Chapter 14

Abhimanyu

I didn’t look at her.

Not when I entered the classroom. Not when I sat beside her. Not even when I could feel her shifting slightly in her seat, as if debating whether to say something.

I kept my eyes on my paper.

This was better.

Yesterday had been… I don’t even know what it was. A moment of weakness? A slip? Walking with her in the rain, talking like we weren’t just two people thrown into this exam seating arrangement, had felt unsettling. Because it had felt natural.

And that was dangerous.

I wasn’t supposed to feel comfortable around anyone. Especially not her.

So today, I made sure to shut it all out.

The exam started, and I forced myself to focus. The words blurred slightly as my thoughts kept slipping elsewhere. I tightened my grip on the pen and exhaled sharply, bringing myself back.

Just focus. Get through the next few days. Then it won’t matter.

Still, despite my best efforts, I was aware of every small movement from the seat beside me. The way she hesitated before writing her first answer. The way she shifted when our arms almost touched. The way she left just a second after me when the bell rang, as if waiting to see if I would say something.

But I didn’t.

I walked out of the classroom without looking back.

---

The moment I stepped outside, I felt the tension leave my body.

The air was humid after yesterday’s rain, the sky still overcast. I slung my bag over my shoulder and started walking toward my bike. The campus was still crowded with students discussing the exam, some complaining about the questions, others laughing like they didn’t have another paper to worry about tomorrow.

I ignored them all.

Just as I reached my bike, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a message from my dad—probably reminding me of something useless—but it wasn’t him.

It was Rohit.

"Bro, you coming today?"

I stared at the message for a second before typing back.

"No."

I didn’t even know why he bothered asking anymore. He knew my answer wouldn’t change. I wasn’t in the mood for sitting around with people who only talked about things that didn’t matter.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I swung my leg over the bike and started the engine. The familiar vibration beneath me felt grounding. Mechanical. Predictable. Unlike the mess of thoughts swirling in my head.

As I rode home, I pushed everything out of my mind.

Shubhi. The silence. The way my chest had felt a little too heavy when I ignored her today.

None of it mattered.

This was how it was supposed to be.