Fragile Hearts

C h a p t e r - 17

The classroom was buzzing with chatter. The teacher had announced their absence for the day, and everyone was taking advantage of the free period.

Groups of students were scattered across the room, sharing jokes, catching up on gossip, and enjoying the rare unstructured time.

At the back, Siddharth, Arun, Vikram, and Rahul were lounging,
cracking jokes about everything and nothing.

Meanwhile, at the front of the class, Riya sat with Sruthi and their new friend Nisha who started speaking to them today. They were deeply engrossed in conversation, laughing at some silly story Nisha was telling.

Suddenly, Arun's voice boomed from the back of the classroom.

Arun: "Riyaaa!"he called, stretching her name out dramatically.

Riya turned in her seat, giving him a playful roll of her eyes. Sruthi, sitting beside her, glared at Arun with a mischievous twist to her lips.

Sruthi: "Hmkoom, konja neram summa irukamattan. Engala disturb pandradhukagave ivanga amma appa ivana pethu potrukanga pola." Sruthi muttered, pretending to be annoyed, though the smile tugging at her lips gave her away.

Arun caught Sruthi's look and, with a playful grin, scratched the back of his neck before winking at her. It was quick, and only Sruthi noticed. Her cheeks flushed pink, but she quickly composed herself, turning her attention back to Nisha.

Riya stood up to head toward Arun, who was now motioning wildly for her to come over. But just as she took a step, Priya, who was sitting behind her, subtly stretched out her leg, attempting to trip her.

For a split second, it seemed like Riya might stumble. Her foot caught on Priya’s leg, but she quickly regained her balance. Straightening up, she shot a cold look at Priya, who burst out laughing along with her group of friends.

Siddharth, sitting at the back, had seen the entire thing. His body tensed, and his eyes flicked toward Priya, darkening with anger. Arun, Vikram, and Rahul also noticed, their laughter dying down as they waited to see what Riya would do next.

Before any of them could react, Riya turned to face them and subtly waved her hand, signaling them to stay put. She didn’t want to make a scene, especially not in front of everyone in the class.

She took a deep breath and walked toward Siddharth, who was sitting with his arms crossed, his expression stormy.

Siddharth: “Pathu varamaatiya?!” he grumbled under his breath as she approached, clearly still fuming from Priya’s antics.

Riya raised her eyebrows at his tone.

Riya: “Na enna pandradhu ava apdi panna? Ennai en kathura?”

Siddharth let out an annoyed sigh, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, something caught his attention when he glanced down.
His expression softened just a little.

Without saying a word, he stood up abruptly scraping his chair against the floor. Everyone’s attention shifted to him, including Priya’s, who was still giggling with her friends.

Riya blinked, confused, as he suddenly kneeled down in front of her.

Riya: "Sid, enna achu?"

Gasps filled the room, when he tied her shoe lace which was untied.

Siddharth, the aloof, tough guy who barely paid attention to anyone, was now tying Riya’s shoelace with a focused expression, as if he didn’t care who was watching.

Priya’s laughter came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes went wide, and she nudged her friends, who were equally stunned. This was not the Siddharth they knew. He was supposed to be distant, brooding, and cold. But here he was, kneeling in front of Riya without a second thought.