# 🌸 **EPISODE 4 — "The First Soft Smile"**
**Genre: Romance • School • Slow Burn • Love Triangle**
**Long, emotional, Webnovel-style chapter**
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The morning sun filtered lazily through the classroom windows. Students rushed in noisily, dragging benches and teasing each other about unfinished homework.
But at the very corner of the room—Bhanu sat quietly, arranging her books neatly, her fingers trembling slightly from the memories of yesterday.
The bump.
The cold tone.
The guilt in his eyes.
Arjun's gentle comfort.
Everything blurred in her mind.
*Why am I thinking about all this so much?*
Before she could steady herself, someone slid into the seat beside her.
Arjun.
With his usual gentle smile.
"Morning!"
She blinked at him, startled. "M-Morning."
He seemed unusually cheerful today. "Guess what? I actually understood the homework this time."
She tilted her head. "Really?"
He laughed. "Well… mostly. But I still need a tutor for the last two chapters."
He looked at her meaningfully.
Bhanu froze.
"You mean… me?"
"Yes, you."
He said it so simply. So confidently.
As if it was obvious.
Her ears warmed.
"I—um—I can try," she whispered.
Arjun's face lit up like he'd won a prize.
---
## **The Tutoring Moment**
Later that day, they sat together after class.
The room was quieter now.
Sunlight dusted the desks in gold.
Arjun leaned slightly forward, watching her explain a problem.
"Wait… so this part means—ohhh, I get it now!" he said, snapping his fingers softly.
She tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it.
"You learn fast," she murmured.
"Only because I have a good teacher," he replied calmly.
Her breath hitched.
Arjun wasn't flirting.
He was just… warm.
Genuine.
That made it even harder not to fall for him.
As she wrote something on his notebook, a strand of her hair fell forward.
Arjun stared—just for a second.
At the way her lashes lowered.
At the concentration on her face.
At the softness she didn't realize she had.
He looked away quickly, cheeks warming.
Bhanu didn't notice.
But someone else did.
---
## **The Sound of a Pen… Hitting the Desk**
A sudden *tap!* echoed behind them.
Sharp.
Irritated.
Hard.
Goutam sat in the last row, pen clutched between his fingers, jaw tense.
He was supposed to be listening to the lecture.
Instead, he was watching *them*.
Again.
Arjun leaning closer.
Bhanu smiling softly.
Their heads almost touching.
His grip tightened around the pen.
Why did it bother him so much?
Why did it feel like someone was poking needles into his chest?
He clicked his pen again.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
Bhanu glanced back, startled at the noise.
The moment her eyes met his—just for a second—
Goutam stopped tapping.
His expression shifted so quickly she almost doubted what she saw.
Was that… frustration?
Or something deeper?
She looked away instantly.
But Goutam kept watching her back.
---
## **After Class — A Sudden Confrontation**
Students slowly filed out.
Bhanu planned to escape early, but someone stepped into her path.
Tall.
Serious.
Hands in pockets.
Goutam.
Her breath caught.
He looked down at her, eyes unreadable.
"Why," he asked suddenly, "do you hang out with him?"
Her heart dropped.
"Wh—what?" she stammered.
"Arjun," he said bluntly. "Why are you always with him now?"
"I… I'm not always—"
"You are."
His tone was sharp.
Not angry.
Just… confused.
Restless.
She stared at him, bewildered. "Why—why do you care?"
The moment she said it—
Goutam's expression flickered.
Just once.
A flash of surprise.
As if *he himself* didn't know the answer.
He looked away quickly, running a hand through his hair in irritation.
"Tch… forget it," he muttered and stepped around her. "Just… never mind."
And he walked off.
Fast.
Too fast.
As if staying even a second longer would force him to confront something he wasn't ready to feel.
---
## **Bhanu's Shaken Thoughts**
Bhanu stood frozen.
Her heart thumped wildly, confused and frightened.
Why did he look at her like that?
Why did his voice sound… restless?
Why did he ask about Arjun?
And why… why did she care?
She pressed a hand to her chest.
There were no clear answers.
Just a storm of emotions she didn't understand.
---
## **Arjun Notices the Change**
As Bhanu walked toward the campus gate after school, Arjun jogged up to her.
"Hey! You left so fast after class… everything okay?"
She nodded weakly.
He watched her closely—too closely.
He sensed something was wrong.
"Did someone bother you?" he asked, voice firm for the first time.
"N-No," she whispered.
"Bhanu…" His tone softened. "You don't have to hide things from me. I'm here, you know."
Her heart tightened painfully.
Why was Arjun always so kind?
Why was he always there?
Why was this becoming so difficult?
She forced a small smile. "Thank you… Arjun."
He smiled back, warm and relieved.
But behind them—
hidden by the wall near the gate—
someone else watched.
Someone whose chest ached more than he expected.
Goutam.
---
## **The First Soft Smile**
That night, Bhanu replayed everything.
Goutam's question.
Arjun's warmth.
The pen tapping.
The tone in Goutam's voice.
She closed her eyes tightly.
Then—unexpectedly—
a memory surfaced.
A memory she hadn't realized she had…
Goutam's eyes.
Not cold.
Not sharp.
But soft.
Just for a second, after he asked her the question.
A softness she didn't know he possessed.
A softness he probably didn't know he revealed.
Bhanu's breath caught.
For the first time…
She wondered what kind of person he was **beneath** the popularity.
Beneath the attitude.
Beneath the cold looks.
And in that moment, her heart twisted in a new direction.
A direction she wasn't prepared for.
---
### 🌸 **End of Episode 4**