"From Rivals to Forever: A Journey of Love"

Chapter 6

Kabir's perspective

As I was about to leave for school on my bike, I noticed that the tire was completely flat. Just then, Arjun hugged my legs from behind. "Bhaiya, I thought that if I open that knob in the tire  your bike, the air in the tire would magically increase. I'm SORRY," he said, almost in tears.

I picked him up and held him close. "It's okay, Arjun. I won't tell anyone, but you need to know that we need a lot of air in a small space to inflate the tire. Let's go get it filled together, and we can even grab some chocolates once we finish our homework, okay?"

He nodded happily and ran off in excitement.

Now, I had to walk to the bus stand and wait for a rickshaw. Almost immediately, an e-rickshaw arrived, and the driver asked, "School ja rahe ho? Toh baith jao."

I saw a girl in the same school uniform sitting inside, looking out the window. Her long, shiny hair was braided into two neat plaits. It was Aditi Sharma—of course, no one else in school had such beautiful hair. But it wasn't just her hair; it was her competitive and fierce personality that made me notice these things about her. Thanks to Arjun, at least I would be going to school with her today. Yay!

"How much to school?" I asked the driver.

"40 rupees," he replied.

"Are you serious? You charged me 20 rupees from Shanti Nagar!" Aditi interjected, turning towards the driver.

She's taking my side? Is she into me? No, of course not. But a little delusion never hurts, right? Oh, hey, Aditi, does it harm to be delusional? Yes, I'm asking you. Please answer quickly.

"Arre, ladki, don't make such a fuss. You've ruined my business," the rickshaw driver said, turning to me. "10 rupees, sit down."

I smiled and took a seat in front of her, placing my bag beside me. Seeing her keep her bag on her lap, I suggested, "Why don't you put your bag on the side? It must be heavy."

"I like it this way," she said.

"But why?" I asked.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked, looking into my eyes intensely.

Ladies and gentlemen, today when I enter the school, I won't just be Kabir—I'll also be Aditi's boyfriend! Oh my god. All those bad boys who thought they could win her over were wrong. Hehe.

"No," I replied with a grin.

"So you wouldn't understand," she said, looking at something behind her bag.

"What?" My heart sank. "Someone, please, end my misery."

"That why my bag is on my lap," she replied, still looking behind her bag.

"Look, I know you're using your phone behind it, so just admit it," I said, smirking casually.

"NO, I'M NOT!" she snapped. Her bag fell onto my knees, revealing a novel titled Icebreaker. The cover looked quite cute. She quickly picked up her bag, as if she was embarrassed.

"Never knew you were a fan of fairy tales, Library Lover," I teased.

She raised her eyebrows as we reached the school gate. She put her fairytale book back into her bag. I never knew she believed in such things. She must be really cute inside.

We then paid and started walking towards the school gate.

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