*Swapnil Pov*

"What are you doing here? I didn't ask you to come today, right?" I asked her frowning while she just sat at the table I am sitting at before opening the books and started reading.

I opened my mouth to scold her for not replying but those words stopped after looking at her expression.

"You cried?" I asked which she again ignored and I remember what I did yesterday to show my pettiness as she accused me of.

I am her lecturer but still fighting with her like this. I shook my head before taking out a note pad and note down the ones she needs to check next.

"Check whether these books are there in the library otherwise I will get them from somewhere else." I said passing the note which she took before standing up and walked away towards the side where the books could be.

After some time she returned with just one book and mumbled, "I couldn't find the others, Sir."

"Finally using words? Why were you silent before?" I asked looking at her but she calmly sat down.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Sir. If there is anything else, please let me know." She mumbled before noting down from the book she was reading earlier.

"I know I shouldn't have told him about that matter. You are angry about that?" I asked and she finally turned to look at me.

"You are my lecturer and I am your student. We are not friends, Sir. So, how could I get angry at you?" she asked with a polite smile before returning back to the book.

I sighed leaning back on my chair while observing her eyes which are exactly the ones that look after crying and with her reaction it must be after-effects of how I spilled the matter near her friend.

After sending a message to a contact, I continued to do my work and after a few minutes, I found her reaching our table.

"Maam!" Mihira called when she saw her standing near our table.

"Go and get the details of the research paper I placed on my table." I said gesturing Mihira to leave which she did immediately and I glanced at Haritha who is frowning at me.

"Sit down!" I mumbled gesturing the chair and she calmly sat down but continued to stare at me.

"I got angry at her words but she is kind of right too. We both are not behaving like how lecturers should behave and let's stop involving her like this. If you have a problem with directly contacting me just let me know." I asked folding my arms.

"I don't have any problem, Sir. I thought you will feel awkward and that's why I passed the notes to her in the beginning and you did the same and that's how all this started." She explained clearing her throat.

"Okay! Let's be professionals and forget about our past things." Saying that I looked around.

"Where is she? She doesn't need to take this much time to return." I mumbled frowning while she chuckled at those words.

"Sir! Why are you working her too much like this? You are a workaholic but not her." She commented standing up.

"I will be emailing you the details you asked for instead of her." She added giving me a polite nod before walking away.

I followed her out thinking Mihira is purposefully staying away even though she should have returned long back.

However, when I turned a corner I found her kneeling on the floor while Haritha is patting her shoulder by kneeling beside her.

"She is not feeling well. Let's send her back." Haritha said looking at me and I nodded at her before returning to the library to get her bag along with my stuff.

"You know the address, Sir?" she asked helping Mihira into the back seat of my car before sitting in the passenger seat but kept looking at her.

"Yeah!" I replied remembering that her house is beside Principal Sir's house.

"Your parents transferred to this city also this time?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No! I am still staying at a hostel. They don't want to come here." She replied looking at Mihira's form who is shivering a bit.

"Is it fine to take her home instead of the hospital?" She asked looking at me.

"Her Mom is a doctor." I replied and she gave a surprised look hearing that.

"You seem to know so much about her, Sir. That's quite an improvement." She mumbled smiling.

"I know about you... too and even that senior of yours." I mumbled and she nodded before turning in her seat to hold Mihira's hand.

"She must be tired. I found her holding on to the wall for support to walk just then. Why are you working her this hard?" she asked frowning.

"I am not doing it for my sake. She has an entrance test coming up soon and she needs to score a high one to cover up for previous less scores otherwise she wouldn't get an admission." I explained and she nodded slowly.

"As we both will stop our act of depending on her, she will not have much work and will concentrate on her studies too even though there is still a year left for the exam." I continued.

"So, that's why you want to stop the fight between us?" she asked and I frowned at those words.

"You started the fight and that's not a fight." I mumbled stopping near the signal.

"Why did you tell her that everything was your fault and not mine?" I asked turning to stare at her.

"Because that's true! I shouldn't have liked you in the first place and shouldn't have confessed and shouldn't have let it affect my studies. I don't see your fault at all." She replied shrugging and I had to continue to drive when the signal changed but continued to frown at her words.

"I am sorry!" I apologized even though it's a late one but I wanted to for a long time.

"It's okay, Sir! I am glad to work with you again like this." She mumbled nodding and I finally reached Mihira's house.

She supported her while I walked into the compound with her bag and found the door open but there are so many people and I recognize my students too in this group of people along with the principal.

"Mr. Swapnil! What are you doing here?" Principal asked when I cleared my throat near the door and I gestured Mihira whose condition is looking worse than earlier.

"Mihi!" Almost everyone shouted and I saw a man rushing towards her along with Abhilash to take her from Haritha before taking her away while a lady followed them.

"What actually happened?" Principal asked looking at us and Haritha calmly explained everything while I stood in silence.

"Thank you so much for your help." His wife thanked both of us while asking us to come inside but we both shook our heads.

"It's our fault, right?" Kavitha who is her friend is suddenly crying while others are consoling her.

