𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒
What happens when
𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐑𝐀 - the girl who mastered the art of being unseen,
stitched together with silence and scar tissue,
haunted by the ruins of love and friendsh...
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Evyaan always had a way of pulling attention toward him, like gravity bending everyone's focus.
The moment he asked me—me—to help with his bag in front of my friends, the entire conversation shifted.
Just like that.
Suddenly, it was all about his eyes, his hair, his watch, and everything else that made him... him. I was starting to feel invisible in my own group when a pair of hands covered my eyes.
"Guess who?" a familiar voice teased, her accent exaggerated playfully.
"Vani—Vanie?" I stuttered, startled but smiling.
"Yeah! And didn't I tell you to find me?" she pouted, half-scolding, half-joking.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you in the restaurant," I offered, not knowing how else to respond.
"Samayara, chill! I'm just messing with you," she laughed, easing my nerves. For a second, I really thought I'd upset her. Then she glanced past me and smiled warmly at my group.
"Hi, I'm Vanie," she introduced herself, and the others quickly responded.
Vanie easily blended into the circle, chatting effortlessly while I struggled to keep up. I tried joining in again, forcing myself to speak more, but social exhaustion hit fast.
Aakib, like some silent savior, appeared beside me. I excused myself from the group, and Vanie warned me playfully to find her later—or else she'd be "very upset."
"Hi, I'm Aakib, by the way," he said as we walked.
"Oh, I know," I replied too quickly.
"That's great," he said, deadpan. "But you should probably tell me your name. It's kinda weird if I keep calling you 'Evyaan's seatmate.'"
I could've evaporated from the sheer embarrassment.
"I'm sorry... it's Samayara," I corrected, cheeks burning. He didn't say anything, just gave a subtle nod.
We retrieved Evyaan's bag and made our way back to the buses.
"Samayara, tell Evyaan that Evaana will visit him," Aakib said, handing me the bag as we reached the bus.
It was heavy, but Aakib didn't so much as blink at my obvious struggle. He just left. Honestly, I appreciated that. Not everyone needs to rush to help. I never liked being the center of someone's fuss.
Just as I caught my breath, I overheard Evyaan talking to Laksh as they climbed the bus.
"And yes, if I ask her, she'll definitely agree," he was saying—and then spotted me. His expression faltered for a beat, surprise flickering in his eyes. I was just as stunned. He walked over quickly to take the bag from me.
"Um, Samayara, what I was saying was... don't you think the upper chambers are better? More comfortable, less noise?" he blurted, barely breathing.
"Yeah, sounds great!" I nodded, genuinely liking the idea.
