51

Tara was curled up on her couch, dressed in her softest hoodie and a pair of comfortable shorts, trying to shake off the remnants of her headache. The sunlight streaming through the window felt too bright, and the world was a little too loud for her liking. She groaned, rubbing her temples, trying to piece together last night.

The music. The drinks. The stupid game.

The cupboard.

Her stomach twisted. She had almost kissed Aryan.

She groaned again, louder this time, and threw her head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling as if it had answers.

A sharp knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

She frowned, glancing at the clock. It was barely noon. Who the hell—

Another knock. Louder. More impatient.

She sighed and dragged herself up, muttering under her breath as she made her way to the door.

When she opened it, Aisha and Aria stood there, both holding coffees, both looking way too awake for her liking.

"You look like shit." Aisha greeted her cheerfully, pushing past her into the studio without waiting for an invitation.

Aria followed, handing her a coffee. "We come bearing caffeine. You're welcome."

Tara narrowed her eyes at them before taking the cup. "Why are you both here?"

Aisha plopped onto her couch, stretching like she owned the place. "Because you almost kissed Aryan last night, and we need details."

Tara choked on her sip of coffee, "How did you know?"

Aisha smirked, sitting cross-legged on the armrest. "Babe! I opened the cupboard. I know what I saw. So, tell us. Did the sexual tension finally explode or...?"

Tara groaned. "Nothing happened."

Aisha snorted. "Sweetheart, I was standing outside the cupboard. Something almost happened."

Tara glared at her. "That's the keyword. Almost."

Aria tilted her head. "But you wanted to, didn't you?"

Tara stiffened.

That was the worst part. She had wanted to. She had wanted to so badly.

Aisha and Aria exchanged looks before Aisha sighed dramatically. "Tara, you need to talk about this."

Tara shook her head, walking away toward the kitchenette. "No, I don't."

Aria leaned forward. "So you're just gonna pretend it didn't happen?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm going to do."

Aisha rolled her eyes. "Okay, so let's say you pretend nothing happened. Let's say you avoid him. Let's say you pretend last night never happened. Then what?"

Tara crossed her arms, standing by the counter, trying to ignore the way her pulse quickened. "Then nothing. Life goes on."

Aria sighed, swirling her coffee. "Tara, you can't keep running from this."

Tara scoffed. "I'm not running."

Aisha let out a laugh. "You're sprinting, babe."

Tara rolled her eyes, turning away to busy herself with anything—literally anything—that would keep her from looking at them. She opened a cabinet, pretending to look for something, but her hands were shaking slightly.

Aisha and Aria weren't wrong. She was running.

Because if she stopped, even for a second, she'd have to face the truth.

That for all her anger, all her pain, all the walls she had built around herself—last night, when Aryan had been inches away, when his breath had mingled with hers in the dark, when his hand had hovered near her waist like he was aching to touch her—she had almost given in.

She had wanted to give in.

Aria's voice was softer now. "Tara, do you still love him?"

Tara froze.

The room was silent except for the distant hum of the city outside.

Aisha and Aria watched her, waiting.

Tara inhaled slowly. Exhaled. Then turned to them, her expression unreadable. "It doesn't matter."

Aisha's lips parted, but Tara shook her head. "It doesn't matter how I feel, okay? Because it's not about love. It's about everything else. It's about trust. And he—" She swallowed, voice suddenly hoarse. "He broke that."

Aria's gaze softened. "But he's trying to fix it."

Tara let out a bitter chuckle. "And what if it's too late?"

Aisha studied her carefully. "Is it?"

Tara opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Because she didn't know the answer.

And that terrified her more than anything else.

~•~

Aryan sat in his studio, twirling a pencil between his fingers, but his focus was shot. His mind kept looping back to last night—the way Tara had looked at him in the dim light of that cramped cupboard, her breath uneven, her lips just inches from his. He groaned, shutting his notebook and tossing the pencil aside.

The door swung open, and in walked Rohan, Karan, and Aakash, carrying their usual energy.

"Dude, you look like you got hit by a truck," Rohan remarked, dropping onto the couch.

Aryan shot him a dry look. "Thanks."

Aakash smirked. "Let me guess. It's about Tara."

Aryan didn't respond, just leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

Karan's eyebrows lifted. "Wait. What happened?"

Rohan sat up. "Yeah, you were fine yesterday, and now you look like you haven't slept. Spill."

Aryan exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "We almost kissed."

There was a beat of silence before Aakash let out a low whistle. "Damn."

Rohan grinned. "Details. Now."

Aryan shook his head, but there was a frustrated edge to his movements. "It was in that stupid seven minutes in heaven game. We were just... talking, but then things got intense. She asked me if I regretted what I did."

