By the time Ananya made it back to her hostel, her phone was buzzing nonstop. Messages. Snaps. Even a few memes. The gossip had exploded, mutating faster than she could delete the notifications.
And then came the one she hadn't expected:
"Don't listen to them. Let's talk. — Aarav"
Her chest tightened. Aarav—top debater, golden boy, the guy every professor adored. The one who'd once been kind to her when no one else noticed. The one her parents would probably approve of in a heartbeat.
She didn't reply. She couldn't.
But the next day, he found her anyway.
"Ananya," Aarav said, blocking her path near the library, his easy smile softening the sharp edges of her mood. "Ignore the rumors. People don't know what they're talking about."
Before she could answer, the air shifted. A familiar presence loomed.
Riyan.
His gaze locked on them, unreadable but dangerous. He didn't say a word—he didn't have to. The silence was sharper than any insult.
Aarav noticed. He straightened, protective instinct flaring. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two. But if he's bothering you, you don't have to—"
"She doesn't need you to decide for her," Riyan cut in, his voice low, every syllable laced with warning.
The tension was a live wire. Students slowed to watch. Ananya felt the world tilt, her cheeks burning with every stare.
"I'm not deciding for her," Aarav shot back. "I'm offering her a choice."
The words hung heavy, louder than the gossip buzzing through the campus.
Ananya's throat went dry. A choice. Between safety and danger. Between the boy who made sense and the one who made her pulse race even when she hated it.
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Riyan's smirk returned—except this time, it wasn't playful. It was sharp, defensive, like armor snapping back into place. "Funny. I didn't realize she needed rescuing."
And before she could stop it, the spark became fire. The clash wasn't just between them anymore—it was about her.