The cafeteria was bustling with students, the clatter of trays and hum of conversations filling the air. In one corner, a table had been claimed by the group—Shumaila, Komal, Akansha, Sneha, Rudra, Aarav, Siddarth, and, to everyone's surprise, Hamza.
"I still don't understand why you keep dragging me into these things," Hamza muttered, adjusting the strap of his bag as he settled into his seat. His sharp gaze flickered around the table, clearly displeased by the unexpected gathering.
Rudra grinned, unbothered by Hamza's glare. "Because, my dear friend, socializing is good for your cold, robotic heart."
Hamza scoffed. "My heart is perfectly functional, thank you."
Shumaila, who had been sipping her iced coffee, arched a brow at him. "Functional, sure. If you even have one."
The table went silent for a second before a few suppressed chuckles broke out. Hamza's dark eyes snapped to Shumaila. "At least mine isn't fueled by unwarranted arrogance."
Shumaila smirked, unfazed. "Oh, I love how you think you're better than everyone else just because you know how to code."
Hamza leaned back, crossing his arms. "And I love how you think you're the smartest person in the room when all you do is argue your way through life."
The tension crackled between them, their eyes locked in a silent battle.
"Oh for God's sake," Sneha groaned, rubbing her temples. "Can you two stop bickering for one meal? Just one?"
Shumaila huffed, tearing her gaze away, while Hamza simply exhaled through his nose and looked elsewhere.
"Thank you," Sneha muttered before turning toward Komal. "Now, let's talk about the actual issue—Riya."
At the mention of Riya's name, the group's playful energy shifted into something more serious.
Komal sighed, stirring her drink with her straw. "I don't know what her problem is. She just came at me out of nowhere."
"Not 'out of nowhere'," Shumaila corrected. "She's trying to get back in Taniya's good books. And since she couldn't take me down, she thought coming after you would be easier."
Siddarth scoffed. "Well, she miscalculated that."
Akansha nodded, her jaw tight. "We should keep an eye on her. She won't stop at this."
Before anyone could respond, a sudden voice interrupted them.
"Um… Aarav?"
All heads turned to see a girl standing beside their table, her cheeks tinged pink as she nervously held out a small box of chocolates.
Aarav blinked, looking caught off guard. "Uh… yeah?"
"I-I just wanted to say… I think you're really cool, and I really like you," she stammered, her fingers gripping the chocolate box tightly. "So… these are for you."
The table fell completely silent.
Siddarth was the first to break the silence, smirking as he elbowed Aarav. "Oho, Mr. Popular."
Rudra let out a low whistle. "Didn't know we had a heartthrob in our midst."
Komal and Shumaila shared amused glances, while Sneha struggled to suppress a giggle.
Aarav, still trying to process the situation, hesitated before taking the chocolates. "Uh… thanks?"
The girl smiled shyly before quickly scurrying away, clearly too nervous to stay and hear his response.
As soon as she was gone, the table erupted into chaos.
"So, Romeo," Siddarth teased, grinning. "How many secret admirers do you have?"
"Shut up," Aarav groaned, rubbing his face in embarrassment.
"You should at least try the chocolates," Komal mused. "Would be rude not to."
"Yeah, yeah," Aarav muttered, opening the box.
While the group continued teasing him, Akansha remained silent. She wasn't sure why, but something about the entire scene had unsettled her. It wasn't jealousy, right? It couldn't be.
Then why did she feel this strange tightness in her chest?
She shook her head, pushing the thought away.
For now, she just listened to the group's chatter, letting their laughter fill the space around her.