KAYLA'S POV (Continuing):
I froze all over again.
My heart did a dramatic backflip.
I read it once.
Then twice.
Then five more times just to make sure the words weren't changing.
"He asked if I'm okay…"
I whispered it out loud like I couldn't believe it.
A stupidly wide smile spread across my face.
"Aww…"
He was worried about me?
Hari?
The same Hari who barely looked like he cared about anyone? The same Hari who always kept to himself, who was always so composed, so distant, so unreadable?
And yet… he texted me.
He asked if I was okay.
Because he noticed I didn't come today.
Because he cared enough to check.
My stomach fluttered wildly.
"Does that mean… I'm special?"
I immediately buried my burning face in my hands.
"Oh God, Kayla, stop. Stop being delusional."
But the grin on my lips refused to leave.
I stared at the chat box, fingers hovering over the keyboard.
"What do I reply?"
I started typing quickly.
Of course, absolutely, I'm fine. Everything's fine, why?
I blinked.
Then stared at my own message in horror.
"No."
I deleted it immediately.
"That's too much. Way too much."
I groaned and threw my head back dramatically.
"He wrote one simple, normal, perfectly calm line, and here I am sounding like I'm writing a wedding vow."
I took a deep breath and sat up straighter, trying to act like a sane person for once.
"Okay, Kayla. Be normal. Be casual. Be mysterious. Be… whatever normal girls are."
I typed again, slower this time.
Yeah, I'm fine.
I stared at it critically.
Simple.
Short.
Not too eager.
Not too cold.
"Perfect."
I nodded to myself like I had just solved world peace and hit send.
The moment the message delivered, I bit my lip and kept staring at the screen, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
Maybe he'd reply later.
Maybe he wouldn't.
Maybe I should stop staring like a psycho,
Another message popped up almost instantly.
I gasped so loudly I almost dropped the phone again.
HARI: I asked because you didn't come today, and Liam told me you had some family emergency come up.
I stared at the screen, my pulse going absolutely feral.
He noticed I didn't come.
He asked about me.
He talked to Liam about me.
I pressed a hand over my mouth, but it did nothing to stop the smile spreading across my face.
"Oh. My. God."
I kicked my feet against the mattress like an absolute maniac, squealing into the pillow.
"He was definitely worried about me!"
My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.
My heart felt like it was floating somewhere near the ceiling.
I read the message again and again, each time somehow blushing even harder.
He cared.
Maybe not in the way I wanted him to… yet.
But he cared enough to ask.
And right now?
That was enough to make me lose my mind.
I sat up, fixing my hair even though he couldn't see me, then frowned at the screen again.
"Okay… what do I say now?"
I chewed on my lower lip, fingers hovering over the keyboard while my mind went into full panic mode.
"Now he's being… kind of friendly."
I giggled helplessly.
Too friendly.
Dangerously friendly.
I typed slowly, trying not to sound like the blushing disaster I currently was.
Yeah, there really was a family emergency, but everything's fine now, so don't worry about it.
I read it twice.
Then three times.
Not too much.
Not too dry.
Good enough.
Before I could overthink it and rewrite it fifty times, I quickly hit send.
The message went through.
And suddenly the room felt way too quiet.
I stared at the screen, clutching the phone tightly in both hands, my heart hammering so loudly I could practically hear it.
My lips curved into a soft, giddy smile.
Hari had texted me first.
Hari had worried about me.
Hari had noticed I was gone.
And for the first time all day, despite the exhaustion, the chaos, and everything that had happened…
I felt ridiculously, impossibly happy.