Aanya's POV
The morning light spilled softly through the curtains.
Aanya woke slowly, her fingers curled against the bedsheet, her heart unusually light—
and warm.
She remembered the dream.
Not pieces.
Not flashes.
But everything.
The stars.
His voice.
His hand in hers.
And most of all—
His face.
She sat up, holding the feeling close to her chest, like a secret gift.
Her phone buzzed.
Her breath caught.
Aarav.
> Aarav: Did you sleep well? Or... was it more than that?
I saw you.
In the dream.
Her fingers shook as she typed back.
> Aanya: I saw you too.
Clearly. Finally.
It's really you, isn't it?
> Aarav: It's always been me.
And it's always been you.
That day at college, the air between them changed.
They didn't say much at first.
But every glance…
every smile…
every soft brush of their shoulders when they passed each other in the hallway—
It was charged.
New, but deeply known
During lunch, he walked up to her with two coffees in hand.
"One for you," he said casually, handing it to her, "and one for the girl I used to dream about every night."
Aanya blushed, biting her lip. "Aarav—"
"What?" he grinned. "Can't I flirt with my soulmate a little?"
Meher stared at both of them from across the table like they had lost their minds.
"Did I miss a whole movie plot or something?"
Aanya just looked down, smiling to herself.
Because something inside her had bloomed—
like a flower that had waited lifetimes for the right sun.
And now…
It had found it.
Aanya's POV
The next few days were… different.
Not in a loud, dramatic way.
But in the kind of way where her heart beat faster when her phone buzzed.
In the kind of way where she started waiting for someone's voice in the hallway.
In the kind of way where one smile from Aarav could leave her staring at her notebook without writing a word.
And Aarav?
He didn't hold back anymore.
His flirting was soft, teasing, and ridiculously natural —
like he knew he could knock the breath out of her
and still catch it at the same time
"You know," he said one morning, walking beside her in the corridor, "you're really bad for my concentration."
Aanya looked up, confused. "What?"
He leaned in closer, voice low.
"How am I supposed to focus in class when my soulmate is sitting right next to me looking like she walked straight out of one of my dreams?"
Aanya nearly tripped over her own foot.
"Aarav!"
"What?" he grinned. "I'm just speaking facts.
At lunch, he brought her chocolate and said,
"I heard sugar helps with blushing. You're gonna need it."
Aanya covered her face, groaning, and Meher lost it.
"OH. MY. GOD. WHO IS THIS MAN AND WHAT DID HE DO TO SHY AANYA?"
"She's smiling like she's in a romantic drama," Meher added dramatically.
"I want popcorn!"
Aanya buried her face in her hands.
Aarav just winked.
"Jealous, Meher?"
"Please," Meher rolled her eyes, "I've seen K-dramas with less romance than you two."
And Vedant?
He didn't say much.
But he watched.
Quietly.
Sometimes, his gaze lingered a little longer on Aanya.
Sometimes, he forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
But he never interrupted.
Later that day, Aarav found Aanya sitting under a tree, flipping through her notes.
He sat beside her, casually plucking a tiny flower from the grass.
"If I gave you this," he said, holding the flower up to her ear, "would you fall for me just a little more?"
Aanya turned red. "I—don't say things like that—
"Too late," he said, tucking the flower gently behind her ear.
His fingers brushed her skin.
Soft. Deliberate.
Her heart went silent.
"Perfect," he whispered.
Not too loud.
Just enough for her to hear.
And in that moment—
Aanya realized something.
She wasn't just falling for Aarav.
She was already gone.