As the morning sun rose over the bustling city of Delhi, the Malhotra house had already descended into its usual chaos.

Maahi walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of hot chapatis while glaring at Aadhya, who sat at the dining table hurriedly finishing the history homework she had ignored the previous night.

"Raat bhar phone scroll karna hai aur subah uth ke pagalon ki tarah homework likhna hai," Maahi scolded lightly before smacking Aadhya gently on the head.

(You will scroll your phone all night and then write homework like a maniac in the morning.)

Aadhya whined dramatically before immediately opening her mouth as Maahi fed her a piece of chapati.

Right then, Vihaan walked into the living room wearing his half-buttoned school shirt and looked at the scene with betrayal written across his face.

"Mujhe toh pehle se pata tha main adopted hoon."

(I already knew I was adopted.)

"Adopted nahi ho," Ira replied with a grin while walking downstairs. "Kachre ke dabbe se laaye the tumhe."

(You're not adopted. We brought you from a dustbin.)

"Didi!" Vihaan gasped dramatically. "Aap toh chup hi raho. Hamesha iski side leti ho."

(You stay quiet. You always take her side.)

"Kyu ladta rehta hai inse?" Maahi chuckled softly. "Aaja idhar."

(Why do you keep fighting with them? Come here.)

Vihaan immediately walked toward her and opened his mouth like an obedient child while Maahi fed him too.

"Main bhiiii!" Ira quickly rushed toward them dramatically.

(Me too!)

Maahi laughed and fed her daughter as well.

Meanwhile, Shekhar walked into the dining area with an offended expression.

"Mujhe toh pata tha main akela hoon iss ghar mein."

(I knew I was all alone in this house.)

"Aap kyu peeche rahenge?" Maahi laughed warmly before feeding her husband too. "Aayiye."

(Why should you stay behind? Come here.)

Shekhar happily ate from his wife's hand before quickly pressing a sneaky kiss against her palm.

But the moment his eyes lifted,

He froze.

All three of his children were staring at him with knowing grins on their faces.

"K-kaam karo apna!" Shekhar immediately stood up in embarrassment. "School-college nahi jaana kya tum log ko?!"

(Do your own work! Don't you all have school and college to go to?!)

The children burst into laughter.

"Nalayak," Shekhar muttered before smacking poor Vihaan lightly on the head and disappearing into the bedroom while everyone laughed harder.

The sun stood mercilessly high above the school grounds as students lined up for the morning assembly.

"Ab ye alag bhaashan dengi," Myra whispered dramatically the moment she saw the principal walking toward the stage.

(Now she'll give another lecture.)

"Yaar, samajh nahi aata in logo ko humse kya problem hai," Aadhya muttered while wiping sweat from her forehead. "Pakode ki tarah tal dete hai dhoop mein."

(I seriously don't understand their problem with us. They literally fry us in the sun like pakoras.)

But despite her complaints,

Her eyes remained fixed on Shivansh standing near the stage with the discipline committee.

As always.

The assembly finally ended after what felt like seventeen business years, and students began walking back toward their classes in neat lines.

Meanwhile Shivansh stood near the corridor entrance checking everyone's identity cards.

Aadhya immediately panicked.

Because unlike normal students, she had purposely hidden hers inside her skirt pocket five minutes earlier.

As expected, the moment she reached him,

Shivansh looked up calmly.

"You forgot your ID card again?"

Aadhya shrugged innocently.

"Stand here."

And just like that, she quietly moved beside him trying to hide the smile threatening to appear on her lips.

At this point, it had become a ritual.

Every few days she would "accidentally" forget her identity card just so Shivansh would stop her from the line.

And for two whole minutes,

She got to stand beside him.

Aadhya stole tiny glances at him while pretending to look ahead normally.

Her heartbeat raced wildly inside her chest.

Meanwhile Shivansh calmly continued checking cards completely unaware that the girl beside him was fighting for her life internally.

After receiving the usual scolding from the discipline teacher, Aadhya finally returned to class looking far too happy for someone who had just been punished.

Later, the political science lecture felt even more boring than usual.

Which honestly felt impossible.

Aadhya sat near the window trying every five seconds to peek toward Shivansh's classroom.

But his seat remained empty.

Which somehow annoyed her more than it should have.

