CH-1 Collision of Fate

Entering the campus, I rushed into the building.

Already late on the very fucking day!

I ran as fast as I could, using my pretty legs in the best way possible.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I instinctively put a speed breaker on my body only to realize it was a fraud call. What luck.

"WATCH OUT!" someone screamed. I looked towards the direction only to find a ball hurtling towards me with great force.

"What the hell!" I panicked, not knowing what to do, and before I could react, a body collided into mine, making me fall to the ground.

"Ouch!" My body crashed into someone. His strong hand came up behind my head, protecting it from hitting the ground too harshly.

We both fell with such force, I wondered if he got hurt.

He slowly rose from me. God, he was heavy. And as soon as his eyes met mine-

Fuck!

HE

WAS

ARYAVEER!!!

What a great day-joining college almost six months late, late on the very first day I decided to show my face to my university, and clashing with the one and the ONLY person I was not ready to meet.
It had been more than six months since I saw him last.

He looked at me just like the very first day we met. His eyes reacted, but his facial expression remained unchanged.

The moment I looked into his eyes, just like every other time, I forgot the world. His eyes held a different world, one I loved to drown in.

I don't know what happened, but he blinked and stood up.

Oh!

Maybe he realized.
I too stood up. As I tried standing, my shoulder throbbed painfully. Did I hurt myself on the very first day?
I was busy trying to touch and find exactly where it hurt when his friends suddenly surrounded us.

"Hey! Captain, are you okay?"

"That was quick. Are you hurt?"

"He must be, the way they both clashed. Ouch! I can feel their pain."

"Hey, are you okay?" someone asked me, but my eyes directly went to the brown eyes staring at me, as if trying to believe I wasn't some hallucination.

I looked back at the person who had spoken and simply nodded.

"You got hurt? Where?" another voice inquired.

I didn't know what else to say, so I just pointed at my shoulder.

Suddenly, he came up towards me, locking his eyes with mine, then glanced at my shoulder, examining it as he pressed where I had indicated earlier.

"Ah!" I hissed, the pain worsening.

"Captain, did she get hurt?"

"Is it paining?"

He picked up my bag and phone from the ground and walked off.

What now?
Should I follow him?
Maybe I should?

Ughh!!

I ran to catch up with him. He walked a little ahead of me, giving me time to process everything that had happened in the last five minutes of my life.

He looked handsome-a tall figure in a football jersey, his frame bulked up with muscles. His messy hair almost reached his eyes.
He lazily hung my bag on one shoulder while my phone rested in his pocket.

I was admiring him only for him to suddenly stop, and I crashed into him.

"Ah!" I hissed again, the pain in my shoulder flaring up, and my head bumped against the wall behind.

He looked at me for less than a second and shook his head, clearly disappointed at my clumsiness.

But yet, not a single word escaped his lips, nor did I speak.

We reached the medical room, I suppose.

We stepped inside.

"Aryaveer! Bro, what's up? Did you get hurt again?"

A tall, handsome figure greeted him, dressed in a white coat. I assumed he was a doctor.

But Wait

What did he mean by "got hurt again"?

Aryaveer simply nodded in denial, his eyes pointing at me.

"Oh, so you brought a pretty patient. Since when did you start this job of escorting pretty patients to me?" the doctor teased.

"Where is Dr. Bhavana?" he asked, his voice deep and manly. Hearing it after months sent jitters through my body. My heart raced faster just listening to him.

He wasn't even talking to me.
God knows if I would have even stayed conscious if he directed his words at me.

"Haw! Don't you trust me? I'm doing MBBS, Mr. Stop Judging My Degree Every Time You Arrive," the guy in the white coat replied.

"Ahem, ahem. So you are the patient?" The doctor tried to be serious as he turned towards me, i didn't know that simply falling and hurting my shoulder could qualify me to be a patient. But I nodded anyways.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked.

I pointed at my shoulder.
He touched it, trying to find the exact spot.

"Ah!" I hissed again as he applied too much pressure.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll try to be gentle," he apologized, continuing his work.

After a few minutes,

he said, "She is fine. She just hurt her shoulder, a little bruise as well. Apply the ointment and try to rotate and move your shoulder a bit. It will heal within a week." He prescribed the ointment and painkillers.

Before I could glance at the prescription, Aryaveer took it, seemingly uninterested, and focused on his phone.

"Oyye captain, where are you taking this?" the doctor asked.

"Why? Have you opened a pharmacy as well?" Aryaveer replied sarcastically, causing the doctor to roll his eyes.

