The Right Kind of Wrong

14. Rajat's Friends Notice

The sun hung low over the campus, casting a warm, golden light on the lawn where Rajat sat with his friends. The weekend rush of students coming and going from the library and the dorms was background noise to the conversation happening at the center of their small circle.

Rajat leaned back against the tree, arms crossed, eyes half-closed as his friends bantered about their weekend plans. His mind, however, was elsewhere—specifically, on Savi. She had left early after their last project meeting, still caught up in the whirlwind of emotions after sharing so much about her family. It had been days, and yet he couldn't stop thinking about it—the way her voice wavered, the determination in her eyes, the raw vulnerability. He had never seen her like that before.

"Rajat," Aman's voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back to reality. "You're zoning out again."

Rajat blinked, clearing his head and glancing over at his best friend. Aman sat cross-legged beside him, his usual smirk firmly in place. He was one of the sharpest students in their law program, but his favorite hobby was finding ways to tease Rajat.

"Yeah, what's up with you these days, man?" Abhay chimed in from across the circle. "You've been distracted a lot lately. Don't tell me it's another girl."

Rajat shot them both a pointed look. "Can't a guy have a moment of peace without being accused of something?"

Aman snorted. "Not when it's you. You've been acting weird for weeks."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rajat asked, sitting up straighter and narrowing his eyes.

Abhay grinned, raising an eyebrow. "You know exactly what we mean. You're either spacing out or randomly smiling to yourself like some lovestruck teenager."

"Exactly!" Aman agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "And we have a pretty good guess as to who's got you so distracted these days."

Rajat's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression neutral, raising an eyebrow in mock confusion. "Oh, really? Do enlighten me."

Aman exchanged a knowing look with Abhay before turning back to Rajat, his grin widening. "Savi Chavan."

The name hit Rajat like a punch to the gut, though he refused to let it show. Instead, he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You've lost your mind."

Abhay chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, man. We're not blind. You've been hanging around her a lot more than usual. You used to complain about her all the time, and now you're practically glued to her side."

Rajat bristled, leaning back against the tree again. "That's because we've been assigned a project together. It's not like I have a choice."

"Right," Aman drawled, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "It's just the project. That's why you've been so invested in everything she does lately."

Abhay leaned forward, grinning like a cat who'd caught the canary. "Let's not forget how you can't stop staring at her during class, or how you've been a lot more civil to her lately. You're practically her knight in shining armor now."

Rajat shot him a withering glare. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Aman countered, clearly enjoying the situation. "Because from where we're sitting, it looks like you're falling for her. Hard."

"I'm not falling for her," Rajat said firmly, his voice a little sharper than he intended. "She's a... colleague. We're working together, and that's it."

Abhay raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. "So, you're telling us that you don't feel anything when you two argue? No sparks flying? No heart racing? Nothing?"