"We will take our leave." I mumbled stepping back but the couple who must be her parents reached us after climbing down the stairs.

"You must be her Mentor. She always talks about you and she said you are a great lecturer." Her Dad commented while shaking my hand and I wish to leave from this place right now.

"Thanks for being her back. She has a slight fever and needs rest for now." Her Mom added nodding at me before asking us to stay for lunch.

"We have some work to do and need to go now. We will join next time." Haritha said smiling at them and they nodded letting us leave.

I rushed out with hurried steps before getting inside my car along with her before starting the engine.

"Thanks for saying that near them." I mumbled sighing in relief.

Families definitely scare me and spending time with them is another scare. Why would I want to be with those many people?

"I know you don't like to meet your student's parents or spend time with so many people like that. You like to stay alone like you are used to from the time you were a kid." Haritha mumbled and I glanced at her feeling surprised.

"Even I know about you, Sir." She added while I looked away remembering how I shared some personal details unintentionally in those emails. And that's how even I knew about her more than any of my other students.

*Abhilash Pov*

I was just standing there with others while everyone was discussing how to explain to her everything that happened properly.

However, all that silent and low-level discussion turned into a high level the moment we saw Mihi in an unconscious state.

"She looks tired and has a slight fever. She will be fine after taking some rest." Aunty assured me before leaving the room with Uncle while I sat beside her sleeping form.

"Mihi!" I whispered caressing her cheek with my hand while holding her hand in mine wishing I can go to the past and make sure she didn't suffer alone because of me.

"I am sorry! I know those words are simple to say but I am willing to use any kind of words if they can reduce the burden you had to bear alone because of me." I mumbled adjusting her blanket and felt her hand holding my hand back.

I lifted it before pressing a kiss to her hand and walked out of her room without disturbing her.

"Let's go!" I mumbled looking at my friends and they calmly walked out of the house.

"I am sorry for making her go through like this." I apologized to her parents but they shook their heads.

"Don't worry! I don't think she blames you as far as I know her. She is angry at us and feeling hurt but doesn't hate anyone of us for sure. We all were in it and not just you." Aunty assured me while Uncle nodded at her words.

I don't know what I would have done if they had started hating me for hurting their daughter like this.

"Can I come later to check up on her?" I asked and Aunty nodded after which I stepped out to meet my friends.

"We didn't know that even a small action from us had hurt her like that. We were all thinking in one dimensional way during that time and missed seeing her feelings." Kalyan commented sighing.

"I should have known she was feeling lonely during that time." Vikesh mumbled closing his eyes.

"What are you planning to do now that you find out everything?" Rekha asked looking at me.

"Give up for hurting her like that?" she added when I stayed silent.

"No! Of course not! I already decided to be a selfish man from the first day of college this semester." I replied and she nodded smiling.

"That's good! You need to be more direct with your feelings and give her a feeling of trust that she wouldn't go through such pain again no matter what. We all will try our best to correct our mistakes." She said before glancing at others and they all nodded.

"It's a good thing you told me that you will be talking to Mihi today otherwise I wouldn't have asked everyone to come here and wouldn't have found out the true feelings of hers." Vikesh mumbled and I nodded at him.

"Let's meet on Monday." Rekha said while glancing at Kavitha who is standing with Rakesh but her tears didn't stop.

"Talk to her on Monday and don't cry like this." She added consoling her.

I walked into my house along with my parents after my friends left before reaching my room to sit down for some time to process everything.

What have I done, Mihi? I shouldn't have lied to you, right? I shouldn't have hidden everything from you, right? I am not even able to imagine how you must have felt all this time to hide from everyone your true thoughts like this for my sake.

I covered my face trying to control the tears but they are not stopping while thinking about everything that happened for nearly a year.

"Abhi!" Mom called entering my room and I removed my hands to look at her.

"Abhi!" she whispered hugging me while rubbing my back and I let the tears out completely.

"Don't cry, Abhi! None of us expected and we can't change anything with this." She mumbled consoling.

"She must have got no one to console her like this during that time, Mom. I... I just didn't want her to feel hurt or be sad for a long time if something had happened to me. I never thought... I never thought..." I trailed off while she stayed silent.

"I was fine with her hating me as I thought she will feel less hurt if she hates me but I was not expecting this, Mom. I thought I need to make her like me again after deciding to be with her after the holidays but now... now I don't know how to make it up to her." I added closing my eyes.

"I understand now why she used to hang out at our house during the evening time after returning from college. She tried so much for your sake and that's why you need to ignore any kind of obstacles and just stay beside her." She whispered and I nodded because that will be my plan for sure even though she may not like me anymore.

It doesn't matter even if she never wants to be with me other than as a friend. I will be her friend for life if that's what she wants but will never stay away from her life.

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Why is this story extending so much :( So much should be done by this chapter but that extended to next chapter... But still hope it is not dragging or something...

And a surprise from Swapnil Sir's Pov on popular demand for him :P

How is the chap?

comment plz and vote...