Continue....

As the days slowly turned into weeks, their friendship began to grow stronger.They talked more now.

They laughed together.

They teased each other over the smallest things.

And somehow, without either of them realising it, their presence had started becoming a part of each other's everyday routine.

But there was still something different about Tara whenever Ayan came in front of her.

She would suddenly become quieter.

She tried to avoid looking directly at him-not because she was embarrassed, but because every time her eyes accidentally met his, her heart seemed to skip a beat.

So, she started finding little excuses to see him.By now, she knew Ayan's class timetable almost perfectly.

If his class was near the water tap,

suddenly Tara would feel very thirsty.

If she knew he would be passing through the corridor, she somehow had an important reason to stand there.

Sometimes, she would stand near the staircase and casually look around, pretending to be interested in anything except him.

And sometimes, she would peek through the classroom window, hoping to catch even a tiny glimpse of him.

Slowly, looking for Ayan had become a habit.

A habit she never admitted to anyone.

Especially not to herself.

Ayan noticed her too.Sometimes, he would catch her looking at him.

Their eyes would meet for a second...

And Tara would immediately look away as if the wall suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.

Ayan would simply smile to himself.

He thought it was just coincidence.

He had no idea that those little coincidences were actually carefully planned by Tara.

Meanwhile, Veer was no different when it came to Zara.

Ever since he had discovered that Zara came to school early, he had started coming early too.

At first, he told himself it was just because he liked reaching school early.

But deep down, he knew the real reason.

Zara.

Sometimes, he would wait outside her classroom.Sometimes, he would arrive before her and pretend to be busy on his phone.

And whenever he finally saw her walking through the gate, that stupid little smile would automatically appear on his face.

Today was no different.

Veer stood near the corridor, casually waiting.

He checked the time.

Then looked towards the main gate.

Nothing.

He sighed and looked at his phone again.

And just when he was about to give up...

There she was.

Zara.

She entered through the main gate with her bag hanging from one shoulder.

But something seemed different today.

Her steps were faster than usual.

Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

And her lips were moving as she mumbled something angrily under her breath.

Even from a distance, Veer could tell...

Madam ka mood kharab hai.He smiled to himself.

As Zara came closer, Veer straightened up.

"Good morning, Juliet."Zara stopped.

She slowly looked at him.Her expression clearly said, 'Please don't start.'

"Dekho..." she warned, already irritated. "Agar bakwaas karni hai na, toh abhi mera mann hai tumhe sunane ka. Jao yahan se."

Veer raised both his eyebrows innocently."Ohooo..."

He looked at her from head to toe and then at her bag. "Waise bhi ye bag itna bhaari ho raha hai aur upar se tum..."

Zara rolled her eyes.

"Wahooo," Veer said dramatically. "Lagta hai aaj madam ka mood bahut hi kharaab hai."

Zara gave him an annoyed look before walking ahead.Veer smiled and followed her.

"Oho, Juliet... ruk jao."

Zara ignored him.

"Come on."

He quickly walked beside her."Lao, bag main le leta hoon."

He reached for her bag.Zara immediately pulled it away.

"Nahi! Chhodo. Main le jaungi."

Veer frowned dramatically."Why?"

"Second floor hi toh jaana hai. Zyada door nahi hai."

Arey, hamara school hi do floors mein divided hai!" Veer argued, pretending to be offended. "Lao mujhe do. Main le leta hoon."

"Nahi."

"Zara."

"Veer."

"Bag do."

"Nahi."

Veer sighed dramatically.

Fine."

Before Zara could react, he gently took the bag from her shoulder.

"Veer!"

He ignored her protest and placed the bag comfortably on his own shoulder.

Zara stared at him for a moment.

"You're seriously impossible."

Veer smiled.

"I know."

He started walking.

But after only a few steps, his eyebrows lifted.

He looked at the bag.

Then at Zara.

Then back at the bag.

"Ohhh..."

Zara looked at him.

"Kya?"

"Kaafi heavy hai."

Zara tried to hide a tiny smile.

