For a while, Raunak kept chatting with both of them.
But just then, Rahul's eyes suddenly fell on Aryan's hand—the same hand he had kept hidden behind his back.
Even though Aryan had worn a black jacket to cover his wound, the moment he moved his hand slightly, blood started seeping through again. It trickled down from inside the sleeve, sliding all the way to his wrist.
Seeing this, Rahul's face completely changed.
He immediately diverted the conversation with a casual excuse—
"Alright, Raunak. We've run around enough for today. Now shut your nonstop commentary and let us sleep, otherwise we'll be late for college tomorrow."
Raunak smiled. "Yeah bro, going… but Aryan, take care of what I said, okay?"
"Yeah-yeah, come tomorrow morning. Aryan will keep your suit ready for you… happy now?"
---
"Now get lost, drama queen."
Rahul laughed and practically pushed Raunak out of the room.
"Bro, what's the rush?" Raunak joked.
"Aryan, you explain to this guy—"
But before Aryan could say a word, Rahul shut the door on his face.
Thud!
Silence lingered in the room for a few seconds.
Rahul turned around and quietly sat beside Aryan.
Blood was still oozing slowly from his hand.
Rahul pulled out the first-aid box and said,
"Bro, careful… this is gonna hurt."
Aryan simply nodded.
Rahul dipped cotton in antiseptic liquid—soft fizzing sounds came from the bottle, almost as if the wound itself already felt the sting.
Without wasting time, he pressed the cotton onto Aryan's wound.
The liquid burned instantly—so sharp that anyone else would've screamed.
But Aryan…
not a single expression changed on his face.
No flinch, no sound—just a cold silence.
Rahul stared at him for a moment, shocked… confused… worried.
"Is this guy even human? A stone maybe?" he thought.
So much pain, yet he didn't react at all.
For a while, only the soft drag of cotton and the rhythm of their breathing filled the room.
Once the bleeding stopped, Rahul wrapped the bandage and said—
"I'm sorry, bro… you had to face this because of me.
If I had told you earlier, maybe none of this would've happened.
I honestly didn't expect the attack to happen so soon."
He grew quiet. His eyes lowered.
Aryan spoke softly, "Look, Rahul… you don't need to feel guilty. Actually, it was my fault. I should be the one apologizing to you.
If I hadn't insisted on taking that route—even after knowing someone was following us—then you wouldn't be feeling like this today."
He added with a faint smile, trying to lighten the mood—
"And besides, I never thought those guys would be that dangerous."
He paused, then continued calmly—
"But in a way, it's good.
At least now we know how powerful our enemies really are."
His gaze drifted to the window, up to the moon glowing in the sky.
---
Meanwhile, in a high-rise apartment on the other side of the city, a girl sat at her window-side table. In her nightdress, she looked effortlessly simple yet classic—her loose hair dancing lightly with the breeze, the moonlight casting a silver glow across her skin.
Her fair skin, pink lips and slender white wrists looked even more luminous in the moonlit room.
Only the soft light from her laptop flickered, while the city lights outside synced strangely with her mood.
But she wasn't looking at her laptop.
She was somewhere else—lost in someone's thoughts.
Her face clearly showed restlessness… and the oddest part was, she didn't even understand why.
Irritated, she shook her head.
"What is wrong with me? Why is that weird guy showing up in my thoughts again and again?"
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't control her mind.
Suddenly, she remembered the day she first bumped into Aryan in college.
She hadn't paid him any special attention at first…
but over time, she couldn't stop herself from noticing him.
There was something about him…
Something that pulled her in.
Maybe his personality, maybe his way of talking…
Or maybe that strange mysterious aura that made him even more interesting.
Then she remembered that moment—
when Aryan had saved her from spilling hot coffee on herself.
The coffee had spilled straight onto his hands instead—
but he didn't even flinch.
Not a single sound of pain.
He just smiled at her.
She shook her head again, forcing herself to focus on her laptop.
After working for a while, she finally got into bed.
Wrapped in her blanket, her half-exposed face and glowing wrists shimmered under the soft moonlight filtering through the window.
"In the darkness of the night, the moon was spreading its soft glow."
---
With the first rays of morning, the city woke up.
The traffic, the moving crowds, and the fragrant smell of clove–cardamom tea wafting from street stalls… everything made the morning feel alive.
Birds chirped softly, adding peace to the atmosphere.
As usual, Rahul and Aryan were getting ready for college.
But today… something was different.
Aryan looked normal as always, but Rahul seemed restless—worried.
As they stepped out, Rahul said softly,
"Aryan bro… I'm telling you. Take a few days' rest. Don't push yourself."
Aryan gave a small smile.
"I told you… I don't need it. And stop thinking like a kid. Come on, we're getting late."
"And anyway… your hero doesn't get bothered by tiny injuries."
Aryan joked, mimicking Rahul's tone.
Rahul burst out laughing.
Soon, they reached the college gate.
"Come on, let's have tea," Rahul said suddenly.
Aryan nodded, and both sat at the roadside tea stall.
Rahul called out loudly—
"Bhaiya! Two teas! Extra masala, and add cardamom too!"
