By Tuesday morning, Meera had decided on a new rule for survival: ignore Aarav Malhotra.
If she didn't acknowledge him, maybe he'd get bored. Maybe he'd finally stop orbiting her life.
It was a good plan—until he ruined it within the first ten minutes of class.
She slipped into her usual seat, determined not to look his way. Aarav sat one row behind, silent as always. She opened her notebook, scribbling down the professor's lecture, when a folded slip of paper slid onto her desk.
Her stomach twisted. Only one person in this classroom would dare.
With a resigned sigh, she unfolded it.
"You forgot breakfast. Again. Stop skipping meals."
Meera's head snapped up. Aarav was looking at his notes, perfectly composed. Not a glance her way.
She scribbled back furiously: How do you know that?!
A minute later, the paper slid back.
"I pay attention."
Her pulse spiked. She shoved the note into her bag before anyone could notice and spent the rest of the lecture staring at the board, though she absorbed nothing.
At lunch, she tried confronting him.
"Okay, Malhotra, this has to stop."
He raised a brow, spearing a piece of paneer from his plate. "What?"
"You knowing things you shouldn't. Like what I eat. Or don't eat."
His expression didn't change. "You skipped breakfast three times last week. And today. Your energy dips by mid-morning. It's obvious."
Meera's jaw dropped. "That's not obvious! That's—creepy!"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Creepy would be not caring. I notice because I'm the only one who does."
Her breath caught. She hated the way her chest tightened at his words.
Later that day, she went to the photography lab to edit her work. She was halfway through sorting her folders when she froze.
A file she didn't remember creating sat in the corner of the screen. Titled simply: "Backup."
Curious, she clicked it—only to find dozens of her own photos. Selfies. Class shots. Candid snaps she hadn't even developed yet.
And tucked between them… one image that made her blood run cold.
It was of her. Standing at the bus stop last week. She hadn't taken it.
Her hands shook as she closed the folder. And then, as if on cue, her phone buzzed.
Aarav: Don't stay in the lab too late. You get headaches after long screen time.
Meera nearly dropped the phone. She shoved her chair back, heart racing, glancing around the empty room.
"Aarav?" she whispered, though she knew he wasn't there.
She typed furiously: What did you do to my laptop?
The reply came within seconds.
Aarav: Secured it. You're careless with passwords.
Her hands curled into fists. This is insane.
But before she could reply, another message appeared.
Aarav: Don't be angry. You'll understand one day.
That night, she paced her room, ranting to Priya.
"He hacked my laptop, Priya. My laptop. He has a folder of my photos! Who does that?!"
Priya winced. "Okay, yeah, that's… that's next-level creepy."
"Exactly! He's gone too far this time."
"...But," Priya added reluctantly, "it's also kind of… sweet? Like, he really cares."
Meera groaned, throwing a pillow at her. "You need better taste in men."
But even as she complained, she couldn't get the image out of her head: Aarav, calmly saving every detail of her life, as if he couldn't bear to miss a single piece of her.
And the worst part?
Some part of her didn't feel violated.
It felt… wanted.