"Phir le aaya dil majboor kya keeje
Raas na aaya rehna door kya keeje"
~ Phir Le Aya Dil - Arijit Singh
~Monday Morning~
I was avoiding him.
Not obviously. Not in a way that anyone would call me out on. But I'd skipped the morning coffee run, claiming I had to meet with Professor Chen (a lie). I'd taken a different route to the fashion building. I'd turned off my read receipts so he wouldn't know I'd seen his messages.
Aadyant: Morning! Coffee shop at 8:30?
Aadyant: Everything okay? You weren't there this morning.
Aadyant: Not trying to be pushy. Just checking in.
The problem was, Friday night had been too perfect. Too comfortable. Too easy to imagine myself actually belonging in that world.
And then I'd hugged him.
I'd initiated physical contact with another human being voluntarily, and the memory of his arms around me, solid and safe and warm, wouldn't leave my head.
It was terrifying.
"Ms. Singh, are you listening?"
I snapped back to attention. Professor Chen was looking at me with raised eyebrows.
"Sorry, yes. The showcase."
"I was asking about your material sourcing. Where are you planning to get the recycled textiles?"
"Oh. Um. There's a textile recycling center downtown, and I've been collecting from thrift stores. I also have some old pieces from home that I'm planning to deconstruct."
"Good. Make sure you document the entire process. Part of the showcase evaluation is explaining your creative journey." She paused. "And Kashvi? You seem distracted today. Everything alright?"
"Yeah, just... thinking about the project."
"Well, don't overthink it. Your concept is strong. Trust your instincts." She moved on to the next student.
Trust my instincts. Right.
My instincts were currently screaming at me to run as far away from Aadyant Rathore as possible before I got hurt.
~
She was avoiding me.
"Maybe she's just busy," Shivansh suggested as we walked between classes.
"She's avoiding me."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know Kashvi. When she's busy, she still responds to texts. When she's avoiding someone, she goes radio silent."
"Did something happen Friday night? After everyone left?"
I thought about the parking garage. The hug. The way she'd looked at me like she was terrified and hopeful at the same time.
"I think I scared her."
"What did you do?"
"I told her how much it meant that she was there. That she mattered." I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. "And she hugged me. And now she's avoiding me."
"Maybe she just needs space to process?"
"Or maybe I pushed too hard."
"Aadyant, you're the most patient person I know. If you pushed too hard, it's because she needed pushing."
I wanted to believe that. But the silence from Kashvi was eating at me.
~
~Tuesday evening~
I was in the textile studio, surrounded by fabrics and sketches, trying to focus on my showcase project.
Key word: trying.
My phone was face-down on the table. I'd been ignoring it all day. The group chat had been active—something about Wednesday study session plans—but I hadn't contributed.
I was being a coward.
The studio door opened. I didn't look up, assuming it was another student.
"You're hiding."
I froze. That voice.
Aadya.
"I'm not hiding. I'm working."
"Mhmm." She came over and sat on the table next to my workspace. "Want to try that again?"
"I have a lot to do for the showcase—"
"Kashvi. You've been MIA for three days. You're not responding to texts. You skipped coffee yesterday and today. You're hiding."
I kept my eyes on the fabric I was pinning. "I've just been busy."
"Busy, or avoiding my brother?"
My hands stilled.
"Ah. So it is about Aadyant."
"I'm not—"
"What did he do? Did he say something? Because I'll kick his ass if he made you uncomfortable."
"He didn't do anything wrong." The words came out more defensive than I meant them to. "He's been nothing but perfect and that's the problem."
Aadya was quiet for a moment. Then: "Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Want me to sit here in silence while you work through whatever's happening in your head?"
I looked up at her. She was serious. Genuinely offering to just... be there.
"You don't have to do that."
"I know. But I'm going to anyway because that's what friends do." She settled in more comfortably. "Take your time. I've got nowhere to be."
For a few minutes, we sat in silence. Me pinning fabric. Her scrolling through her phone.
Then, quietly: "I hugged him."
"I know. He told me."
"And now I don't know what to do."
"Why does the hug change anything?"
