REGRETS: An Unspoken Longings

FEAR AND TRUST.

Suhani's point of view-:

It’s been a month since Veer and I started spending more time together. The dance competition seems like a distant memory now, but the bond we began to form during those chaotic rehearsals has only grown stronger. I never thought I’d be spending this much time with someone like Veer. Yet here I am, looking forward to our conversations, our shared laughs, and the way he can make even the most mundane moments feel special. But there’s still a part of me that can’t fully trust him—can’t fully let go of my doubts.

There’s something about Veer that keeps me on edge. Maybe it’s his reputation as the campus playboy, or maybe it’s the way he can be so charming one moment and distant the next. I keep reminding myself that people can change, but what if he hasn’t? What if this is all just a game to him, another way to win over a girl like he’s done so many times before?

I can’t help but think back to some of our recent encounters. Like that day when we were sitting in the library, supposedly studying for our exams. I was buried in my notes, trying to make sense of a particularly confusing chapter, when Veer suddenly reached over and pulled my notebook towards him.

“Let me see,” he said, his voice filled with curiosity. “You look like you’re about to set that page on fire with how hard you’re staring at it.”

I laughed, a little embarrassed. “It’s just this one part I can’t figure out. The professor explained it, but it’s like my brain refuses to understand.”

Veer studied the page for a moment before breaking into a grin. “Oh, this? It’s easy. You just have to think of it like this…” And then he launched into an explanation that was somehow both simple and clear. I found myself smiling, not just because he’d helped me understand, but because he had done so without making me feel stupid.

Afterward, as we packed up our things, I couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in my chest. I wasn’t used to this—having someone who could make me feel both challenged and supported at the same time. But then, just as I was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, Veer was different from the image I had of him, he threw me one of his signature smirks.

“See?” he said. “I told you I’m not just a pretty face.”

And just like that, the walls went back up. I knew he was joking, but it reminded me of the side of him I still wasn’t sure I could trust.

There was also that time we all went out for dinner—me, Veer, Nandini, Vivaan, Saanvi, and Arjun. It was one of those spontaneous decisions, the kind that happens when everyone’s in a good mood and nobody wants the night to end just yet. Vivaan and Nandini were lost in their own world, sitting next to each other and sharing little glances that were so sweet, it was almost sickening. But in a good way, of course. It’s obvious they’re falling for each other. They’re both a little shy about it, but the way they look at each other says it all.

Vivaan was leaning in, whispering something to Nandini that made her giggle. I couldn’t hear what he said, but the way her eyes sparkled told me it was something adorable. I’ve never seen Nandini so happy, and I can’t help but feel a little envious. She’s found someone who genuinely cares about her, someone who seems to be as smitten with her as she is with him.

Then there was Saanvi and Arjun, who were in their usual mode—trading sarcastic remarks like it was their favorite pastime. Saanvi had just made some snide comment about Arjun’s choice of dessert, and he retaliated by stealing a spoonful of her ice cream. “You know,” he said with a mischievous grin, “if you don’t want to eat this, I’ll happily take it off your hands.”

Saanvi glared at him, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Keep your hands off my ice cream, Arjun, or I’ll make sure you never get dessert again.”