Karan frowned. "And?"

Aryan looked down at his hands. "And I told her—every damn second."

Rohan muttered, "Shit."

Aryan let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. Then we just kept asking each other these questions, and it was like—" He stopped, struggling to find the words. "It was like we were the only two people in the world for those few minutes. And then... we almost kissed."

Aakash leaned forward. "Who pulled back?"

Aryan exhaled sharply. "Neither of us. The cupboard door opened before it could happen."

Rohan groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

Karan shook his head. "So, what did she do after? Did she say anything?"

Aryan scoffed. "She bolted. Spent the rest of the night avoiding me like I was the plague."

Aakash chuckled. "Yeah, that tracks."

Aryan clenched his jaw. "She wanted it. I know she did. I could see it in her eyes. But she's still running."

Rohan sighed. "She's scared, man."

Aryan muttered, "I know." His grip tightened on the table. "But I can't do this halfway thing anymore. I can't act like last night didn't happen."

Karan studied him. "So, what are you gonna do?"

Aryan looked up, determination burning in his eyes. "I'm gonna make her stop running."

Aakash raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

Aryan leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "She's avoiding this. Avoiding us. But I know her. She's stubborn, but she's not indifferent. She's just scared of what happens if she lets me back in."

Rohan nodded slowly. "So, you're saying...?"

Aryan clenched his jaw. "I'm not letting her pretend it didn't happen. Not this time."

Karan smirked. "You're really in deep, aren't you?"

Aryan shot him a look. "You think?"

Aakash leaned back, crossing his arms. "So, what's the plan? Confront her?"

Aryan exhaled. "Not just confront her. I need her to see that I mean it. That I'm not here to mess around and disappear again. I need her to feel what I felt last night."

Rohan studied him. "And what did you feel last night?"

Aryan ran a hand through his hair, his mind flashing back to that moment—the warmth of Tara's breath, the way her fingers had curled into fists like she was holding herself back, the way her lips had parted slightly when he leaned in. It had been seconds—just seconds—but it had felt like the kind of moment that could tip his entire world on its axis.

He swallowed hard. "Like I had something I couldn't afford to lose."

Aakash whistled lowly. "Damn. You've really got it bad."

Aryan didn't deny it. Instead, he stood up, rolling his shoulders back like he was preparing for battle. "She's not gonna make this easy for me. But I don't care."

Karan grinned. "So what's next, lover boy?"

Aryan smirked, but his eyes stayed serious. "I remind her exactly what we used to be. And I don't let her forget it."

~•~

As Karan, Aakash, and Rohan stepped out of Aryan's studio, their conversation carried into the quiet hallway.

"So basically," Aakash was saying, "you either make a move or—"

"Or I shut up," Aryan finished, rolling his eyes.

"Exactly."

Just then, the door to Tara's studio swung open across the hall.

Aisha and Aria walked out first, mid-conversation, not noticing the group immediately.

"I'm just saying, Tara," Aisha said, glancing over her shoulder. "You can't avoid this forever."

"I'm not avoiding anything," Tara replied, stepping out behind them and shutting the door. "I'm just—"

She stopped short.

Her eyes landed on Aryan.

And his were already on her.

For a second, everything else faded—the conversation, the presence of their friends, the noise of the hallway. It was just them, staring at each other like they were still standing in that tiny, dark cupboard from the night before.

Tara gripped the strap of her tote bag, her heart stuttering in her chest. She forced herself to break the eye contact, turning her head slightly as if pretending he wasn't even there.

But inside, she knew the truth.

Why is it getting harder to look away?

Aryan, of course, noticed.

And he smirked.

"So," Aakash said, cutting through the silence. "You girls had a little sleepover or what?"

Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Something like that. Why, jealous?"

Karan snorted. "Only if it involved pillow fights."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Please, Karan."

The group chuckled, but Aryan barely paid attention. His gaze flickered back to Tara, watching her fidget with her ring absentmindedly—a nervous habit he knew all too well.

Rohan smirked, nudging Aryan slightly. "So, Tara," he said, pretending to be casual. "Did you get home safe last night?"

Tara's eyes snapped up to Rohan, narrowing slightly in suspicion. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Oh, no reason," Rohan replied innocently. "Just checking."

Aryan shot Rohan a warning look, but the damage was done. Tara's jaw tightened.

"I'm fine," she said sincerely, before looking at Aisha and Aria. "Let's go."

As she turned to walk away, Aryan's smirk widened. He leaned slightly against his doorframe, arms crossed.

"See you around, Star," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

Tara didn't turn back.

But the slight pause in her step before she walked away?

Aryan caught that. And it only made his smirk grow.

💜