The evening air was crisp, the sky painted in hues of deep orange and fading blue as Sneha made her way toward the university ground. She had planned to go for a quick walk, but when she spotted Rudra sitting alone on one of the benches, his head tilted back, staring at the sky, she knew something was up.
"Hey," she called, walking up to him. "You look like someone just ran over your cat. What's up?"
Rudra let out a heavy sigh and sat up properly. "It's Hamza."
Sneha's brows furrowed as she took a seat next to him. "What about him?"
Rudra ran a hand through his hair. "I confronted him after the seminar. Asked him what the hell he was doing sitting with Taniya and ignoring us. He basically told me he doesn't owe anyone an explanation and that maybe cutting himself off from the group is for the best."
Sneha's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
Rudra let out a humorless chuckle. "Dead serious. He looked me in the eye and said it without even hesitating. Like he actually thinks isolating himself is some genius idea."
Sneha clenched her fists. "That little—! Oh, hell no. He does not get to act like a dramatic brat and just cut himself off from us. He's being ridiculous. Just because things with Shumaila are a mess doesn't mean he can throw away the rest of us."
"Exactly," Rudra nodded. "But he's too damn stubborn to see it."
Sneha stood up, determination blazing in her eyes. "Then we'll make him see it. I don't care what's going on between him and Shumaila—that's their issue. But Hamza has been part of this group from the start, and I'm not going to let him act like some wounded loner just because of a stupid misunderstanding."
"Okay, but how do you plan on doing that?" Rudra asked, standing as well. "You know Hamza. The moment we push, he'll push back harder."
Before Sneha could answer, another voice joined the conversation.
"Then we don't push," Aarav said, stepping out from behind the nearby tree, his hands casually stuffed into his pockets.
Sneha and Rudra turned to him in surprise.
"You were eavesdropping?" Sneha asked, raising a brow.
Aarav smirked. "Not my fault you two were discussing your grand plan out in the open."
Rudra sighed. "Alright, genius, since you're already here, what's your idea?"
Aarav shrugged. "Simple. Hamza's not going to listen to reason if we go at him directly. But if we create the right situations, put him in places where he has to interact with us, he'll start seeing sense on his own."
Sneha crossed her arms. "So you're suggesting we trick him into rejoining the group?"
Aarav smirked. "Call it strategic intervention."
Rudra let out a low whistle. "I like the way you think."
Sneha grinned. "Alright then. Let's bring his stubborn ass back—whether he likes it or not."