A V Y A A N

I rode my bike back to my flat, the wind blowing through my hair as I thought about the day's events. I couldn't help but think about nitika, how can one survive without a brain??

I headed to my flat, freshened up, and thought about texting Nitika. I searched for her number in our college's unofficial group and found her profile photo. She was wearing a pink top and plaid skirt, holding a coffee cup and posing with it.

I chuckled to myself - she and her obsession with bubble tea! I thought about what to text her, feeling a bit nervous. As I never text anyone specifically girls.

Should I say "hi" or "hello"? I didn't want to come across as too formal or too casual. I decided to keep it simple and typed out a message: "Meet me tomorrow in the library at 11am to complete the rest of the project." I stared at the message for a few seconds before sending it.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with a reply from her - a simple "okay".  I decided to send a good night message before saving her number as "Nitika".

☾.

N I T I K A

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring in my ear, stretching my arms above my head. Urghhhh......I yawned and got out of bed, walking over to Aleena's bed. "Aleena, wake up!" I said, shaking her shoulder.  She groggily opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing her hair. I then went over to Bella's bed and repeated the process. "Bella, wake up!"

After a few minutes of prodding, both Aleena and Bella finally got out of bed and began getting ready for the day. I showered and dressed, choosing an outfit and tying my brown hair back in a ponytail.

I remembered the t-shirt Avyaan had lent me the day before. I had left it on the balcony, and I wanted to keep it safe. I walked out to the balcony and retrieved the tee, feeling a flutter in my chest as I remembered the way he had smiled at me when he handed it to me.

I wanted to keep it in a handbag, but I realized I didn't have one. I knocked on the bathroom door, where Aleena was taking a bath. "Aleena, do you have a handbag?" I asked.

There was a pause, and then she replied, "Uh...oh yeah, yesterday Bella bought some new clothes for herself....there will be empty bags on her desk, take one of those handbags."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Um, okay."

Bella was not in the room. I walked over to her desk and saw the bags. There were two small ones, it was her bra's so I emptied one of it keeping her bra in one and other kept avyaan's tee inside. Just then, Aleena called out from the bathroom, "Nitika!"

"What?" I replied, walking back to the bathroom.

"I forgot my top, can you give it to me? It's on the bed," she said.

I glanced at the bed and saw the top. I picked it up and handed it to her through the bathroom door.

After we all got ready, Bella came back into the room, and we were about to leave when I remembered the handbag. "Oh shit," I muttered to myself, going back into the room to grab it.

In my haste, I picked up the handbag and kept it in my bag. Aleena suggested we grab coffee before heading to the library. We walked to the nearest cafe to the university. Over coffee, we chatted about our plans for the day and our upcoming exams.

Finally, it was time to head to the library. I took a deep breath, feeling a little nervous. But as we walked into the library and I spotted him sitting at a table with karan, my nerves dissipated.

As we walked towards Avyaan and Karan, Aleena and Bella were coming along to work on their project with Nishanth and Karan. But Nishanth was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Nishanth?" Aleena asked, looking around.

"Call him," Bella suggested, and Aleena nodded, pulling out her phone.

As we approached the table, I could feel the tension in the air. Avyaan and Karan's expressions were cold as usual, and they barely acknowledged us. I waved at Avyaan, but he ignored me, his eyes fixed at some point behind me. I rolled my eyes and muttered under my breath, "Grumpy brat."

Aleena's phone call went unanswered, and she left a message for Nishanth to meet us at the library. We reached the table, and I could feel the awkwardness settling in.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound cheerful, but Avyaan just grunted in response.

I sighed and pulled out my notes.
Karan finally looked up from his laptop and greeted us with "hey". Bella suggested to work on another table, and karan agreed, gathering his things. "Let's sit there" karan said pointing towards an empty table nearby.

As they walked away, I felt a pang of disappointment. I had hoped to work alongside Avyaan, but he seemed intent on ignoring me. Nishanth arrived, apologizing for his tardiness, and Aleena's face lit up with a bright smile. "Sorry, Aleena, I'm late," he said, waving at me too.

Aleena's excitement was palpable as she gathered her things. "It's okay, Nishanth, we should get back to our project. We have to finish it today," she said, her eyes shining with determination.

Nishanth nodded in agreement, and they walked off together, leaving Avyaan and me alone. I approached him, feeling a little nervous. He was still typing away on his laptop, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"Hey, Avyaan," I said softly, trying to get his attention.

He finally looked up, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before returning to his laptop. I sighed and decided to focus on the project instead of trying to get his attention.

We worked in silence, our only communication centered around the project. I suggested ideas for the presentation, and Avyaan nodded or shook his head, his responses curt and brief. Despite the tension between us, we worked efficiently, our collaboration flowing smoothly.

As we worked, I couldn't help but steal glances at Avyaan, trying to decipher the reason behind his distant behavior. His eyes were fixed on the screen, his brow furrowed in concentration, but I sensed a deeper tension beneath the surface.

Despite my efforts to engage him, he remained aloof, his responses limited to monosyllables. I began to feel a pang of frustration, wondering if I had done something to offend him.

Finally our project was completed. I suddenly remembered the handbag. He was busy packing his bag while I unzip my bag "Avyaan, your tee," I said, holding out the bag.

But as I glanced down at the bag, my heart froze. It wasn't Avyaan's tee that I saw, but something lacy and delicate. My eyes widened in horror as I realized my mistake. What the fuck did i- I had picked up the wrong handbag - the one that belonged to Bella, with her bra inside.

Oh no! Urgh!!!

Avyaan looked at me, confusion etched on his face, and took the bag without a word. I was paralyzed, unable to move or speak. I watched in slow motion as he turned and walked away, the bag clutched in his hand. He didn't looked at it.

Aleena approached me, tapping on my shoulder. "Nitika?" she said, concern etched on her face.

"I'm doomed," I whispered, my voice trembling.

"What happened?" Aleena asked, her eyes scanning my face.

I took a deep breath, my words tumbling out in a rush. "I gave him the wrong handbag, Aleena. The one with Bella's bra in it."

Bella's voice cut through the air, her anger palpable. "What the fuck, Nitika?" she yelled, her eyes blazing with fury.

I laughed nervously, trying to downplay the situation. "We can just take it back, he didn't look in it," I said, trying to reassure myself as much as Aleena and Bella.

I was in trouble. Big trouble.

"Nitika you're hilarious" aleena laughed and i swat her shoulder.

࣪ ִֶָ☾.