"From Rivals to Forever: A Journey of Love"

Chapter 24

Aditi's Perspective

The next morning, I walked into school feeling unusually light, the memory of last night's encounter with Kabir lingering like a soft melody in my mind. It was one of those rare mornings when everything felt just right—the air was crisp, the sun was warm, and the world seemed full of possibilities.

As I made my way to class, I couldn't help but replay the moment in the library over and over again. The way Kabir had held my hand, the warmth in his eyes, and the quiet confidence in his voice when he told me he would win the match if I wanted him to—all of it made me feel like I was walking on air.

I reached our classroom and took my assigned seat beside Raghav, who was already there, flipping through his textbook. As soon as I sat down, he glanced over at me with a mischievous grin that made my heart sink just a little.

"Good morning, Kabir's Frosty," he said, his voice laced with teasing. "Heard someone had a nice study session at the library last night."

I rolled my eyes, trying to play it cool. "Good morning, Raghav. And I don't know what you're talking about. I was just studying."

"Sure, sure," he replied, his grin widening. "Just studying, huh? Is that why Kabir's going to win the match today? For you?"

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Kabir and the match. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "Raghav, you're being ridiculous. Kabir is going to win because he's been training hard, not because of me."

Raghav leaned back in his chair, still smirking. "Yeah, right. But you can't deny that he's got a little extra motivation now, can you?"

I couldn't help but smile at that. It was true that Kabir had seemed particularly determined last night, but I wasn't going to give Raghav the satisfaction of admitting it. "Whatever you say, Raghav. Can we please focus on the lesson now?"

"Sure, sure," he said, turning back to his book, though the teasing glint in his eyes didn't fade. "But you know, Aditi, it's nice to see you smiling like this. I've never seen you this happy before."

I didn't respond, instead opening my own textbook and trying to focus on the upcoming lesson. But it was hard to concentrate with Raghav sitting there, practically vibrating with energy as he prepared to continue his playful ribbing. He didn't usually get so much material to tease me with, so I knew he was going to milk this for all it was worth.

As the bell rang and our teacher walked in, I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus. We had a lot of ground to cover before the finals, and I needed to keep my head in the game. The day ahead was full of challenges—not just academically, but emotionally, too. I had to be prepared for both.

The lesson began, and the classroom filled with the usual hum of activity—students taking notes, the teacher's voice droning on about integration and differentiation. I tried to immerse myself in the work, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Kabir and the match. I wondered how he was feeling, if he was nervous, and if he was thinking about what I had whispered to him last night.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a nudge from Raghav. He was leaning over, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "So, Aditi," he whispered, careful to keep his voice low enough that the teacher wouldn't hear, "do you think Kabir's going to dedicate his victory speech to you?"

I shot him a look, trying to silence him with my expression alone, but he just chuckled quietly. "I'm just saying, it's kind of romantic, don't you think? A boxing champ winning for his muse?"

"Raghav, if you don't stop, I'm going to tell everyone about that time you write love poems in your math notebook for Arushi ," I whispered back, trying to keep the smile out of my voice.