Then suddenly,

The classroom door opened.

And Shivansh walked in.

Aadhya immediately straightened in her seat.

"Attention everyone," Shivansh spoke calmly while holding a register in his hands.

"My attention is always on you," Aadhya muttered quietly under her breath while resting her chin on her palm and staring at him shamelessly.

Thankfully nobody heard her.

Or so she hoped.

"Our school's sixty-fifth anniversary is coming up next month," Shivansh announced professionally. "So the school will be organizing different performances including dance, music, and drama competitions."

The entire class immediately became more interested.

"Students who wish to participate can give their names now. Practice sessions will begin from next week."

For one brief second, Shivansh's eyes accidentally lifted toward Aadhya.

And instantly,

His ears turned slightly red.

Because she was already staring directly at him.

Again.

Shivansh quickly cleared his throat and looked down at the register.

Meanwhile Aadhya immediately looked away too, her cheeks turning pink as butterflies exploded inside her stomach.

"BHAIYA! Iska naam bhi likho!"

(Bhaiya! Write her name too!)

Before anyone could react, Myra had already stood up dramatically and pointed straight toward Aadhya.

Aadhya's eyes widened in horror.

"K-kya?!"

(W-what?!)

But before she could protest further, Shivansh had already started walking toward their desk.

"Name?" he asked softly while bending slightly to write properly.

"A-Aadhya Malhotra..." she stammered, still trying to process the betrayal she had just experienced.

Then Shivansh looked toward Kiara and Myra.

"Aur tum dono?"

(And you two?)

"As always," Kiara grinned proudly, "dance."

Shivansh chuckled softly before writing their names too.

And then he quietly walked away.

Meanwhile Aadhya still sat frozen in her seat,

Trying to process the fact that she had somehow just gotten dragged into the annual function against her will.

Later during the lecture, another student entered the classroom and informed everyone that all the participants were required to gather in the auditorium for the discussion regarding the annual function performances.

"Chal!" Myra immediately stood up excitedly while grabbing Aadhya and Kiara's wrists.

(Let's go!)

"Aree..." Aadhya whined dramatically while refusing to stand properly. "Humein sharam aa rahi hai..."

(I'm feeling shy...)

Because obviously,

Shivansh would be there.

And as the head boy, he would definitely be handling all the event arrangements too.

"Sharam apni suhagraat mein karna," Myra replied shamelessly while dragging her toward the door. "Idhar nahi. Chal!"

(Save your shyness for your wedding night, not here. Let's go!)

"BHAAKK!" Aadhya smacked Myra's arm hard while Kiara burst into giggles beside them.

"Jaldi jao jisko jaana hai!" the teacher sighed dramatically from behind them. "Khud toh padhna nahi hai, dusro ko bhi nahi padhne dena hai."

(Go quickly if you want to leave! You people don't study yourselves and don't let others study either.)

The three girls immediately rushed out before the teacher changed her mind.

As they walked through the corridor, Aadhya finally glared at Myra.

"Tumne humara naam kyun diya?"

(Why did you give my name?)

"Aree pagal," Kiara laughed while adjusting her dupatta. "Hum dono toh har saal ki tarah participate karte hi hai. Tu akeli reh jaati."

(We participate every year anyway. You would've been left alone.)

Realisation slowly hit Aadhya.

"Oh..."

"Iske bhaiya ko toh humara naam bhi yaad nahi hai," she muttered dramatically with a pout.

(Her brother doesn't even remember my name.)

Myra rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw her ancestors.

"Aree yaar! Tu unke saamne jaayegi tab na!" she said.

"Hamesha idhar-udhar chipti rehti hai jaise woh tujhe kha jaayenge."

(You need to actually go near him first! You keep hiding from him like he's going to eat you alive.)

Aadhya gasped dramatically in offense while Kiara laughed again.

The moment they entered the auditorium,

Aadhya's eyes immediately found him.

Of course they did.

Shivansh sat near one corner of the auditorium with a register in his hands, calmly checking the participants list while discussing something with another student.

The soft yellow auditorium lights fell against his face perfectly.

And just like that,

Butterflies exploded inside Aadhya's stomach again.

"Everyone! Gather here!" Meera ma'am called loudly while standing near the stage.

Students participating in singing, dancing, drama, anchoring, and music quickly gathered around her in noisy groups.

