...The art of falling in love...( Abhira❤️Armaan)

17.

The final day had arrived. The sprawling garden of the college was a sea of faces, buzzing with anticipation. The air crackled with tension; in ten minutes, the election results would be announced. Aryan, stood at the podium, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he held the sealed envelope containing the results. He dramatically tore it open, scanned the contents, and then burst out laughing, a genuine, booming laugh that echoed across the garden.

"What's wrong with you?" Rohit, asked,  "Why are you laughing like that?"

Aryan wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "The entire college…all the votes…they’re for Armaan! The winner is Armaan! Abhira didn't get a single vote!"

Armaan, who had been nervously fidgeting, stared blankly at Aryan, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "How is that possible?" he muttered, his gaze instinctively searching for Abhira in the crowd. He found her smiling, not with defeat, but with a quiet contentment that confused him even further.

Abhira walked towards him, her steps light and confident. "Armaan," she said, her voice laced with amusement, "Congratulations. You won."

Armaan felt a strange mix of victory and unease. "But…but it’s not possible, Abhira! There's not even one vote for you? Not even from Tanvi and Aditya?"

"It's okay," Abhira said, her smile widening. "I'm happy that you won." She then hugged him tightly, and he returned the embrace, his mind still reeling from the odd turn of events. There was something deeply strange and unsettling about this whole situation. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Taking everyone by surprise, Abhira then knelt before Armaan, holding out a folded piece of paper. "So, Mr. Poddar," she declared, her voice clear and carrying across the garden, "will you be ready to read my love letter?"

Armaan was taken aback. "What are you doing, Abhira? Get up."

She ignored him, her voice now filled with emotion. "This is a love letter for Mr. Armaan, from me. And I want only him to read it. So, you have to read it alone."

Armaan, caught between confusion and a strange pull towards her, managed to nod. He had never imagined he would be in this situation, especially not with Abhira. He felt a connection, a pull that he couldn't deny and didn't want to.

As Abhira leaned in, a soft smile on her face, it was Ruhi who intervened. She grabbed Abhira’s arm, pulling her back with a force that caused a ripple in the crowd.

“What are you doing, Armaan?!” Ruhi exclaimed, her voice laced with scorn. “You got what you wanted! Now tell her it was all your plan!”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Plan? What plan? The questions were written on everyone's faces.

“Yes, everyone!” Ruhi continued, her voice rising in anger. “This is all a game, a plan hatched by the AARRC group. Armaan was getting revenge on her for the slap, for the insults, for everything! You really thought Armaan would fall for someone like her? Someone with no class, no status?” she finished, her voice dripping with mockery. “Such a middle class girl!”

Charu chimed in, her voice echoing Ruhi's disdain, "Armaan made this plan to make her fall in love with him and then dump her! His 'confession' was a lie!"

The crowd erupted in chatter. "She never deserved him anyway," someone said. Laughter filled the air, directed at Abhira, who stood frozen, her eyes wide with pain. Armaan stood there, a strange mix of feelings washing over him. He felt a pang of sadness, a sharp stab in his heart for what was happening.

Abhira turned and fled the scene, head held high, but her posture shaking.

“Go on, go hide your face somewhere!” Ruhi called after her, her voice dripping with venom.

Tanvi stepped forward, her voice laced with disbelief. "What have you done, Armaan?" she asked, her eyes locking with his. "You won the elections because of her, you know?"

Armaan flinched at Tanvi's words.

"Don't look at me like that," Tanvi continued, her voice thick with emotion. "She was the one who told everyone to vote for you! More than half the college wanted to vote for Abhira, but she went to every class, convinced them to vote for you! Not because she loves you, but because she believed you were a good leader!"

Aditya nodded in agreement. "Yes, Armaan. She convinced us that you had a good heart, that you were the only one who could run the college without any problems."

Kiara added, "While you were planning how to dump her, she was planning how to make you win."

Aryan scoffed, "What does that even mean?"

"Just read the letter," Kiara urged, pointing at the piece of paper still clutched in Armaan's hand.

Armaan unfolded the paper. It was blank.

“It’s empty!” Ruhi exclaimed, confused.

Kiara sighed, her voice heavy with truth. "Abhira knew everything, Armaan. She knew you were using her, that you were getting revenge. She overheard your conversation with Rohit that day. But she still supported you. I think…she might actually like you, damit"

Armaan felt shattered. He couldn't understand what was happening. His entire world had just tilted on its axis.

The crowd, like a fickle storm, shifted its opinion once more. Murmurs rippled through the crowd: "None of them even like each other. We were wasting our time thinking of them as a couple," someone said. "But Armaan looks so lost, "Another added. "Armaan has lost a diamond," said another with a hint of sincerity . "Regardless of what they say, they like each other!" said another, hope shining in their eyes. “And look at Armaan’s face, he looks so devastated.” “Armaan will go back to his old ways and this time Abhira won’t be there to save us, oh God!” Some even said, "It's good they're not together. Abhira didn't deserve him. He is a charming, and she is ordinary."

Armaan, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and guilt, shouted, "Just shut your mouths, all of you! There is nothing between Abhira and me, and no one is allowed to make fun of her!" With those words, he stormed away.

Later, at the AARRC's usual spot, Armaan was pacing, seething.

Ruhi reached out, touching his hand. "Armaan..."

"Leave me alone," Armaan snapped, shaking off her touch. He then stormed out of the group.

He was alone, in room, anger, frustration and a strange sense of pain bubbling inside him. He hurled objects across the room, letting out a guttural scream of pain. Abhira's smile, the moments they had shared, and the words of Tanvi, Kiara, and Aditya played out in his head like a broken film reel.

The AARRC group hesitantly entered the room, offering a group hug.

"I am so sorry," Ruhi said, her voice soft with regret. "I think I acted too quickly. Our plan failed."

"Yes," Charu added, "Abhira was smarter than us."

Rohit interrupted, "Can you just shut up? Abhira's chapter is closed. We need to move on. You guys go home. I will drop Armaan today."

The AARRC group nodded and left, leaving Armaan to his turmoil. The game he had been playing, the revenge he had planned, had backfired. He had lost something precious – not the election, but something far more valuable. He was left with nothing but an empty letter and the echoing realization that he had not been playing a game, but had been played himself. And worst of all, he had hurt the only girl who truly cared.

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