The Right Kind of Wrong

37. Navigating a New Relationship

The first morning after their confession felt different. Savi woke up with a flutter in her chest, a mix of excitement and nervousness coursing through her. The confession had been honest, raw, and liberating, but now came the harder part—figuring out what came next.

Savi glanced at her phone. No messages from Rajat yet. It wasn't like he needed to text her every morning, but today felt special. Maybe she was overthinking it. She shook her head and got out of bed, determined to stay focused on her IAS preparation despite the sudden shift in her personal life.

As she made her way through her morning routine, her phone buzzed. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rajat's name pop up.

Rajat: Morning, Cotton Candy. Coffee before class?

Savi smiled, her cheeks warming. They'd had coffee together plenty of times, but now, the simple offer carried a new weight. This wasn't just two friends hanging out—it was different.

Me: Sure, meet you at the usual spot.

She could almost picture his easy smile as he read her response.

The café near the college campus was their usual hangout, but today, it felt like unfamiliar territory. As Savi arrived, she spotted Rajat sitting by the window, his phone in hand. He looked up just as she entered, his expression softening when their eyes met.

"Hi," Rajat greeted, standing up as she approached.

"Hey," Savi replied, feeling a bit awkward but trying to hide it.

They stood there for a beat too long, both unsure whether to greet each other as friends or something more. Eventually, Rajat broke the tension with a playful grin.

"So, coffee?" he asked, motioning toward the counter.

Savi laughed, her nerves easing a little. "Yeah, coffee."

They ordered their usual drinks and sat down at their favorite table. The atmosphere was relaxed, but there was an unspoken shift between them, one they both felt but hadn't quite figured out how to navigate yet.

"So," Rajat began, swirling his coffee mug between his hands, "how are you feeling?"

Savi raised an eyebrow. "About...?"

"About... us," he said, a slight hesitation in his voice.

Savi's heart fluttered at the word "us." She set her cup down, meeting his gaze. "I'm... figuring it out."

Rajat chuckled. "Me too. It's weird, right? Yesterday, we were just friends, and now..." He trailed off, looking at her with that soft, steady gaze she had come to adore.

Savi nodded, her lips curving into a small smile. "Yeah, it is weird. But a good kind of weird."

Rajat leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "I don't want things to change too much between us, you know? I mean, obviously, they have... but I still want us to be the same Savi and Rajat, just... more."

Savi appreciated how he always managed to say what she was thinking. "Yeah, more," she agreed.

They shared a quiet moment, sipping their coffee and enjoying the comfortable silence. There was no pressure, no rush to define what they were. It was enough that they both knew how they felt, and for now, that was all they needed.

The campus was buzzing with life as students rushed between classes, laughter echoing through the air. Savi sat at their usual bench under the banyan tree, her heart fluttering with a mix of excitement and nervousness. It had been a week since she and Rajat had confessed their feelings for each other, and now they were stepping into the uncharted waters of a romantic relationship.