Chapter 3

The bell rang, marking the end of recess, but the air inside Class 11-C felt anything but calm.

Ridrakshika returned to her seat, jaw slightly tense, refusing to look at Adyansh.

And Adyansh? He sat with his arms crossed, eyes ahead, pretending like the new girl hadn’t just bruised his ego in front of half the class.

They both silently agreed to one thing — ignoring each other completely.

But of course, not everyone in the room was okay with that.

From her desk a few rows away, Tanisha  fumed silently, glaring at Ridrakshika as if she could burn holes through her back.

Why is she still sitting with Adyansh?

Why did Sir even make them seat partners?

She scoffed under her breath, flipping her freshly straightened hair dramatically and turning to whisper something to her group of friends — all of whom looked equally annoyed and fake-concerned.

Meanwhile, in the middle row...

Esha leaned on her desk, still grinning from the recess drama.

“Tu toh full savage nikli re,” she whispered to Ridrakshika, nudging her with her elbow.

Ridrakshika kept her eyes on her notebook.

“Bas, jaise bolta hai waise sunte bhi rehna chahiye usse.”

Esha let out a quiet laugh.

Just then, Sanskaar slid into the seat beside Esha, tossing his bag under the bench.

“Kya chal raha tha recess mein? Tension full on tha!” he said, clearly enjoying the gossip.

Esha raised a brow.

“Tum dono toh badi baatein kar rahe the... teacher ne warn kiya tab bhi chup nahi huye!”

Sanskaar shrugged with a grin.

“Arey jo hota hai acche ke liye hi hota hai, ab atleast mujhe ek acchi company toh mil gayi.”

Esha smirked.

“Accha? Toh main ‘interesting’ hoon ab?”

Sanskaar gave a small wink.

“Bohot.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, but the smile didn’t leave her face.

Back at the front, Ridrakshika shifted slightly. She could feel eyes on her — not just from Tanisha’s corner, but sometimes, from Adyansh too.

And every time she glanced slightly in his direction, he’d suddenly look away.

No words.

No apology.

No eye contact.

Just thick silence, stubborn pride, and an undercurrent of something sharp neither of them was willing to admit.

As the low murmurs continued across the room, the door creaked open with a sharp squeak — a sound every student had learned to fear.

Mr. Mehta walked in with his usual no-nonsense expression, his register tucked under one arm and a stack of papers under the other.

The class fell silent instantly — well, almost.

Adyansh and Ridrakshika sat up straighter. Esha and Sanskaar stopped whispering, pretending to be deep in their notebooks. Tanisha fixed her hair like she was on camera.

Mr. Mehta placed the register on the desk with a soft thump and spoke,

“I hope everyone is settling into the new session. Because from tomorrow... things are going to get serious.”

A collective sigh escaped the room.

“We’re starting with our first internal group project — based on the 'Business Environment'. You’ll work in fixed groups for the next two weeks. This will carry marks, so I suggest you take it seriously.”

Whispers returned, fast and hushed. Everyone craned their necks to hear the group list.

Mr. Mehta started reading names aloud.

“Group 1 — Ananya, Tushar, Mehul, Tanisha…”

Tanisha’s smile bloomed until—

“…and Prerna.”

She blinked.

Adyansh? Nahi hai group mein?

Her neck turned automatically toward his seat.

Mr. Mehta continued:

“Group 2 — Ridrakshika Verma, Adyansh Sachdeva, Esha Rathore, and Sanskaar Srivastava”

Dead. Silence.

Esha turned to Ridrakshika, eyes wide.

“Girl… we’re in the same group.”

Ridrakshika didn’t speak. She was busy processing the other two names.

Sanskaar grinned, slapping his hand on the desk.

“Bhai, this is going to be fun.”

Adyansh’s jaw tightened for half a second — not because of Sanskaar — but because he’d just realized there was no escape from the girl who’d bruised his ego the moments before.

Mr. Mehta looked up.

“I want a rough outline submitted by Monday. Meetings can start tomorrow. Any issues?”

No one replied.

Except Tanisha, who sat frozen, her knuckles white as she clenched her pen.

She’s in a group with him? 

This cannot be happening.

The final school bell rang, loud and sharp, breaking through the dull hum of the classroom.

Students began packing up, eager to rush home, but Adyansh didn’t move right away. He exchanged a quick glance with Sanskaar, who nodded knowingly.

