~ 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 ~

Chapter 8. He came to delhi.

At Singhania's house, Rishabh was in his room, lying on the couch with his loyal dog, Bruno, sitting beside him. The night before New Year's always had its own kind of thrill, and Rishabh was unusually excited.

"Wooh wooh," Bruno barked softly, wagging his tail.

Rishabh chuckled, running his fingers through Bruno's fur. "Bruno, tomorrow's New Year's Eve, and I'm really excited about the party," he said with a grin. "You know who's organizing it, right? Miss Rival herself."

Bruno barked again, almost as if he understood.

"Yeah, yeah, don't give me that look," Rishabh continued, laughing to himself. "I even canceled all my other plans for this party. Because if Miss Rival—Riya—accidentally says 'I love you, Rishabh,' then, my friend, I'll make sure the whole world knows! Imagine the headlines—'The unstoppable Rishabh finally wins over the one and only Miss Rival.' What a moment it'll be!"

Bruno tilted his head, letting out another playful bark.

Rishabh stretched, smirking to himself. "And Pratha? Oh no, she's like my bhabhi now. I remember when we played Truth or Dare—she actually admitted that if there's anyone she likes apart from her family, it's me. Can you believe that, Bruno? But of course, she's Archit's fiancée now. I can't flirt with her anymore, not fair to bhai."

Bruno barked again, his tail thumping against the floor.

Rishabh laughed. "But Miss Rival... now that's a different story. She's short—barely reaches my chest—but she talks so much that I forget she's tiny. And when she argues, it feels like I'm fighting with a kid. But then... she looks at me with those angry eyes, and my flirting instincts just switch on automatically. I know she likes me. I mean, who wouldn't? And if she doesn't, then, well, her taste is definitely questionable," he said, shaking his head in amusement.

Bruno barked again, almost as if in agreement, and Rishabh laughed out loud.

Meanwhile, at a nearby school, in class KG, a very different kind of drama was unfolding.

"Hey Avni," said Rohan with a mischievous grin, "your mom left you here because you're not her real daughter, right? She adopted you."

Avni, sitting with her crayons, looked up calmly. "No, I'm not adopted," she said. "But you are your mom and dad's real son, right?"

"Yeah, obviously," Rohan said proudly.

"Oh really?" Avni replied, crossing her arms. "Then why did your parents adopt another boy? Maybe they needed someone better than you!"

The class gasped. "What are you trying to say?" Rohan demanded.

"Just that your parents are so kind—they adopted another son because their own son wasn't enough. Cool, right?" Avni said with a smug smile.

"You're crossing the limit, Avni!" Rohan shouted, his face turning red.

"Oh, so now this is crossing the limit?" Avni shot back confidently. "Listen carefully, I'm Avni Rathore. I don't lose easily in roasting. If you want to compete next time, come prepared, got it?"

The entire class burst into laughter. Poor Rohan's eyes filled with tears just as Pratha entered the classroom.

"Rohan, why are you crying?" she asked, walking toward him.

"Masi—sorry, ma'am! Actually, Rohan is crying because he's very happy," Avni said sweetly, flashing an innocent smile.

Pratha frowned slightly. "Rohan, what happened?"

"Ma'am, actually... Avni is right. I'm very happy today," Rohan stammered, forcing a weak smile.

Pratha looked at them suspiciously but decided to let it go. "Okay, now everyone settle down. It's almost break time. No noise."