Sara was in the middle of her morning workout, pushing through the last few reps when her phone started buzzing on the table beside her. She glanced at the screen, already knowing who it was. With a sigh, she reached over and disconnected the call without a second thought, tossing the phone aside as she returned to her routine.

Aditi, who was stretching nearby, noticed the familiar scene and shook her head. "Sara, I really think you should do something about this."

Sara shrugged, not wanting to get into it. "It's fine, Aditi. He'll get bored eventually."

Aditi raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "And what if he doesn't? Ignoring him hasn't worked so far. Why not try something different?"

Sara looked at her friend, her expression tired. "Like what?"

Aditi's eyes lit up with an idea. "Why don't you post something on Instagram? Something that makes it clear you're not available—like a picture with a boyfriend."

Sara blinked, surprised by the suggestion. "Aditi, I don't have a boyfriend. Who am I supposed to post with?"

Aditi waved off her concern. "That's the beauty of the internet, my dear. You don't need a real boyfriend for this. Just go on Pinterest, find a nice couple's picture, and post it. Make it look real. He'll get the message."

Sara stared at Aditi, half-amused and half-uncertain. "You seriously think that'll work?"

"Why not?" Aditi said, with a playful shrug. "It's worth a shot, right? Plus, it might give you a little peace of mind. And if nothing else, it'll be fun to see how he reacts."

Sara hesitated, then sighed. "I don't know, Aditi. It feels a bit...dishonest."

Aditi smiled reassuringly. "It's just a harmless post, Sara. You're not actually lying; you're just setting a boundary. Besides, you can take it down once he gets the message. No harm done."

Sara thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright, I guess I can give it a try. But if this backfires, I'm blaming you."

Aditi grinned, clearly pleased that Sara was willing to go along with her plan. "Deal! Now, let's find the perfect picture and show that guy you're not someone to be messed with."

Sara grabbed her phone, scrolling through Pinterest with Aditi by her side, offering suggestions and critiques. As they searched for the right image, Sara couldn't help but smile at Aditi's enthusiasm. Maybe this would be the solution she needed—or at the very least, a way to take back some control over the situation.

Sara scrolled through Pinterest until she found an image that seemed just right—a guy with a towel wrapped around his waist, his face obscured by a hat pulled low. The picture was playful yet ambiguous, and it could easily pass as something a girlfriend might share without giving away too much. It was perfect.

She hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering over the "Post" button, but then she thought of the persistent calls and messages she'd been dealing with. With a determined nod, she tapped the button, watching as the image went live on her Instagram profile. The caption was simple, just a heart emoji, but it was enough to send the message she wanted.

Aditi peeked over her shoulder, grinning. "Nice choice, Sara. That should get the point across."

Sara locked her phone and set it aside, feeling a small sense of relief. "Let's hope so. I'm tired of dealing with him."

Aditi gave her a supportive pat on the back. "You did the right thing. Now, let's get ready for college. We don't want to be late."

Sara nodded, pushing aside any lingering doubts as she headed to her room to get dressed. She quickly changed into her college uniform, tying her hair into a neat ponytail and grabbing her backpack. With one last glance at her phone—where notifications were already starting to pop up from friends commenting on the post—she slipped it into her bag and joined Aditi at the door.

"Ready to go?" Aditi asked, already reaching for the keys.

"Ready," Sara replied, feeling a little more confident than she had that morning.

As they walked out the door and headed to college, Sara couldn't help but wonder what kind of reaction her post would get. But for now, she was content with the thought that she'd taken control of the situation, and that was enough to carry her through the day.

Sara and Aditi arrived at college, chatting casually as they made their way to class. Everything seemed normal until Sara noticed something unusual—whispers and glances following her wherever she went. Groups of girls huddled together, shooting curious, sometimes envious looks in her direction.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" Sara asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

Aditi frowned, noticing it too. "I have no idea. Did something happen?"

Before they could figure it out, they entered the classroom. As soon as they stepped in, the whispers intensified, and all eyes seemed to zero in on Sara. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach but couldn't understand why.

Just then, Shubman stormed into the room, his usual calm demeanor replaced with visible anger. His gaze locked onto Sara, his eyes narrowing as he approached her with long strides. The room fell silent, everyone watching with bated breath.