The entire auditorium buzzed with excitement.

For the next few minutes, discussions about dances, songs, and performances continued loudly.

Then finally,

The topic shifted toward drama.

"What about the drama performance?" Meera ma'am asked dramatically while placing her hands on her hips. "There HAS to be a drama this year!"

"Horror!"

"Comedy!"

"Emotional!"

"Historical!"

Everyone began shouting different suggestions at once.

But somehow,

Nothing seemed right.

Meanwhile Aadhya wasn't paying attention to any of it.

Because her entire focus remained on Shivansh.

And unfortunately for her,

Shivansh kept stealing glances at her too.

Every single time their eyes almost met, Aadhya's cheeks turned pink again like a fool.

"Tu kuch bol na!" Kiara whispered while nudging her harshly. "Tu stories likhti hai!"

(Say something! You write stories!)

Aadhya finally snapped out of her thoughts.

She looked toward the confused teachers and noisy students.

Then once again, Her eyes drifted toward Shivansh.

Shivansh.

Shiv.

Shiv...

And suddenly,

Something clicked inside her mind.

"MAM!"

The loudness of her voice shocked literally everyone.

The entire auditorium turned toward her instantly.

Aadhya's eyes widened in horror at herself.

Oops.

Even Shivansh looked directly at her now, clearly holding back a smile.

Aadhya awkwardly bit her lower lip before speaking again in a smaller voice.

"Mam... we can do something spiritual-romantic?" she suggested softly. "Like... it's the school anniversary na, so we shouldn't do boring or depressing stuff."

Meera ma'am looked thoughtful for two seconds before slowly nodding.

"Hmmm... that actually sounds interesting," she admitted. "What play do you have in mind?"

Aadhya hesitated for a second.

Then quietly said,

"Mam... we can do Shiv-Shakti. Like... 'Dhyaan Bhanga' type performance."

And instantly,

The entire atmosphere changed.

Several students widened their eyes in realization.

Even the teachers looked impressed.

"WOW AADHYA!" Meera ma'am practically clapped excitedly. "That's BEAUTIFUL!"

Aadhya immediately looked down shyly while giggling softly.

"Hihihihi..."

Meanwhile,

Shivansh was no longer stealing glances.

Now he was openly looking at her.

And for some reason, he couldn't look away.

Then slowly, Aadhya began explaining the rough idea of the performance.

The entire auditorium listened carefully.

And the more she explained,

The more impressed everyone became.

"Perfect!" Meera ma'am clapped loudly once she finished. "We're doing THIS."

Everyone immediately cheered excitedly.

"For the first time our school is doing something different instead of the same old bhajan programs and sad patriotic performances every year!"

The students laughed loudly while Aadhya smiled shyly.

Meanwhile Myra and Kiara were practically bouncing in excitement beside her.

"Okayyy!" Meera ma'am clapped once again. "Now we need our Shiv and Parvati."

The auditorium immediately became noisy again.

"As this idea was suggested by Aadhya..." Meera ma'am pointed dramatically toward her, "...Aadhya will obviously play Parvati."

Aadhya froze.

Completely froze.

She immediately looked toward Myra and Kiara in panic.

Both girls nodded aggressively.

Accept it. Accept it. ACCEPT IT.

Taking a deep breath, Aadhya slowly nodded.

"Okay ma'am..."

"Good!" Meera ma'am grinned proudly. "Now we need Shiv ji..."

She slowly looked around the auditorium.

Then,

Her eyes landed on Shivansh standing quietly near the corner.

A slow teasing smile appeared on her face.

"Shivansh? Come here beta."

Shivansh looked mildly confused but still walked toward her obediently.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Beta," Meera ma'am spoke sweetly, "since there's no debate competition in this function, you're completely free this year."

Shivansh immediately sensed danger.

"You should play Mahadev."

Silence.

Literal silence.

Even Aadhya stopped breathing.

"After all," Meera ma'am continued dramatically, "if our head boy isn't present in the main performance, won't that look bad?"

Aadhya looked down instantly to hide her expression.

Meanwhile Meera ma'am slowly turned toward her with a suspiciously teasing smile.

"Aadhya beta," she asked innocently, "tumhe koi problem toh nahi hai agar Shivansh Mahadev ka role kare?"

