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Part - 10 ✨

Pooja Rajput POV:

As soon as we reached home, I thanked Aashish again for the chocolate and stepped out of the car. The evening breeze brushed against my face, carrying a soft chill. My mind was still buzzing with everything that happened today — the new faces, the big campus, and… Prem.

When I entered the house, Aunty smiled from the kitchen.
“First day went well?” she asked, drying her hands on her apron.

“Yes, aunty,” I said, trying not to sound too excited. “Everyone was nice, and the teachers were good too.”

“Good! You must be tired. Go freshen up, and I’ll keep some tea for you,” she said warmly.

I smiled and went to my room, placing my bag on the chair. When I pulled out my phone, I saw a new message from Karan.

> “So? How was your first day, Miss NIFT?”

I typed back quickly:

> “It was good! Met new people… one classmate helped me find my class.”

Karan replied almost instantly:

> “Ooooh, a classmate helped you? Boy or girl?”

I rolled my eyes and didn’t reply, choosing instead to plug in my charger. But even as I sat there, brushing my hair, my thoughts kept circling back to Prem — the way he smiled so confidently and made everything feel lighter.

After a few minutes, Aashish knocked softly on the door. “Pooja, come to the balcony for a bit,” he said.

I walked out to find him standing there with two mugs of tea. “Aunty made this, thought we could sit for a while,” he said with a smile.

I sat beside him, and for a moment, it was quiet — just the sounds of crickets and the faint honk of traffic in the distance.

“So,” he began, taking a sip, “how was your first day? Did you make new friends?”

I smiled faintly. “Yeah… a few. There’s this boy named Prem. He helped me find my class.”

I didn’t notice it right away, but his hand froze mid-air, his mug halfway to his lips.
“Oh… Prem, huh?” he said, trying to sound casual. “Seems like you had a fun first day.”

I laughed softly. “It wasn’t that fun, Aashish. I was so nervous! But he was nice, that’s all.”

He just nodded, taking another sip of tea. His eyes, though, seemed distant — like he was lost in thought.

When I finished my tea, I stood up and said, “Goodnight, Aashish. Thanks again for the chocolate.”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Goodnight, Pooja.”

I went back to my room, unaware that he was still standing there on the balcony, staring into the night.

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Aashish POV:

The sound of her laughter still lingered in my ears, but the name Prem echoed louder. I leaned against the railing, watching the streetlights flicker below.

“Prem,” I muttered under my breath, taking another sip of my now-cold tea. I didn’t even know why it bothered me so much. She just mentioned him casually, yet something in me twisted.

The thought of her smiling with someone else… someone who wasn’t me… it felt strange.

I tried to shake it off, heading back to my room. My phone buzzed with a message from Santhosh.