My Ex - Crush

Episode 61

Deepika's POV 

“No way!” Meera gasped, almost spilling her water. 

“Did he really say that?” Lavanya leaned in, her eyes wide with disbelief. 

I signaled them to quiet down. “Shhh! People will hear!” 

The classroom was still half-empty, the chatter around us growing louder as more students filed in. 

“And why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Meera pressed. 

“I don’t know!” I whispered back, rubbing my forehead. “I still think he was drunk or something! I mean, come on, it’s Arjun! Why would he say something like that to me?” 

Lavanya frowned. “But he said he liked you, right? And then said he wasn’t ready for a relationship?” 

I sighed. “That’s what I think he said. Honestly, I wasn’t in my right mind when he told me. Do you know how sleep-deprived I was after that DJ night at Archcult? I don’t even remember how I ended up calling him in the first place!” 

“Then ask him again,” Meera suggested firmly. “Clarify things.” 

“Oh, yeah, sure. Let me just walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, were you serious about liking me, or was that just the sleep deprivation talking?’ That’ll go well.” 

“Why not?” Lavanya said with a shrug. 

“Because he said we shouldn’t talk about it for a while. He wants to focus on NASA,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“That damned NASA,” Lavanya muttered. 

“Exactly,” I agreed with a huff. 

Our conversation was cut short as the dreaded TRP sir strutted into the classroom like he owned the place. The lecture started, and I buried myself in my notebook, pretending to take notes while my mind wandered elsewhere. 

I found myself sneaking glances at Arjun, who was scribbling in his notebook or laughing quietly with Vinoth. 

Did he really say he liked me? Or was I hallucinating? 
Why didn’t he look like someone who had confessed something monumental just last week? 
Should I ask him again? No, that’d make me look desperate. 
But I was desperate! 

When his eyes flicked toward me, I abruptly turned my gaze to the blackboard, pretending to listen to TRP’s droning voice. 

By the time the lecture ended, my friends had gathered around for lunch. We opened our boxes and started eating when, to my surprise, Arjun walked in and casually sat down beside me, like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

Lavanya and Meera exchanged knowing looks.

“God, if we don’t work for these seniors, they won’t let us attend the symposium!” Manoj groaned, breaking the awkward silence. 

“I can’t even imagine working on the weekend for decorations,” Meera said, stabbing her food with unnecessary force. 

“I’m not going to the symposium this year,” I announced firmly. 

“Why not?” Arjun asked, his voice too casual to be innocent. 

“Because I’m not working for their symposium,” I replied, avoiding his gaze. 

“But you’d miss all the fun,” he countered. 

“Had enough fun at Archcult,” I shot back. 

“Fair point,” Sanjay said, nodding in agreement. 

“Besides, my cousin’s getting engaged this week. I can’t come and work even if I wanted to.”