I began following Aryaveer and the doctor stopped me this time and said, "Miss, not even a single thank you? How entitled people have become to take doctors for granted. I am hurt."

"Thank you," I whispered, or more accurately, I wished I had.

The tall figure standing in front of me laughed, "Ah! You know how to speak, otherwise I thought you only knew how to stare at other men while a handsome doctor treats you. By the way, my name is Shivay, Dr. Shivay, but you can call me Shiv as well." He winked.

"Are you done self-praising now?" Aryaveer asked.

"Oh, now I can't even know about the patient I treated. It's really unfair, dude. What's your name? Wanna enlighten me?" Shivay asked me.

"Hi. Shravani this side. Nice to meet you," I replied.

"You have a pretty voice. You should use that too. Instead of using your eyes to stare too much." He said winking as if it was some secret. Can't he stop saying it again and again.

"Oh," I answered.

"Also, you can come here if you're still in pain. He is not kind enough to rescue people daily. It must be your lucky day that he did something like this. But I will always be here," Shivay added with a smile.

"Okay," I nodded.

What kind of personality does Aryaveer possess here?
I was just so confused.

"Let's go," Aryaveer said, stepping out.

I again followed him like a lost puppy.

We walked to the medical shop, where he bought things, then looked at me.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

"Me?" I replied, confused.

From the moment we stepped out of the medical room, I had been trying to talk to him, but he put his AirPods in and kept walking.

"Who else?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh. In the hostel," I mumbled.

That was all.

He went ahead of me again, WITH HIS AIRPODS ON!

"Aryaveer. Are you listening to me? Ugh! Just look at me once, or at least walk slowly so I can look at you.

So that I know I am not dreaming about you standing by my side all this time.

I don't even know whether you are listening to me or not.

Since when did listening to songs become such a life taking task that you can't even bother to attend to me?

Why does this hurt me so much? Is it because I expect too much?
Or is it because I want you to care... even a little?

Well anyways, fair enough.
I left without another word, didn't contact you either.

It is fair for you to be angry with me.
But at least don't ignore me like I don't exist.

At least listen, I can explain everything. Please."

I kept blabbering non-stop because I didn't know what else to do.

Maybe he slowed down a bit, or maybe I was just assuming-I don't know anything.
He was still ahead of me, with his AirPods on, as if his life depended on it, and here I am talking like a crazy person.

But I had only one thought. One hope.
Maybe he will look at me at least once.

But he didn't.

He stopped in front of the hostel gate.

He looked at me, handed me my bag and walked off.

"Arya," I called as he tried to leave.

And to my surprise, he stopped.

He turned.

He looked at me again, and I thought maybe... just maybe, I would get the chance to explain.

But he shattered all my hopes when he took my phone out of his pocket and handed it back to me.

He turned away again, not even glancing back once and this time walked away for real.

I stood there for minutes, trying to realize,

Is he the same Arya I met for the first time?

The one who paid for a stranger without a second thought...
Or is he the Arya who changed...
Because of me?

..........................................

CH-2 A Spark Of Home

Things were not going the way Shravani had hoped.
They say God only troubles those who are strong enough to fight back, to rise with a bigger comeback. Maybe this was her test too-a tough phase meant to prepare her for something better.

She sighed deeply and dragged herself upstairs. Too much had happened in just a few hours.

The metal gate creaked as she pushed it open, and she climbed the stairs to the first floor. Her legs felt heavier with each step, but the moment she reached her flat, another blunder struck her like a slap.

"Shit!" she muttered. "I forgot the keys on the table. Hayee rabbaa, yeh kya naya siyappa hai? Abhi bhi kuch baaki hai kya? Ugh!" She let out a loud frustrated sigh.

Her flatmates were probably attending classes, and she barely knew any of them. Standing outside the locked door only made the frustration worse. With nothing else to do, she jabbed the doorbell again and again-half to calm herself, half to vent her irritation. She was sure no one would answer.

But to her shock, the door creaked open.

Her mouth fell open.

A petite girl, barely 5'3, stood there in her night suit, glaring with sleep-heavy eyes.

"If the bell breaks, you're paying for it," the girl snapped, her voice groggy but sharp.

Shravani just stood frozen, trying to process what she was seeing.

"Well? Are you coming in or not?" the girl huffed before turning back inside.

Shravani quickly slipped in, awkwardly clutching her bag.

"Oh my God, we got a cutie as our roommate!" another girl called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah. A cutie with a storm," the one in PJs said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Offo, guys! Stop teasing her. Look at her-she's so confused," a calmer voice chimed in from the hall, where the third girl was lounging.

