17: Closer Than Before

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—⁠Samiksha's POV☆

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—⁠Samiksha's POV☆

It’s been a few days since the fresher’s party, and life has fallen back into its regular rhythm. Everything’s pretty much the same, but there’s this small shift I can’t ignore—especially with Kiara. She’s turning into the ultimate lover girl these days. It’s almost too cute to watch. Clumsy, giddy, constantly blushing around Tanmay—it’s like she’s living in her own little rom-com, and I can’t help but smile every time I see her like that.

She’s head over heels for him, and it shows. The way she talks about him, the way her face lights up when he’s around, it’s like her whole world revolves around Tanmay now. It's sweet. And I get it—love can make you feel that way, like everything else fades into the background. It makes me happy for her, but it also makes me think about… well, him.

Ekansh.

I’m not even sure what to feel about him anymore. I might love him, or maybe I don’t. I honestly don’t know. And that’s what’s confusing me the most.

I keep asking myself the same questions over and over again—do I like him because he’s kind and attentive? Because he always knows how to make me laugh, or how he somehow manages to make me feel special without even trying? Or is it just the idea of him that I’m drawn to? The way he looks at me sometimes, like I’m the only one in the room.

But then, I hesitate. Ekansh is… well, he’s Ekansh. Popular, confident, and way out of my league. He comes from a wealthy family, and everyone knows it. He carries himself with this effortless charm, like he’s always known how to navigate the world that I sometimes feel lost in. He’s got standards, and I’m just—me. A middle-class girl who doesn’t exactly fit into his world of luxury and privilege.

And I’m scared. Not just of how different our worlds are, but what if I ruin our friendship? What if this thing, whatever it is that I’m feeling, destroys the comfort we’ve built between us?

I take a deep breath and look around. I’m in my usual spot at the library, surrounded by shelves filled with books. The smell of paper, ink, and the quiet comfort of the library has always been my refuge. The characters in these books, their fictional love stories—they're so simple, so beautifully straightforward. They fall in love, face challenges, and somehow always find their way to each other.

But life’s not like that, is it?

I’ve always loved reading. It’s like escaping into another world, a world where the answers are clearer, where the happy endings come after a chapter or two. But here I am, stuck in the real world, not even sure of my own feelings.

I turn a page, but my thoughts keep drifting back to Ekansh. The way he held my hands at the party, the way he looked into my eyes as if I meant the world to him. For a moment, I believed it—believed that maybe, just maybe, someone like him could feel something for someone like me.

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⏰ Last updated: Aug 20 ⏰

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