The silence was unbearable.

Her phone was silent.
Her reflection — flawless.
Her world — too quiet.

Avneet stared at herself in the mirror, eyeliner perfectly winged, lips a dark cherry red. She tilted her head and smirked slightly.

But there was no real satisfaction behind it.

Her pride was bruised. Her ego scratched. And worst of all… her mind was full of him.

Siddharth.

She hated that.

She hated how small she felt around him. How vulnerable. How seen.

And worst of all—she hated that she started caring about what he thought.

No.

She was done playing the girl who waited for someone to come back.

Avneet Kaur didn’t wait.
She made people come to her.
And if they didn’t—she made them regret it.

And then — Avneet entered the courtyard.
She spotted Siddharth from a distance.

Alone. Sitting under the old banyan tree, earphones in, sketchbook on his lap.

He didn’t look up when she passed by. Didn’t even acknowledge her.

That was it.

She turned back and walked right up to him.

“When hotest girl in college in standing in front, you are supposed to look up.”

Siddharth looked up slowly, pulling one earbud out.

His face was unreadable. “Didn’t realize I owed you attention.”

That stung, but she smiled anyway.

“Oh, you do,” she said, folding her arms. “You owe me a lot. For staring at me like you could see through me. For walking away like I didn’t matter. You don’t get to do that.”

He blinked, calm. “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to walk away.”

Her jaw tightened.

She leaned closer, voice lower, sharper. “You think you're better than me because you sketch buildings and read books like a sad little poet? You're not. You're just another boy who didn’t get what he wanted.”

Siddharth’s eyes flickered—something hot, cold, stormy.

He stood slowly, towering over her now. His voice was low, but cutting.

“You think I want you?” he said. “I pity you.”

Her lips parted, caught between a gasp and a slap.

“But don’t worry,” he added, eyes dark now. “You’ve reminded me exactly who you are. It won’t happen again.”

He turned to leave.

She grabbed his wrist.

“No,” she said, voice dropping. “You don’t walk away from me. You don’t get to undo that look in your eyes. That moment. You let me in, Siddharth. Even for a second. You saw me.”

He paused. His jaw clenched.

Then he yanked his hand free.

“I saw a broken girl pretending to be a monster,” he said. “And I don’t have the energy to fight someone who wants to stay broken.”

He left.

Again.

But this time…

Avneet stood still, her hand still in the air where his wrist had been.

Her nails dug into her palm.

He saw her.
He walked away.
And it hurt.

So now?

She wasn’t going to cry.

She was going to make him fall.

Whether he liked it or not.

-
Avneet pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped into the cool, hushed quiet of the college library. Rows of shelves towered on either side, the air thick with old paper and whispered secrets.

She spotted him instantly.

Siddharth. Sitting at a side table, head down in a book, one hand absently sketching in the margin.

He looked calm.

Untouched.

Distant.

Like he hadn’t been haunting her thoughts all week.

He's pretending, she told herself.
He wants me. He’s just too proud to say it.

After all, they all wanted her eventually.

And Siddharth… he was no different.

He could act cold. Act noble. Pretend he didn’t care.

But she remembered the way he looked at her.

‘I saw you’

No one said that unless they meant something.

She walked over — hips swaying, lips curved into a slow smile.

“Hey,” she said, stopping beside him.

“Need help turning pages, or are you too busy drawing sad little buildings?”

“I am busy” He muttered.

“You didn't seem so busy when you were staring at me the whole day” Avneet said snatching his pen in flirty tone.

Siddharth glanced up. Calm. Steady.

Not impressed.

"I wasn't staring.”

He closed his notebook. “Can I help you?”

She took the seat across from him, arms folded on the table, leaning in. “Help me? I thought I was helping you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “With?”

“Distraction,” she said smoothly, voice dipping lower. “Tension relief. You’ve been wound a little tight lately.”

Still no reaction.

