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As the lunch break bell rang, Tara, Ira, and Veer quickly bolted out of the room and ran down to the crowded canteen. They managed to snag an empty bench and sat down, before Veer abruptly stood up and excused himself, disappearing into the crowd.

Tara slumped onto the table, rubbing her stomach. "Ye Veer kab tak aayega?" she mumbled dramatically. "Bhook lagi hai...""Aata hoga. Dekh, aa gaya," Ira said, gesturing toward the entrance.But Veer hadn't returned alone. Walking right beside him were Zara, Aron, and Ayan, all deep in conversation.

Tara, however, was already too busy opening her tiffin and taking a massive bite of her lunch to pay any attention to the newcomers.Veer stepped up to the bench, clapping his hands together.

"Guys, ye hai Aron, Zara, aur Ayan..."Hearing that specific final name, Tara instantly choked on her food.

She erupted into a violent fit of coughing, her face turning bright red. Ira quickly reached over, rubbing her back to help her breathe.

Dashing her tears away, Tara scrambled to compose herself and shot a wide-eyed look at Ayan. But Ayan was still looking away, completely occupied by something Aron was saying.

Tara and Ira stood up to greet the group. Ira stepped forward first, offering a polite smile. "Hello, I'm Ira.""I'm Zara," the other girl replied, shaking her hand warmly. Ira then turned and shook hands with Ayan, exchanging a brief, courteous smile.

Watching this, Aron excitedly thrust his hand forward for a handshake, his eyes sparkling. Ira, however, simply joined her palms together in a sweet, traditional gesture. "Namaste," she said crisply.

Aron felt instantly unlucky, his hand freezing mid-air. Gathering his dignity, he quickly mirrored her action with a widegrin. "Namaste!

Veer, watching the rejection unfold, couldn't help but snicker silently.Now, it was Tara's turn. She exchanged polite handshakes with Zara and Aron, but the moment she stepped up to face Ayan, pure panic seized her brain.

She quickly wiped her sweaty palm against her uniform skirt before tentatively extending her hand. Ayan met her halfway, his fingers closing around hers.The absolute second their skin touched, a sudden, electrifying current ran straight through Tara's body. The comforting warmth of his palm flooded her senses.

Mesmerized by the sensation, a dreamy smile spread across her face, and her fingers unconsciously gripped his hand a little too tightly, completely refusing to let go.

A sharp, painful pinch on her arm suddenly made her jolt. "Ouch!" she squeaked, rubbing the spot fiercely.Snapping back to reality, she realized the entire table was staring at her in absolute bewilderment. Veer leaned down toward her ear, his voice a frantic, harsh whisper. "Abee, haat chhor uska! Creepy lag rahi hai, chhor usko!"

Huh?!" Tara blinked, suddenly realizing she was still clutching Ayan's hand like a lifesaver."Ohh..." Tara squeaked, her face burning a furious scarlet as she instantly ripped her hand back.

"Sorry..."Ayan cleared his throat, maintaining a remarkably polite, calm composure to save them both from total awkwardness. "I'm Ayan," he introduced himself smoothly."Hello, Ayan," Tara murmured, just to feel the heavy melody of his name rolling off her tongue.The tension slowly dissolved as they all sat down around the long table and started talking, sharing snacks and Stories.

Veer, noticing the heavy, questioning glares Tara and Ira were shooting him, decided it was time to clear the air.

Actually, Aron mere ghar ke pass hi raheta hai. Isliye hamri dosti ho gayi vacations mai," Veer explained, gesturing to the boy beside him."Ohh, achha..." Tara and Ira said in unison, the pieces of the puzzle finally clicking into place.The rest of the hour flew past in a blur of comfortable chatter. Soon enough, the final bell rang to signal the end of the break, and the group parted ways, returning to their respective classrooms for the remaining periods of the day

So her name is Tara... Ajeeb ladki hai." Ayan muttered to himself as they walked back to class, the memory of her intense, unblinking grip on his hand still fresh. "But why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before?

