The weather changed before the last period ended.

Dark clouds gathered outside the classroom windows, and by the time the final bell rang, rain came crashing down so hard that the entire school seemed to pause.

Students rushed to the corridors, some squealing as the cold wind splashed rainwater inside. Teachers gave up trying to maintain order. The whole building buzzed with chaos.

But inside classroom 11-B, only four people remained.

Vihaan sat on the last bench, spinning a pen between his fingers while Sania stood near the window, watching the rain pour over the empty playground. Her hair was slightly messy from the wind, and her white uniform shirt moved softly with the breeze coming through the half-open window.

Vihaan had been looking at her for the last five minutes.

And he hadn’t blinked once.

Sania turned suddenly, catching him staring again.

Her lips curved. “What?”

He rested his chin on his hand and smiled lazily. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“How unfair it is.”

She frowned. “What’s unfair?”

“That someone can look this pretty without even trying.”

A blush crept to her cheeks instantly.

“Vihaan,” she muttered, trying to hide her smile.

He stood from his seat and walked toward her slowly, stopping just inches away. The rain outside grew louder, but inside, the silence between them felt louder.

A strand of her hair had fallen over her face. Without a word, he tucked it behind her ear, his fingers brushing her cheek for a second longer than necessary.

Sania’s breath hitched.

“You know…” he said softly, “one day I’m going to miss this.”

Her brows furrowed. “Miss what?”

“This. You. Waiting for rain so I get an excuse to stand this close.”

For the first time that day, Sania didn’t joke back.

She simply looked at him, and Vihaan smiled because in that moment, he thought she felt the same depth he did.

He was wrong.

The classroom door slammed open so hard that both of them jumped apart.

Kartik entered dramatically, soaked from head to toe, carrying his bag over his head as if it would save him from the rain.

The moment he stepped inside, he shook his hair like a dog, spraying water everywhere.

Shanvi, who had been sitting on the teacher’s desk eating chips, nearly screamed.

“KARTIK!”

She jumped down, glaring at him. “Are you mentally unstable?”

Kartik grinned, water dripping from his jaw. “Why? Looking cute when you’re angry?”

The entire class would have probably gasped at that sentence, but Shanvi simply grabbed her empty water bottle and threw it at his head.

Kartik ducked and laughed. “Violent as always.”

“Annoying as always.”

Vihaan chuckled while Sania leaned against the desk, smiling at their usual chaos.

The rain didn’t stop for another half hour.

Most students had already left in a rush, but the four of them remained trapped, waiting under the corridor roof. Kartik and Shanvi continued arguing over absolutely nothing — whether some stupid cricket player was overrated — while Vihaan stood beside Sania, sharing his earphones with her.

One earbud in his ear.

One in hers.

Their shoulders touched.

A soft song played, but neither of them were listening to it.

Vihaan’s hand slowly found hers, their fingers intertwining naturally like they belonged that way.

Sania didn’t pull away.

Instead, she leaned slightly into him.

That small movement was enough to make his heartbeat go wild.

He looked down at her.

She was smiling at something Kartik said, but all Vihaan could think was how easily she made every ordinary moment feel unforgettable.

When the rain finally softened, Vihaan walked her outside.

The road near the school was wet and shining under the evening lights. The air smelled like wet mud and cold wind. He held the umbrella over both of them, but Sania kept stepping into puddles carelessly, laughing whenever water splashed her shoes.

“Walk properly,” he said.

“You sound like an old man.”

“And you act like a child.”

She grinned and took two steps ahead, intentionally splashing more water.

Vihaan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back under the umbrella.

The sudden movement made her stumble.

Straight into him.

For one frozen second, Sania’s hands were pressed against his chest, and Vihaan’s arm was around her waist to steady her.

Neither moved.

The rain fell softly around them.

Sania looked up, and their faces were so close that her breath touched his skin.

Vihaan’s grip tightened unconsciously.

His voice came out almost as a whisper.

“Stay like this for a little longer.”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t step away.

Instead, she lowered her gaze, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

That was enough.

Vihaan smiled too — the kind of smile that only someone deeply in love could wear.

He gently moved a strand of wet hair away from her face and said the words he meant with his entire heart.

“No matter what happens, Sania… it’ll always be you.”

For the first time, her expression changed.

Just slightly.

Like something flickered in her eyes.

Something uncertain.

But before he could understand it, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She quickly stepped away and pulled it out.

Vihaan looked at her absentmindedly, still smiling.

But then he noticed her expression.

The way her eyes lit up.

The way the corners of her lips curved into a smile she hadn’t shown all evening.

A smile that wasn’t for him.

She typed a quick reply, almost instinctively.

Then, as if realizing he was beside her, she locked the phone immediately and slipped it back into her bag.

Vihaan frowned.

“Who was it?”

Sania looked up too quickly.

“No one.”

She smiled, but this time, it felt rehearsed.

And because he loved her too much, he chose not to question it.

He walked her home like always.

He held her hand like always.

He smiled at her like always.

But that night, while lying in bed, a strange thought stayed in his mind.

Why had she smiled like that?

And why did “no one” feel like a lie?

Across the city, in her dimly lit room, Sania sat on her bed staring at her phone.

A new message appeared.

Unknown Number:

Did you miss me today?

For the first time in months, Sania’s heartbeat changed.

And far away, without knowing it, Vihaan’s perfect world had already begun to crack.

__________________________

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