Chapter 1: When Everything Changed
I was in the 10th standard when, for the first time, love and studies entered my life together.
Before that phase, my life was simple, peaceful, and carefree. I lived without tension, without expectations, and without any love story. I was genuinely happy just being myself, enjoying each day as it came.
Our school had a compulsory hostel system, so students stayed on campus all the time. That is where my best friend Sneha and I became inseparable. From morning till night, we were always together—classes, meals, hostel rooms—everything. She was my comfort zone, my constant.
In my class, there were two boys who were best friends with each other—Het and Smit.
Sneha and Het were also very close friends, and because of her, I sometimes ended up talking to Het during class. It was nothing special, just normal conversations, nothing more.
Smit, however, had been proposing to me since the 9th standard. Again and again, he expressed his feelings, but I never felt the same way. To be honest, at that time, I wasn't interested in anyone at all. Love was not even on my list of priorities.
Slowly, time passed. The 10th board exams were just one month away, and the pressure was building. Around that time, I started feeling that Sneha might have a crush on Het. I asked her directly, but she denied it and said there was nothing like that.
Meanwhile, Het had started behaving a little more friendly with me. Because of this, some of our classmates began saying,
"Het likes you."
I didn't take those comments seriously. I ignored them completely. But Sneha didn't.
After hearing all this, she slowly started feeling insecure, especially about me and Het.
Suddenly, she stopped talking to me.
I couldn't understand what was happening. I was confused, hurt, and lost. February had begun, and Propose Day arrived.
That morning, Sneha came to me in the classroom. At that time, only girls were present; the boys hadn't arrived yet. She looked serious—cold, almost unrecognizable.
She said to me,
"Stay away from Het. Stop listening to people and stop thinking that he likes you. He likes me. He loves me—and I love him too. Don't come between us. Today, on Propose Day, I will propose to Het in front of the whole class and prove that we are meant for each other. Not Het and you."
I was shocked.
My heart broke—not because of Het, but because of Sneha. I never imagined that my best friend trusted me so little. It hurt deeply that she thought I could betray her—for a boy.
I stayed silent. I didn't argue. I didn't defend myself.
I just started crying.
Sneha walked away.
About one hour later, the class was full—boys, girls, everyone. The teacher had already finished the lecture and left the classroom. Suddenly, Sneha stood up in front of everyone and called out loudly,
"Het, I want to announce something."
Het stood up too and said,
"Sneha, I also want to announce something."
Sneha replied,
"Yes, I know. Everyone keeps talking about you and Shreya. Today I want to clear all those misunderstandings."
Het nodded and said calmly,
"Yes, I also want to clear those misunderstandings today."
Then, Het walked toward the bench where I was sitting.
He stood right in front of me and said, loud enough for the entire class to hear,
"Everyone keeps saying that Het likes Shreya.
But today, in front of the whole class, I want to tell you something clearly."
My heart was pounding.
He looked at me and continued,
"I don't just like you, Shreya…
I love you. I love you a lot."
The classroom went completely silent.
Everyone was staring—some shocked, some curious, some smiling.
My heart was racing. My hands were trembling. I never imagined that my life would turn upside down like this, in front of the entire class, on a single day.
I stood up slowly. My eyes were filled with tears—not of fear, but of emotions I didn't even realize I was holding inside for so long.
I looked at Het.
In that moment, everything else disappeared—the rumors, the misunderstandings, the pain, even Sneha standing there. All I could hear was my own heartbeat.
And then I said, softly but clearly,
"I love you too, Het."
The class erupted into whispers and gasps.
Some smiled. Some were stunned.
And that was the moment I realized—
the phase of my life where there was no tension, no love, only peace, had officially ended.
Because from that day onwards,
love and studies walked into my life together,
changing everything forever.