The sun was high in the sky as the group gathered outside the campus café, chatting about their day and making fun of each other, as was tradition.
"So, Shumaila, how's the trauma from fresher's night treating you?" Siddarth smirked, nudging her.
Shumaila groaned, rolling her eyes. "Do you all have a contract to never let me live this down?"
"Pretty much," Rudra added with a grin. "You gave us comedy gold. We're legally obligated to keep it alive."
Sneha chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, let's stop bullying Shumaila and move on to more important things—like how Rudra still owes me coffee for making me deal with his nonsense."
Rudra gasped dramatically. "Excuse me! I deal with your nonsense daily. If anything, you should be treating me."
Sneha scoffed. "Delusional."
The group laughed as Rudra and Sneha bickered like an old married couple. This wasn't unusual. They had been best friends for so long that their arguments were practically a love language at this point.
"Okay, lovebirds, take your fight somewhere else," Komal teased, making Sneha and Rudra both glare at her.
"We are not lovebirds!" they said in unison, making the group burst into laughter.
"You two are ridiculous," Akansha smirked. "But fine, let's move on before we all grow old listening to you argue."
Later that evening, Sneha and Rudra found themselves in the common area of their dorm building. This was a usual occurrence—hanging out, watching random shows, or complaining about life.
Sneha plopped onto the couch first, grabbing the remote. "Alright, what are we watching?"
Rudra sat beside her and immediately snatched the remote. "Something actually interesting."
Sneha smacked his arm. "No. We are not watching another sci-fi movie. The last one gave me a headache."
"That's because you lack taste," Rudra said, dodging another smack from her.
"I swear, if you—" Sneha lunged at him to grab the remote, but Rudra leaned back, holding it out of reach.
"Too slow, shortie!" he teased, laughing.
Sneha huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. I'll just steal your hoodie as revenge."
Rudra froze. "You wouldn't dare."
She smirked. "Oh, I would."
Before Rudra could react, Sneha grabbed his hoodie from the chair and pulled it over her head triumphantly. "Ah, yes. Mine now."
Rudra stared at her, half-annoyed, half-amused. "Do you even know how ridiculous you look? That's huge on you."
Sneha grinned. "And yet, I'm so much cozier now."
Rudra sighed. "Fine. Keep it. You're impossible."
"That's why I'm your best friend," she said smugly.
Rudra shook his head, but his fond smile didn't go unnoticed.
One Hour Later
The sci-fi movie Rudra insisted on played in the background, but neither of them was actually paying attention. Sneha lay stretched out on the couch, her head resting against Rudra's shoulder, lazily scrolling through her phone.
"Hey," Rudra suddenly said. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we weren't just best friends?"
Sneha squinted at him. "Rudra, are you having an existential crisis again? Because I can't do another 'what if dinosaurs were still alive' conversation."
Rudra rolled his eyes. "No, I mean us. People keep saying we act like a couple."
Sneha dramatically gasped. "Oh no. Are we in a rom-com? Is this the part where you confess your undying love for me? Should I prepare a speech?"
Rudra smirked. "See? That's the exact reason I hesitated to bring this up. You never take me seriously."
Sneha bit back a grin. "Okay, fine. You want serious? Let's see..." She tapped her chin, pretending to ponder. "I mean, if we ever dated, at least I'd never have to worry about getting bored. Annoyed? Absolutely. But bored? Never."
"Wow, such high praise," Rudra deadpanned. "You really know how to make a guy feel special."
Sneha smirked. "That's why I'm the best."
Rudra chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just saying... maybe those people aren't completely wrong."
Sneha rolled onto her side, looking up at him. "Maybe. But let's be real, neither of us would survive an actual relationship. We'd probably fight over dumb things like whose turn it is to buy snacks."
Rudra sighed dramatically. "True. We'd be the kind of couple that argues in the grocery store about the best type of chips."
"And somehow, you'd still be wrong," Sneha shot back.
"See? Exactly my point."
They both laughed, shaking their heads. The topic could have been heavy, but they had turned it into something light, something only they could do.
But even as they laughed, something lingered in the air—an unspoken thought neither of them dared to voice.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere…
Across campus, in a dimly lit room, Taniya sat with her group, her nails tapping against the table as she spoke in a low, calculated tone.
"I want this to be subtle," she said, her lips curving into a smirk. "No mess, no chaos—just enough to shake things up."
One of her friends raised an eyebrow. "You sure this will work?"
Taniya's smirk deepened. "Trust me. By the time they realize what's happening, it'll already be too late."
Her eyes gleamed with something dark, something dangerous.
The plan was set in motion.
And its targets had no idea what was coming.