Bade Sapne

◇ Part 1 ◇

Vira's POV

As the sun rose on the day after the sleepover, my head was pounding, as we played games late into the night, finishing at around 3 o' clock in the morning. And even after that, I'd been awake trying to figure out the complicated matter that had been going on in my head ever since yesterday.

I always knew that I loved Ishan, and now, it'd been made clear to me that, evidently, he does too. But what does that make us? And, on top of that, adding Shubman to the mix made the situation even more confusing.

I'd always thought he hated me. After the little spat we'd had on the first day we'd met, we'd been at each other's throats ever since. So why had he complimented ME, out of all people? There was Priya, there was Ishan, his BEST FRIEND. Why did he choose to compliment ME? Woh toh mujhse nafrat karta hai na?

Trying to shake off my uncertainty, I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. I needed some coffee to wake me up and maybe some breakfast to help settle my thoughts. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw Shubman already there, sipping on a glass of milk and gazing out the window, lost in thought.

“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound casual despite the tumultuous thoughts in my head.

Shubman barely glanced at me, offering a nod rather than a smile. “Morning,” he replied curtly, taking another sip of his milk without much enthusiasm.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, trying to brush off the awkwardness.

“Thanks for the compliment yesterday,” I said, hoping to bridge the gap between us.

Shubman looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Don’t mention it,” he said, his tone flat. It was as if he regretted saying it or didn’t care enough to elaborate.

“Oh,” I murmured, caught off guard by his dismissive attitude. I busied myself with my coffee, unsure of how to proceed.

After a moment, he added, “You seemed surprised. Why?”

I shrugged, forcing a smile. “I just didn’t think we were on complimenting terms, that’s all.”

“People can change their minds,” he replied, still sounding distant. There was an awkward pause, and I could feel the tension creeping back in.

Before I could find something else to say, Ishan strolled into the kitchen, looking as groggy as I felt. “What’s for breakfast?” he asked Shubman, flopping onto the couch and stretching his arms out with a yawn.

He noticed me, and quickly got up, taking the chance to wrap an arm around my waist and plant a quick peck on my forehead, as I wrapped my arms around him, leaning into his touch.

I felt Shubman's eyes on us, as Ishan smiled down at me, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen out of its place. I blushed. Gosh, why am I blushing so much?  He leant in, obviously going for a kiss, as I closed my eyes waiting for the feeling of warmth bubbling in my heart.

It never came.

"Coffee?" Shubman said loudly, clearing his throat, glaring at us, holding a coffee mug between us. 

I blinked, the moment broken, and glanced over at Shubman, who was standing with a mug in hand, his expression unreadable. His interruption was jarring, and I felt a flicker of annoyance before guilt crept in. It wasn’t his fault things were awkward.

"Already had mine, thanks," I replied, trying to sound breezy and unaffected as I disentangled myself from Ishan’s embrace.

Ishan gave me an apologetic look, his hand lingering on my back for a moment before he turned to Shubman. "So, what’s the plan for today? Anything fun?"