Chapter 2
The lunch break had barely started when Kitty grabbed Meera's arm.
"Come with me to the infirmary," she groaned dramatically. "I think my head is going to explode."
Meera frowned. "Your head hurts because you spent the entire math class gossiping."
"Excuse me," Kitty said, flipping her hair. "Gossip is an essential life skill."
Still, Meera followed her down the quiet hallway toward the infirmary.
And of course, the moment they stepped outside the classroom, Meera started complaining.
"I cannot believe Hirsh today," she said, annoyed. "He literally snatched the notebook from my hands. I just needed two minutes!"
Kitty barely reacted.
"Hmm."
"He held it up like I was a child," Meera continued. "And then he had the nerve to lecture me about studying."
Kitty suddenly looked interested—but not for the reason Meera expected.
"You know," Kitty said thoughtfully, "Hirsh actually looks really good when he's angry."
Meera stared at her.
"Did you even hear anything I said?"
"I heard," Kitty replied. "But you cannot deny he's handsome. Like… annoyingly handsome."
Meera rolled her eyes.
"You are unbelievable."
They finally reached the infirmary and stepped inside. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan.
Kitty sat down on one of the chairs while the nurse searched for some medicine.
Meera leaned against the wall, still thinking about Hirsh and his stupid notebook.
Then suddenly the door opened.
And someone walked in.
Meera looked up.
For a moment, the world seemed to pause.
He had soft, slightly messy hair that fell perfectly over his forehead, and his eyes—his eyes were warm and bright in a way that immediately caught attention.
He looked effortlessly handsome.
Meera blinked.
Oh my God.
Before she could look away, he noticed Kitty.
"Hey, Kitty," he said with an easy smile. "What's up?"
Kitty immediately sat up straighter.
"Rohan! Nothing much. Just came here because my head hurts."
Rohan chuckled. "Too much studying?"
Kitty laughed. "You know me better than that."
Then she gestured toward Meera.
"Oh, by the way, this is my friend, Meera."
Rohan turned toward her.
"Hi."
Meera felt her brain stop working for a second.
"Hi," she managed to say.
"I'm actually not feeling that great today," Rohan explained. "So I came to tell the teacher. They're calling my mom to pick me up."
"Oh," Meera said softly.
For the next few minutes, they talked.
Rohan told them a funny piece of school gossip about two students who got caught sneaking snacks into class. Meera listened carefully, occasionally asking questions, and Rohan seemed amused by her reactions.
She couldn't stop noticing small things—the way he smiled when he talked, the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he laughed.
She felt strangely happy just standing there.
Finally, Kitty stood up.
"Okay, we should go back," she said. "We're going to be late."
Meera hesitated.
"Maybe we could stay for a few more minutes?" she said hopefully.
Kitty gave her a sharp side-eye.
"You want Sarv sir to yell at us?"
Meera sighed. "Fine."
They walked toward the door, and Meera suddenly stopped.
"Wait… where are my shoes?"
She looked around in confusion. She had left them outside the infirmary door, but they weren't there.
Rohan noticed.
"You can wear mine," he said casually.
Before Meera could protest, he slipped off his shoes and pushed them toward her.
Meera stared at them for a second before slowly putting them on.
They were slightly big.
And for some reason, her cheeks felt very warm.
She was definitely blushing.
Then suddenly Kitty pointed toward the corner.
"Meera."
Meera looked up.
"There are your shoes."
Meera froze.
"Oh… shoot."
Embarrassed, she quickly took off Rohan's shoes and handed them back.
"Sorry," she said awkwardly.
Rohan just laughed softly.
"No problem."
Meera grabbed her own shoes and hurried out of the infirmary with Kitty.
But as they walked back toward class, she couldn't stop thinking about one thing.
Rohan's smile.