Nitika

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my backpack as my friends Bella and Aleena bustled around me. Our dorm room was a flurry of activity as we prepared for our day.

"Nitika, hurry up! We don't want to be late," Bella called out, her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah."

Aleena, our resident fashionista, was busy curling her dark hair. "How do I look, guys?" she asked, striking a pose.

Aleena is a real cutie!

Bella and I exchanged a look, and I grinned. "Like a million bucks, Aleena."

With a satisfied smile, Aleena grabbed her bag, and we all headed out the door. Our university was just a 10-minute walk away, and we chatted animatedly as we strolled through the crisp morning air.

The sun was shining, casting a warm glow over the campus. We passed by the student union building, where a group of students were already gathered, sipping coffee and laughing.

As we approached the main lecture hall. Today was going to be a great day. I could just feel it.

As we walked inside the classroom, Everyone's gaze was fixed on me, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had something on my face or if my outfit was that interesting. I tried to brush it off, telling myself it was just curiosity.

Just as I was starting to feel like an exhibit in a museum, Aleena sensed my nervousness and came to my rescue. "Hey, you all stop staring at her! She's our new classmate Nitika shah, not a zoo animal!" she exclaimed, her voice loud and confident.

The classroom erupted in laughter, and the tension was broken. I smiled gratefully at Aleena, feeling a warmth in my chest.

As we made our way to our seats, I caught a few friendly smiles from my classmates. I took a deep breath, settled into my seat, and prepared to face whatever the day had in store.

Bella nudged me and whispered, "The professor's here." We all straightened up, ready to indulge in the day's lecture.

Just as the professor began to speak, Aleena leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Avyaanis absent." I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Who's he?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

Bella turned to me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "We were talking about a guy yesterday, remember?"

"Oh, okay," I replied.

But before we could dwell on it further, the professor's voice brought us back to the present. "Okay, class, let's dive into today's topic..."

And with that, we refocused our attention on the lecture, our minds absorbing the knowledge like sponges.

♡

After three lectures, we finally got a break, and my friends and I decided to head to the cafeteria to grab some lunch. But before that, Bella needed to swing by the library to pick up some books, so we accompanied her there. As we entered the library, we parted ways, and I found myself wandering through the shelves, scanning the titles.

A thought crossed my mind - do university libraries even have fictional books? I wondered, my eyes scanning the shelves for something that caught my attention.

That's when I saw it - a book with a dark brown cover. I reached out to grab it, but just as my hands closed around it, I felt someone else tugging on the book too. (Ik that we can't have access to a book from both sides of a bookshelf, just imagine it)

I loosened my grip, and my eyes met the gaze of the person trying to take the book from me. My heart sank, and my eyes narrowed. It was him - the same jerk who had bumped into me earlier.

"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath, my eyes locked on his.

"You!" we both yelled in unison, our voices echoing through the library.

"What are you doing here?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows.

"Mere chacha ji ki shaadi haina yaha isiliye main yaha hu" he said with a mirthless smile.

(My uncle's wedding is here, that's why I am here)

Oh god he's so annoying!

Aleena and Bella rushed towards us, concern etched on their faces. "What happened?" Bella asked, her eyes darting between me and the jerk.

I pointed an accusing finger at him. "That jerk, what's he doing here!"

His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. "Who the hell are you calling a jerk?"

I smirked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You, of course."

Bella intervened, her voice firm but calm. "Guys, please calm down. Let's take this outside."

We reluctantly followed her out of the library, our argument temporarily paused.

As we stepped into the hallway, Aleena turned to me. "How do you guys know each other? Nitika, it's your first day here, right?"

The jerk's eyes widened in disbelief. "Don't tell me she's our classmate."

My eyes mirrored his shock. "Wait, what? He's our classmate?" I asked, my voice laced with disbelief.

Aleena nodded. "Yes, he's Avyaan Parekh."

My mind raced back to the conversations I had with my friends earlier. Sheesh, he's Avyaan, the hottie they were gushing about!

I couldn't believe it.

"Well, well, well," Avyaan said, a smug smile spreading across his face. "Looks like we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other, NI-TI-KA"

I rolled my eyes, my mind racing with witty comebacks. But before I could respond, Aleena intervened.

"Okay, let's not make a scene here. We have classes to attend"

I nodded, grateful for the rescue. As we walked away, I couldn't help but steal a glance at Avyaan. He was still smirking, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

I made a sign with my hand, like I was going to punch him, and raised an eyebrow in a threatening gesture.

Avyaan just smiled lazily and twisted his finger near his forehead, like he was screwing an invisible light bulb. The universal sign for "you're crazy".

I felt my face flush with anger, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I turned back to my friends and kept walking.

"What a jerk!" I muttered under my breath.

Aleena and Bella giggled. "Yeah, he can be a bit much sometimes," Aleena said. "But don't worry, we've got your back."

I smiled, feeling grateful for my new friends. Together, we could take on anything - even an annoyingly hot and infuriating classmate like Avyaan Parekh.

Aleena turned to me with a curious expression. "You have to share details about how you know each other," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah, it's a long story."

But Bella beat me to it. "Avyaan doesn't behave like that, I mean, it's been two weeks since college started, but today's the first day we talked to him, and he talked to us."

Aleena nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the way he was reacting and talking with you, it's different."

I rolled my eyes, feeling a bit irritated. "You guys should stop drooling over him, he's a jerk for real."

Aleena nudged my shoulder playfully. "Oh come on, Nitika, don't be like that. He's not that bad."

But I knew what I saw, and I knew how he made me feel. "Trust me, he's not worth it," I said, my voice firm.

But my friends just laughed, their eyes shining with amusement. I knew they didn't believe me, but I was determined to stay away from Avyaan Parekh, no matter how hot he was.