Aavya's POV
After sitting in the car and talking for a while, we reached the mall before we even realized it.
I looked at Arnav and asked what we should do first—shopping or going straight to the game zone.
He shrugged casually and said it was up to me, that he was fine with anything.
I reminded him that this wasn't really a date either of us wanted, so we should at least take one picture to show our mothers.
He agreed without hesitation.
I took out my phone and clicked a picture of us together, but I didn't like how it looked. I showed it to him and asked what he thought.
He said it looked fine.
Not satisfied, I took another picture and showed him again, asking if this one was better.
Once again, he said it looked fine.
That repeated response annoyed me. It genuinely felt like I was talking to an AI instead of a real person.
I asked him if he was ChatGPT.
He looked confused and asked why I would say that.
I told him that he had been replying with the same words again and again and asked if he had gone crazy.
He replied that he hadn't gone crazy—but that I had always been that way.
I warned him not to talk too much or I would hit him again, just like I did when we were kids.
He immediately apologized dramatically, saying the mark on his head from childhood was still there.
I told him it was his fault anyway because he had pushed me from the slide first.
He argued back, saying he did it because I was scared, but questioned why I had dragged him down with me.
I blamed him again, saying everything was his fault.
Laughing, he said that I always blamed everything on him.
I proudly agreed.
He told me to be quiet and called me a failure.
I told him to shut up.
Still laughing, he asked if my shopping was done.
I said it wasn't, but I would still go wherever he wanted.
He asked again where we should go.
I suggested the game zone.
He agreed immediately.
As we walked together, chatting normally, an idea suddenly popped into my mind. I decided to make him pay.
I proposed a challenge: we would play one game of my choice, and whoever lost would pay the entire bill.
He laughed and said I would obviously choose a game I was good at so that he couldn't win.
I assured him that I would choose a fair game that both of us knew.
He agreed jokingly and called me a witch.
I warned him not to speak too much or I would hit him.
He confidently replied that I wouldn't even be able to touch him.
I told him we would see about that and asked him to hurry to the game zone.
In my head, I had already decided not to let him escape so easily.
I slowed my steps and let him walk ahead. Then I stepped back slightly, ran forward, and raised my hand to hit him.
At that exact moment, he turned around.
I collided straight into his chest.
For a second, my mind went completely blank. The situation was unbearably embarrassing.
I quickly hit his arm lightly, stepped back, and tried to act normal.
I told him to see what had happened.
He stood there in complete shock, clearly unable to process what had just occurred.
My heart was racing so fast that it felt like I might get a heart attack.
Then he suddenly laughed.
That snapped me back to reality.
Without waiting another second, I started walking quickly toward the game zone, desperate to escape the awkwardness.
Arnav's POV
I already knew what she was thinking. Of course she was nervous. It was written all over her face. But teasing her a little? That was completely justified.
I told her to slow down and asked why she was walking so fast.
She immediately replied that she wanted to reach the game zone quickly because she was excited to start playing.
I couldn't help laughing and sarcastically called her "ma'am."
While joking around like that, we reached the game zone.
I asked her which game she wanted to play.
She casually said any game was fine.
So I suggested we play shooting. I proposed that whoever lost would pay the entire bill.
She smirked confidently and said I had chosen the wrong game. She looked completely sure that she was going to win.
I told her we would see how good she really was.
The first round started.
And she won.
Her smile made everything obvious. She looked like she was floating in the air with pride.
She teased me and asked what happened, wondering why I couldn't show my "skills."
I laughed and told her to wait for the next round.
In the second round, I won.
And her expression changed instantly.
It was so easy to read her face. Since childhood, she had always been terrible at hiding her emotions. Her face changed according to her mood every single time.
Just to irritate her, I asked what happened to her amazing game.
She told me to shut up and let her focus.
That reaction made me laugh even more.
Then the final round began.
I was clearly winning. It wasn't even close.
But then I paused.
Why ruin her mood?
She had been so excited just moments ago. I didn't want to see that spark disappear from her face.
So I made a quick decision.
I intentionally slowed down and let her win.
When she realized she had won, her happiness was unreal.
She proudly declared that she had won and reminded me that I now had to pay the full bill.
I laughed and told her I would pay. Then I suggested we play something else.
She excitedly agreed.
Watching her celebrate like that made me laugh. She looked unbelievably happy… and a little crazy in her excitement.
Softly, under my breath, I called her crazy.
She immediately turned toward me and asked if I had said something.
I quickly denied it.
But honestly?