(You don't have any problem if Shivansh plays Mahadev, right?)

Unfortunately,

Aadhya was too busy admiring Shivansh's face to hear the question properly.

She was literally staring at him.

Openly.

"Jaldi bol tujhe koi objection nahi hai!" Myra hissed while elbowing her hard.

(Say quickly that you have no objection!)

Aadhya snapped out of her trance instantly.

"N-NO MAM!"

The entire auditorium laughed softly.

"See?" Meera ma'am looked toward Shivansh victoriously. "She has no problem."

Now all eyes shifted toward him.

"Haan bol do bhaiya!" Myra and Kiara shouted dramatically together.

Meanwhile,

Aadhya had secretly crossed her fingers tightly behind her back.

Her lips moved silently.

"Please Kanha... Please please please..."

And unfortunately for her,

Shivansh noticed.

He saw her crossed fingers. Saw her nervous expression. Saw her silently praying.

And for some reason,

He had to hold back a smile.

Finally, after a few seconds, he nodded quietly.

"Okay ma'am," he said softly. "I'll do it."

Aadhya almost screamed.

The entire auditorium burst into cheers and clapping while Myra and Kiara attacked Aadhya excitedly.

"Okay everyone!" Meera ma'am clapped loudly again. "I'll prepare the script and distribute it tomorrow. Now go back to your classes!"

Students slowly began leaving the auditorium excitedly while discussing the performance loudly.

Meanwhile,

Shivansh stood silently for a moment longer.

And somehow...

His eyes still found Aadhya first.

Shivansh's POV:

I don't know what's been wrong with me these days.

Ever since Piyush told me that Vihaan's sister might have a crush on me...

Something has felt different.

At first, I was irritated.

Having crushes is normal. Especially at this age.

So why was I even thinking about it?

But then one day,

I caught her staring at me.

And for some reason, I couldn't sleep properly that night.

At first I convinced myself it was accidental eye contact.

Until Piyush casually pointed out how she blushes around me.

That day in the library...

I confirmed it myself.

The way her cheeks turned pink. The way her hands trembled slightly. The way she couldn't even look at me properly afterward.

And honestly?

That entire night, I couldn't focus on studying at all.

Which was strange.

Because nobody had ever distracted me from studies before.

Nobody.

But her?

She somehow became a distraction.

A beautiful distraction.

Now I catch her looking at me constantly.

And what's worse,

I keep looking back too.

I don't even understand why.

Maybe it's because she's adorable.

Or maybe it's because she's impossible not to notice.

Even today...

I had absolutely no interest in participating in some romantic school drama.

But the moment I saw her silently praying for me to agree...

I said yes.

Without even thinking properly.

Honestly?

Even I surprised myself.

But somehow...

I feel like saying yes to this might become one of the best decisions of my life.

Later, as the final bell echoed through the school building, students immediately rushed out of their classrooms like prisoners finally being set free.

The corridors turned noisy within seconds.

Some students ran toward the gate before the buses left, some gathered near the canteen for one last snack, while others loudly discussed homework they had absolutely no intention of completing.

Amid all that chaos, Aadhya, Kiara, and Myra walked together through the crowded corridor.

Well...

Kiara and Myra were walking normally.

Aadhya, on the other hand, had mentally left Earth already.

Her soul was somewhere in Kailash at this point.

A stupidly dreamy smile stayed glued to her face while she replayed the same moment in her head again and again.

"Okay mam, I'll do it."

HE SAID YES.

DIRECTLY YES.

NOT EVEN A SINGLE SECOND OF THINKING.

"Bhaiiii!" Aadhya suddenly grabbed Kiara's arm dramatically for the hundredth time. "He literally said yes! Like... not even 'maybe' or 'I'll think about it' or 'let me decide later'... DIRECTLY YES!"

Her eyes sparkled with pure excitement while she almost bounced as she walked.

Kiara looked at her with the flattest expression imaginable.

"Ye teesri baar bata rahi hai hum dono ko tu."

(You've told us this literally three times already.)

"TOH?!" Aadhya gasped dramatically. "This is important national information!"

Myra burst out laughing.

Meanwhile Aadhya continued rambling without taking a breath.

"And did you SEE how he looked at me before saying yes?!"

