𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞

Chapter 7: Confrontation

Days turned into weeks, and the silence between Aanya and Meera stretched on, thick and suffocating. Aanya couldn't take it anymore. She needed answers—needed to know if the kiss had meant something to Meera or if it had just been a mistake.

She found Meera one evening in the campus library, sitting alone at a table, headphones in, completely absorbed in her work. Aanya's heart pounded in her chest as she walked over, nerves twisting in her stomach. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, before finally gathering the courage to speak.

"Meera."

Meera looked up, her expression unreadable as she pulled her headphones out. "Aanya."

Aanya's throat was dry, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can we talk?"

Meera hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, sure."

They moved outside, where the air was cool and the sky was darkening. Aanya wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find the right words, but everything felt tangled up inside her.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Aanya finally asked, her voice cracking with the weight of her emotions.

Meera sighed, running a hand through her hair, her gaze distant. "I'm not avoiding you."

"Yes, you are," Aanya pressed, her frustration spilling over. "You kissed me, and then you disappeared. You're acting like nothing happened, like it didn't matter."

Meera's eyes flashed with something—guilt, maybe. "It's not that it didn't matter," she said quietly. "It's that it mattered too much."

Aanya blinked, taken aback by the admission. "What do you mean?"

Meera sighed, looking away. "I didn't expect any of this to happen. The kiss, the video, the rumors... I'm not good with this stuff, Aanya. I don't know how to deal with it."

Aanya felt a pang of understanding, but it didn't make the hurt go away. "So, what? You're just going to ignore me? Pretend like nothing happened?"

"I don't know what else to do," Meera admitted, her voice raw. "I've never been in this situation before. I've never—" She stopped herself, her eyes meeting Aanya's, vulnerable in a way Aanya hadn't seen before. "I've never felt this way about anyone."

Aanya's heart skipped a beat. "Meera, I don't care about the rumors or the video. I just... I don't want to lose you."

Meera looked at her, her expression softening. "You won't."

For a moment, the tension between them seemed to ease. Aanya took a step closer, reaching out to touch Meera's arm, needing the connection. Meera didn't pull away this time, and Aanya felt a spark of hope.

But just as quickly, the moment was shattered by the sound of someone's voice—one of Meera's friends calling out to her from across the courtyard. Meera's gaze flickered, and she stepped back, the wall between them going up again.

"I'll... I'll see you later, okay?" Meera said, her voice distant as she turned and walked away, leaving Aanya standing there, feeling more confused and lost than ever.