12

The next day, the classroom was buzzing with the usual chatter before the lecture began. Tara entered with Aisha, feeling a little more composed than the day before—determined to focus on her work and nothing else. But as she scanned the room for seats, Aakash caught her eye and waved her over.

"Here, Tara! Sit with me," Aakash grinned, patting the seat beside him.

She smiled and made her way over, sliding into the chair. Aisha sat on her other side, settling in with her notebook.

Aryan entered a minute later. His eyes instinctively searched for her—like they always did. And when he found her—sitting next to Aakash, laughing lightly at something he said—something twisted in his chest.

Jealousy.

It was a bitter, unwelcome feeling, but it was there. Strong and undeniable.

He took a seat a few rows back, but his gaze kept drifting toward them. The way Aakash leaned in when he spoke to Tara. The way she laughed—soft, genuine. The kind of laugh Aryan hadn't heard from her in a long time.

Aakash was making her comfortable, making her smile. And Aryan hated it. Not because he didn't like Aakash—he was a good guy—but because he wanted to be the one sitting beside her, the one making her laugh. The one she trusted again.

He tried to focus on the professor as the lecture began, but every time Aakash whispered something to Tara, or nudged her playfully, Aryan's jaw tightened. He gripped his pen so hard he thought it might snap.

Aakash leaned closer, pointing at Tara's notes.

"You write like you're drafting a love letter to the professor," he teased under his breath.

Tara rolled her eyes, smiling. "Oh, shut up."

Aisha chuckled beside them. "He's not wrong though, Tara. You underline with so much emotion."

Tara laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt light—like she could finally breathe a little.

But Aryan? He was sinking. Every laugh, every playful touch between them was like a knife twisting deeper. He was trying to stay composed, but the jealousy was boiling under the surface. His eyes flickered to her every few minutes, his fists occasionally clenching when he saw Aakash lean too close.

Finally, the lecture wound down. The professor clapped his hands together.

"Alright, everyone. For this assignment, you'll need to work in groups of four. Choose your groups now."

The room instantly filled with noise as people scrambled to form groups.

Aakash turned to Tara and Aisha.

"Us three, yeah?"

"Obviously," Aisha grinned.

"And... Aryan?" Aakash added, glancing back at him.

Tara's heart dropped. She hadn't said a word to Aryan all day, and now they had to work together.

Aisha noticed her hesitation but spoke quickly, keeping things smooth.

"Yeah, Aryan, you in?"

Aryan, who had been watching the whole exchange in silence, nodded curtly.

"Yeah, sure."

His eyes flickered to Tara for a second, but she didn't look at him. Not once.

The professor explained the assignment—some group research and a presentation in a few weeks. Nothing too intense, but it required meetings, discussions, time together.

When the lecture ended, Aisha was already organizing.

"Let's get started tonight. No procrastinating this time."

Aakash stretched. "You two come over in the evening. We can chill and work."

Aisha nodded, her voice low. "Cool."

Tara just gave a small, polite nod. Her eyes were fixed on her notebook as she packed up her things, avoiding Aryan like he wasn't even there.

But Aryan noticed everything.

The distance. The wall she had built so carefully around herself.

And now... Aakash was inside it.

As they all left the class together, Aryan walked a few steps behind. Watching. Silent. Fighting the urge to grab her hand like he used to—to pull her back to him.

But she wouldn't let him.

Not yet.

~•~

The evening was colder than usual as Tara and Aisha arrived at the guys' flat. Tara clutched her laptop bag tightly, mentally preparing herself for the evening ahead. She wasn't looking forward to it—not because of the work, but because of him.

Aakash greeted them cheerfully, pulling the door open wide.

"Right on time. Come in!"

The living room was already set up with laptops, chargers, and notebooks sprawled across the coffee table. Aryan was there, sitting on the couch, wearing a grey hoodie and joggers. He looked up the moment Tara stepped in, but she avoided his eyes, keeping her face neutral.

They all settled down quickly, the air light with casual banter—except between Tara and Aryan. Their silence was its own conversation.

Once everyone was seated, Aakash took the lead.

"Okay, let's split this up so we're not stepping on each other's toes. I'm comfortable with backend work, so I'll handle that."

He glanced at Aisha.

"You're good with backend too, right?"

Aisha hesitated for a second. She glanced at Tara. She also knew backend was more her thing, and she didn't want to make it obvious that she was protecting Tara by lying about what she was good at.

"Yeah, I am... but I'm probably better on backend."

Aakash nodded, satisfied.

"Perfect. You and I will handle backend, then. Tara, you and Aryan can do the frontend part?"

The room froze, but only for a beat. Before anyone could react, Aryan's voice cut through.

"That works."

Tara's jaw tightened, but she said nothing. She just opened her laptop and started working. She didn't want a scene. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much this was affecting her.

Hours passed. The living room filled with the sound of typing, occasional clicks, and quiet conversations. Aakash and Aisha were discussing their segment, laughing every now and then. It was natural, easy.

Tara, however, kept her head down, researching and drafting the structure of their section. Aryan was beside her, working in silence, but his eyes kept drifting toward her. He noticed the stiffness in her shoulders, the way she chewed on the inside of her cheek when she was concentrating. Things he used to know so well.

Finally, he leaned closer.

"We should discuss this... I don't want you to code on your own," he said quietly.

Without looking at him, Tara kept typing.

"It's fine. I can manage. I don't need you."

Aryan's voice softened.

"But I need you."

Her fingers froze for a second on the keyboard, but she quickly regained composure. She looked away, pretending she didn't hear it, but her heart was racing.

He sighed lightly, taking the hint, and began coding. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. His hands moved swiftly over the keyboard—it was familiar, his focus, his ease with this work. She hated that it still made her heart ache.

Time dragged on, and soon Tara felt her eyelids getting heavy. She fought to keep them open, unwilling to show any weakness around him. But Aryan noticed. He always noticed.

After a while, he stretched and leaned back, pretending to yawn.

"Guys... I'll finish my part tomorrow. I'm falling asleep here. And I think Tara is too."

Her head snapped up, a little defensive.

"I'm fine."

But Aryan gave her a small, knowing smile.

"No, you're not."

Aakash glanced up from his screen.

"Yeah, let's wrap it up. We got a lot done. Good work, guys."

Aisha closed her laptop.

"Cool, I'll head back to my studio. Tara, you coming?"

Tara shook her head.

"I'll be right behind you."

Aisha nodded and left. Aakash grabbed his stuff and headed to his room with a casual goodnight.

Now it was just Aryan and Tara. The room felt smaller, quieter.

Tara zipped up her bag quickly, eager to leave. She stood up, but before she could go, Aryan spoke.

"Sleep well, Tara."

She paused, but didn't turn around.

"You don't need to be concerned about me anymore, Aryan."

His voice was low but steady.

"I'm always going to be concerned about you."

She closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself.

"You shouldn't be."

He stepped forward slightly, his tone softer.

"I know I don't deserve to be... but I can't help it."

She finally turned around, their eyes meeting for the first time all night. His were tired but sincere—filled with emotions he didn't bother hiding. Hers were guarded, a little angry, but mostly hurt.

"I'm not that girl anymore, Aryan."

He swallowed, his jaw tightening.

"I know... but I still—"

She shook her head, looking away. And with that, she walked out, leaving him standing alone in the living room.