"From Rivals to Forever: A Journey of Love"

Chapter 36

Aditi's Perspective

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a sharp throb behind my eyes. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, cursing myself for pulling another all-nighter. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but with the board exams looming over me, I had no choice but to power through another set of revision notes. I glanced at my phone, squinting at the bright screen. 8:00 AM. Ugh, I had really hoped for more sleep.

But today wasn't just any day — it was the day of our farewell. And as much as I wanted to stay cocooned in bed, there was no escaping the preparations that awaited me.

My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts. A string of notifications lit up the screen, most of them from classmates excitedly discussing the farewell and sharing outfit plans. And, of course, there were a few messages from Kabir. I smirked, already expecting his usual playful tone.

Kabir:
"Bet you didn't sleep again. Revision or nerves?"
Kabir:
"Anyway, big day ahead. Don't keep me waiting too long for the grand reveal."
Kabir:
"PS: I'm definitely more excited to see your outfit than my own."

I chuckled softly at his texts, warmth bubbling up inside me. I could almost hear his teasing voice in my head. Not that I'd let him know how much those little messages made my day. There was no way I was giving him the satisfaction — especially not today.

Dragging myself out of bed, I made my way to the bathroom. A glance in the mirror made me wince. Puffy eyes. Of course. I should've known that staying up till 2 AM reviewing physics formulas would come back to haunt me. My face looked tired, and the bags under my eyes were not going to disappear on their own.

But I had a plan.

I quickly shuffled to the fridge and retrieved the two spoons I had stashed in the freezer the night before, just in case of an eye-puffiness emergency. This definitely qualified. Pressing the cold metal against my eyes, I sighed in relief, feeling the coolness soothe the tired skin. It wasn't a miracle fix, but it was better than nothing.

As I held the spoons over my eyes, my mind wandered. There was a lot to get done today — hair, makeup, the saree, accessories — it was all going to take time. Normally, I wasn't one to fuss over my appearance. But today was different. Today, I wanted to feel special. I wanted to walk into that farewell looking and feeling my absolute best, no matter how many spoons or under-eye creams it took.

And then there was Kabir. He was definitely going to bug me all day, fishing for clues about my saree. Just thinking about it made me smile. He had a way of making even the most mundane things feel exciting. But there was no way I was going to let him ruin the surprise. Not yet.

Once the spoons had done their job, I tossed them in the sink and took a closer look at myself in the mirror. Not perfect, but better. I quickly washed my face with cold water, the splash waking me up fully. The puffiness had gone down a bit, and I was starting to feel more like myself. Small victories.

After taking bath. Next came the skincare routine. I grabbed my gentle face scrub and started massaging it into my skin, focusing on the areas that looked especially dull from lack of sleep. As I worked, I thought about how surreal today felt. After years of exams, classes, and the endless rush of school life, we were finally here — at the end. It felt like everything was changing, and today was the beginning of a new chapter.

With my face scrubbed and feeling fresher, I patted my skin dry and reached for my favorite moisturizer. I took my time applying it, massaging it in gently, the way I'd seen in countless skincare tutorials. It was a small luxury that helped calm the nerves I hadn't even realized were building up inside me.