Ayaan tried every possible way to convince Aarshi. In the end, he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his hand. Her cheeks felt soft and warm, like marshmallows. He lifted her chin softly and said,
"Listen… I know you're hurt because of my actions, but just think for a moment — how would you react if Aditya got your number?"
Aarshi replied in a quiet voice, "He already has it."
Ayaan sighed and said, "Forget him then. Let me take another example—"
Aarshi stopped him immediately. "No need for another example. I'm going to my room."
"Why?" Ayaan asked softly. "I still want to talk to you."
Aarshi looked away and muttered quietly, "Go and talk to that girl instead. She matters more to you."
"She doesn't matter to me," Ayaan replied instantly.
"But you still did all this because of her," Aarshi answered in a low voice.
Ayaan gently held her warm face, now completely red from crying. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said,
"Don't you consider me your friend? If you really do… then please forgive me this once."
Without replying, Aarshi started walking toward her room. Suddenly, Ayaan caught her hand and softly pulled her toward himself before wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. Aarshi could feel the warmth of that embrace deep in her heart.
She was completely stunned by his actions. For a moment, she couldn't understand what had happened to him. Speechless, she slowly hugged him back, feeling strangely comforted.
Still holding her close, Ayaan whispered,
"Please forgive me this time. I just never wanted her to know anything about you. I never even told my friends your name."
Aarshi looked at him quietly and asked, "Am I really that bad?"
Ayaan shook his head gently.
"You're precious. Not everyone deserves to know about you."
His answer left Aarshi speechless again. Still, she tried to hide her feelings and said softly,
"You're just flattering me this time."
A faint smile appeared on Ayaan's face.
"I hope there's another moment like this someday… so I can hug you again."
Aarshi immediately pinched his stomach, making him let go of her at once.
"I'm going back to my room," she said.
"Why?" Ayaan complained. "You should stay here with me."
"I forgave you this time," Aarshi replied, "but I hope there won't be a next time."
Then she added, "I'm going to oil my hair in my room."
"I'll do it for you," Ayaan offered immediately.
Aarshi looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
"Think of it as a massage from me."
"That's fine," she said playfully, "as long as you don't break my head."
"Don't worry," Ayaan laughed.
A little later, in the hall, Ayaan sat on the sofa while Aarshi sat on the floor in front of him. He gently massaged oil into her hair with surprising care and skill. His hands moved so perfectly that it felt as if he were a professional at head massages.
The soothing feeling almost made Aarshi fall asleep.
Just then, Ayaan's iPad suddenly rang again. It was a conference call from his friends.
Since his hands were covered in oil, he looked at Aarshi and said, "Can you decline it?"
Aarshi asked, "Don't you want to talk to them?"
"I do," Ayaan replied, "but my hands are messy, and cleaning them will take time."
"I can answer the call and put it on speaker," Aarshi suggested.
"As you wish," Ayaan said.
Aarshi accepted the call.
The moment Ayaan said hello, everyone on the call shouted together,
"Did you talk to Bhavya tonight?"
"No," Ayaan replied casually.
"Then who talked to her?" they all asked at once.
"That was me," Aarshi answered softly from the speaker.
Everyone went silent for a second.
"Wait… is this the girl you're staying with?" someone asked in shock.
"Yes," Ayaan replied calmly while still massaging Aarshi's hair.
Another friend laughed excitedly. "So we finally get to hear the champion girl's voice!"
One of them asked cheerfully, "Hey, champion lady, what's your name?"
In her usual calm tone, she answered, "My name is Aarshi."
"How cute her voice is!" everyone reacted together.
Then a girl on the call asked, "Does he annoy you?"
"Often," Aarshi replied honestly.
"I swear I'll kill you if you tease her again," the girl threatened dramatically, making everyone laugh.
Everyone seemed genuinely happy talking to Aarshi. Soon, Aarshi even told them everything that had happened with Bhavya.
Hearing the story, the same girl immediately said,
"If that witch calls you again, don't answer her. And if you do answer, just tell her you're Ayaan's girlfriend and that you're staying with him."
Both Ayaan and Aarshi shouted together,
"What nonsense?!"
The girl laughed loudly. "Relax, I'm joking!"
"Worst joke ever," Zayn commented.
Mishtha added teasingly, "Though it could actually be true."
Ayaan rolled his eyes. "It's also true that all of you are completely ridiculous."
Then he asked Aarshi to hang up the call.
After the call ended, Ayaan sighed and said,
"This is exactly why I didn't want to introduce you to them."
Aarshi smiled faintly. "Well, they all seem really cute and supportive. You're lucky to have friends like them."
"Your massage is done now," Ayaan replied softly. "Go and sleep."
Aarshi stood up quietly and walked back to her room.
In the middle of the night, Aarshi suddenly woke up because of her dry throat. Feeling thirsty, she stepped outside her room to get some water.
As she entered the hall, she noticed Ayaan sitting on the sofa.
She frowned slightly. Why is he awake at this hour?
Curious, she walked closer, only to realize that his eyes were closed. He looked awake because he was sitting upright against the sofa, but in reality, he had fallen asleep while sitting.
The sight made Aarshi laugh softly.
She tried waking him up, but he was sleeping deeply. When she gently shook his shoulder, Ayaan started losing his balance and slowly began falling sideways from the sofa.
Startled, Aarshi quickly caught him before he could fall completely. Now Ayaan's body rested against her for support while he remained half-asleep.
She tried several times to adjust his posture properly, but every time she fixed him, he would slowly return to the same awkward position.
Finally, just as Aarshi let out a tired sigh of relief, Ayaan suddenly leaned forward and fell onto her shoulder.
In that sudden moment, his lips accidentally brushed against her cheek, making it feel as though he had kissed her.
Aarshi froze instantly.
The entire moment felt unbearably awkward to her.
Panicking, she quickly pushed him away and made him lie down properly on the sofa before rushing back to her room.
Once inside, she sat on her bed, completely flustered, wondering whether she should tell anyone about what had just happened.
But in the end, she decided she would never mention it to anyone.
Lying on her bed, she kept remembering the moment again and again, growing more embarrassed and irritated each time. Even though she knew Ayaan had done it accidentally in his sleep, the incident still felt deeply embarrassing to her.
As she buried her face into her pillow, she could only hope for one thing—
that Ayaan had truly been asleep… and that he remembered nothing at all.