Vedant's POV
I always sit near the window.
Second row, far left.
It's quiet there—filtered light, fewer distractions, and a view of the neem tree outside that sways just enough to keep me grounded.
Today, I arrived early.
Not because I was eager.
Because I needed control.
But when I reached my seat, she was already there.
Arohi.
Seated beside the window.
Beside my seat.
She didn't look up.
Just shifted slightly to the right—leaving the window-side chair open.
I hesitated.
Then sat down.
She didn't speak.
Didn't glance.
Just opened her notebook and began underlining something that didn't need underlining.
I tried to focus on the professor's voice.
Failed.
Her perfume was faint—jasmine, maybe.
Her elbow was close.
Too close.
Five minutes in, she leaned toward me.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough to feel.
"Did you revise last night?" she whispered.
I nodded. "Yeah."
She smiled.
Third time.
Same week.
"I didn't," she said. "Thought I'd borrow your brain today."
I swallowed. "That's not how it works."
She tilted her head. "You sure?"
I looked out the window.
The neem tree was still swaying.
But I couldn't breathe the same way.
She scribbled something on her notebook and nudged it toward me.
"You look uncomfortable. That's new."
I stared at the words.
Then at her.
And for a moment, I saw her differently.
She was wearing a soft ivory kurta—simple, but tailored.
The sleeves were rolled just enough to reveal her wrist, where a thin silver bracelet caught the light.
Her hair was loose today—soft waves falling just past her shoulders.
Her eyes weren't guarded.
They were curious.
And her smile… it wasn't calculated.
It was quiet.
Almost kind.
She looked beautiful.
Not in the way people say it casually.
In the way that unsettles you.
Because you weren't supposed to notice.
I picked up my pen and wrote beneath her line.
"You're sitting in my seat."
She read it.
Then wrote:
"I know."
And that was it.
No apology.
No explanation.
Just her presence—quiet, intentional, and entirely disruptive.
I didn't hear the rest of the lecture.
Didn't take notes.
Didn't breathe properly.
Because for the first time, Arohi Mehta wasn't across from me.
She was beside me.
And the window didn't help.