POV: Aarav
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6:05 a.m.
I was already awake.
Actually, I barely slept.
I'd rolled around for four hours straight, rehearsed what I was going to say twenty-seven times, and even whispered "what if I love you?" to my ceiling fan like a madman.
It just spun back with judgmental silence.
I sat up and groaned, rubbing my face. "Get it together, man. She's just your best friend."
Yeah.
Your best friend.
Whose smile makes your brain short-circuit.
Whose voice lives rent-free in your chest.
I walked to the sink and splashed water on my face.
Twice.
"Be normal today," I told the mirror. "Don't stare at her like a psycho. Don't compliment her hair. Don't—"
I paused.
"Actually… tell her her hair looks nice. Just… NOT creepy nice. Normal nice."
Ugh. I needed caffeine.
---
6:51 a.m.
I made myself tea. Burnt my tongue. Because I'm smart.
I changed into my black hoodie. The one she once said made me look "almost cool."
Grabbed my sketchbook too. We never sketched together, but she always carried hers… so maybe today.
I left home at 7:10 sharp and stopped at a coconut vendor near the beach.
"One bottle?" he asked.
"Two," I said, because duh. Priyanka always forgets to hydrate.
I practiced my smile.
Then panicked.
Then stared at the sea for the next thirty minutes, pacing around like a rejected side character waiting for his scene.
---
8:08 a.m.
She was early. Like… way early.
I saw her get off the bus and freeze for a second like the world went into slow motion.
She was wearing that white dress. The one that looked soft and clean and fluttered when she walked.
I think I forgot how to blink for a moment.
She spotted me and said, "Aarav?"
I held up the lemonade. "I figured you'd forget to hydrate. As usual."
She muttered a tiny "shut up" and looked away, but I saw the corners of her lips twitch.
And just like that, my heart was doomed.
---
We walked. Side by side.
I pretended not to notice the way she brushed sand off her dress every few minutes.
She pretended not to catch me glancing at her reflection in the water.
I told her about a jellyfish documentary. She laughed — LOUDLY. I'd pay money to hear that again.
When I tried skipping stones, I failed like a champ. She told me I sucked. I agreed.
She drew a heart in the sand with her toe. I pretended not to notice.
When I caught a crab for fun and held it out, she screamed and hit me. I considered framing the bruise.
Her fingers brushed mine more than once.
Each time?
I flinched. Then pretended I didn't.
She looked away like her brain just blue-screened.
It was perfect.
---
As the sun began to fall, we walked to the rocks at the edge of the beach.
The sky turned golden.
The air slowed.
The world muted.
And there she was. Priyanka. In front of me, holding a piece of my entire soul without realizing it.
"Today's August 1, huh?" she said, her voice soft like seafoam.
I smiled. "Yeah, it was. It was as beautiful as you are."
Internal screaming:
> OMG YOU ACTUALLY SAID THAT
ABORT ABORT ABORT
SHE'S GONNA WALK INTO THE OCEAN
But she didn't walk away. She smiled — kinda nervously.
"So… what did you want to talk about?" she asked.
My heart did twelve backflips and failed all of them.
"…Would you believe me if I say something stupid right now?"
"No," she replied, still smiling.
Damn. No way out.
The sun dipped. The sky exploded in streaks of purple and fire.
I took a breath.
"What if… I love you?"
And I swear…
She didn't flinch.
She didn't run.
She just looked back.
And the world closed around that moment.