The campus buzzed with its usual chaos — students rushing to classes, laughter echoing across the courtyard, the clatter of shoes against tiled floors.
Aryan walked in with Maya, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, a grin plastered on his face like everything was fine. Except it wasn't. Every time she laughed beside him, every time her shoulder brushed his, his chest tightened. He hated how automatic it felt now.
Stop it, man. Stop looking at her like that.
He glanced ahead and spotted Aveed talking with Tara near the staircase. Calm as ever, Aveed leaned against the railing, listening to her chatter with that effortless, unbothered smile of his.
Aryan's lips curled into a smirk. Perfect. This is it. If he's distracted with her, maybe I can breathe again.
"Yo," Aryan called, walking up with Maya at his side. "Look at you, Aveed—already found a partner in crime. Careful, Tara, he's got a talent for boring lectures."
Tara laughed, shaking her head. "Not boring, actually. He's surprisingly easy to talk to."
Aryan raised his brows dramatically. "Ohhh, is that right? Maya, hear that? Our Mr. Calm is already stealing hearts."
Maya sipped her coffee, hiding a small smile. "Don't start, Aryan," she said lightly, though her eyes flicked toward Aveed, noticing how relaxed he looked beside Tara. Something tugged at her chest, but she smoothed it over quickly.
Aveed's gaze shifted, calm but sharp, landing on Aryan. "You're trying too hard," he said simply, voice even.
Aryan chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "What? Me? Nah, I'm just giving credit where it's due. You and Tara look like a natural team."
For the first time, a faint blush crept onto Tara's face. Aveed, on the other hand, stayed unreadable—calm, almost too calm.
Maya watched the whole thing, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.
Aryan, meanwhile, shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, forcing the grin wider. Yeah, that's it. If he looks at her, not at Maya, maybe this whole mess won't eat me alive.
The classroom buzzed with chatter as everyone settled in. Aryan slouched into his seat beside Maya, while Aveed sat a row ahead, Tara sliding in right next to him with a grin.
Aryan leaned closer to Maya, whispering just loud enough for Tara to catch, "See that? Match made in heaven. Calm guy, cheerful girl—balance. Don't you think, Maya?"
Maya glanced at Aveed, then at Tara, then quickly back at her notebook. "I… guess they look fine," she muttered, her voice a touch flatter than usual.
Aveed's pen paused mid-spin in his hand. He didn't turn around, but his jaw tightened ever so slightly. Tara, oblivious to the tension, giggled and nudged him playfully.
"Don't listen to him, Aveed. He's just jealous he doesn't get paired up with someone as cool as me."
Aveed gave her a faint, polite smile. "Right." His tone was calm, but his eyes flickered—just once—toward Maya.
Aryan caught that look. He smirked to himself, leaning back in his chair. Busted. Still her, huh?
"So, Aveed," Aryan piped up, voice teasing but sharp around the edges, "are you free this weekend? Maybe Tara can drag you out for coffee instead of your boring books."
Tara's eyes lit up. "That's not a bad idea—" she started.
But Aveed cut in smoothly, calm as ever. "I'll think about it." His words were neutral, but his gaze lingered on Maya for a fraction too long.
Maya felt heat creep up her neck, quickly hiding her face in her notebook. Why did it feel like the room had shrunk? Why did it feel like Tara was glowing beside Aveed while she… she was just sitting there, pretending to take notes?
Aryan chuckled, shaking his head. "Look at you, Aveed—already got fans lining up. Don't break her heart, yeah?"
Tara laughed, playing along. "Oh, please, Aryan. If anyone's breaking hearts here, it's Maya. You've seen how people look at her."
The air shifted. Aveed's pen froze again. Maya blinked, caught off-guard, and Aryan forced a laugh—louder than necessary.
Inside, though, his thoughts twisted. Why does this feel so messy? Why am I pushing them together when every look, every word, is just pulling me deeper into the same mess?
Maya, Aveed, Aryan—each lost in their own storm, each pretending everything was normal. But it wasn't.
Not even close.
The corridor was quieter now, sunlight slanting through the windows, painting long shadows across the floor. Aryan and Aveed walked side by side, their steps in rhythm but their thoughts anything but.
"You've been acting weird, bro," Aryan said suddenly, his tone light but edged.
Aveed didn't look at him. "Weird how?"
Aryan tilted his head, smirking a little. "Like… you've got someone stuck in your head. Someone you can't shake off."
Aveed's lips pressed into a line. His silence was louder than any answer.
Aryan stopped walking, turning slightly to face him. His voice dropped, softer now, almost testing:
"You like her… don't you?"
Aveed's calm mask flickered, but he didn't reply. He just kept staring straight ahead, the air between them heavy, loaded.
Aryan studied him for a beat longer, then let out a sharp laugh and clapped his shoulder.
"Relax, man. I was talking about Tara."
He flashed that casual grin—the kind that made it seem like nothing was serious—but his eyes lingered on Aveed, searching, questioning, almost daring him to react.
Aveed finally met his gaze, steady and unreadable. "If that's what you think."
Aryan shrugged, forcing a chuckle, but the tension stayed—like smoke that refused to clear.