"Because I don't hug people. I don't do physical contact. I don't let people close." My voice cracked slightly. "And now I can't stop thinking about it. About him. About how much I want to do it again and how terrifying that is."
"Why is it terrifying?"
"Because caring about people means they can hurt you."
"They can also make you happy."
"The hurt lasts longer."
Aadya was quiet for a long moment. "What happened to you, Kashvi?"
My hands stilled. "What?"
"Something did. Something bad enough that you moved across the world. Something that made you build walls so high that a hug feels dangerous." Her voice was gentle. "You don't have to tell me. But I want you to know that whatever it is... it doesn't change how we see you."
Tears burned my eyes. "You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. Because I've seen you, Kashvi. The real you. The girl who laughs at Vihaan's stupid jokes. Who brings extra pencils to study sessions because Ritika always forgets hers. Who makes sure everyone has enough food before taking seconds herself. That girl is good. And whatever happened before doesn't change that."
A tear escaped. Then another.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
"I know."
"I don't know how to do this. How to care about people without waiting for them to leave."
"You start by trusting that maybe we won't. That maybe we're worth the risk." She bumped my shoulder gently. "And for what it's worth? My brother has been moping around like a kicked puppy for three days. So whatever you're feeling, he's feeling it too."
"I'm being an idiot, aren't I?"
"Little bit. But it's understandable." She smiled. "Come on. Group study session tomorrow. You're coming. Non-negotiable."
"Aadya—"
"Non. Negotiable."
~
~Wednesday, 5 PM, Library~
She came.
I'd half-convinced myself she wouldn't. That I'd pushed too hard, scared her off, ruined whatever tentative trust we'd built.
But at 5:07, Kashvi walked into the library and headed straight for our usual table.
She looked tired. Like maybe she hadn't been sleeping well. But she was here.
"Hey," she said quietly, sliding into the seat next to me. "Sorry I've been MIA."
"It's okay. You're here now."
She looked at me then, really looked at me, and something in her expression made my chest tight.
"I'm sorry," she said, barely above a whisper.
"You don't have to apologize—"
"No, I do. You've been nothing but patient and kind, and I freaked out and disappeared. That wasn't fair to you."
"Kashvi." I shifted in my seat to face her more fully, very aware of the others pretending not to listen. "You don't owe me anything. Not explanations, not apologies. If you need space, take space. I'm not going anywhere."
"That's the problem," she said, and there were tears in her eyes. "You keep saying that. That you're not going anywhere. That you'll wait. And I want to believe you but I don't know how."
My heart broke a little.
"Then let me prove it," I said softly. "Day by day. No grand gestures. Just... me, being here. Being your friend. Until you believe it."
She nodded, wiping at her eyes quickly.
"Okay, this is too emotional for a study session," Vihaan announced, breaking the tension. "Can we focus on the fact that I'm definitely failing economics?"
Everyone laughed, and the moment passed. But Kashvi's hand found mine under the table. Squeezed once. A silent thank you.
I squeezed back. A silent promise.
~
The study session felt normal. Good normal. Like I'd never disappeared for three days.
Vihaan made terrible jokes. Ritika color-coded everything. Shivansh provided quiet commentary. Aashika sketched in the margins of her notes.
And Aadyant... Aadyant was just there. Present. Not pushing. Just existing beside me in a way that felt safe.
Around 7 PM, my phone buzzed.
Bua: Late meeting. Won't be home until 10. Have you eaten?
I hadn't. But I didn't want to leave the group to go eat alone.
"I'm starving," Aashika announced, as if reading my mind. "Who wants food?"
"Always," Vihaan said immediately.
"That Thai place?" Ritika suggested.
Everyone started packing up, the plan clearly to head to dinner together.
I hesitated. I should go home. Should work on my project. Should maintain some distance.
"You coming?" Aadyant asked quietly.
I looked at him. At his patient eyes. At the way he waited for my answer without pressuring.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm coming."
~
The Thai restaurant was busy, but they managed to squeeze everyone into a large booth. Somehow—through what Kashvi suspected was Aadya's meddling—she ended up next to Aadyant again.
She was starting to notice a pattern.
