Mending The Broken Heart

Chapter 5: Be My Girlfriend?

I woke up smiling again. My dream? All about him... Aditya, of course. Oh God, I'm blushing just thinking about his name. I must be losing my mind. I like him, but does he feel the same way? Should I tell Aditi? She'd probably freak out and push me into confessing right away. No, no, that would be a disaster. She'd march straight to him and blurt it out. I can't risk it.

I groaned, rolling out of bed, hoping the blush would fade as I went about my morning routine. But no. Even picking out my outfit took ten minutes longer than usual. What is happening to me? Maya, you promised yourself you'd never get involved in these kinds of situations. You've got to stop this.

I took a deep breath. "Okay, Maya. Today's goal is simple: Avoid Aditya. No complications."

With my mission clear, I bid my parents goodbye and got on the bus with Aditi. She looked unusually quiet today, which immediately set off my internal alarm.

"Maya, I need to tell you something," Aditi finally said in a soft voice.

"Go on, Adi," I said, giving her a curious look. She seemed... nervous.
"What's going on? You're acting strange."

"Promise me you won't be mad." She fidgeted, biting her lip.

"No promises. Spit it out." I chuckled, though my curiosity grew.

"Okay, so... yesterday, I ran into that guy who asked our names the other day. His name's Rohan."

"Wait, what? Did he do something to you?" I asked, my concern rising.

"No, no! Nothing like that. Actually, he walked me home, and, um... he asked if we could be friends. I said yes."

I stared at her for a moment, processing. "There's no harm in being friends, Adi. Just... be careful. Don't rush into anything."

She smiled, relieved. "We're just friends, Maya. I promise."

By the time we reached college, my mind was fully back on Mission Avoid Aditya. I managed to get through the morning without seeing him, and for a moment, I thought I'd succeeded. But, of course, nothing's ever that easy.

As we packed our bags, ready to leave, Aditi stopped me. "Maya, can we please go to the coffee shop? Please, please, please?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You suddenly have cravings for coffee? What's up?"

"Come on, Maya, let's go! Please?" She gave me the infamous puppy-dog eyes. How could I resist?

"Fine," I said, sensing something weird but following her anyway.

We arrived at the coffee shop, and she practically dragged me to the first floor, leading me to a table. "Aditi, what is going on?" I asked, growing suspicious.

"Nothing! Relax," she said, but I was about to press further when someone joined us at the table.

I looked up to see Rohan... and Aditya.

God, why are you doing this to me? I thought we had a deal about avoiding him!

"Hey, Aditi. Nice to see you again," Rohan said with a smile.

Aditi returned the smile, and I rolled my eyes. Then Rohan turned to me. "Maya, right?"

"Yeah," I muttered, avoiding Aditya's gaze entirely.

We ordered coffee, but I couldn't focus. Aditya hadn't stopped staring at me since we sat down. I could feel his eyes burning into me. Annoyed, I shot him a quick glare, trying to signal my discomfort. But Rohan broke the silence first.

"If you two want privacy, we can leave," he teased. "But stop staring at each other in front of innocent bystanders." He chuckled, and Aditi burst out laughing, making me groan inwardly.

"You're getting it all wrong," I said, wanting to end the awkwardness.

"Care to explain why we're even here, Aditi?" I asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Rohan and Aditya's team won the football match yesterday, and they invited us for a coffee treat," she explained, but it didn't make me feel any better.

We tried to make small talk, but mostly it was just Aditi and Rohan chatting away. I stayed quiet, as did Aditya. I finished my coffee as fast as I could, wanting to escape.

Then Aditya spoke, "Do you have a boyfriend, Aditi?"

"No," she answered with a smile.

"Well, my friend Rohan would be perfect for you. He loves you, you know."

Aditi blushed hard, and I shot Aditya a look, mortified. Rohan tried to hush Aditya, but he wasn't done yet.

"And Maya," Rohan said, "he's been crazy about you since the first day of college. Head over heels." He rushed the words out before Aditya could stop him.

I stared at Rohan in shock, then turned to Aditya. He was smiling at me, and I felt my face heat up again. Unable to handle it, I stood up, ready to bolt.

As I reached the door, I felt a hand grab mine. I turned to see Aditya standing there, his expression more serious than ever.

He let go of my hand but stepped closer. "Rohan's right, Maya. I like you. A lot."

My heart raced. "So what are you expecting from me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

His eyes softened. "Be my girlfriend."

I blinked, surprised at his straightforwardness. "Aditya, don't misunderstand me. I don't play with relationships... and you're a playboy."

His face fell slightly, but then he said something I wasn't expecting. "Maybe you can change me."

I was speechless for a moment, then finally muttered, "We'll see."

Just then, Aditi and Rohan came out, and I quickly grabbed Aditi's hand, pulling her away with me. She didn't dare ask me anything. Not yet.

What will Maya do next? Don't forget to vote and comment, lovelies! ❤️😘