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I stared at my textbook for the past twenty minutes, flipping the same page back and forth like a malfunctioning robot.
And of course….my brain chose this exact moment to wander off.
Not to something important.
Not to something that would actually HELP me.
No.
It wandered straight to her.
Ruhanika.
As if my thoughts snapped their fingers and summoned her.
I shut my eyes, annoyed.
Out of all the people in the world, why does my brain only drift toward the girl I can’t stand?
Her face popped into my head, that irritatingly calm expression, like she owns the whole world.
Her stupid perfect hair that never falls out of place.
Ugh.
I dropped my pen dramatically and muttered to myself, “Yep. She is the problem. Literally the root of every problem in my life.”
I sat back, exhaling loudly like I’d just discovered the meaning of the universe.
It’s not even that she does anything to me.
She just exists.
And apparently, that’s enough to ruin my concentration, my day, and possibly my entire academic future.
Why is she always in my head?
I don’t think about anyone else this much.
Actually, I DON’T think about people at all.
But her?
My brain seems obsessed.
Which is embarrassing.
And concerning.
And extremely annoying.
“Focus, Vihaan Raichand,” I whispered to myself.
She’s really gotten on my nerves. Like, really. And now, thanks to destiny’s terrible sense of humor, I have to compete with her.
Every class turns into a full-blown banter session, and honestly, I think half our teachers are two minutes away from throwing chalk at us.
They pretend they’re irritated, but I’ve seen that tiny amused smile they try to hide.
But I’m not backing down. I promised myself I won’t let her win. She might be the topper of her old school, perfect grades, perfect attendance, perfect everything but now she’s up against Vihaan Raichand
And Vihaan Raichand does not believe in losing.
Not to her.
Just when I was trying to make the plan I heard my mom’s voice, “Vihu, get ready and behave. Guests are coming!”
Guests?
GUESTS?!!
I shot up from my study table like a man who’d been personally attacked.
My mom didn’t tell me huhh am I not her son that she didn’t tell me this important information.
When I reached the kitchen, she was humming while cooking which meant only one thing—important guests alert.
Except….the smell told me something else.
Dad had definitely cooked everything already, and Mom was just doing her signature “aesthetic final touches”—a little stir here, a sprinkle there.
I gave her a hug and got a whiff of the amazing aroma of the food.
“Mumma, who’s coming?” I asked while still hugging her.
“Vihu, don’t bother me, I’m busy,” she scolded, dramatically flipping the salad like it was auditioning for MasterChef.
“Oh, and my best friend…actually, not just my best friend, but your Papa’s best friend and their family are visiting. So you better behave. They have an elder son and their daughter is around your age, so I want you to be friends with her. No sulking, okay?”
“Mummaaaa,” I dragged the word like a betrayed hero. “You know I’m not big on making friends with strangers. I’ll say hi and then run back to my room. That’s it.”
I wasn’t exactly excited about hanging out with an unknown person.
Sure, I can socialize within a minute, people love me, what can I say….but I at least need to know who I am talking to.
It’s not like I magically click with strangers. I am not Wi-Fi.
She clicked her tongue, “Vihu, they’re our neighbours remember Ankita and her family? So be friendly with her daughter. And you already met her in school.”
Met her??
School??
When??
“Who?” I stared at Mumma as confusion spread across my brain.
I have never even seen them. I leave for school early, come home late because of practice, and by then I am basically a dead battery. Technically, I have met nobody.
Why the heck have I not met my own neighbours yet?
Seriously. I have lived here for years. Meanwhile the tomatoes in our fridge have interacted with more humans than I have.
And i didn’t even meet my new neighbours.
“What are you saying, Vihu? She’s your classmate. Her name is Ru—” Mumma started, but before the name could drop,
“Adhya jiiii!” Dad’s voice exploded from the hallway like a loudspeaker.
Mumma sighed as she looked at me, “Be nice to her, okay?”
And she walked off before I could interrogate her.
Classmate?
I met her already?
Since when did my life become this confusing?
Then it hit me.
Oh.
OH.
The neighbour’s daughter….
It is definitely the girl I saw on the balcony that day.