He looked like a clown while ordering.
Soon they had two steaming cups.
He smiled and moved to hand one to Aryan—
Just then, a shining car zoomed past him, almost brushing his elbow.
The gust of air nearly knocked the cup from his hand.
Rahul snapped,
"Are you blind!? What are those tube-light eyes for if you can't even use them?"
He checked his shirt.
"If this had spilled, my new shirt would've been finished!"
Muttering, he returned to Aryan and handed him the cup.
He didn't realize that the same car had stopped a few meters ahead…
then slowly reversed… straight towards them.
Rahul lifted his cup to take a sip—
but right then the car screeched to a stop right in front of them—
"Ah—!"
Rahul burned his tongue with the hot tea.
His cup jolted upward and the tea splashed all over the car's front glass.
---
Suddenly—
The car door opened slowly…
and the first thing visible was a delicate, fair leg stepping out in shimmering slim heels.
For Rahul, that moment moved in slow motion.
The breeze, the smell of tea, and that royal entry… everything froze in one frame.
Moments later, the girl stepped out fully.
She wore tight-fitting jeans and a stylish top, making her look sharp and confident.
Her sunglasses added a charming, mysterious vibe—almost like a slow-motion movie scene.
Her hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and the atmosphere seemed to pause around her.
Rahul was completely mesmerized.
He could almost hear guitars playing in his heart—soft romantic strings.
But the very next second—
someone poured a bucket of ice water on all his dreams.
A loud, crisp, attitude-filled voice cut through the air—
"Hello, Mister… who exactly were you calling blind?"
Rahul jerked his head up.
He was stunned—
because this was the same girl…
the one he had been admiring a second ago.
Now she was glaring at him.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
It was like his voice had slammed into the brakes just like her car.
The girl raised an eyebrow and stepped closer—
"And on top of that… you ruined my car!"
She pointed at the tea stains splattered across the windshield.
"I had just gotten it cleaned today… and you messed it up in seconds."
Her voice carried attitude, anger… and a hint of royal arrogance.
Rahul stood there—confused, stunned, slightly terrified.
Meanwhile, Aryan quietly muttered—
"Bro… you're dead."
Rahul gathered courage.
"Look, miss… I thought—"
But before he could finish, she cut him off.
She stepped even closer, lowered her sunglasses a bit, and said sharply—
"Yeah? And what was that you were saying?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Tube-light eyes… was it?"
Her tone was so loud and sharp that Rahul felt like someone had placed a whole speaker on his head.
---
Aryan, on the other hand, was enjoying the scene fully—
tea in hand, smile on his face…
as if today's entertainment was happening live for him.
He sipped his tea and murmured,
"Today my man ran into a lioness…"
Then chuckled,
"He keeps annoying me all day… today he'll taste the real fun."
Rahul shot him a glare,
but Aryan only smiled wider.
The girl clenched her jaw angrily—
"God knows where people like you come from. Bloody bastard!"
She inspected the glass again as if each drop of tea was personally offending her.
Rahul's face went pale.
He finally realized that arguing with girls was like banging his head on a wall.
He took a deep breath.
"Let's just end this…"
He spoke calmly—
"Look, I didn't mean any harm. And about the car—I'll pay for the cleaning."
But it didn't affect her at all.
She raised a brow and scoffed—
"Go to hell."
Then added,
"You think I'd take car-wash money from you?"
She scanned him up and down like assessing his worth.
"I think people like you should stick to some small village—not roam around in a city."
That was it.
Rahul's patience snapped.
He clenched his fists, anger rising.
"Listen, Miss—"
But before he could explode, Aryan grabbed his hand—
"Rahul… enough."
He said it quietly but firmly.
"Excuse me… he's my friend. He talks too much sometimes."
Aryan shot Rahul an irritated glance, then turned to the girl.
"On his behalf… I apologize."
His tone was calm, polite, and effortlessly impressive.
The girl paused.
Her gaze lingered on Aryan's face…
Then she said,
"Fine… since you said it, I'll let it go."
Rahul sighed in relief.
But she wasn't done yet.
She looked back at Aryan again—
"But I wanted to ask… do you study in this university?"
Aryan answered calmly,
"Yes."
A soft, mysterious smile curled on her lips—
as if she just checked something off her mental list.
Rahul muttered a quiet,
"Sorry…"
But she didn't even look at him.
She ignored him completely.
Rahul's face froze.
Aryan nudged him with his elbow—
"Bro… you're finished today."
The girl didn't bother giving Rahul another glance.
She faced Aryan again, lifted her sunglasses slightly, and said confidently—
"Hello, Mister… can I know your name?
You see… I'm new to this college."
Her eyes were only on Aryan now.
Rahul felt invisible.
Aryan smiled slightly.
Rahul thought miserably—
"Wow… great. My mistake, my scolding… and she's taking his introduction!"
---
So what happens next?
Who is this girl,
who brought a storm with her very first appearance?
Is she going to bring trouble into Aryan's life…
or is this the beginning of a whole new story?
To know all the answers—
read the next chapter.