"Do you think this is funny?" Shubman's voice was low but seething with anger as he stopped in front of Sara.

Sara blinked, completely caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

Shubman pulled out his phone and thrust it in her face, showing her the Instagram post she had made earlier that morning. It took a moment for Sara to realize what she was looking at—the towel-wrapped guy in the photo was Shubman. Somehow, she had unknowingly posted a picture of him, and now everyone thought they were involved.

Her eyes widened in horror as she looked from the phone to Shubman, her mind racing. "I—I didn't know! I had no idea it was you, I swear!"

Shubman wasn't having it. His anger, already bubbling over, intensified as he snapped, "You think this is a joke? Posting a picture like that and making everyone think—" He cut himself off, his fists clenching at his sides. "Just stay away from me."

Without waiting for her response, Shubman turned on his heel and stormed out of the classroom, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. Sara stood frozen, her face pale as she tried to process what had just happened. She had never intended for this to happen, and now she had unintentionally dragged herself into a mess she didn't even understand.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but before they could fall, Abhishek was at her side, gently pulling her into a corner away from the prying eyes of their classmates.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Abhishek said softly, trying to calm her down. "You didn't know. Shubman's just... he gets like that sometimes. He'll cool off."

Sara shook her head, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to—I didn't know it was him! I just... I don't know how this happened."

Abhishek gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I believe you, Sara. And deep down, Shubman knows you wouldn't do something like this on purpose. He just needs time to process it."

She nodded, but the guilt and embarrassment still weighed heavily on her. "Everyone's going to think..."

"Don't worry about them," Abhishek cut in, his voice firm yet kind. "People will talk, but they'll move on to something else soon enough. You just need to focus on yourself and let Shubman cool down. I'll talk to him, okay?"

Sara looked up at him, grateful for his kindness. "Thank you, Abhishek. I didn't mean to cause all this trouble."

"It'll be alright," Abhishek assured her with a gentle smile. "Just hang in there."

With that, he stayed by her side, helping her regain her composure as they waited for the chaos to die down. But even as the whispers around them began to fade, Sara couldn't shake the dread settling in her stomach, knowing that this was far from over.

After consoling Sara, Abhishek knew he needed to find Shubman and try to calm him down before things escalated even further. He left Sara with Aditi, making sure she was okay, and then set off to look for his friend.

It didn't take long to find Shubman. He was outside, near the cricket nets, aggressively practicing his swings, the thwack of the bat hitting the ball echoing through the empty area. His anger was palpable, each strike against the ball seeming to release some of the frustration he was carrying.

"Shub," Abhishek called out cautiously as he approached, trying to gauge his friend's mood.

Shubman didn't acknowledge him at first, continuing to batter the ball with a fury that left no doubt about how he was feeling. After a few more intense swings, he finally stopped, panting slightly as he turned to face Abhishek. His expression was a mix of anger and hurt.

"What do you want, Abhi?" Shubman snapped, his voice still sharp with anger.

Abhishek held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I just want to talk, man. You're upset, and I get it, but you need to calm down."

"Calm down?" Shubman's voice rose, his eyes flashing. "Do you have any idea how this looks? She posted that picture and now everyone thinks—" He broke off, his frustration evident.

"Yeah, I know how it looks," Abhishek replied calmly. "But she didn't do it on purpose, Shub. It was a mistake. She had no idea it was you in the picture."

Shubman let out a bitter laugh. "A mistake? How does someone accidentally post a picture of me like that?"

Abhishek sighed, trying to keep his own frustration in check. "She found the picture online, man. She didn't know it was you. It's not like she's out to ruin your reputation or something. You're blowing this way out of proportion."

Shubman turned away, running a hand through his hair, still too worked up to think clearly. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered, more to himself than to Abhishek. "I don't need this kind of drama right now."

"Shub, listen to me," Abhishek said, stepping closer. "Sara feels terrible about this. She didn't mean to embarrass you, and she certainly didn't do it on purpose. You need to cut her some slack."

Shubman rounded on him, his temper flaring again. "Why are you defending her? You're supposed to be my friend!"

"I am your friend!" Abhishek shot back, his voice finally rising. "That's why I'm telling you to stop acting like a jerk. You're angry, I get that, but you can't take it out on her. She made a mistake. Don't let it ruin everything."