She slowly traced her finger across the edge of his sketchpad, deliberately casual, yet calculated. “You’ve been staring. Thinking. Defending. Watching. Maybe it’s time to admit it…”

She leaned closer.

“…you want me. You keep acting like you are above it. Siddharth, but here I am right next to you and see your hand is still shaking” she slid her hand on his.

Siddharth’s expression didn’t change.

But the silence between them turned razor-sharp.

Then, he leaned back in his chair.

“You’re Faisu’s girlfriend,” he said flatly.

The words hit her like a slap.

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You’re dating my best friend,” he repeated, picking up his pen again. “Or did you forget that while trying to climb into my lap?”

The smirk slid off her face.

"Flirting with someone behind your boyfriend's back is not sexy, it's pathetic."

People heard that.

She could here chuckles and whispers.

She didn’t say anything.

Then, colder now: “Wow. That’s cute. Playing the loyal friend card.”

He didn’t even look at her. “It’s self-respect.”

Something cracked in her.

She stood abruptly. “Keep pretending you’re different. That you don’t want the same thing every guy wants.”

He finally looked up.

And this time… he wasn’t calm.

He was disgusted.

“I don’t want sex, Avneet. I wanted to believe there was still a person inside this cold bitch facade.”

She stared at him.

And for once—she had no comeback.

No flirt. No insult.

Nothing.

Because for the first time in years, someone looked at her…

…and didn’t want her at all.

It felt like curse.

And worst of all she could see Ritika and her friends laughing in table next to them.

"Oh my god did the hell freeze over? Queen Avneet got rejected and insulted in public!" She cackled

Avneet's fingers curled into fist in her lap. She could feel the sting in her eyes, the ache in her throat but she refused to let in show. Not in front of him!

She slowly rose from her chair and smiled. She looked straight in his eyes and said... “You will regret this!”

She stomped out of library but Ritika and her friends followed her not missing a opportunity to mock her.

They kept laughing and whispering something till they reached till courtyard behind Avneet.

“Ohh, poor Avneet,” Ritika said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “That must’ve hurt.”

Avneet didn’t move.

“I mean, imagine thinking you’re irresistible and getting publicly rejected.” Ritika put a hand to her chest, fake-sympathetic. “You used to be something, you know. Before you became so... predictable.”

A few people snorted behind her.

Avneet’s jaw clenched. “Back off, Ritika.”

“Why? I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.” Ritika stepped closer, tone sharper now. “You’re slipping. The queen’s crown is rusting.”

Avneet slowly stood, squaring her shoulders.

“You want to say something, say it to my face.”

Ritika didn’t flinch. “Alright. I bet you can’t even get Siddharth to look at you. I bet you’ve lost your touch.”

Avneet’s eyes narrowed.

Ritika leaned in. “In fact… I bet you won’t ever have him. Not in your bed. Not in your arms. Not even in your DMs.”

Gasps again. Jannat looked at Avneet, wide-eyed.

Avneet took a slow step forward.

“You want to bet?”

Ritika grinned. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

“One week,” Avneet said, voice calm but boiling beneath. “By next Friday, Siddharth will be in my bed worshipping me.”

Ritika lifted her brows. “And if he isn’t?”

“I’ll walk through this courtyard with a mic and announce that you win. I’ll even kiss your feet if you want.”

More whispers.

“And if he is?” Ritika asked.

“You walk out here in front of everyone,” Avneet said coldly, “and admit I’m still the queen — and that you’ve never come close.”

Ritika smirked. “Deal.”

They shook hands.

Hard. Tight. Silent rage behind perfect smiles.

Avneet stood still for a moment, the heat of the sun on her back, the weight of a hundred eyes on her shoulders.

But her mind was burning.

I’ll show you, Siddharth.
You don’t get to humiliate me. Not like this.
You want to pretend you’re above me? That’s fine.
I’ll drag you down myself.

She turned, flipped her hair, and walked away.

The crowd parted like water.

The war had begun.