"Ab pata chala?"

Veer looked at her suspiciously.

"Waise kya bhar ke laayi ho?"

"Ma'am ne kuch extra books mangwayi hain. Wahi hain."

Veer nodded.

"Hmm..."

And then, without complaining anymore, he continued walking.

Zara watched him quietly.

She noticed how easily he had taken her bag without making it a big deal.

How he kept walking beside her without getting too close.

How he casually ate a banana with one hand while carrying her heavy bag with the other.

A tiny smile appeared on her lips.

She couldn't help herself.

"Waise..." she looked at him, "tum aadmi ho ya bandar?"

Veer stopped chewing.

He slowly turned towards her.

"Excuse me?"

Zara tried to control her laughter.

Veer narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Tumhe kya pasand hai?"

Zara immediately looked away.

"Hehe... kuch nahi."

But the smile on her face betrayed her.Veer noticed it.

And for some reason, seeing her smile made him smile too.

Soon, they reached Zara's classroom. Zara extended her hand.

"Lao, bag do."

Veer immediately moved the bag away.

Nope."

Zara frowned.

"Veer!"

"Which desk?"

"The front one."

"Ohooo... topper.

He placed her bag near the front desk.

Zara shook her head, trying not to smile.

"Khair, hum toh teen bench mein baithte hain," Veer said while looking around. "Window ke paas."

He pointed towards the seats.

"Window seat ke paas Tara baithti hai, side mein Ira... aur middle mein..."

He sat down casually.

"Main."

Zara stood there, looking at him.

She didn't even realise how long she had been staring.

Veer noticed.

He slowly turned his head towards her.

Their eyes met.

And suddenly...

Neither of them said anything.

Zara's expression softened.

The teasing smile on Veer's face became quieter.

For a few seconds, they simply looked at each other.

Zara's heart suddenly felt strangely light and heavy at the same time.

She didn't know why she couldn't look away.

And Veer?

He definitely noticed.

A small, mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

He leaned forward just a little.

"Itna mat dekho, Juliet..."

He paused deliberately.

"Kahin pyaar na ho jaaye."

Zara blinked.

Her cheeks warmed instantly.

She broke eye contact and looked somewhere else.

Veer smiled.

He had expected her to get annoyed.

But this reaction?

This was much more interesting.

He bent down slightly, trying to catch her eyes again.

"Something... something?"

Zara looked at him, confused.

"Huh?"

Veer tilted his head.

"Something something?"

"Nothing."

She tried to sound innocent.

Zara narrowed her eyes.

"Umm... umm... something something?"Veer immediately looked away.

"Nothing."Zara stared at him.

Then her lips curved into a knowing smile.

"Ayoing..."

Veer looked at her.

"Try kar rahe ho expression hide karne ki?"

For a moment, Veer said nothing.

Then he smiled softly.

"It's okay."He shrugged casually.

"Shuru-shuru mein aisa hi hota hai."

Zara's eyes widened.She opened her mouth to reply...

But no words came out.

Veer chuckled softly, picked up his banana, and walked out of the classroom.

Zara watched him leave.And the moment he disappeared from her sight, she touched her cheeks lightly.

They felt warm.

She shook her head, trying to convince herself that it was nothing.

"Pagal hai..."

But despite herself...

A small smile remained on her face. ❤️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Soon, the three of them came back to their classroom.

Miss Sha was already standing in front of the board, completely lost in teaching the chapter. Most of the students were trying their best to concentrate.

Well...

Trying was the important word.

A few were fighting sleep, some were staring blankly at the board, and a few were secretly checking the clock every two minutes.

But the third bench?

That bench had its own agenda.

Veer quietly opened his lunch box and placed it on his lap, carefully hiding it beneath the desk.

The moment he opened the lid, the fresh smell of aloo paratha spread around.

Tara's nose immediately caught the smell.

She sniffed once.

Then again.

Her eyes slowly moved towards Veer.

And the moment she saw the paratha...

Her eyes practically sparkled.