Oh my heart. She’s coming here. Today.
I still remember the scene like it was a movie shot in slow-motion. She was standing on the balcony, completely ethereal like if soft sunlight and cold breeze had a daughter.
Her hair was flowing everywhere, and she kept tucking strands behind her ear, all elegant and…..ugh.
I couldn’t even see her full face properly, but I just knew my heart was exploding inside my chest.
And now I’m going to meet her?
Face to face?
In my house?
WITH my parents watching?
Great. Perfect. No pressure.
Last time my family invited them for dinner, she didn’t come. And I wasn’t home either.
I was at Yash’s place because he had called me and Sid over. We’d been planning that hangout for weeks, and of course that same day, the dinner plan magically appeared out of nowhere.
Thankfully, Mumma let me go mostly because we’d booked this boys’ day a month in advance. And Sid was going, so obviously we had to stay over. So yeah… even then, I didn’t meet them.
But right now?
Right this exact moment?
But whyyy is my stomach acting like a washing machine??
C’mon, Vihaan, get it together.
Khud ko sambhalo. I better act normal in front of her.
(Grip yourself)
I got so lost in thoughts about her that I didn’t even see her just the thought of her was enough for my heart to run a whole marathon without water.
Not normal. Highly suspicious.
Possibly a medical condition.
Or just stupidity.
I tried distracting myself by helping Mumma when Prisha stormed into the kitchen like she was the CEO of the house.
“What happened vihu why are you looking so energetic waise to din bhar aapse kamre se bahar chala nhi jaata?”
(What’s up, Vihu? Why so pumped? You’re usually holed up in your room all day)
I rolled my eyes, “Ab aapki tarah ghode bech kar thodi na so sakta main. Kuch zimmedaari hai mere kandhe par.”
(Can’t just sleep all day like you. I have responsibilities.)
But she smacked me.
I was wiping the kitchen counter for the third time even though it was already clean. Anything to distract myself from the weird nervous energy buzzing inside me.
Just then—RING.
The doorbell.
But the fluttering just got worse.
I didn’t even take a step to leave the kitchen; something strange is happening to me. I closed my eyes, calmed my fluttering feelings, and made my way to the living room where the front door is.
‘Mujhe itni sharm kyu aa rhi hai’, I facepalmed, hiding my red cheeks as I noticed myself blushing in the window of the living room. I took a deep breath.
(Why am I feeling so shy, man?)
I facepalmed so hard I almost rattled my own brain.
“Oh, Akshat come inside…..aaiye bhabhi ji,” I could hear my dad greeting the uncle.
(come in, sister-in-law)
But I wasn’t listening to him.
My heart was too busy searching waiting for that one brown-haired girl.
The same girl who had turned my brain into mashed potatoes the last time I saw her.
Then it happened.
A soft, polite voice greeted my parents.
Just one line.
One tiny line.
But it sounds familiar.
And thud—
My heart legit skipped a whole beat.
A weird warmth spread through my chest, and suddenly I couldn’t stop myself. I leaned a bit forward and peeked from behind the wall, trying to look as normal as a human can while spying.
I only saw her from the side.
Brown hair falling over her shoulder…
A glimpse of her dupatta…
The slight curve of her cheek…
But that was enough to make my throat dry.
I immediately grabbed Prisha di’s wrist and pulled her toward the corner so I could get a proper look.
“Vihuu—ow—what?” she complained, but I shushed her.
Then I finally got a full glimpse.
And my brain short-circuited.
WHAT THE HECK IS SHE DOING HERE?
I blinked twice, hoping I was hallucinating.
But no.
She was still standing there.
Real.
Right in front of me.
In my house.
The girl I had absolutely zero hopes of seeing today.
No way, that’s not what I was thinking, how can that be possible?
No…no..
‘Yes…Yes…,’ my subconscious replied.
It means that Akshat uncle’s daughter is…Ruhanika.
The girl I have been dying to see again.
The girl is living rent-free in my head since the moment she walked away months ago.
My throat tightened.
Noooo—but she is pretty
Very pretty.
But that’s not the point.
The point is—WHY her only??
