Arohi's POV
I wasn't looking for him.
Vedant Kapoor isn't someone you look at for softness. He's the kind of boy who walks like silence is his second language. Sharp jaw, sharper mind. Always composed. Always distant.
But tonight, something shifted.
The common room was quiet. Meher was sketching in charcoal, Isha was curled up with her notebook, and I had wandered out to refill my bottle. The terrace door was slightly ajar, voices drifting in—low, familiar.
I stepped out, not to eavesdrop, just to breathe.
And then I saw him.
Vedant.
Leaning against the railing, listening to Aryan speak. His posture relaxed, his gaze steady. And then—just for a second—he smiled.
A real smile.
Unfiltered.
Unpracticed.
It was soft.
Almost reluctant.
Like it had escaped before he could stop it.
And my heart—traitorous, unprepared—quickened.
A sudden rush.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just a quiet thud against my ribs, like it had recognized something before I did.
I froze.
Because I'd never seen him smile like that.
Not at me.
Not at anyone.
It wasn't for attention.
It wasn't for charm.
It was for something he'd heard. Something that made him feel—feel—without calculation.
I watched him for a moment longer, breath held.
Then turned away, bottle forgotten.
Back in the room, Meher looked up. "You okay?"
I nodded.
But the truth was quieter.
I'd just seen something I wasn't supposed to.
And now I couldn't unsee it.
Vedant Kapoor had smiled.
And for the first time, I wondered what it would feel like if that smile was ever meant for me.
Later that night, I lay awake, replaying the moment.
The way his eyes softened.
The way his lips curved—not for performance, but for something real.
And my heart, still unsettled, kept asking questions I wasn't ready to answer.
His smile haunted my dreams.
Not like a ghost.
Like a possibility.
It came back in fragments.
The way the light hit his cheekbone.
The way his shoulders relaxed.
The way he didn't know anyone was watching.
And I hated how much I remembered.
Because I wasn't supposed to notice him.
Not like that.
Vedant Kapoor was supposed to be untouchable.
A boy made of ambition and restraint.
Not someone whose smile could undo me.
But it did.
Quietly.
Completely.
And now, I don't know how to look at him without remembering that moment.
That smile.
That heartbeat.