Oye! Tu sun raha hai nahh?" Aron's loud voice abruptly broke the thread of Ayan's thoughts."Huh? Kya?" Ayan blinked, pulling himself back to reality."Mai bol rha hu ki ajj ham sab Veer ke ghar mil rahe hai.

Toh tum dono 4:00 baje se phle mere ghar aana, phir vaha se hum Veer ke ghar chalenge," Aron explained the game plan.Zara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms defensively. "Nahi, mai nahi aa rahi. Mujhe nahi milna kisi se bhi.""Pls Zara, maan jaa! Kese chalega agar tu nahi aayegi toh? Aur vo log acche hai... pls," Aron pleaded, practically begging.Zara let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, aa jaungi. Maar mat ab," she grumbled.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the corridor, Veer was busy finalizing the plans with his own squad.

Tara, Ira, aaj shaam mere ghar aana 4:00 baje. Ayan, Zara, aur Aron bhi aayenge. Sabka proper meet up hoga."Tara's eyes instantly lit up, her heart doing a wild backflip. "Ohh, really?! Phir toh maza aayega! Finally Ayan ko dekhne ko milega," she squealed,

entirely transparent about her motivations.Ira, however, looked highly skeptical. "Aana zaruri hai?""Of course yarr! Accha thodi lagega agar tu nahi aayegi... Aa jana pls, Veer insisted, giving her a look that made Ira softly exhale.

Fine..." Ira muttered.With the plans locked in, the final bell of the day rang. They all bid goodbye to each other at the main exit and went toward their respective houses.

Tara stood at the bustling Delhi bus stop, shielding her eyes from the bright afternoon sun. The first bus rattled to a halt, but it was completely packed to the brim, so she let it go. As she waited for the next one, she caught sight of Ayan walking out of the school gates.Her breath instantly caught.

She meticulously noted how the wind ruffled his slightly messy hair and how his uniform tie hung loose around his collar, giving him a dangerously effortless look. The moment he walked closer to her spot, panic seized her.

She aggressively looked away, intensely pretending to study the dirt on her shoes.Suddenly, she felt his towering presence right near her shoulder. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she slowly looked upward.

Ayan was standing right there, looking down at her with a remarkably soft, dazzling smile.

"Hello, Tara," he said, his voice smooth."

He... Hello, Ayan..." she stammered, her cheeks immediately turning a vivid shade of pink as her shyness took over.Ayan leaned toward her slightly, Ayan leaned toward her slightly, a playful glint in his dark eyes.

"Tumne toh apna naam bataya hi nahi."

Tara blinked, her brain scrambling.

"Umm, bataya toh... Canteen mai... Tara...

""Nahi, mai toh garden ki baat kar raha hu," Ayan countered, his tone turning highly teasing as a smirk played on his lips. "

Aur kya bol rahi thi? 'Mai prem patra nahi le sakti', hmm?""Nahi, vo..." Tara squeaked, her survival instincts kicking in as she took a panicked step backward.

But Ayan didn't let her escape. He took another deliberate, magnetic step ahead, closing the distance completely.Time ground to an absolute, breathless halt.

Ayan leaned in even more, bowing his face down slightly to bridge the remaining distance. Their lips were barely an inch away, the static electricity between them thick and intoxicating.

Tara quickly closed her eyes, completely ready to melt into the dreamy, magical moment-

She waited.And waited.But the magical moment never arrived. Instead, a harsh, elderly voice violently shattered the universe.

"Beta, jaana nahi hai kya? Sab chale gaye," an old passenger asked, nudging her shoulder."Huh?!" Tara jolted violently, her eyes snapping open. She looked around in absolute bewilderment.

