chapter:3

I was lost in my thoughts, staring blankly at the cafeteria door, when a shadow fell across my table. For a split second, my heart skipped a beat, thinking it was him. But when I looked up, it was Rohan, one of our classmates.

​"Hey, Mehak! Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Rohan said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from me without waiting for an invitation.

​"I'm fine, Rohan. Just tired," I forced a small smile, trying to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

​Rohan was nice, always helpful with notes, but today his presence felt like an intrusion. He started talking about the upcoming Physics project, but my eyes kept driftingback to the door. Every time it swung open, my breath would hitch for a moment, hoping to see that familiar face walk in—the one person I was trying so hard to avoid, yet couldn't stop looking for.

​Rohan’s voice became a distant hum as he explained the diagrams for the Physics project. He was pointing at his notebook, but all I could see was the empty chair at the far corner of the room where he usually sat.

​'Mehak? Are you even listening?' Rohan’s voice broke through my trance.

​I blinked, realizing I had been staring at the entrance for too long. 'Sorry, Rohan. I just... I didn't sleep well last nightWhat were you saying about the circuit diagram?'

​I tried to focus, but the feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Slowly, I turned my head toward the window, and there he was. Standing across the courtyard, leaning against a tree, his dark eyes fixed right on me. He wasn't smiling. He never did anymore."Not since that day two years ago when everything changed between us. Back then, his laughter was the loudest thing in the room, and usually, it was at my expense. Now, his silence was even louder, heavy with things left unsaid.

​'Mehak? Seriously, you’re spacing out again,' Rohan said, sounding a little frustrated now. He followed my gaze toward the window, but Ayaan had already turned away, disappearing into the crowd of students crossing the courtyard.

​'I’m sorry, Rohan. I think I just need some air,' I said, quickly gathering my books. My heart was still hammering againstmy ribs. I couldn't sit here and pretend to care about Physics when my past was standing just a few yards away, staring at me with those cold, unrecognizable eyes.

​As I rushed out of the cafeteria, the cool breeze hit my face, but it didn't help. I took the long route to the library, hoping to avoid the main path. But as I turned the corner near the old oak tree, I stopped dead in my tracks.

​He was leaning against the brick wall, arms crossed over his chest, as if he knew exactly which way I would go.

​'Running away again, Mehak?' he asked. His voice was low, raspy, and devoid of theteasing tone he used to have when we were kids. This wasn't the boy who used to hide my school bag; this was someone who knew exactly how to make me feel small with just one look."

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