Fresh aloo paratha.

She slowly rolled her tongue over her lips.

That looked way too delicious.

Veer noticed her expression.

He glanced at her and quietly nudged her.

Tara looked at him.

Veer silently offered her a piece.

Her face immediately brightened.

Ira noticed what they were doing.

She gave them the look.

But then, after seeing their innocent expressions, she simply turned her face towards the board and decided to focus on the lesson.

Meanwhile, Tara and Veer started eating like they hadn't seen food in days.

They were both trying desperately to chew quietly.

Suddenly, Veer widened his eyes at Tara.

"Oye! Ek-ek karke kha na!"

He whispered.

"Main bhi toh ek-ek bite kha raha hoon," he defended himself.

Tara rolled her eyes.

"Chal chal... main toh do-do bites khaungi. Teri ek bite chaar bites jaisi hai."

Veer looked offended.

"Excuse me?"

Before he could continue-

"Shhh!"

Ira's warning came from beside them.

Both immediately became silent.

For approximately three seconds.

Then Tara took another huge bite.

Veer stared at her in disbelief.

"Oyeee! Itna bada bite!"

Tara tried to reply with her mouth full.

"Ye toh main-"

She stopped because even she realised she couldn't speak properly.

Veer shook his head.

"Ye toh main nahi seh sakta..."

And as if to prove a point, he took an even bigger bite himself.

His cheeks instantly puffed up.

Tara stared at him.

Then burst into silent laughter.

Ira glanced at them.

Even she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Then, perhaps just to compete with Veer, Ira also took a bigger bite.

Now all three of them were sitting there with completely puffed-up cheeks.

Tara looked like a tiny pufferfish.

Veer looked no better.

And there was even a tiny spot of ketchup near Tara's lips.

They were trying desperately not to laugh.

Suddenly-

"Okay, guys... what exactly is happening there?"

Miss Sha's voice rang through the classroom.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Tara froze.

Veer froze.

Ira immediately looked at the board.

Both Tara and Veer hurriedly stood up.

Veer quickly closed his lunch box and tried to hide it beneath the desk.

Miss Sha narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze moved from Veer to Tara.

Then she noticed their suspiciously full cheeks.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you guys eating something?"

Before Veer could come up with an excuse-

"Ma'am, may I come in?"

Everyone looked towards the door.

Ayan stood there holding a sheet of paper.

Miss Sha turned towards him.

"Yes, come in."

The moment Tara looked towards the door and saw Ayan...

Her eyes widened.

She completely forgot about the food in her mouth.

She accidentally inhaled too quickly and immediately started coughing.

"Kh-kh!"

Ira's eyes widened.

"Tara!"

She quickly handed her the water bottle.

Tara grabbed it, took a sip, and hurriedly chewed and swallowed the food.

✌️⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Meanwhile...

Veer, who apparently had learnt absolutely nothing from the situation, casually took another huge bite.

Ira stared at him in disbelief.

Seriously?

Miss Sha sighed.

"Okay, okay..."

She looked at Tara and Veer.

"Veer and Tara, principal ma'am is calling you."

Tara didn't even ask why.

She immediately stepped out of the classroom.

She was secretly relieved.

At least Miss Sha couldn't see her face anymore.

But Veer wasn't so lucky.

Miss Sha caught him.

"Veer! Tumhe kitni baar bola hai meri class mein lunch mat kiya karo! First period mein hi lunch shuru kar dete ho. Ghar se breakfast karke aaya

karo!"

Veer lowered his head.

"Sorry, ma'am."

He glanced towards the door where Tara had already disappeared.

He muttered under his breath,

"Dhoke-baaz... mujhe chhod ke khud bhaag gayi."

Miss Sha glared at him.

Veer immediately straightened.

"Sorry, ma'am."

And hurried out.

Okay... chapter khatam, but your job isn't! 👀

Did you enjoy it? Then Vote ♡ | Comment 💬 | Follow ✨

Tell me-which moment made you smile the most?

See you soon, my little readers! 🫶🏻