CHAPTER 3

"Maa, I have a kickboxing match today. I might stay late to watch Rishav's basketball game. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course. And take this," she said, handing me my granola bar and water bottle.

"Thanks, bye!" I quickly pecked her cheek before heading out to the sports academy.

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"Hey!" called out my friend Arshiya as I entered the academy. She's a senior at my school, just like Rishav. I've known them both since I was twelve. Arshiya and Rishav have been dating for three years now, though only a few people know about their relationship since they prefer to keep it private.

Arshiya and I both train in kickboxing, while Rishav plays basketball. Today, he's playing in a special match that happens once a year, so it's a pretty big deal for them. They invited me to come watch it, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"Hi!" I said . "All the best, You're up next" I said to her as we heard her name being called out for the match . " Thank you" she said .

Soon, she emerged victorious from her match, and now it was my turn. The announcer called my name.

I was competing against Trisha, who also attended the same school as me and to my luck the same class as me . I always had this gnawing feeling that she disliked me, although I couldn't quite figure out why.

"Ready to lose, bookworm?" she sneered. "Looks like you're not."

I tried to ignore her taunts. It wasn't that they bothered me, but still...

"Alright!" Coach called out, cutting through the tension. "I know both of you are familiar with the match details, but I'll go over them quickly. There will be three rounds, each lasting two minutes. The fighter with the highest score wins. But remember, no intentional injuries, and be careful while sparring. Understood?"

"Yes, Coach!" we replied in unison.

The whistle blew, and I immediately dropped into a defensive stance, waiting for her to make the first move. Trisha threw a punch, but I dodged it easily, countering with an elbow strike that caused her to falter. I scored 2 points for the clean hit.

Now, it was the final round, and there were just 20 seconds left. I was leading Trisha by 5 points. Frustration was written all over her face, and it was clear she was getting desperate, making rash decisions. I knew I had to capitalize on her mistakes.

Her face twisted with irritation and something darker—hatred, maybe—but before I could fully process her intentions, she lunged at me, landing a punch near my mouth. The impact made my lips bleed.

Coach immediately blew the whistle as blood began to pool near my lips. It was clear Trisha would be disqualified for that, but even if she wasn't, I was still ahead in points, and the timer had stopped.

Though the pain in my mouth was intense, a sense of relief washed over me. I had won the match.

You said"Are you alright?" Arshiya asked me.

"Are you alright?" Arshiya asked me them moment I got down "Yeh, Trisha! I'm sure she did it intentionally," even I think so because I saw her deliberately punch me when she knew she couldn't win."

"It's fine!" I said.

"Anyways, let's go. Rishav must be waiting for you." She blushed at my remark but quickly covered it up, saying, "As he should."

We talked about random things in the changing room until we reached the basketball court.

The match had already begun, so we quickly took our seats in the middle row near the entry gate.

Since no one knows about Rishav's and Arshiya's relationship here, they'll be meeting after the match outside the academy. I'll also say hi to him and then head home.

The match was getting intense every minute and at this point I really wanted our team to win. Only 30 secs were left and the match was tie .

I saw Rishav pass the ball to ....... wait Aditya . He's here too ?! AND he plays BASKETBALL .

I will have to agree that this man is full of surprises. I always thought he would be into any sports activity but never in my dreams would have thought that he played in Advik bhaiya's former team. That means the day i was buying stationery it was actually him and i wasn't just imagining his voice .

My eyes wandered to the digital timer shown on the screen of the court 10 secs more .

An eerie silence swept across the stadium and i saw Aditya closing his eyes and throw the ball from a distance .

The next moment , the crowd erupted in loud cheers with me . I don't know whether i was happy about my friend's boyfriend team winning the match or about Aditya performing exceptionally well for his team .

I hadn't even realised that i was up on feet , smiling widely for a team that I only used to care about when my brother used to be here .

Aditya was looking a me with amusement stretched all across his face as if he has seen something utterly incredible to name or even point out .

"Back to earth " Arshiya broke the spell I was diving into unknowingly and I will forever be thankful to her .

"Huh, Yeah let's go" I replied .

Arshiya moved forward expecting me to follow her which I did but not without glancing back once again to see if he's still there .... and holy shit ..... he is , rooted to his place and looking at my direction with a smile plastered on his face , until someone bumped into him .

That was my que to follow arshiya and get my mind straight.

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I had been tossing and turning, trying to sleep, but there was something preventing me from resting. There was a strange feeling that I couldn't quite pinpoint, but something felt different, as if something had changed.

I looked at the clock in my room; it was 1 a.m. I was in desperate need of diverting my mind and trying to sleep, or I would be late for school tomorrow.

So, I closed my eyes and tried to think about something that would put my mind at ease. But all I could think about was a certain someone I shouldn't be thinking about—someone who's bad news. I'm quite sure I don't like him, or anything like that.