"Uhmm... hi?" Shravani managed, her voice hesitant.

"Hi! I'm Riddhi. Riddhi Shetty!" the girl chirped. "And guess what? You're bound to me. You're my roommate. They both already share a room, but finally I've got my partner!" She kept blabbering like a machine gun.

"Stop talking, Riddhu. Weren't you cooking?" the calm one asked dryly.

"Oh no!" Riddhi gasped and ran back to the kitchen, leaving the rest of them laughing.

"She's always like that," the calm girl said with a small smile. "We'll introduce ourselves properly later. Lunch is almost ready-go freshen up first."

"True! And if you're late, don't blame us if the food's finished. Come, I'll show you your room," the one in PJs added.

Shravani followed silently, her nerves slowly settling. The moment she entered the washroom, she splashed water on her face, whispering to herself, Breathe, Shravani. Just breathe.

When she returned, the three were gathered in the drawing room.

"Come quickly, we were waiting for you!" Riddhi beamed.

"So, introduce yourself. I'm really curious about you."

"Why?" Shravani asked cautiously.

"Ofooo! You tell about yourself first, forget us," Riddhi insisted, serving her a plate.

"I'm Shravani Gill. I just came here today," she said softly.

"Hi, I'm Aarvi Roy. Second year." The calm one finally spoke up.

"I'm Isha Ahuja, also second year," the girl in PJs said casually.

"And I'm in first year," Riddhi chirped, grinning.

"Same," Shravani replied.

"We know," they all said in sync, bursting into laughter.

For the first time that day, Shravani's lips curved into a real smile.

---

Lunch turned into an interrogation session.

"So, did you like the place?" Aarvi asked.

"Have you visited the campus yet?"

"What about your classes? Is everything fine?"

"Why did you leave in the early morning itself?"

"True! We were horrified seeing someone's belongings here. We even complained to the lady downstairs."

"And what about the keys-"

"Calm down, guys!" Shravani interrupted, chuckling. "At least let me speak."

The three fell silent, leaning closer.

"Okay," she began, "my flight landed this morning, so I came here directly. I've already missed almost a whole semester, so I rushed to attend class... but some blunders happened, so I came back. In the hurry, I forgot the keys. Out of frustration, I just kept ringing the bell. Honestly, I didn't expect anyone to be here."

"Ohhh... makes sense now," Isha said, leaning back. "I didn't have classes today, so I decided to sleep in."

"I had class till lunch," Aarvi added.

"And me?" Riddhi grinned. "I skipped mine when I heard our fourth roommate was finally coming."

Shravani laughed, shaking her head.

The flat itself was prettier than she had imagined-two bedrooms, a small but neat kitchen, and a cozy hall. Paintings and photo frames decorated every wall, except the large one in front of the sofa. But the best part? The balcony. Artificial grass, a swing, a small table with indoor plants, and a clear view of the football and basketball grounds.

"It's beautiful," Shravani admitted softly. "Feels... like home already."

The girls smiled. And for the first time since she landed, the heaviness in her chest eased a little.

------

After lunch everyone got busy again.

Aarvi went to library.

Isha went to meet her boyfriend.

And

Riddhi, she gave Shravani company filling up with all the gossip before she fell asleep.

It was almost dinner when everyone was sitting in kitchen gossiping while Aarvi was cooking.

Shravani discovered a hidden side of her roommates. The white wall that was suspiciously empty? It wasn't empty at all. Aarvi brought out a box, Isha set up her laptop, and Riddhi darkened the room.

And suddenly-

The wall lit up.

"A projector?" Shravani gasped. "You guys are insane!"

"Do you like it?" Aarvi asked.

"Like? I love it! But... is this even allowed?"

"Nope," Isha smirked. "That's why it's our top secret."

That night, the four of them laughed and bonded over Netflix until Aarvi finally forced them to bed.

---

But Shravani couldn't sleep.

At 2 AM, her eyes were still wide open. Riddhi's soft snores filled the room, but Shravani's mind was far too restless. She wasn't used to sharing a room, or this sudden storm of emotions.

So, she slipped quietly into the balcony with her diary, sat on the swing, and poured her heart out.

Dear diary,
2:00 am

Once again, I can't fall asleep. My body feels tired, my eyes feel heavy, but my mind refuses to rest. It's like it keeps replaying everything on a loop, and I don't know how to shut it down. The more I try, the more restless I feel.