Hold on. Think logically, Vihaan.
Use your brain for once.
Wait, what if she has a sister? Yeah, it could be possible.
‘Kripya krke apna naakara, nikamma, dimaag chalana band kijiye…aur Jo sach hai accept kijiye Mr. Vihaan,’ my subconscious again poked his noke in my delusional which is not true thoughts.
(Please stop using your worthless, useless mind…and accept what is true)
But then her hair caught the light again.
The same brown shade. The same waves at the ends. The way she tucked that one strand behind her ear…
My confidence melted like an ice cream in June.
“Please bhaii use ghoorna band krr, you are looking like a creep,” I heard my sister say this and I playfully pinched her hands, but then she got me back by pinching me as revenge.
(Bro please stop staring at her)
‘Gayi meri sharm paani me’
(My shame has been washed away)
“Oh no, now I am in trouble,” I sighed, trying to keep my stupid, heartbroken emotions under control.
My heart felt like someone had stepped on it, crushed it, and then thrown it out the window.
Why was I acting like such a fool?
I glanced at her again. She wasn’t smiling. Not frowning either.
She just looked… shocked.
Like she didn’t expect to see me here either.
Her confused expression actually made me smirk a little.
And right on cue…Miss Corridor rolled her eyes.
Again.
Of course she did.
Looks like Miss Corridor didn’t know that I was her chemistry teacher’s son.
She started walking toward the sofa, still glancing between Mumma and me.
Just as she was about to sit, she gave me a doubtful look.
“Yes, I am her son,” I muttered under my breath, answering the unspoken question on her face.
She froze for a second and cleared her throat, her ears turning a little pink.
“Oh… I didn’t know about this,” she murmured softly, looking a bit embarrassed.
She turned her face toward me again, processing this new piece of information.
After a moment, she finally nodded slowly, accepting it.
We all gathered in the living room, Prisha di, Mom, and me serving snacks, talking, laughing.
But no matter what conversation was happening…my eyes kept drifting back to her.
And every time they did, something inside me flipped all over again.
“Oh, when is Kunal coming? I haven’t seen him in years,” my mom asked.
Kunal bhai… I don’t really remember him. I was very young back then, so I don’t know much about him.
I was staring out the window and suddenly noticed Prisha Di; why the heck are her cheeks so red? Does she have a reaction or allergy or something?
“Di, what’s up with your red cheeks?” I quietly asked.
She shot me a look and replied, “What nonsense! I have to go.”
I watched her go, confused, “Weird… what’s going on with her?”
My eyes automatically drifted toward her. She was sitting beside Mom, talking softly.
Seriously, is she always this stunning?
Or is today some kind of cosmic special effect made just for me?
She wore a white chikankari kurta with delicate patterns along the border, paired with a sky-blue dupatta that made her whole face glow.
For a second, the entire room blurred except her.
(HER OUTFIT)
Oh no… what’s happening to my heart? Calm down, silly heart, please calm down.
Why is it racing like this? Why is my whole body twisting like I just stepped on a rollercoaster?
She is….she’s so beautiful. I mean, seriously, how is that even fair?
I have never felt anything like this for any girl before.
Is this that feeling? You know, the one people talk about? Or is it just my hormones playing tricks on me again?
Ugh, the hell with hormones! I don’t care, I refuse to blame my body for this.
Get a grip, Vihaan. Seriously.
She’s your enemy.
Your enemy.
You don’t even like her!
Yeah, right… shake your head at your own stupidity, genius.
I’ll have to stay away from Ruhanika.
Keep your distance, Vihaan.
Don’t get distracted.
Don’t lose control.
“Ruhanika, you must be bored, Vihu, take Ruhanika to your room and chat with her,” mumma said to me.
What the heck, the more I try to avoid her, the closer she gets to me.
And now… now I actually had to sit with her.
Alone with Ruhanika.
My mind was screaming—go invisible. vanish. disappear. teleport out of here….anything but sit next to her.
But my legs…they were walking anyway.
Why does Mumma have to make life so difficult?
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Finally Chapter 9…!!!
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Bye Cutiepies….🍁
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