"Okay, game time," Vihaan announced once they'd ordered. "Most embarrassing moment. Go."
"We've done this before," Shivansh pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was embarrassing college moment. This is just embarrassing. Ever. Way worse."
"Pass," Kashvi said immediately.
"No passes! Everyone plays."
"Vihaan—" Aadyant's voice held a warning.
"What? It's a fun game!"
"Not everyone wants to share their most embarrassing moment with the table," Ritika said pointedly.
"Fine, fine. You can pass. But the rest of us are playing." Vihaan turned to Aashika. "You go first."
As the game went around the table, Kashvi found herself relaxing. These people weren't trying to force her out of her comfort zone. Weren't pushing her to share more than she wanted.
They were just... there. Making space for her.
"Your turn," Aadyant said when it came to him. "And before you ask, I'm not passing because someone at this table needs to see that vulnerability isn't scary."
He was looking at her when he said it.
"Fine. Most embarrassing moment." He thought for a second. "When I was fourteen, I was at this royal function. Very formal, very important. And I tripped walking up the stairs to the stage. Not just a little stumble—full face-plant. In front of like three hundred people."
The table erupted in laughter.
"Oh my God," Aadya wheezed. "I forgot about that! Mom was mortified!"
"I had to give a speech right after. With my dignity in shambles."
"What did you do?" Kashvi asked, surprising herself.
"I laughed. Made a joke about it. Figured if I was going to humiliate myself, might as well own it." His eyes met hers. "Sometimes the scary thing isn't as bad as we think it'll be."
She knew he wasn't just talking about tripping on stairs.
~
~Later~
We stayed at dinner longer than planned. By the time we left, it was almost 9:30.
"I should head home," I said as we stood outside the restaurant. "Bua will be back soon."
"I'll walk you to your bike," Aadyant said.
This time, I didn't protest.
The walk was quiet. Comfortable. The kind of silence that didn't need filling.
"Thanks for coming today," he said as we reached the parking area. "I was worried we'd scared you off permanently."
"I scared myself off. You didn't do anything wrong."
"The hug—"
"Was nice. Really nice." I forced myself to look at him. "That's why I freaked out. Because it was nice and I wanted more of it and that terrified me."
"Kashvi—"
"I'm trying to be honest. Like you are. It's just... hard for me."
"I know."
We stood there for a moment, the night air cool around us.
"Can I ask you something?" he said finally.
"Okay."
"What are you so afraid of?"
The question hit deeper than he probably meant it to.
"Getting hurt," I said simply. "Again."
"Again?"
I'd said too much.
"I should go—"
"Wait." His hand caught mine. Gentle. Easy to pull away from. "You don't have to tell me. But I want you to know... whatever happened before, whoever hurt you... I'm not them. And I would never, ever hurt you intentionally."
"You can't promise that."
"You're right. I can't." His thumb brushed across my knuckles. "But I can promise to try my best. To be honest with you. To respect your boundaries. To be here, day after day, until maybe you start to believe that I'm not going anywhere."
Tears stung my eyes again. "Why are you so patient with me?"
"Because you're worth being patient for." He said it like it was obvious. Like there was no other possible answer.
Before I could overthink it, I stepped forward and hugged him again.
His arms came around me immediately, and I felt him exhale like he'd been holding his breath.
"Thank you," I whispered into his chest.
"For what?"
"For waiting. For being you. For not giving up."
"Never," he said, and his arms tightened. "I'm never giving up on you, Kashvi Singh."
We stood there for a long moment, wrapped up in each other, and for the first time in three years, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have to do everything alone.
~
I didn't want to let her go.
But eventually, she pulled back, wiping at her eyes with a shaky laugh.
"I'm a mess."
"You're perfect."
"I'm really not."
"Agree to disagree."
She smiled, small but real, and my heart did that stupid flip thing it always did around her.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.
"Coffee at 8:30?"
"Yeah. I'll be there."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She rode away, and I stayed in the parking lot for a few minutes, trying to process everything.
She'd hugged me again. Had opened up, just a little. Had promised to be there tomorrow.
It wasn't everything. But it was something.
And something was enough.
~
FOLLOW ME!! 😄
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