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The next morning, everyone met in the hotel lobby, still a little sleepy but excited. The bus was waiting outside to take them to the match destination. As soon as they stepped inside, the teasing began.
Vivaan leaned over the seat toward Haniya. "So… someone looks extra fresh today."
Harsh joined immediately. "Yeah, glowing. Aarav, what did you do? Give her some magic buff?"
Haniya rolled her eyes. "Please. You two don't even have the glow of basic hygiene."
Aarav almost choked on air laughing. "They walked straight into that."
Kashvi patted Haniya's shoulder. "Ignore them. Their IQ is lower than their rank."
"I know," Haniya replied proudly.
The bus moved out of the hotel gate, and the chatter continued. Vivaan talked about strategies, Harsh bragged about his last match triple kill, and Kashvi discussed mid-lane timings. Aarav kept stealing soft looks at Haniya whenever the others weren't paying attention. She caught him once and mouthed, "Focus."
He mouthed back, "Can't."
By the time they reached the destination, everyone was finally awake and pumped. The building was huge, filled with tournament banners and glowing screens. Reporters were already gathered.
As soon as the team stepped down from the bus, flashing cameras hit them.
" how confident are you today?"
"Is it true Aarav and Haniya are dating?"
"Haniya, why did you avoid answering last time? Fans are curious!"
Haniya kept her expression calm and walked forward. Aarav placed his hand gently on her back—not touching her enough to get caught, but near enough that she felt reassured. Vivaan whispered to the reporters, "Save your questions for after we win."
Inside the preparation room, the team relaxed a little. Everyone dropped their bags, grabbed water, and stretched. Haniya sat on the sofa tying her hair. Aarav sat beside her, leaning close.
"Nervous?" he asked.
"No," she said confidently. "But you look nervous."
He smirked. "If I lose today, you'll bully me for a week."
"You already know me well," she said.
The rest of the team joined in the chatter. Harsh bragged again about playing aggressive today. Kashvi reminded him not to feed early. Vivaan cracked jokes non-stop. Slowly, the pressure faded and excitement returned.
Soon, they were called to the stage.
The arena lights hit them as they walked out. The cheering was loud enough to shake the floor. Each player sat at their assigned setup. The countdown on the big screen started.
3…
2…
1…
The match loaded in.
Everyone went to their lanes immediately. Haniya started in the jungle, clearing her first buff fast. Aarav pushed top lane steady. Kashvi brought pressure mid. Vivaan and Harsh held the bot lane tightly.
The enemy team was experienced. Their rotations were quick, and they tried to trap Haniya early in the jungle. She escaped with barely any health, laughing. "They think they can catch me? Cute."
Aarav responded, "Don't get overconfident."
She replied, "I'll get confident when you stop dying early."
"Hey!" he complained. Everyone laughed.
But soon the intensity grew. The first big team fight happened near the objective. Kashvi signaled, "We go now."
Haniya dashed in first, bursting the enemy marksman. Harsh followed with crowd control, and Aarav sealed the kill on the enemy tank. They took the objective and the crowd cheered.
But the enemy wasn't giving up. The second major fight turned against them. Vivaan was caught out first, Haniya tried to help but got stunned, and the opponents pushed straight into their mid tower.
Aarav exhaled heavily. "Okay… they're stronger than last time."
Kashvi responded, "Doesn't matter. Calm down. Reset."
Everyone regrouped. Their coach behind them said softly, "You know how to handle pressure. Trust your instincts."
The last phase of the match was the most intense. Both teams were equal in score. One mistake could end everything.
Haniya took a deep breath. "We win this one."
She made a calculated move—sneaking behind the enemy team. Kashvi kept mid pressure, distracting their mage. Harsh positioned on the side. Vivaan pretended to retreat. Aarav stayed in the front line.
The moment the enemy jumped on Aarav, Haniya attacked from behind with full burst. The enemy mage went down instantly. Kashvi finished the assassin. Harsh stunned their frontline. Vivaan secured the next kill.
Aarav shouted, "Push! Now!"
They rushed forward together, taking down the enemy base in a single, perfect attack.
The crowd exploded.
They won.
The announcement echoed through the arena, and everyone stood up cheering. Haniya removed her headphones, breathing heavily but smiling proudly.
Harsh shouted, "WE DID IT!"
Vivaan picked Kashvi up in excitement. Kashvi screamed at him to put her down.
Aarav walked toward Haniya with that soft smile that only she ever saw.
She whispered, "We did it."
He brushed his fingers lightly against hers—just for a second. "You were incredible."
In the preparation room after the match, everyone was still buzzing. They replayed moments, shouted about clutches, debated who carried more. Their coach congratulated them but reminded them to stay grounded.
The celebration was small—just loud laughs, snacks, and punching each other's arms like kids.
Aarav leaned toward Haniya and whispered,
"Tonight was perfect."
She looked at him and smiled,
"Because we won?"
He shook his head.
"No. Because you were there."
Her cheeks warmed, but she told him,
"Shut up. Or they'll tease us again."
He grinned.
"I don't care."
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