𝐹𝐴𝑇𝐸𝐷 𝑆𝐸𝑅𝐸𝑁𝐴𝐷𝐸 ✅

Chapter 1 : Unwelcome message

In the corridors of time, where whispers weave through memories and dreams,
I loved him silently, as stars love the night sky—constant, unseen.
Shivay, a name etched in the silence of my heart,
A story written in the margins of fate, waiting for its part.

Years have passed, yet the echoes of our unspoken dance still linger,
A melody of longing that time could never quite surrender.
And now, as destiny aligns our paths once more,
I wonder if this reunion will be the promise we had hoped for, or just another door.

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- 10 years ago -

Arohi sat at her desk, the soft hum of her laptop filling the room as she focused on her school assignments. The pandemic had turned her home into her classroom, with online coaching sessions replacing her usual school routine. She was supposed to be attending a lecture, but today she’d decided to skip it. Her assignments were calling her, and she was determined to finish them without distraction.

The room was quiet except for the occasional sound of her typing. Just as she was getting into the rhythm of her work, her phone buzzed on the desk beside her. She glanced at the screen and saw a notification from her coaching WhatsApp group. Curiosity piqued, she picked up her phone and unlocked it.

Her eyes widened as she read the message. It was a list of students who had been absent from the lecture, and her name was on it. But what made her frown was the spelling of her name—"Aarohi" instead of "Arohi." Her irritation grew as she realized that not only was her absence being noted, but it was also being done so inaccurately.

The message was sent by someone named Shiva. Anger bubbled up inside her. She didn't like the idea of someone pointing out her absence, especially when they couldn’t even spell her name correctly. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Who’s this new person? How dare he? At least get my name right before you call me out.”

She tossed her phone back on the desk, her frustration evident. She shook her head and chuckled sarcastically, “Should’ve at least been mentioned properly.” Her mind wandered to the unknown sender, a new face in the group, who had managed to get under her skin with a simple, yet infuriating, mistake.

Arohi tried to refocus on her work, but the annoyance lingered, a small reminder of the unwelcome interruption from the new guy named Shiva.

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The next day, Arohi trudged into her coaching class with a sense of resignation. The previous day's annoyance lingered in her mind, and she wasn’t looking forward to the class. She found her usual spot on the third bench and settled in, waiting for the familiar face of her instructor. The classroom buzzed with the usual chatter of students as they prepared for the lesson.

But today, the teacher didn’t arrive. Instead, a tall guy in a red velvet T-shirt walked in, catching Arohi’s attention immediately. He had jet-black hair, a light skin tone, and an effortlessly stylish aura. Arohi, who was also wearing a red velvet T-shirt, found herself momentarily distracted by his striking appearance. She stared at him, her thoughts momentarily scattered.

Just as she was lost in her daze, his voice cut through the room. “Hello everyone, today sir will not come. If you have any doubts regarding anything, just ask me and do your self-study,” he announced confidently.

A staff member from the back called out, “Shivay, take this attendance book.”

Arohi’s heart skipped a beat. Shivay. The name echoed in her mind, reminding her of the message from yesterday. The same person who had misspelled her name was now in front of her. Her irritation resurfaced as she watched him take the attendance book.

Shivay began calling out names from the list of absentees from the previous day. Each name was met with a question about their absence. When he finally reached "Arohi Malhotra," she felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

"Here," she said, standing up.

Shivay looked at her, his expression unreadable. "What was the reason for your absence yesterday?"

Arohi took a deep breath. "I was doing my assignment for school."

Shivay nodded, jotting something down in the attendance book. "Alright, you can sit."

As Arohi returned to her seat, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being under scrutiny. Her annoyance simmered as she sat back down, wishing she could just get through the class without any more interruptions from this new and infuriating presence.

Despite her frustration, she tried to focus on her self-study, but the presence of Shivay and the memory of yesterday's message kept her mind preoccupied.

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It had been a month since Shivay had taken over the role of staff, helping students with their doubts and managing the class in the absence of their usual instructor. Arohi found his presence increasingly irksome. Despite his reputation as a "beauty with brains" and his ability to charm everyone around him, she remained uninterested. His constant presence, combined with his tendency to make her the center of his attention, only fueled her annoyance.

One day, during a history test, Shivay was supervising the class. As the students finished their papers, a few girls raised their hands to signal they were done. Arohi, deeply engrossed in her answers, continued writing until she felt confident enough to finish. She set her pen aside and leaned back, adjusting her glasses.

Shivay, standing by the door, glanced around the room before his gaze landed on Arohi. “Are you done, Arohi?” he asked, directly addressing her. It was unusual for him to single out one student like this. Arohi felt a flicker of surprise but nodded in response.

Shivay instructed the students to exchange their papers with their seatmates for checking. Arohi, after exchanging papers, reviewed her score and noted the mistakes with a roll of her eyes. She had scored 7 out of 10 and saw where she had gone wrong.

As Shivay moved around the room, checking papers and signing them, he eventually approached Arohi. After signing her paper, he watched her with a thoughtful expression. “Which answers did you get wrong?” he asked.

Arohi pointed out the mistakes. Shivay offered her advice on how to improve, giving her tips on what she could have done differently. His tone was constructive, and Arohi found herself listening, despite her initial irritation.

The day passed, and on a different occasion, the class was taking another test. Shivay made an unexpected request for the previous day's homework. Many students, including Arohi, had not completed it. A chubby girl sitting nearby was struggling to see her incomplete homework.

With a grin, Shivay turned to Arohi. “Arohi, please lend your glasses to her.”

Arohi was taken aback. “What?”

Shivay mockingly said, “Just give your glasses.”

His smile, combined with the lighthearted laughter from the other girls, caught Arohi off guard. At first, she didn’t understand the humor, but as the laughter continued, she couldn’t help but smile. The unexpected moment of levity stirred something inside her, a flutter of butterflies that she couldn’t quite explain.

For a brief moment, Arohi saw a different side of Shivay. His playful humor and genuine smile made her reconsider her previous judgments. As she watched him interact with the other students, she felt a shift in her perspective, wondering if perhaps there was more to him than she had initially thought.