The car stood right beside her.The window rolled down, and there he was—Lav.
"Heyy! I guess we both are late. Want a ride?" he asked with a grin.
She nodded."Alright then, hop in."
As soon as she got in, they headed towards the college gate—only to find the security guards already halfway through closing it.
They both rolled down their windows and shouted,"Wait! Please let us in—just this once!"
But the guards shook their heads."No entry after time. Rules are rules."
Before they could argue more, a voice rang out from the side.
"Oh really? That's interesting…"
They turned to see Maya walking towards them, phone in hand, chin up, confidence unshaken.
She held up her screen with a smirk."Because I have a video of one of your guards smoking behind the canteen yesterday. And correct me if I'm wrong, but that's strictly prohibited, isn't it?"
The guards froze.
"So either you open that gate right now…" she said sweetly, "or I send this to the principal. Your choice."
One of the guards gulped and quickly pulled the gate back open.As the car drove through and parked just inside the college gate. Maya gave them a sarcastic smile."Have a lovely morning, gentlemen."
"Thanks for the ride, Lav," Tara said softly."Yeah, thanks," Maya added.Lav turned with a smirk.
"Huh? Why are you thanking me?"
"For Tara."
"Oh... okay then." He shrugged, amused.
They stepped out.Tara was still beside the car, eyes glued to him.
A smile crept up her face. A little blush followed.Maya noticed.Oh, she definitely noticed.She grabbed Tara's wrist."Oo hello madam ji!" she whispered loudly."Wanna start a staring contest or finish the practicals first?"
Tara blinked, flustered.
"I—I wasn't staring!"
"Mhm. Tell that to your red cheeks, tomato ji."
Lav chuckled under his breath.
Maya grinned.
Tara… wanted the earth to swallow her whole.
As Lav walked ahead, Maya leaned closer to Tara and whispered:"You do know he's a total playboy, right?"Tara blinked."What? No way... he seemed nice."Maya gave her a look."They all seem nice until they've got three girls texting them 'Good morning, baby' at the same time."Tara stayed quiet, but her face said she wasn't fully convinced.Or maybe… she didn't want to be.
Lav walked ahead, not before stealing one last glance at her.
Her? Maya.
He had a small, harmless crush on her — the kind no one knew about.Not even his close friends, Vedh.
Lav wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it felt… different.Different enough that he'd stopped flirting around like he used to.Even Vedh had started to notice."Dude, do you… like her?" he had asked once.Lav had just laughed, like it was the most ridiculous thing ever."Who? The rebel kid? No chance, bro."But even he didn't believe his own words anymore.Meanwhile, Maya was busy telling Tara,"Lav? Please. He's a total playboy."
After the practicals, Tara offered a little canteen party — a sweet thank-you to Lav for the morning ride.The four of them—Tara, Maya, Lav, and Vedhanth—grabbed a corner table and placed a lazy order of fries, sandwiches, and tea. The usual.While they waited, the conversation bounced around casually. That's when Vedh leaned back with his usual smirk, tossing a peanut into his mouth like he owned the whole college.If Laav was popular, Vedhanth was the legend.
He had sharp, well-defined features—thick lashes, a perfectly annoying smirk, and messy hair that somehow always looked good.Girls whispered when he passed, guys tried to copy his walk, and teachers either rolled their eyes or weirdly admired him.
Meanwhile, Tara was smiling softly, Maya was scrolling, and Lav…He glanced at Maya once. Just once. But it was enough.
And there she was — Natasha, the classic pick-me girl.She pulled out a chair and sat right beside Vedh like she owned the spot.Leaning in, she whispered,"Hey, handsome,"placing her hand smoothly on his shoulder.Vedh's expression? Plain annoyed.He took her hand off without a word, like it was routine by now.He couldn't stand her — and he didn't hide it.She batted her lashes and said,
"Ooo sweetheart, you ordered all this for me, huh? Chooo sweet!"Then—pinched his cheeks like they were in a cringe drama.Vedh instantly pulled her hand away, frowning."Ew, stop it. Just leave already. No one invited you here."Natasha just smiled and nodded like she didn't hear a thing.Meanwhile, the other three — Tara, Lav, and Maya — were silently dying inside.Cringe. Overload.Vedh stood up, clearly fed up.
"Okay then, I'm leaving."And just like that, he walked away.
Natasha's mood flipped. Furious for no reason — especially at Tara — she suddenly threw hot tea on her and screamed,"It's all because of YOU!"Tara froze, eyes wide, the heat from the tea spreading down her clothes.Maya was just about to lose it. One step closer and she might've actually broken a bone or two—
But before she could, a sharp THUD echoed across the room.Everyone turned.It was Vedh.He had stormed back and slapped Natasha.His voice was cold, cutting through the stunned silence:"Don't you dare touch her."He didn't wait for a reaction. He just turned and walked off.
And the whole canteen?Dead silent.Everyone was thinking the same thing:What the hell just happened.
Tara was still frozen in shock, tea-soaked and flustered, trying to process what just happened.
And right then came Maya, handing her a tissue — but with that look on her face.You know the look.
The "I'm-so-going-to-make-fun-of-you" one."Sooo… Vedh huh?" she said, smirking as she dabbed Tara's sleeve like she was wiping off sin itself.
Tara groaned.
"Maya! Seriously? Hot tea just fell on me
"Exactly. And the only thing steaming more than the tea right now—" she leaned closer—
"is the tension between you two."
Tara's face?
Tara's face turned the exact shade of embarrassment — a soft pink with a hint of murder.every group has that one shameless friend who never lets you live, even while you're dripping in chai and embarrassment.