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Third person’s pov!

"The Atharv in her notebook isn’t you, Atharv bhai."

The voice came from the girl sitting next to Veda in class. Veda hadn’t spoken much to her beyond the usual introduction on the first day. Her name was Bhavya Trivedi.

"What?" Atharv asked, his confusion apparent.

Bhavya extended a book toward him—a romance novel, its cover slightly worn from use.

"What is this?" Atharv questioned, taking the book from her with a raised brow.

"Just check the names of the couple in this book," Bhavya said, her tone carrying an odd mix of amusement and sincerity.

Atharv flipped through the pages casually, but his movements froze when his eyes landed on something. His name—along with another name—was right there on the page, marking the fictional couple in the story.

"I am sorry, Veda," Bhavya said, glancing at her timidly. "I didn’t mean to peek. I got curious seeing you doodling on that book every day with so much focus... So, I know what it is."

A small sigh of relief escaped Veda, though her gaze remained fixed on the ground.

"I don’t understand," Atharv said, still staring at the pages, utterly perplexed.

"Check the other pages of this book too," Bhavya suggested, gently taking the book back from her and handing it over to Atharv once more.

He flipped through the pages more deliberately this time, his frown deepening as he read further.

"Shravan-Dhrishti, Mithran-Chaahat, Abhay-Vaiga, Dhruv-Shraddha, Vedant-Vaidehi…." Atharv read aloud, each name dripping with bewilderment. "What is all this?"

"This is her hobby, it seems," Bhavya replied, her voice light with amusement. "She reads novels and doodles about them in her book."

Atharv slowly turned his gaze toward Veda, his expression one of complete disbelief—as though she had suddenly grown a second head.

"You mean to say... you don’t have a crush on me?" He asked, his voice incredulous.

Veda’s head shot up, and she shook it vigorously, her ponytail swishing with the motion.

"Oh." That was all Atharv could manage, a single syllable of dawning realization.

"So those lines you have doodled in there..." Atharv trailed off, still looking at her as if trying to piece together a puzzle.

"It’s f-from the book," Veda stammered, her voice barely audible. "Page 141... and page 234."

Without another word, Atharv quickly flipped to the pages she mentioned. His eyes scanned the lines, and recognition dawned. The words—those same words Veda had seemingly said to Atharv—were right there in the book.

The Veda in the book had said those lines to the Atharv in the book.

Atharv stared at the pages for a moment longer, then looked back up at Veda.

"I see," he said at last, the corner of his mouth twitching with a hint of something between amusement and exasperation.

Atharv turned sharply to the senior girl who had caused the mess, his expression a mix of frustration and exasperation.

"See? All the fuss for nothing," he said, his voice firm but calm.

The senior girl, who had been so confident moments ago, now looked utterly embarrassed. Her gaze dropped to the floor as her face flushed red. She fumbled for words but found none, only managing a sheepish nod before stepping back into the crowd.

Atharv sighed and turned his attention back to Veda. He gently handed her books to her, his fingers brushing against hers for the briefest moment.

"Here," he said, his tone softer now.

Veda mumbled something that might have been a thank-you, her eyes darting everywhere except at him. Without another word, she turned on her heels and bolted, her movements quick and clumsy in her haste.

Atharv watched her go, his gaze following her as she weaved through the corridor, her small frame disappearing around the corner. She was dressed in a simple white salwar suit, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. There was nothing particularly flashy about her appearance, but there was a quiet elegance to the way she carried herself.

Beautiful. The thought flitted across his mind before he could stop it.

He frowned, shaking his head to dispel the unwelcome notion. She is just a kid, Atharv, he reminded himself firmly. Too young. He had no business thinking of her that way.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he turned back to the crowd of students who were still loitering, clearly enjoying the unexpected drama.

"The show is over, guys!" He yelled, his voice carrying authority. "Get back to your classes!"

The warning worked. The students scattered like leaves in the wind, scrambling back to their respective classrooms. Within moments, the corridor was nearly empty, save for a few stragglers who quickly picked up their pace under Atharv’s sharp gaze.

As the last of them disappeared, Atharv ran a hand through his hair, letting out another sigh.

"Teenagers," he muttered under his breath, before turning to leave the now-deserted corridor.

When Atharv slumped into his seat across from Kabir and Ashwin, his expression was unreadable. His two best friends had already ordered their drinks and snacks, their conversation trailing off as Atharv joined them.

"What strange hobbies do teenagers have these days," Kabir muttered, popping a piece of fry into his mouth. "Doodling names of fictional couples? Seriously? What happened to regular hobbies like sports or music or simply just reading?"

Atharv ignored him, sipping his soda and scrolling aimlessly on his phone. The last thing he wanted was to dissect the bizarre events of the day, but Kabir’s loud musings made it impossible to tune them out entirely.

"Do you really think she doesn’t have a crush on Atharv?" Ashwin asked, his curiosity evident as he leaned back in his chair, eyeing Atharv from the corner of his eye.

Atharv’s fingers paused momentarily over the phone screen, but he didn’t look up. Instead, he adopted a carefully indifferent expression, pretending to be engrossed in whatever was on his phone. His ears, however, were entirely attuned to the conversation.

Kabir snorted. 

"No way. Did you see her? When she looked at him, there wasn’t even a flicker of that ‘shine.’ You know what I am talking about—the way girls usually look at Atharv. She was just plain scared. And when she got the chance, she bolted faster than a sprinter at the Olympics."

"Maybe she is just shy? Some girls act all flustered around the guy they like." Ashwin shrugged. 

"Shy? No chance," Kabir countered, shaking his head. "That wasn’t shyness, man. That was full-blown panic. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. She looked like someone who utterly hates attention."

Atharv’s lips twitched, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of disinterest. He continued staring at his phone screen, though he hadn’t scrolled in the past two minutes.

"Still, it’s weird," Ashwin said thoughtfully. "Maybe it’s not a crush, but there’s got to be something more to it. I mean, she spends all her time doodling names in a notebook—"

"Shut up," Atharv interrupted, finally looking up from his phone to glare at his friends. His voice was calm, but the warning in his tone was unmistakable.

Kabir and Ashwin exchanged a glance, grinning like schoolboys caught doing something mischievous.

"Relax, man," Kabir said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "We are just saying—"

"I said, shut up," Atharv repeated, his voice firmer this time.

Both of them wisely dropped the subject, though Kabir’s grin remained firmly in place. Atharv leaned back in his chair, exhaling quietly. His gaze drifted to the window, where the view of the college grounds stretched out in front of him.

For a moment, the image of Veda’s retreating figure flashed in his mind—her white salwar suit, her hurried steps, her ponytail swaying as she disappeared around the corner. He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Teenagers and their strange hobbies indeed.

A/N

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