I met Arya today. After so long. He still looks the same-no, even better. Too handsome to handle, his face sharper, his body more built, those muscles that were always there but now more defined. On the outside, nothing has changed. But between us... everything has.

I never thought staying away and then suddenly showing up would create such a distance. I knew people would be upset with me for leaving without a word, but in my heart, I was so sure Arya would understand. That somehow, he would just... get me. That I could tell him everything, explain every reason, and he'd forgive me first. Because if not him, then who?

But God clearly doesn't like me even a little. Today, standing in front of him, I realized just how deep his anger runs. The way he looked at me-it was like every word I could ever say would only sound like an excuse. And I... I froze. I couldn't tell him anything. Not even a single truth. And that hurts the most. To have someone so close, yet so far... it's unbearable.

Still, maybe God had some mercy on me. Because today I met Aarvi, Riddhi, and Isha. In this unfamiliar place, they felt like little sparks of comfort. Aarvi reminded me so much of Shanaya-calm, composed, steady. Riddhi was like Mahira in every way-bubbly, dramatic, full of life. And Isha... oh God, she is Kabir's carbon copy when it comes to sarcasm.

For a moment, it felt like I had pieces of my old world back. But that only made me miss them more. Ugh, I miss Shanaya, Mahira, Kabir... all of them. I don't even know how they'll react when I finally face them. If Arya, who knew me the best, holds this much hatred, then how much anger must the others be carrying? The thought alone makes my chest tighten. But no matter what, I have to make everything right. Somehow. Even if it takes time.

And then... there's my family. Mom called today. I couldn't pick up. My hands trembled, my throat choked, and I just... couldn't. Later she texted that Dad wanted to talk to me. But I couldn't even reply. I don't have the strength, nor the will. After everything that happened, after all those wounds, I don't want to have any connection with them. Not yet.

I don't know, diary. Right now, everything feels messed up. Arya's anger, my broken ties, this heavy loneliness-it all feels like too much to carry. And yet, I have no choice but to carry it.

-Shravani🤍

................................

CH- 3 Tied to You

"Finally his highness has decided to grace his presence in this small flat." Aksh said as soon as Aryaveer stepped into the hostel room.

"I was in the gym." he replied flatly, tossing his bag on the table before sinking into the sofa.

"Seriously, are you some bodybuilder who needs to attend gym for 3-4 hours a day? Have you seen the time? It's 9 already." Aksh scolded again. He'd been worried sick , not because Aryaveer was the type to pick up calls often, but because today, even after multiple rings, he hadn't answered. And that was never a good sign.

"I was there for just an hour," Aryaveer muttered, rubbing his temple. "Let's talk tomorrow. My head is paining."

"So this is your escape from my question? You weren't in class, you didn't attend the practice match. Where were you?"

"She is back."

"Kon? Tumhare mausa ki beti? Chacha ki beti? Bua ki beti? Who is she? Ya uska naam hi she hai?" Aksh blabbered until Aryaveer cut him off with a single word -

"Shravani."

Silence. It was enough to stop Aksh mid-sentence, and the two other witnesses watched the duo with their mouths hanging open.

"What does that mean?" Yuvi finally asked after two full minutes. Aksh was still staring at Aryaveer like he had seen a ghost.

"Where is she? In Delhi? How did you know? Did Mahi call you?" Aksh bombarded him with questions.

"She is here. In Bangalore. In this university. Currently at the girls' hostel. Anything else?"

"What! How is that possible? Wasn't she in Chandigarh?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" he snapped.

"If not you then who is supposed to know?" This time Kavish chimed in, and both Aksh and Yuvi nodded.

"None of my concerns anymore," Aryaveer said blankly. All three stared at him in horror, as if horns had grown out of his head.

"Ahem... did you meet her?" Aksh asked cautiously.

He nodded. And before Aksh could ask more, Aryaveer told them everything ... how they met, how he ended up dropping her.

"So you were listening to some songs?" Yuvi asked.

"You ignored her the whole time?" Kavish added.

"Even when she tried talking to you?" Aksh pressed.

Aryaveer simply nodded. "I had nothing to talk about."

"How mean of you to ignore my sister like that! I'm going to meet her." Aksh declared, standing up.

"Meet her tomorrow." Aryaveer said and walked off to his room.

"What exactly happened between them? Did she not try to talk to him?" one of them muttered.

"He said she did but he was listening to music. But I also know it's next to impossible that he had nothing to say to her." Yuvi said.

"But he didn't."

"Exactly. They have so much to clear out that a few hours of meeting isn't enough for them to sort out." Kavish replied.

