𝙿𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 (Yashasvi Jaiswal)

14

Vishana Arora adjusted the strap of her dress, taking a deep breath as the car slowed down. The thumping bass from the birthday party leaked into the air, vibrating the windows. She had been dreading this night. Not because of Shubman's birthday—it was always fun with Sara and their gang of friends—but because of him. Yashasvi.

She couldn't seem to shake the strange feeling that had settled in her chest ever since that last moment with him. The phone call that never happened. The silence after their shared glance that night, a moment of connection she had tried to pretend wasn't there. The aftermath—when the world seemed to move forward, but she was still stuck in that moment. She had convinced herself that it was nothing. That she had been imagining things. Yashasvi doesn't like me. She told herself again.

And yet, every time she thought about him, it felt like she was carrying around a piece of something she couldn't quite understand. He probably doesn't even care, she told herself, her fingers gripping the fabric of her dress as she stared out of the car window, watching the familiar streets of Mumbai pass by.

When the car finally came to a stop, she straightened up, attempting to shake off the unease. Just focus on having fun tonight, she reminded herself. Parties were always a good distraction. As she walked in, the glitter of the decorations and the hum of laughter and conversation washed over her. She immediately spotted Sara and Shubman in the middle of the room. They were laughing, Sara's head thrown back, her eyes sparkling as she laughed at her boyfriend's joke, while Shubman had his arm around Sara's shoulders, admiring his girlfriend like she was the sun.

Vishana couldn't help but smile. They were always like that, making everything look easy, being the power couple.

"Vish!" Shubman waved her over, pulling her into a bear hug. She laughed, hugging him back.

"Happy birthday, you old man," she teased.

Shubman rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous that I'm finally a mature adult."

Sara rolled her eyes. "'Mature adult'—that's a nice joke."

Vishana laughed but felt a slight tug of awkwardness when her eyes glanced at Yashasvi across the room. He stood there with Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan, chuckling at a joke by Ishan. Vishana quickly turned her gaze away, forcing herself to shake off the flutter of unease settling in her chest. It wasn't that she wanted to think about him, but the way he stood there, laughing so carelessly with Dhruv, Ishan, and now Riyan—it only made her feel more sad. The disconnect between their last few moments together and his carefree demeanor now felt like a knot in her stomach.

He doesn't like me, she told herself firmly, as if repeating it could somehow make it true. Stop overthinking it, Vishana.

She forced herself to focus on Shubman, who was talking about something.

Half an hour passed, and Vishana found herself alone at the bar, her fingers tracing patterns on the rim of her glass, her thoughts spiraling. She replayed the night so far in her mind, feeling torn between wanting to fade into the background and a strange, restless urge to glance in Yashasvi's direction. But she forced herself not to.

Just then, Sara slid onto the stool next to her, flashing a knowing grin. "So... How's the avoiding-him-while-pretending-you're-not-distracted thing going?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Vishana shot her a mock glare. "I'm not avoiding anyone," she protested, though her cheeks betrayed her with a slight flush. "Besides, he doesn't care, so I don't even know why I'm feeling like this."

Sara raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Really? Because he doesn't exactly seem thrilled himself. He's been brooding around all night like he lost a bet."