"No," Kiara replied instantly. "Because unlike you, hum log hawa mein udd nahi rahe the."

(Because unlike you, we weren't floating in the air.)

Aadhya ignored the attack completely.

"Aree yaarrr..." she sighed dreamily while placing a hand over her heart. "You both won't understand because tum dono ko crush nahi hai."

(You both don't have a crush on someone.)

Myra immediately looked offended.

"Excuse me?!"

Kiara slapped Myra's arm before she could expose herself accidentally.

Meanwhile Aadhya walked ahead happily, completely unaware of the suspicious silence behind her.

The evening sunlight filtered softly across the school courtyard while students continued pouring out through the gate.

A cool breeze moved through the air, making loose strands of Aadhya's hair fall across her face as she walked.

And unfortunately for her...

That exact moment, someone else looked toward her.

On the other side of the corridor, Shivansh walked beside Piyush near the staircase leading toward the main gate.

As usual, Vihaan had disappeared somewhere mysteriously.

At this point even God probably didn't know where that boy vanished every few hours.

[A/N: ye banda jitna apne doston ke sath nahii rehta usse jada gayab rehta hai. Dekh le Myra apne future pati ko🔪😋]

Piyush shoved one hand inside his pocket lazily before glancing sideways toward Shivansh.

Then a slow, dangerous grin appeared on his face.

"Toh phir... hmm?"

(So then... hmm?)

Shivansh frowned lightly. "What?"

Piyush looked personally offended.

"Matlab?" he gasped dramatically. "Ab Tu pretend karega ki tujhe samajh nahi aa raha?"

(You're genuinely pretending you don't understand?)

Shivansh looked away casually. "I actually don't."

"Accha?" Piyush smirked knowingly before bumping his shoulder lightly against Shivansh's.

"Then explain this to me..."

He leaned slightly closer.

"Tune haan kyu bola?"

(Why did you say yes?)

For a brief second, Shivansh's steps slowed.

Immediately, that scene replayed inside his head.

Aadhya standing there with her fingers crossed tightly.

Her lips silently whispering:

Please Kanha... please please pleaseee...

And the way her entire face had lit up after hearing him say yes.

Heat slowly crept toward Shivansh's ears again.

"I-I wanted to do it," he replied quietly while adjusting the strap of his bag unnecessarily.

Piyush stared at him for two whole seconds.

Then suddenly laughed.

"Haan haan," he nodded dramatically. "Of course. YOU wanted to do it."

Shivansh looked away instantly to hide the smile threatening to appear on his face.

But unfortunately, Piyush noticed everything.

The red ears.

The tiny smile.

The soft expression.

Cooked.

Absolutely cooked.

"Bhai..." Piyush muttered under his breath while shaking his head dramatically. "Yeh banda gaya."

(This guy is gone.)

Meanwhile Shivansh tried focusing on literally anything else around him.

The trees.

The buses.

The noise.

The juniors running around.

Anything except,

His eyes drifted toward Aadhya again.

And there she was.

Laughing loudly while running away from Myra who was trying to hit her with a notebook.

Kiara stood nearby laughing so hard she could barely walk properly.

Aadhya turned around while running backward, still laughing like an absolute maniac.

The golden evening sunlight fell softly across her face.

And for one strange moment, everything around Shivansh felt quieter.

His chest tightened slightly.

Not painfully.

Just...

Warmly.

Weirdly.

Beautifully.

Whatever this feeling was...

It scared him a little.

But somehow, he didn't want it to stop.

A small smile appeared on his lips before he looked away again.

Piyush caught that too.

And this time he fully grinned.

"Acha..." he nodded slowly. "Now I understand."

Shivansh immediately frowned. "What?"

"You're gone gone."

"Shut up."

Piyush laughed loudly before running ahead toward the gate to save himself from getting punched.

Meanwhile Shivansh followed behind him while shaking his head lightly.

But despite all his attempts to stay calm...

His eyes searched for Aadhya one more time before leaving the school grounds.

And when he found her again?

His heartbeat betrayed him all over again.

________________________________________________________________________

End of the chapter.

You got shivansh's POV, now tell me how are you feeling?

Did you like his POV?

Ab to shivansh ko bhii kuch kuch horha haii~🤪🎀

Words: 3.4k

Let's meet in next chapter!!

~Anniexdeewani.