The late sun spilled through the tall windows, painting golden patches across the empty classroom. The four of them—Aryan, Aveed, Maya, and Tara—had claimed the back benches like it was their kingdom. Books were open, pens scattered, but no one was really studying.
Maya stretched out like she'd run a marathon and groaned dramatically, "Finals are going to be the death of me. Forget murder, this is academic suicide."
Tara snorted. "You've been saying that since first year, Maya. And then you go and ace half the papers like it's nothing. Spare us the fake suffering."
Maya threw a crumpled piece of paper at her. "Fake suffering? Excuse me, my soul is crying right now."
Aryan leaned back in his chair, twirling his pen lazily between his fingers. "Relax. If the universe wants to kill you, I'll negotiate with it. First let me pass math, then it can take us all together. Equal suffering."
That got everyone laughing. Even Aveed, who rarely laughed loud, cracked a small chuckle that made Maya glance at him, almost without realizing it.
"Honestly, you guys don't even need to study," Aryan said with mock seriousness. "You'll pass. It's me and Aveed who should be panicking."
"Don't drag me into your laziness," Aveed said calmly, but there was the tiniest smile at his lips.
"Oh, come on," Aryan teased, leaning forward. "We're a package deal, bro. If I fail, you fail."
Aveed raised an eyebrow. "That explains so much about your confidence."
Tara burst into laughter. "Oh my god, that was cold."
Aryan clutched his chest dramatically. "Et tu, Aveed? Betrayal from my own best friend?"
"Don't act like you didn't deserve that," Maya chimed in, smirking.
They kept tossing jokes back and forth, the kind of effortless banter that only came from years of knowing each other too well. Tara teased Aryan about his messy notes, Maya tried to convince everyone she was doomed, and Aryan kept pretending he'd given up on life already.
But every now and then, in the middle of the laughter, Maya caught Aryan's eyes darting toward Aveed. And Aveed, for all his calmness, seemed strangely careful, as if every word he said was measured. The tension was almost invisible—but it was there, like static in the air.
At one point, Tara leaned back and sighed. "You know what? I actually like this. Finals stressing us out, us sitting here together… it's kinda nice."
"Nice?" Aryan echoed. "This is torture."
"Shut up, you love it," Tara shot back.
And she wasn't wrong. For a moment, it did feel perfect—like the four of them belonged here, laughing together in the fading sunlight.
But somewhere under the fun, something deeper hummed. Maya felt it in the way Aryan's laughter sometimes faded too quickly, in the way Aveed's gaze lingered on the floor when it should've been on them. Even Tara, who was enjoying herself, couldn't ignore that the air felt… heavy, almost fragile.
The banter carried on, but none of them could shake the question echoing quietly at the back of their minds: When finals are over, what will be left of this?
The last bell had long gone silent, and most of campus had emptied. But in the far corner of the classroom, four voices filled the air—loud, teasing, and warm. Books lay open, half-ignored, their pages curling under the golden streaks of evening light.
Maya groaned, face buried in her notes. "I swear, if one more professor says 'it's easy marks', I'm throwing myself out the window."
Tara flicked her pen cap at her. "You wouldn't last two minutes outside. You'd trip before you even reached the ledge."
Maya shot her a glare. "Wow. Friendship goals right there."
Aryan leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head, grin wide. "Don't worry, Maya. If you fall, I'll catch you. Then I'll hand you right back to the professor for extra assignments."
The whole group erupted into laughter, even Aveed, who usually smirked more than laughed. His low chuckle made Maya glance at him, a little longer than she meant to.
"See, this is why you shouldn't trust Aryan," Tara teased. "He'll sell you out in the name of academics."
"Hey!" Aryan protested, pointing his pen at her like a sword. "I am the most reliable guy here."
"Reliable?" Aveed finally spoke, voice calm, cutting through the laughter like smooth glass. "You can't even rely on yourself to keep track of your notes."
Tara burst out laughing, slapping the desk. "Oh my god, he got you there!"
Aryan put a hand to his heart, staggering back like he'd been stabbed. "Et tu, Aveed? My own brother betraying me?"
Aveed's lips curved in the faintest smile. "If the truth counts as betrayal, then yes."
Maya laughed until her cheeks hurt. For a moment, it was perfect—the four of them in sync, teasing, bantering, leaning on each other in the chaos of finals.
But beneath the noise, something quiet lingered. Aryan's eyes flickered toward Aveed whenever Maya laughed too hard at his jokes. Aveed, calm as ever, didn't show much, but there was a heaviness in the way his gaze sometimes lingered on the desk instead of looking at anyone.
Tara leaned back, sighing. "You know, I actually like this. All of us here, complaining, laughing… it feels like home."
Aryan smirked. "Home? With textbooks? That's abuse."
"Shut up," Tara said, throwing a pen at him.
Maya hugged her notebook to her chest, smiling softly. "No, she's right. This… it does feel nice."
For a heartbeat, none of them spoke. The laughter still hung in the air, but something deeper pressed in, unspoken and heavy. Four hearts caught in the same storm, pretending the sunlight was enough to hold it all together.
And maybe it was—for now.