**EPISODE 9 – *"Goutam Opens Up"***
The night of the festival had ended, but the echoes of music and laughter still lingered in the campus air the next morning.
Bhanu walked slowly, her thoughts tangled like threads she couldn't untie.
Arjun's almost-confession.
Goutam's unexpected vulnerability.
Their fight.
That look Goutam gave her on stage…
Everything clung to her mind like stubborn rain clouds.
---
## **Morning Silence**
She reached school earlier than usual, hoping for a few moments of quiet before everything began.
To her surprise—
Someone was already sitting on the back staircase near the garden.
Goutam.
Alone.
Head lowered.
Earphones dangling around his neck instead of in his ears.
Hair messy as if he didn't care today.
He looked… different.
Not the confident, popular boy.
Just a boy.
A lonely one.
Bhanu hesitated, unsure if she should disturb him.
But he lifted his head the second her footsteps neared.
Their eyes met.
Something softened in his face immediately.
"You're early," he said quietly.
She stepped closer. "So are you."
He huffed a soft, dry laugh. "Couldn't sleep."
Her heart tightened.
"Because of yesterday?" she whispered.
He didn't answer.
But silence was enough of an answer.
---
## **The Staircase Conversation**
Goutam moved slightly, leaving space beside him.
A silent invitation.
A silent hope.
Bhanu sat slowly.
She waited.
He didn't look at her.
Just stared at his hands as if words were difficult to gather.
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"I don't talk about myself much," he muttered.
"People think I'm confident. Cool. Unbothered."
Bhanu watched him quietly.
He shook his head.
"But they don't know anything."
A pause.
"Before high school, I didn't have friends. At all."
Bhanu blinked—surprised.
Goutam let out a breath.
"I was… the quiet one. The kid who sat at the back. The kid no one noticed. Just like you."
Her heart fluttered unpleasantly—not because of the comparison, but because he said it so gently, without judgment.
"I only became 'popular' after a performance in ninth grade," he continued.
"People suddenly wanted something from me—attention, jokes, confidence. And I didn't know how to say no."
His eyes—usually sharp—looked tired.
"Sometimes I still feel like I'm pretending."
Bhanu's chest tightened painfully.
She never expected to see this side of him.
*This boy…
Who everyone adored…
Felt lonely too?*
She whispered, "Why are you telling me this…?"
Goutam looked at her then.
Truly looked.
"With you… I don't have to pretend."
Her breath caught.
His voice grew quieter—almost breaking.
"You look at me like I'm… normal. Not a celebrity. Not something to show off. Just… me."
Bhanu swallowed hard.
His next words were even softer.
"And I didn't know how much I needed that."
---
## **A Moment Too Close**
A light breeze brushed past them.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Goutam turned slightly, their knees brushing—barely.
But it felt like fire.
He searched her eyes, slow and cautious, as if asking permission for something he couldn't voice yet.
Bhanu's heartbeat grew uneven.
She didn't step back.
He leaned in—just a little.
Not enough to touch.
But enough to feel his warmth.
Enough to make her lips part in surprise.
Enough to make her heart betray her.
She whispered, "Goutam…"
He whispered back, "Don't look away."
She didn't.
For the first time, she didn't.
Their breath mingled.
Their hands almost touched on the step.
His fingers twitched—just once—reaching for hers but stopping at the last second.
He was afraid too.
Afraid of hurting her.
Afraid of going too far.
Afraid she didn't want him the same way he suddenly, painfully wanted her.
But the moment between them was unmistakably… intimate.
Too intimate.
---
## **Someone Watching… Breaking**
The spell shattered when a shadow moved behind them.
Bhanu turned—startled.
Her heart dropped.
Arjun stood there.
Frozen.
Eyes wide.
Expression shattered enough to break anyone.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't jealous.
He was hurt.
Deeply.
Painfully.
Irreversibly.
"Arjun…" Bhanu whispered, rising to her feet.
He stepped back instinctively, almost flinching away from her.
"I didn't know you two were…" His voice cracked.
"We're not," she said quickly.
But the words sounded empty—even to her.
Goutam stood too, jaw tightening.
"We were just talking," he said.
Arjun swallowed hard, staring at Bhanu, not Goutam.
"Talking," he repeated softly.
"Right."
His smile was heartbreaking—forced, brittle, wounded.
"You don't owe me anything, Bhanu. I know that."
"No, Arjun—" She took a step toward him.
He stepped back again.
"It's okay," he whispered.
It clearly wasn't.
"I just… need some time."
And without another word, he walked away.
Bhanu felt something break inside her chest.
Goutam watched Arjun leave, guilt flickering across his face.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"This is getting messed up," he muttered.
"I didn't want to hurt him."
Bhanu's voice trembled.
"You didn't hurt him, Goutam… I did."
Her eyes stung—but she held the tears back.
Goutam looked at her with something mixed—regret, longing, confusion.
"Bhanu…" he whispered.
But this time—
She stepped away.
"I need time too."
And she walked off.
Leaving both boys behind.
Leaving herself confused.
Leaving her heart torn painfully in two different directions.
---
## **The Day Ends in Silence**
Arjun didn't speak to her the rest of the day.
He avoided her eyes.
Smiled at others, but never at her.
Goutam didn't approach her either—just watched her from a distance, expression tight, unreadable.
Bhanu felt herself slowly drowning in guilt, confusion, and emotions she had never asked for.
For the first time…
She wished she had stayed invisible.
Because being seen—
being wanted—
being chosen—
hurt more than being forgotten.
---
# 🌸 **END OF EPISODE 9**