Chapter 13: Confusion and Closeness
Everything on campus looked normal.
Same classes.
Same people.
Same noise.
But inside…
nothing was really the same.
Abhi, Swati and a Thought He Couldn't Ignore
Abhi had been noticing something for a few days now.
Something he couldn't understand.
Or maybe… didn't want to understand.
That day, he was standing near the corridor when he saw them.
Aditya.
And Priyanka.
Talking.
Close.
Comfortable.
Too comfortable.
Abhi's eyes stayed there longer than usual.
Not because he cared about them.
But because of something else.
A thought.
A strange one.
"Does Aditya like Priyanka… or Swati?"
The question felt stupid.
But it didn't leave his mind.
Because he had seen Aditya around Swati too.
Not directly.
But enough to notice.
And now—
seeing him with Priyanka like this—
confused him even more.
Swati Walks In
"Abhi?"
Swati's voice broke his thoughts.
He turned.
"Oh… you."
She smiled.
"Tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?"
He looked back once at Aditya and Priyanka.
Then at Swati.
"Nothing… bas aise hi."
Swati noticed his distraction.
"Kya dekh rahe the?"
Abhi hesitated.
"Aditya…"
Swati followed his gaze.
And saw them too.
For a moment—
her expression changed.
But she quickly controlled it.
"So?" she said casually.
Abhi looked at her.
"So… tumhe kuch feel nahi hota?"
Swati frowned slightly.
"Matlab?"
"I mean… he's always around you also," Abhi said.
Swati's smile faded a little.
"And?"
Abhi didn't have a proper answer.
"I just… asked."
Swati looked at him for a second.
Trying to understand what he really meant.
But then she just said—
"Not everything is what you think, Abhi."
And walked ahead.
Leaving him more confused than before.
Priyanka and Aditya
On the other side, Priyanka laughed softly.
"You talk too much sometimes."
Aditya smirked.
"And you listen too much."
She shook her head.
"Not really."
There was a small pause.
But it wasn't awkward.
It felt easy.
Natural.
"Why are you always around?" she asked suddenly.
Aditya raised an eyebrow.
"Problem hai?"
"Answer the question."
He looked at her for a second.
Then said calmly—
"Because I want to be."
Priyanka didn't reply.
But her heart reacted.
And she couldn't ignore it.
Aditi and Lavesh
In the canteen—
"Tumhari life mein koi serious moment hota hai ya nahi?" Aditi asked.
Lavesh laughed.
"Tum ho na."
She hit his arm lightly.
"Shut up."
But then—
for a second—
they both stopped laughing.
Their eyes met.
And something shifted.
Not fully.
Not clearly.
But enough to notice.
Poonam, Ayush and Upendra
In class, a new seating arrangement had started.
And Poonam was now sitting with Upendra.
"Tum fast likhte ho," Poonam said.
Upendra smiled.
"Practice."
"Good. Mujhe help karna phir."
"Always."
Their conversation was simple.
But it felt comfortable.
Too comfortable.
Ayush Watching
From behind, Ayush saw everything.
The way they talked.
The way Poonam smiled.
Something didn't feel right.
He didn't like it.
But he didn't say anything.
Yet.
Ending Scene
As the day ended, Abhi walked alone.
His mind still stuck on one thing.
Aditya.
Priyanka.
Swati.
And something he couldn't define.
"Why does this even matter to me?" he muttered.
But deep down—
he knew the answer.
He just wasn't ready to accept it.
End of Chapter 13