Without a word, the two slipped out of class, walking swiftly through the corridor.

They reached the junior wing just in time to see a tiny girl standing near her classroom door, a bored look on her face and her backpack dragging slightly behind her.

“Bhaiii,” Aanya called out with a pout the moment she saw them.

Adyansh smiled — a rare, soft kind — and walked up to her.

She handed over her bag with a dramatic sigh.

“I'm tired. You carry this.”

“Of course you are,” he muttered fondly, taking the bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

Sanskaar chuckled.

“Royal treatment chal rahi hai choti behen ki.”

Aanya stuck her tongue out at him.

The three of them walked toward the gate, parting ways as they reached their respective cars. Esha and Ridrakshika were visible in the distance, chatting and heading in the opposite direction.

Adyansh didn’t look at her. Not even once.

---

At Home...

As soon as Adyansh and Aanya stepped through the front door, they were surprised to see their parents sitting in the living room.

Suitcases beside the couch. Formal clothes. A faint air of urgency.

“Mumma? Papa?” Aanya blinked.

Their mom stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her saree.

“We were about to leave, but thought to inform you before we go.”

Adyansh’s expression turned stiff.

“Where this time?”

His father replied casually,

“Business trip. Europe. Just a month.”

Just a month.

Before anyone else could react, Adyansh's voice cut the air — low, cold, and sharp.

“Why do you even care to inform? You usually just vanish.”

The words hung like smoke in the room.

Their mom opened her mouth to explain, but he’d already turned to Aanya.

“Chal, tu room mein chal.”

“Bhai—” she started softly, but his jaw was tight, his eyes unreadable.

He didn’t wait for an answer. He picked up her bag and walked off, leaving the silence behind him.

---

After an eventful first day at her new school, Ridrakshika arrived home with Riddhi. Their mother greeted them with a warm smile while their father glanced up from his laptop.

“Kaisa tha pehla din, beta?” her mom asked lovingly.

“Thoda hectic... but achha tha,” Ridrakshika replied with a faint smile as she placed her bag down.

They sat down for lunch as Riddhi excitedly narrated how she made two new friends in her class. Ridrakshika mostly listened, answering a few questions about her teachers and classmates.

After lunch, feeling a little drained, she went to her room, closed the door, and curled up on her bed. The warmth of the blanket and the quiet of the house lulled her into a peaceful nap.

---

The college lawns were buzzing with students, groups scattered across the grass, laughter echoing around. Amidst the crowd, Viyansh walked out of his last lecture, phone in hand, already texting.

[Text: “Where are you, Miss Always-Late?”]

Before he could hit send, a familiar voice chirped behind him,

“Behind you, Mr. Impatient.”

He turned around, a smirk already forming on his lips as he saw Anukriti, her backpack slung casually on one shoulder, a soft breeze playing with her loose curls.

“Oh wow, early by your standards,” he teased, sliding his phone into his pocket.

“Five minutes early. I deserve a treat,” she declared confidently.

“A treat? For being on time once in your life?”

She pouted dramatically. “Unbelievable. Is this how you treat your girlfriend?”

Viyansh chuckled and pulled her into a gentle side hug.

“Okay fine, coffee treat. But only because I missed this grumpy face all day.”

She smiled, leaning her head slightly on his shoulder as they began walking toward the café on campus.

“Let’s just sit and chill for a while today,” she said softly.

“No assignments, no group drama... just us.”

“Perfect plan,” Viyansh replied, giving her hand a light squeeze.

They reached the café, ordered their usual drinks, and found their favorite spot near the window — the one that overlooked the old banyan tree.

As they sipped coffee and shared laughs, the sun dipped lower, wrapping the scene in a cozy golden glow.

“You’re my calm in the chaos, you know that?” Anukriti whispered, her voice almost drowned by the soft music playing in the background.

Viyansh looked at her, his expression fond.

“And you’re my favorite distraction.”

She laughed, and in that moment — surrounded by the buzz of campus life — it felt like time had paused just for them.

-----

A soft orange glow bathed the room as the sun began to set. Ridrakshika slowly woke up, stretching a little before swinging her legs off the bed. Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, fell on the window where the golden rays peeked through the curtain.

