You Are Only Mine

39- Official Boyfriends

The five of them were sitting in the canteen, with Arav trying to focus on his food while the others had mischievous grins on their faces. 

**Saurabh (leaning forward, smirking):** "So, Arav, now that Sriya’s misunderstanding is cleared… you and Summer can finally make it official, right?" 

Arav, who was just about to take a bite, froze. He slowly put his spoon down and sighed. **"I don’t know what you guys are talking about."** 

**Prachi (rolling her eyes):** "Oh, don’t play dumb! Summer loves you, you love Summer. Sriya is out of the picture now. So? Just accept it already!" 

**Subham (grinning):** "Yeah, what’s stopping you? Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about it." 

Arav cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. **"Well… you see…"** 

Summer, who had been silently watching the whole conversation with amusement, tilted his head. **"What is it, Arav?"** 

Arav straightened up and crossed his arms. **"You never officially proposed to me."** 

Everyone stared at him. 

**Prachi (blinking in disbelief):** "Wait… what?" 

**Saurabh (laughing):** "Hold on, hold on—Arav, are you seriously saying that you won’t accept Summer as your boyfriend because he hasn’t *officially* proposed?" 

**Subham (grinning):** "Damn, I didn’t know Arav was such a romantic!" 

Arav looked away, slightly flustered. **"I’m just saying… If he really wants to be my boyfriend, he should at least do it properly."** 

Summer stared at Arav for a moment, then suddenly smirked. He leaned closer, resting his chin on his hand. **"So, let me get this straight… If I officially propose, you’ll say yes?"** 

Arav’s face turned red. **"I—I didn’t say that!"** 

**Prachi (grinning):** "Ohhh, you totally did! So, Summer, what are you waiting for?" 

**Saurabh (teasing):** "Yeah, propose right now!" 

Summer chuckled, looking directly into Arav’s eyes. **"Hmm… I could. But I think I want to make it special."** 

Arav felt his heartbeat quicken at the way Summer was looking at him. **"Y-Yeah, whatever. Take your time!"** 

**Subham (laughing):** "Wow, Arav is nervous! This is amazing!" 

Arav groaned. **"I hate all of you."** 

**Prachi (smirking):** "No, you love Summer." 

Arav covered his face, refusing to say anything more. Meanwhile, Summer just smiled, already thinking of a perfect way to propose.

Then suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation. 

**Sriya:** "Hey, guys! Mind if we join you?" 

The group turned to see Sriya approaching with her friends. She was smiling as if nothing had happened. Arav immediately stiffened, and the others exchanged glances, sensing the tension. 

Summer, keeping his cool, nodded. **"Sure, go ahead."** 

Sriya and her friends took the empty seats around them, chatting casually. Everything seemed normal—too normal. Arav kept his head down, poking at his food, feeling awkward. 

Then, one of Sriya’s friends, Richa, smirked and said, **"You know, Sriya and Summer make such a great pair. Right, Sriya?"** 

Arav’s grip on his spoon tightened. He could feel his heartbeat quicken, but he remained silent. 

**Another friend, Anjali, giggled:** "Yeah, they look so perfect together! Everyone thought they would end up together for sure." 

**Sriya (smiling sweetly, but not denying anything):** "Oh, come on, guys. Stop it." 

She laughed, but she didn’t correct them either. 

Summer’s expression darkened slightly, and he glanced at Arav, who looked visibly uncomfortable. The three friends—Prachi, Subham, and Saurabh—noticed this too and exchanged knowing looks. 

**Saurabh (leaning back, crossing his arms):** "Oh? I didn’t know people still thought that." 

**Prachi (raising an eyebrow at Sriya):** "Yeah, I mean, Sriya… you did clear everything up with Summer, right?" 

Sriya smiled, acting innocent. **"Of course! We talked, didn’t we, Summer?"** 

Summer narrowed his eyes slightly but kept his voice neutral. **"Yeah, we did."** 

But Sriya’s friends still weren’t stopping. 

**Richa (smirking):** "Still, you two would’ve been cute together. Don’t you think so, Summer?" 

Summer let out a small sigh, finally tired of the charade. He glanced at Arav, who was pretending to be focused on his plate but was clearly uncomfortable. 

Then, with a small smile, Summer casually reached out and grabbed Arav’s hand under the table, intertwining their fingers. 

Arav’s eyes widened, his head snapping up to look at Summer in surprise. 

**Summer (calmly but firmly):** "Actually, I don’t think about that anymore." 

The whole table went silent. 

**Sriya’s smile faltered for a brief second.** 

**Subham (grinning, breaking the silence):** "Oooooh, well, I guess that clears things up!" 

**Prachi (smirking, looking at Sriya’s friends):** "So, still think Summer and Sriya make a good pair?" 

Sriya’s friends looked a little caught off guard, but Sriya, refusing to let the moment slip, chuckled lightly. **"Of course! Things change, don’t they?"** 

But even as she said that, the flicker of disappointment in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Arav. He could feel the weight of the situation pressing on him, and for some reason, it made him feel uneasy. 

**Saurabh (whispering to Arav, teasingly):** "Still think Summer need to officially propose?" 

Arav gulped, his face heating up, while Summer gently squeezed his hand under the table.