The bus stop was completely empty. Everyone had already boarded the bus. Far ahead, she could see Ayan boarding a completely different, blue city bus."Han! Han, jaana hai!" Tara stammered, her face burning with a whole new level of embarrassment. She scrambled up the steps of her bus, found an empty window seat, and slumped against the glass.

"Tch! Sapna tha! Tara, tu bhi nahh!" she scolded herself internally, lightly hitting her own forehead with her palm. Despite the reality check, a soft, involuntary smile graced her lips as she replayed the imaginary scene in her head. After a short ride, she finally reached her home, hurried up to her room, and locked the door to prepare for the 4:00 PM meetup.

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Tara sat on her plush bed, idly scrolling through her phone feed when a reel suddenly caught her attention:

"If you want to impress someone, remember-the first impression is the last impression." She read the words, and her mind immediately clicked into overdrive.

"Yahi bol rahi thi yaar! Aur kya sahi time pe reel aayi hai. Aaj hi toh Ayan se milne jana hai..." she squealed.Tossing her phone aside, she bolted to her wardrobe and began an aggressive, frantic search for the perfect outfit.

After a chaotic struggle that involved trying on and rejecting twenty different dresses, she finally pulled out her absolute favorite pink frock."Good! Ye dress acchi hai.

Aur iske saath ye earrings, ye bracelet... aur han, ye sandals. Yup, pura outfit fix ho gaya!"Standing in front of her mirror,

she decided to run through a quick practice session just in case Ayan spoke to her.

Hello, Tara," she mimicked in a low, tries-to-be-deep baritone. Spinning around gracefully, she smoothed down her hair and offered a delicate whisper. "Hello, Ayan.

""Kesi ho, Tara?" she countered in her fake Ayan voice."Tumhri hu, Ayan..." Tara replied, instantly turning a vivid shade of crimson.

She giggled, entirely overwhelmed by her own imagination. "Hehee, sharm aa rahi hai!" she laughed, flopping face-first onto her bed.Glancing at the clock, she noted she still had a significant window of time.

Huh, abhi toh kafi time hai. Thoda beauty sleep le leti hu... glow aayega face pe," she muttered. Settling under the sheets, she set three separate back-to-back alarms for 3:40 PM and closed her eyes.

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Meanwhile, at Veer's house at 4:00 PM sharp, the entire group had arrived. They warmly greeted Veer's mother in the living room before heading straight upstairs to his bedroom.Aron looked around, genuinely impressed.

"Whaaa! Nahi, room toh mast hai."Ira crossed her arms, offering a teasing smirk. "Huh! Kya baat hai, aaj toh insano wala kamra hai!"Veer lifted his chin, his chest swelling with ultimate pride. "Acha, tum sab baitho. Mai abhi aaya," he said, flashing a grin before heading out to fetch some snacks from the kitchen.

The squad settled into the space. Aron scanned the room once more, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Ye Tara nahi aayi abhi tak?""Aati hogi abhi," Ira replied smoothly, checking her phone.Soon enough, Veer returned balancing a heavy tray of refreshments. They spent the next hour talking, laughing, and playing, but both Veer and Ira were periodically checking their wristwatches with growing anxiety.

By the time the clock ticked closer to 5:00 PM, Tara was still nowhere to be seen. "Yarr, 5:00 bajne wale hai... Tara nahi aayi abhi tak," Veer mumbled, thoroughly annoyed.Ira sighed, her expression darkening. "

Wahi toh! Pagal hai ye ladki. Kal keh rahi thi ki 'mera aur Ayan ke beech kuch karwao', aur jab chance mila toh madam hi gayab hai!"Ayan closed his notebook and checked the time, adjusting his bag strap.

Achha, mai chalta hu... Mujhe padhna hai," he said politely.Hearing this, Veer's eyes widened in sheer panic. "Aree yarr, thodi der ruk ja, aur phir chale jayeo!" he pleaded, aggressively grabbing Ayan's arm and pulling him right back down onto the mattress.

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