean, he's cute. Isn't he?
"He's cute," I said out loud before I could stop myself.
"He definitely is."
"Are you dumb, or are you just pretending to be dumb?" That was Ishaani—an old college friend of mine. She knew me too well.
"Shut up, Ish," I muttered, shooting her a glare.
She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously. "I have an idea."
"What?" I asked suspiciously.
"How about pranking him?" she said. (Him refers to Vyom)
"What prank do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Call him and say you're hurt," she replied with a grin.
"Shut up, I won't do it." I cringed at the thought and gave her an exasperated look.
"I'm dialing him. Just speak," she said as her fingers danced across the screen, already pulling up his number.
Before I could stop her, the phone was ringing. My heart dropped into my stomach.
"ISH!" I whispered harshly, trying to grab the phone. But she held it out of reach, smirking like she was enjoying every second of my panic.
Then—I heard the click. He'd answered.
"Hello?" His voice came through, low and curious.
I froze.
Ishaani pointed at me, mouthing, say it!
I swallowed. "Um… hey, it's me. I—I kind of hurt myself." My voice wobbled, and Ishaani was already struggling not to laugh.
There was a sharp pause. "Where are you?" His voice dropped, serious now.
I panicked. "It's not bad, really, I just—"
Click.
The line went dead.
My jaw dropped. "He—he hung up on me?"
Ishaani snorted, finally laughing. "Oh my god, maybe he figured it out! You should've seen your face!"
But my stomach sank. What if he was actually annoyed? What if he thought I was being dumb? I shoved the phone aside, muttering, "Great. Now he's never going to talk to me again."
Minutes crawled by. Ishaani scrolled through her phone, humming, while I kept replaying the call in my head.
Then—knock, knock.
Both our heads snapped toward the door.
My heart leapt into my throat. Ishaani's eyes went wide, then she grinned. "No way…"
Another knock, firmer this time.
I stood frozen, whispering, "That… can't be him. Can it?"
Ishaani nudged me toward the door. "Go on. Open it."
My palms were sweating. "What if it's not him?" I whispered.
"Then it's a pizza delivery guy," she teased, rolling her eyes.
I slowly turned the handle and pulled the door open.
There he was. Standing right there, slightly out of breath, his hair a little messy like he'd run. His eyes scanned me quickly, as if checking for injuries.
"You're okay?" he asked, his voice low but tight with worry—while pulling me into a hug. A real hug, strong and desperate, like I might vanish if he let go.
I froze, shock rushing through me, then closed my eyes. Guilt hit me harder than I'd expected. "…Yeah. I'm fine."
His brows furrowed. "You said you were hurt, Rose."
Behind me, Ishaani coughed to hide her laugh. I shot her a glare.
"It was—" I bit my lip, unable to meet his eyes. "It was a prank. Ishaani's idea."
For a second, silence stretched between us. My stomach twisted.
Then, he shook his head slowly. "You're impossible." He broke the hug, almost reluctantly, when he realized what he was doing.
"You're not… mad?" I asked cautiously.
He leaned against the doorframe, finally letting out a soft laugh. "Mad? No. But take care, Rose. I literally ran here."
My cheeks warmed, and Ishaani whispered behind me, "Totally worth it."
"I'm going to make some coffee. Please sit down, sir," Ishaani said politely, pretending she hadn't been the mastermind of this disaster.
We walked toward the sofa and sat down.
"Rose," he said, my name leaving his lips with a softness that made me still. He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. Then he looked straight at me. "I was scared."
I froze, my chest tightening at the weight in his voice. I turned toward him. "Why?"
His eyes didn't waver. "Because I fear losing you."
Something in me cracked open. My throat tightened. "I—I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Don't ever do that again," he said firmly.
I nodded, my gaze dropping to my hands, but before I could answer, his fingers brushed against mine.I looked up, and for the first time, neither of us looked away.