Minho hates Kavya, Kavya hates him more they both compete over everything and now they are stuck together for the whole year. Yet something starts drawing Minho closer and pushing Kavya away.
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I sighed, staring at the reflection in the mirror, my hands hovering over a brush. I still couldn’t believe I was actually getting ready for dinner at Minho’s house. Out of all people, why did my mom have to be friends with his mom? I don’t know what was worse — already having seen him earlier or seeing him twice in the spam of 24 hours ?
“You know he’s into you, right?” Teresa's voice crackled through the speaker of my phone, which I’d set on the dresser.
“Teresa, shut up,” I muttered, tugging at a strand of my hair. “He’s not into me. He’s just... I don’t know, irritating.” My voice faltered for a second. That was the problem with Minho — he wasn’t just annoying. He wasn’t just the guy who stole my seat in class, teased me every chance he got, or smirked when he caught me flustered, and I hated that he got under my skin in ways I didn’t understand.
Teresa giggled, as if she could hear the hesitation in my voice. “Kavya, please. He’s constantly picking on you, always finding ways to be around you and he was totally jealous earlier. You’re just in denial.”
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. "Please. Minho? Crushing on me? You have to be kidding. He probably does it because he has nothing better to do. Besides, you know I can’t stand him."
But as I said, I felt a weird twist in my stomach. Was I trying to convince her, or myself? Because deep down, I knew something was off about the way Minho acted around me. But admitting it would mean confronting the truth — that I didn’t hate him nearly as much as I pretended to.
Teresa’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Sure, sure. But you like him. I can hear it in your voice.”
“I do not,” I lied, gripping the edge of the dresser. The truth was, Minho had a way of making me feel things I wasn’t ready to admit. Every time he smirked, every time he threw a teasing comment my way, there was a part of me — a small, infuriating part — that enjoyed it. It was a game we played, both of us too stubborn to call it anything other than that. But it wasn’t a crush. It couldn’t be.
“Kavya, I can hear your mom calling you. You better go before she freaks out,” Teresa said, her voice laced with amusement. “But I swear, if anything happens tonight, you better call me immediately.”
“Nothing’s going to happen. It’s just dinner with our parents. Boring, awkward, and probably filled with Minho trying to make my life miserable.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Teresa replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Have fun, babe. And remember, no one teases you as much as Minho does without liking you, at least a little.”
I hung up before she could say anything else, grabbing my purse and heading downstairs where my mom was waiting.
---
The car ride to Minho’s house was quiet, my mom excitedly rambling about how great it was that the two families were getting together. I, on the other hand, felt this weird mix of dread and anticipation bubbling inside me. As we pulled into the driveway, I caught sight of Minho standing by the door, hands shoved in his pockets. He looked... different. Quieter, almost.
I stepped out of the car, my eyes meeting his for a brief second before he turned away. No smirk, no teasing remark. Just silence.
That’s strange, I thought as my mom greeted his parents. Usually, Minho’s the first one to throw some sarcastic comment my way, but today, he barely looked at me.
Dinner was uneventful, if not a little tense. Minho was unusually quiet, only speaking when his mom prompted him, and even then, his responses were short, almost clipped. He wasn’t himself, and it bothered me more than I wanted to admit. I found my eyes drifting to him more than once, trying to figure out what was wrong, but he refused to meet my gaze.
After the plates were cleared, I excused myself to use the bathroom, but instead, my feet carried me upstairs. I didn’t know why I was doing it, but something told me I needed to see Minho. As I reached the top of the stairs, I found his door slightly ajar, soft light spilling out. I knocked lightly before pushing it open.
Minho was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. My heart skipped a beat. He looked... broken. Vulnerable in a way I had never seen him before.
“Minho?” I asked quietly, stepping into the room.
He didn’t look up, but I saw his shoulders tense. For a moment, I thought he was going to tell me to leave, to throw one of his usual snarky comments my way, but instead, he let out a shaky breath. “I don’t... I don’t know what to do, I don't want everything to change Kavya.”
That stopped me in my tracks. This wasn’t the Minho I knew. The Minho I knew was cocky, confident, always in control. But now... now he looked like he was falling apart, and I didn’t know why. I should’ve felt awkward, out of place, but instead, I found myself moving toward him, my feet acting on their own.
I sat down next to him, my hand hesitating for a moment before I gently placed it on his shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on?” My voice was soft, cautious, unsure of how to navigate this unfamiliar territory.
He didn’t answer at first, but then I heard it — a soft, almost inaudible sob. And then another. Before I knew it, he was crying, his whole body shaking as he buried his face in his hands. I was stunned, frozen in place. I had never seen Minho like this. Ever.
Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers threading through his hair, gently pulling him toward me. “It’s okay,” I whispered, unsure of what else to say, but feeling like I needed to do something. His head rested against my chest, and I could feel his tears soaking into my shirt, but I didn’t care.
For once, there was no teasing, no sarcasm, no walls between us. Just Minho, broken and raw, and me, sitting there trying to soothe him.
I kept running my fingers through his hair, feeling his sobs quiet down after a while. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse, but I shook my head.
“Don’t be,” I whispered. “It’s okay.”
And in that moment, I realised something that terrified me — I didn’t just care about Minho. I was falling for him.
A/N I took my time with this icl but hope you enjoyed !!
