Rally of Emotions

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The past few days had been a blur of assignments and relentless practice. Dhruvin was preparing for the upcoming inter-state badminton competition, spending every spare second on the court, while Aashna was drowning in deadlines. Between all the chaos, they barely got time together, and Aashna was not happy about it.

Sitting in the canteen with Sia, Manan, Raj, and Saumya, she let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

Manan, always quick to pick up on drama, leaned forward, "Aashna, what's wrong? You have that same expression TV serial heroines make when their husbands leave for work."

Sia snorted. "More like, 'mera pati sirf badminton se pyaar karta hai, mujhse nahi' wala expression." (More like, 'my man loves badminton more than he loves me.')

Aashna shot them both a glare. "Shut up. It's not that deep. I'm just..." she trailed off, stirring her cold coffee. "Ugh, forget it."

Raj smirked. "No, no, now you have to tell us. Is distance creating problems in your love story?"

Manan dramatically wiped an imaginary tear.

That did it.

Aashna groaned loudly. "You all are insufferable. I'm leaving."

She grabbed her bag and stomped out while her so-called friends erupted into laughter. But she wasn't actually mad at them. The truth was, she really did miss Dhruvin. And maybe, just maybe, their words had gotten into her head.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she walked toward the badminton court. She had planned to surprise Dhruvin, maybe force him to take a break, maybe steal a few moments just for them.

But as soon as she reached the court, she saw him laughing at something a girl said.

Her stomach twisted. The way he grinned, the ease with which he leaned in to listen-it sent a sharp pang of jealousy straight to her chest.

She turned on her heel, ready to walk away, when she heard his voice.

"Aashna?"

Damn it.

She kept walking, pretending not to hear him, but Dhruvin-being Dhruvin-was fast. He reached her in seconds, grabbing her wrist gently to stop her.

"What happened?" he asked, slightly out of breath, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

She turned to him, crossing her arms. "Go talk to her. Why are you here?"

Dhruvin raised a brow, immediately catching on. "Ohhh, ab samajh aaya. You're jealous.." (Ohhh, now I get it.)

"I am not!" she huffed.

"Looks like you're about to cry." He bit back a grin.

Aashna scoffed. "Oh please, Dhruvin. I'm not that petty."

"Can you say that while looking me in the eye?"

She looked away.

He chuckled. "Aashu, that was just my junior asking for advice. She wanted help with her footwork. That's all."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before," she muttered under her breath.

Dhruvin grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer. "It doesn't matter who makes me laugh, there's only one girl who starts and ends my day." He brushed his thumb against her cheek. "You know that, right?"

Her heart melted a little, but she still wasn't ready to give in. "Hmph."

He chuckled, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "Now tell me, why did you come here?"

She snapped out of her dramatic sulking and remembered the reason she was there. "Oh right. Everyone's planning a night out at Manan's place. Thought you might wanna come."

His eyes lit up. "Finally, I get to spend time with you without a damn shuttlecock getting in the way."

She grinned. "So you'll come?"

He nodded. "Hell yeah. As long as you promise to stick to me the entire night."

She smirked. "No guarantees."

He narrowed his eyes playfully. "Aashna, don't test me."

She laughed, turning to walk away, but before she could, Dhruvin grabbed her hand again. "Wait."

She raised a brow. "Hmm?"

He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. "Next time, give me a chance to make you jealous. Watching you react is fun."

She smacked his arm. "Shut up, Dhruvin!"

Laughing, he slung an arm around her shoulders as they walked back together, excited for their long-overdue time alone.

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Author's Note

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