The basketball court was alive with noise—shoes squeaking, boys shouting, and the deep echo of the ball hitting the floor. Aravin wasn't usually the type to join games, but today he was in. Maybe he just needed a distraction.
Across the court, Nairi cheered from the bleachers, her smile bright enough for anyone to notice. Aravin tried not to look, but his eyes kept drifting in her direction.
A perfect shot.
The ball swished.
His teammates clapped his back.
"Nice one, bro!" one of the players shouted—Kade, tall and quick, grinning like he owned the place.
Their small friendly match dragged on, the energy high. Aravin was actually enjoying himself… until he heard voices from the side.
Nairi was talking to someone. A boy he hadn't seen with her before.
A foreign-looking guy with messy blond hair and ocean-blue eyes—Evan. He stood confidently, spinning a basketball on his finger while talking to her like they'd known each other for years.
Aravin's heartbeat stuttered.
And then he heard it—
"Honestly, he's kinda perfect, isn't he?" Nairi laughed, pointing toward Evan.
"Like… look at him."
The smile on Aravin's face fell instantly.
His grip on the ball loosened.
He missed the pass that came toward him, letting it bounce away untouched.
Kade noticed first.
"You good, dude?" he whispered, nudging him.
Aravin just forced a smile. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
When the match finally ended, everyone gathered their stuff. Aravin turned to leave, avoiding all eye contact, especially Nairi's.
"Aravin!" she called out.
He paused but didn't turn.
"Are you okay? Your face… I don't know, you look kinda off."
He forced another smile.
"I'm fine, Nairi. Just tired," he said—and walked away.
But she kept watching him like she could sense something he wouldn't say.
Outside the court, he bumped into Riyan, who immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, what happened? You look like someone stole your soul."
Aravin sighed. "Nothing, yaar. Just… long day."
"Don't lie. Who said what? Someone pissed you off?"
Before Aravin could answer, Kade and the other two teammates—Liam and Troy—appeared behind him.
They smirked in the most annoying way.
"Ooooh, I know that look," Troy teased.
"Someone's jealous," Liam added in an exaggerated tone
Aravin glared. "Shut up, guys."
But they only laughed harder.
Riyan crossed his arms. "Seriously though. You wanna talk about something?"
Aravin hesitated—for a long moment.
Then he shook his head.
Because how could he tell them that the girl he liked was busy admiring someone else?
That too right in front of him?
So he just walked off, leaving the noise, the teasing, the laughter behind…
Wishing everything inside him would just quiet down too.