Chapter 3: A Love Written in the Shadows

Advika and I , after exploring the campus, returned to the classroom. It was probably lunchtime. My mom always took our health seriously, so she never allowed us to eat food outside. Whenever I stepped out of the house, my mom would pack food and give it to me. It happened as usual. Another thing in the classroom , it was normal for girls to form a gang. It usually started as a gossip gang. I knew for sure that my slip from the stage would be a hot topic in that gang, and yes, it happened on the very first day.

Five girls sat on the last bench, gossiping with each other. It was lunch break, and all the other boys had left the class and gone out. But he, that bald Vihan, was still there. Advika called out to him, "Hey Vihan, can we have lunch together?"

He was scrolling on his phone, and suddenly, he lifted his face and said, "Thanks for the invite, but I don’t take lunch regularly."

"Seriously? But won’t your mother scold you for skipping your meal?" she asked.

He replied, "Well, if she were alive, she would definitely scold me for this."

"I’m so sorry, Vihan, I didn’t know," Advika said.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. You can have your lunch," he said, and his gaze returned to his phone.

Advika turned to me and said, "Hey Riya, I feel really bad for him. Maybe that’s why his tone was so rude. Did you notice his eyes? They have this terrifying look."

I responded, "Well, his tone may be rude, but his eyes don’t look that terrifying. They’re sharp, but not scary."

"Oh really, Riya? What other things have you noticed about him?" Advika asked with a teasing smile.

I laughed and replied, "What do you mean? He’s just a classmate. I don’t have any feelings for him."

Advika giggled. "Oh, really? Then what was that look on your face when you spoke about him?"

I quickly shook my head. "No way! I don’t fall in love with people who have rude tones, don’t respect others, and are harsh with everyone. I don’t like that kind of person, so let’s end this conversation right here."

"So, what kind of guy would you fall in love with?" she asked, still teasing.

"If I fell in love with someone, they’d be kind, respectful, educated, understanding. That’s what I expect," I replied.

Advika nodded. "Well, let’s see what happens."

I shook my head, "I’m not the type of girl who falls for a bad boy and tries to fix him."

"Mm-hmm," she said, before I handed her some of my food. "Taste my meal."

"Wow, Riya, this is really delicious! Your mom must have magic in her hands," Advika said, savoring the food.

"You wouldn’t say that if you tasted my dad’s cooking," I replied with a smile. "He’s an even better cook."

After a few minutes, the bell rang. The lecturer came into the class and handed out some notes. Finally, the classes were over. I left the campus, caught the bus, and made my way home.

"Mom, I’m home!" I called as I entered the house.

"So, how was your first day? Did you make any friends? What’s her name? Where is she from?" Mom asked, full of excitement.

"Yeah, Mom. A lot happened today," I said, still processing everything.

"Did you make a friend? What’s her name? Where is she from?" she asked again.

"Enough, Mama, can we talk about it later?" I replied, not wanting to get into details right now.

"Alright, alright. But take your lunchbox out of your bag," she said. "What’s this bandage doing in your bag? Did you get hurt, my girl?"

I looked inside my bag and was surprised to find the bandage. "No, Mama. I don’t know who put it in there. I think it might have been Vihan ?