"I really want to see her. I mean, c'mon , the power she holds is insane. The guy who doesn't talk to girls yet helped her even after being hell-bent angry with her. And did you notice his hand?"

"What's wrong with it? Did he get into some fight?" Aksh asked.

"I don't think so. He looked fit," Kavish observed.

"Idiots, he was wearing a hair tie on his wrist , and from the history of the great Aryaveer Singhania, it's too obvious to guess whose hair tie that is." Yuvi said proudly, as if he'd just solved a mystery.

"F***, that's crazy," Kavish breathed.

"I need to see it, myself." Aksh muttered, heading toward Aryaveer's room.

When has my heart ever not challenged me?

Staring at the hair tie on my wrist, I felt a strange calm wash over me. How could something that belonged to the person who hurt me the most... ease the chaos inside me?

Damn it, Shravani. Stop ruling my heart like this ... not when you're the one who shattered it.

When I left to come here, I was clear, she wouldn't be the reason my heart beat again. I was convinced that maybe Shiv ji himself didn't want us together , how else would you explain the silence? Even in this age of technology, not a single message. Not a single call.

I hate her.

I really do.

And that hatred grew with every single moment I missed her.

"Wasn't that every day?" I muttered to myself, losing the self-control I had worked so hard to build.

control that crumbled the moment I saw her in pain.

The moment I decided to keep her hair tie.
The calm I felt when I slipped it on my wrist.
The peace of pretending my AirPods were playing music when, in truth, I was just listening to her ramble to make me speak.
The way my heart clenched when I saw her eyes - full of regret, yet steady with the confidence to fix everything.

And I know her. She's not going to give up.

But this time... neither am I.
This time, I'll listen only to my mind and not to my heart.

I won't let her walk back into my life and ruin the balance I built after she left. Not again.
She doesn't get to appear out of nowhere and expect things to fall back into place, not after the silence, not after the mess she left behind.

But the worst part?

I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to keep that promise.

Because if she looks at me again the way she did today... I'm afraid my heart might betray every wall I've built.

"Shravani, come fast before you end up getting late for class again!" Isha shouted for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Give up. She ain't gonna come anytime soon," Riddhi said, munching on her bread.

"Why?"

"She can't find the hair tie she wore yesterday. She's been searching for it for ages now. Her stuff is even scattered all over my bed. Ugh! It's going to take forever to clean up," Aarvi sighed, lamenting her fate of sharing a room with the roommate she'd been so excited about.

"But can't she use some other band or clutch? She's going to be so late," Aarvi asked, worried.

"Nopee. It's too precious to lose, yaar. I can't," Shravani huffed, finally sitting down on the chair where they had been waiting for her to come.

"Aisa kya usmein diamonds lage hue the jo kho nahi sakti?" Riddhi asked, already done with her drama.

"Diamonds se jyada precious tha woh," Shravani sulked, like a child who'd just lost her favourite toy.

"Diamonds se jyada! aisa kaunsa Kohinoor tha usmein?" Riddhi pressed.

"Kohinoor hi tha yaar."

"Accha bass karo aur jaldi kha lo, then we all have classes," Isha reminded them.

"As a good roommate ,since you messed up my bed, I'll return the favour and drop you to your class today," Riddhi announced proudly, making the other two burst into laughter.

"Sorry, I'll clean it up after I come back. Pakka se."

Walking through the corridors of the university, my head kept slipping back to yesterday. Where the hell did I lose that hair tie?

Class still had time to begin, and Riddhi was already yapping about some gossip that apparently happened in our university from 1st year itself. I wonder how she even gets to know everything.

But none of her words reached me, my brain was too busy rewinding every possible moment I might've dropped that hair tie.

That band isn't just a band. It's precious.
I still remember when Arya used to give me little gifts in exchange for doing the homework he used to give while teaching me and this was one of them. Since then, I've taken better care of his gifts than my own self.

And why not my Arya had given me or to be precise I demanded him.

And now I've lost it. Ugh. I feel like crushing someone right now. Why did Arya have to be angry with me? And why did I have to lose it?

I walked into class, waved Riddhi goodbye, and slipped into the last seat.

I was about to put my AirPods on, but the moment I saw them, irritation flared. Because of these stupid AirPods, Arya didn't bother to listen to me ONCE not Even once.

I shoved them back into my bag, already deciding to buy wired earphones on my way back.

With my head down on the desk, I tried to breathe, to think of ways I could mend things with Arya... anything that would make him talk to me again.

Until

"Move. It's a booked seat." a manly voice said.

....................