That evening, Aadhira was getting ready for the college freshers' function.
She stood in front of the mirror, carefully draping her saree, trying to fix the pleats perfectly.
The door suddenly opened.
Vihaan walked in without knocking, speaking casually — until he froze.
She hadn't noticed him.
For a second, time stopped.
He quickly looked away, his heart racing, realizing he had walked in at the wrong moment. Without saying a word, he stepped back and quietly closed the door.
A few minutes later, Aadhira came out, fully dressed, adjusting her bangles.
"How do I look?" she asked softly.
Vihaan looked at her properly this time — and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
"You look like a princess," he said honestly.
She smiled, unaware of the strange silence behind his eyes.
They left for college together, just like always.
But what Aadhira didn't know was that Vihaan's heart already belonged to someone else — a love he had never spoken about.
He had never kept secrets from her before.
And tonight, he had decided… he would finally tell her