52

The idea of the London trip sparked in the middle of a lazy afternoon in Aisha's studio, where the group was sprawled across the couches and floor, half-working, half-procrastinating. Sunlight streamed through the windows, the faint sound of music playing in the background as Rohan flipped through his notes, Aakash scrolled on his phone, and Aria mindlessly doodled in her planner.

Aisha, lying upside down on the couch with her legs hanging over the backrest, suddenly groaned. "I can't do this anymore. We need a break."

Karan, sipping his coffee, raised a brow. "From what exactly? We're not even doing anything."

"From Oxford," she replied, sitting up dramatically. "We need a change of scenery. I say... day trip to London."

Aria, who had been twirling her pen, perked up. "Oh my god, yes. Shopping, food, maybe even a little sightseeing—let's do it."

Aakash nodded, smirking. "I wouldn't mind a day of luxury."

Rohan closed his notebook. "I mean, it's been a while since we did something fun together. I'm in."

"Same," Karan agreed. "We should leave early, get the whole day in."

Aryan, who had been listening from his spot near the window, leaned back in his chair. "We'd have to plan it right. Book our trains, figure out where we want to go first." His voice was calm, but there was something thoughtful about the way he said it, as if he already knew this trip would be more than just a casual day out.

Aisha grinned. "I like when you're in organized mode. It means things actually happen."

Aria clapped her hands together. "Alright, where do we start? Shopping first? Maybe breakfast at that cute little café we went to last time?"

Karan smirked. "We all know Aisha's going to drag us to every store possible."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she shot back.

As they started planning the logistics, Aryan casually looked at his watch. "We should book our tickets today. And decide where we're eating dinner."

Aakash stretched. "Somewhere nice. No cheap food courts this time."

The discussion grew more animated, ideas bouncing between them. No one noticed the door to the studio creaking open until a familiar voice cut through the conversation.

"What trip?"

The room fell into a brief silence as they turned toward the doorway.

Tara stood there, wearing a loose sweater and shorts, her damp hair slightly messy from her shower. She was holding a book in one hand, clearly expecting a quiet moment to herself, when she heard the word trip.

Her eyes swept across the group, finally landing on Aryan, who met her gaze without hesitation.

Aisha, caught off guard, quickly composed herself. "We're going to London for a day. Just planning it out."

Tara blinked. "You're all going?"

Karan smirked, leaning back. "Of course. And so are you."

She looked between them, her expression unreadable. She had expected a casual hangout, maybe a dinner plan—but a full trip? And with him?

For a moment, she didn't respond, her gaze flickering toward Aryan, who was still watching her, completely unfazed.

Then she crossed her arms and exhaled, trying to mask her surprise. "Right. Okay."

Tara frowned, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. "Wait, when is this happening?"

"In three days," Aisha replied, flipping through her planner.

Tara raised a brow. "That soon? How are we even planning this properly? Don't we have to study? And what about the restaurant?"

At the mention of the restaurant, her gaze instinctively landed on Aryan, who was lounging casually in his chair, one arm resting on the back of the sofa. His expression didn't waver, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Chill, Star," Aryan said smoothly. "I'll manage everything."

Aisha waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, come on, it'll be fun. We haven't been to London since year one. And if we don't go now, it'll be freezing by the time we actually plan something again."

Tara still looked skeptical, but as she glanced around, she saw the excitement on everyone's faces. It was rare for them to plan something like this together anymore.

She sighed. "Fine. But if we're going, I want to go to the London Eye."

Aryan, without missing a beat, leaned forward slightly. "Then we'll go."

Something about the way he said it—the quiet assurance, the lack of hesitation—made her stomach flip. She quickly looked away, pretending to check something on her phone.

The group continued planning, debating which restaurants to visit, where they'd shop, and what time they should leave. At some point, Aryan shifted closer to Tara, their arms almost brushing, and casually leaned in.

"You excited, Star?" His voice was just low enough for only her to hear.

She swallowed. "Yeah, I guess."

He smirked. "Guess? You used to love London trips."

She shot him a look. "Yeah, well. Things change."

Aryan tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening. "Not everything."

Aisha, who had been listening in, rolled her eyes with a grin. "Okay, okay, Romeo. Can we focus?"

Aryan chuckled and look at Aisha and smiled, "Haan ji, go ahead," earning a chuckle from Aisha as she continued talking.

The group laughed, but Tara just sat there, slightly flustered. Aryan didn't stop though—throughout the conversation, he kept throwing in little remarks, teasing her lightly, his voice dipping in that familiar way that used to make her heart race.

It was making her way too aware of him, and from the way Aisha and Aria were exchanging glances, they definitely noticed.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of planning and bickering over logistics, they finally locked in their tickets, securing their trip in three days.

"Done," Rohan announced, stretching. "This is going to be good."

"Yup," Aakash agreed. "Alright, let's go before I fall asleep here."

One by one, everyone started gathering their things and leaving the studio. Tara stood up as well, ready to retreat to her own space when Aryan fell into step beside her.

As they reached their floor, she stopped in front of her studio door and turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "Aryan, don't you dare flirt with me in London."

He looked at her and saturated walking closer and stopped right in front of her, stepping closer, just enough to make her back up against the wall.

"Why not?" His voice was low, teasing, his eyes locked onto hers.

Tara swallowed, suddenly hyper-aware of how close he was. "Because..." she started, but the words stuck in her throat.

Aryan leaned in slightly, his gaze flickering to her lips for a second before meeting her eyes again. "Because we aren't a thing?" he guessed, smirking.

She nodded, pressing her palms flat against the wall behind her. "Exactly."

His smirk only grew. "Not now, we aren't."

Her breath hitched, and before she could say anything, he brought his hand up, his fingers lightly grazing her jaw—just for a second, just enough to make her freeze. Slowly, he took her palm and kissed the back of it. Then, just as quickly, he pulled back, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"Goodnight, Star," he murmured before stepping away.

Tara let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, watching as he disappeared into his own studio.

She pressed a hand against her chest, feeling her heartbeat race.

Damn him.

💜