She walked over, opened the window slightly, and sat by it — letting the cool breeze brush past her hair. The sky outside was dipped in hues of orange and pink. For a moment, everything felt still.

Then, almost instinctively, she picked up her guitar.

She sat cross-legged, rested the guitar on her lap, and began to gently strum. Her voice followed, soft and sweet:

“Pretty little baby, (ya-ya)”

“Pretty little baby,(ya-ya)”

The room slowly filled with the gentle rhythm of her voice and the chords. She sang with emotion, her tone light yet expressive, the words falling from her lips like a soothing whisper.

“Pretty little baby, you say that maybe

You'll be thinkin' of me, and try to love me

Pretty little baby, I'm hoping that you do

Ooh-ooh-ooh, yeah

You can ask the flowers, I sit for hours

Tellin' all the bluebirds, the bill and coo birds

Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you

Ooh-ooh-ooh”

As the last note echoed into the quiet evening, Ridrakshika looked out the window again — her eyes filled with a calm sense of hope.

She hugged the guitar to her chest, letting the silence settle around her like a gentle embrace.

---

The academy was mostly empty at this hour, its massive floodlights humming softly above the glossy court. This was Adyansh’s sanctuary — away from home, away from people, away from everything fake.

He entered silently, the metallic creak of the gate echoing in the open space. Dressed in his dark workout gear, he didn’t acknowledge anyone — not that anyone was around.

He tossed his duffle bag on the side bench and picked up his ball, the weight familiar and grounding in his hands.

His mind was clouded with the earlier fight:

 “Business trip… again? For a whole month?”

“Why do you even care to tell me now?”

The anger bubbled in his chest.

Without warming up, he began dribbling.

Hard. Fast. Aggressive.

His sneakers squeaked across the floor as he dashed toward the hoop, jumped, and slammed the ball in with all his strength.

He didn’t stop. Layups. Three-pointers. Rapid crossovers. Each movement was a release, a way to shout without making a sound.

His breaths turned heavier. His arms ached. But he didn’t stop.

“Why is it always like this? Why do they never stay?”

He launched another shot. It missed.

He cursed under his breath and kicked the ball away, letting it roll into the shadows.

His shoulders finally dropped, sweat dripping from his chin as he walked over to the bench and sat down, burying his face in his hands.

The court was quiet again. Just the sound of his breath and a few crickets outside.

After a long pause, he looked up at the ceiling and whispered bitterly,

“No one’s ever stayed. No one ever will.”

And as he sat there alone in the glow of floodlights, the confident, cocky boy the world saw… was nowhere to be found.

----

The house felt quieter than usual. Maybe because it was.

Their parents had left earlier that evening for their month-long Europe business trip, and even the walls seemed to echo with absence.

Adyansh returned from the basketball academy, tired but composed. He went straight to his room, took a quick shower, changed into a black t-shirt and grey joggers, and stepped out — his eyes searching for Aanya.

He found her in her room, sitting on her bed, hugging her soft toy, eyes downcast.

Adyansh leaned on the doorframe.

"Dinner time, cutu" he said, gently.

Aanya looked up briefly and shook her head.

"I’m not hungry, bhai… I just… I don’t feel like eating."

There was a long pause.

Adyansh didn’t argue. He just walked away silently.

Ten minutes later, he returned — this time with a tray in his hand. Her favorite: warm dal, rice, and aloo fry, just the way she liked.

He sat beside her on the bed, placed the tray on her lap.

"Mujhse bhookh ka jhooth chhupaya jaa sakta hai Aanya, par aankhon ka dard nahi," he said softly.

Aanya tried to smile but her eyes welled up.

Without another word, Adyansh picked up the spoon and started feeding her gently.

Aanya didn’t resist. She let him. She always did. Because in this world full of noise, her bhaiya’s silence felt safest.

Once she finished eating, he kept the tray aside, tucked her into the blanket and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you, princess," he whispered.

Aanya sleepily smiled and replied,

"Love you too, bhai..."

He turned off the lights and slid into the bed beside her, protective and calm.

And as they both lay there — the world outside could stay as loud and careless as it wanted.

But in that moment, in that room, it was just two siblings holding on to each other like they always would — no matter who came or went.

__________________________________And that was it for the chapter!! Do tell us in the comment section about your favourite parts of the chapter. Stay tuned for further updates.

                       ~shanshya🧿