I woke up at not even realising when sleep had engulfed me . The watch showed the time 5 am .

It was still pretty early to get ready for school , but I wasn't sleepy either which is surprising because I slept late plus it was obvious that I will be a sleepy head at school the entire day .

I freshened up and decided to head downstairs.

Maa was preparing my lunch box for school, and Advik Bhaiya was busy doing his morning yoga. I had nothing else to do, so I decided to join him.

"What's up, sleepyhead? Aaj itni jaldi kaise uth gayi?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes at his remark, and before I could reply, Mumma came in and said, "Good that both of you are awake. Your dad is coming today."

Papa is an Army officer, and he has been posted in Srinagar for the past year. He didn't want us to compromise with our studies, so we stayed in Mumbai, and whenever he could, he would visit during holidays or on leave.

"REALLY?!" Advik Bhaiya and I exclaimed in excitement.

"I'm taking a leave today," we both said in unison and laughed. Mumma shook her head, well aware that Papa would leave in no more than 2-3 days, which is the maximum time he could stay even if he took leave.

"Okay, I won't say no to that " mumma said .

Vividly, I rushed to my room and texted Siya that I wouldn't be attending school today, as Papa would be home. If my parents agreed, I would take another leave for two more days to spend as much time as I could with him.

It was 9 a.m. when we heard the doorbell ring. I ran towards the main gate and saw Papa standing tall and proud in his uniform. I couldn’t wait another minute, so I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around him, as did he. Advik Bhaiya also came over and joined in the hug.

After what felt like an eternity, we broke apart, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. This was what I had been craving for I don’t even know how long.

"Areh, andar toh chalo, teeno! At least," Mumma exclaimed.

"Hamein pata hai ki aap jealous ho, that we love Papa more," I giggled, and I heard Papa chuckle too.

"Haan baba, maan gayi main," she said, and we finally made our way inside the house.

Papa soon came down after freshening up and changing his clothes.

"Chalo, batao bhai," Papa said.

"Kya bataye?" Advik Bhaiya asked.

"Mere yahan na hote hue, kon kitni shaitani karta hai? Mumma ne sab bataya hai, mujhe tum log kitna pareshaan karte ho unko," Papa said, and we gave Mumma a side-eye.

"I don't do anything, Papa, but Bhaiya ka aap hi pucho," I said, teasingly pointing at my brother. I had a feeling he was dating someone. I mean, not every guy starts doing skincare on his own and asks his sisters about women's clothes, right?

"Advik? Is there something I should know?" Papa mockingly asked Bhaiya. In return, I got a murderous glare from Bhaiya, but soon Papa pulled his ear and said, "Laado ko kya ghur raha hai?"

"Aaa! Kuch nahi, Papa. Woh bas mujhe aapke samne fasane ka try kar rahi hai," Bhaiya cried out.

"Thik hai," Papa said, letting go of his ear.

Soon, Mumma came with tea and sat down beside Papa. We started discussing how we could spend our day and make the most of it.

We spent the entire day talking to Papa, and in the evening, we went out for a movie, followed by dinner.

I bid Papa goodnight and headed to my room. Exhausted from the day's events, sleep engulfed me as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I drifted off into a deep slumber.

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Aditya's POV

I am all set to go to school today. The anticipation of meeting Radhika is driving me crazy.

It's only 6:30 am now. Normally, I leave at 7 am, but the restlessness of wanting to see her is killing me.

So, here I am, sitting in class at school, waiting for her. I've been here for the past 40 minutes, but she's nowhere to be seen. Rita ma'am will be coming any moment now.

"Where are you, meri bookworm?" I muttered under my breath.

"Hey Adi! Looking for someone?" Trisha asked with a smile on her face.

"No," I said curtly, and noticed Rita ma'am entering the class with her attendance register in hand, along with a few books.

Siya was sitting with someone else today, which probably means that Radhika is absent.

With that thought, I fell silent. The excitement, the rush, waking up early in the morning just to see her face... all of it felt in vain now.

I noticed Kartik, my best friend and cousin, sitting beside me, saying something to Trisha.

"Aditya, please ask him to move. I came here first and wanted to sit with you," she said to me.

I frowned at her. There was no way I was going to let her sit with me.

"No, it's his place," I said.

"Trisha, find a place for yourself and settle down quickly. I have to take attendance," ma'am said to her. I saw Trisha make her way to the corner seat.

The whole day passed in a blur, with everyone asking me what had happened, when I myself didn't know why I felt such a longing to see her. All I can say is that I just wanted to see her. Looking at her somehow makes me feel at ease. I thought about asking Siya why she was absent today, but decided not to and directly headed home.

It was almost midnight, and I was busy solving the math exercises that were given as homework today.

Wait, what if she comes to school tomorrow and isn’t able to submit it? Should I inform her about it? But Siya must have already told her, I suppose.