Shubman glared at Abhishek, his chest heaving with the effort to control his emotions. For a moment, it looked like he might lash out again, but then his shoulders slumped slightly, the fight going out of him.

"I just... I don't know how to deal with this, Abhi," Shubman admitted quietly, his voice filled with frustration and confusion. "I'm not used to this kind of attention, and now everyone's talking about me like they know me. It's too much."

Abhishek softened, seeing the vulnerability behind Shubman's anger. "I know, man. It sucks, but you can't let it get to you like this. You're stronger than that. And this will blow over—people will move on, and you'll be fine. But you've got to keep your cool."

Shubman nodded, though the tension was still evident in his posture. "I'll try," he muttered, though it was clear he was still struggling to process everything.

Abhishek clapped a hand on his shoulder, offering a reassuring squeeze. "That's all you can do. Just don't push everyone away in the process, alright? Especially not over something like this."

Shubman let out a long breath, nodding again. "Yeah... I won't."

"Good," Abhishek said with a small smile, relieved to see some of the anger fading from Shubman's eyes. "Now, why don't we grab some lunch and take a break from all this craziness? You've been hitting those balls like they owe you money."

Shubman managed a weak chuckle, the tension easing slightly. "Yeah, okay. Let's go."

As they walked back toward the main campus, Abhishek kept the conversation light, steering Shubman away from the topic of Sara and the post. He knew his friend needed time to cool off and get some perspective, and he was determined to help him through it, no matter how stubborn Shubman could be.

Back in the classroom, Sara sat with her head down on her desk, trying to disappear into the background. The weight of the morning's events hung heavily on her, and she couldn't shake the embarrassment and guilt swirling in her mind. The whispers had quieted, but she could still feel the eyes of her classmates on her, judging and speculating about the situation.

Abhishek returned to the classroom after his talk with Shubman, immediately noticing how dejected Sara looked. He sighed softly and walked over to her, taking the seat beside her.

"Hey, Sara," he said gently, trying to get her attention. "How are you holding up?"

Sara lifted her head slightly, her eyes red-rimmed from holding back tears. "I'm so sorry, Abhishek. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just—" She paused, her voice faltering. "I just wanted him to leave me alone. I didn't know it would turn into this mess."

Abhishek shook his head. "I know you didn't mean it, Sara. It was just an unfortunate coincidence. Shubman's... well, he's taking it harder than he should, but he'll come around."

Sara sighed, her gaze dropping to the desk. "He hates me now. And I get it—I made things worse for him. He's a famous cricketer, and now everyone's talking about him because of me. I didn't think about how it would affect him."

Abhishek frowned slightly, his tone comforting. "You're being too hard on yourself. It's not like you did this on purpose. Shubman's dealing with a lot of pressure, especially with his cricket career and all the attention that comes with it. He's not used to people prying into his personal life, and this just hit him at a bad time."

Sara nodded slowly, understanding but still feeling the weight of her actions. "I didn't think about how different things are for him. He's not just any guy—he's got the spotlight on him all the time, and now I've made it worse."

Abhishek placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Sara. You didn't know, and you're not responsible for the way people react. Shubman has to deal with that on his own, but I'll talk to him again. He just needs to cool down and realize you're not the enemy here."

As Abhishek spoke, Shubman walked back into the classroom, his expression still dark and brooding. He caught sight of Sara and Abhishek talking, and his eyes narrowed, a mix of anger and frustration flickering in them. He didn't say anything, but his glare was enough to make Sara shrink back into her seat.

Abhishek noticed the tension and decided to intervene before things got worse. "Shub, why don't you take a seat?" he suggested calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Shubman didn't respond, but he moved to the back of the classroom, taking his usual seat at the last bench. He sat down heavily, his gaze fixed on the front of the room, clearly still upset but holding back his emotions.

Sara stole a glance at him, her heart sinking at the sight of his anger. She turned back to Abhishek, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's never going to forgive me, is he?"

Abhishek offered her a small, reassuring smile. "He will. It'll just take time. Shubman's got a lot on his plate, but he's not unreasonable. He'll see that this was just a misunderstanding. Just give him some space, and things will settle down."

Sara nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in her chest. She just hoped that Abhishek was right, and that things would eventually get better.

Hey guys, just wanted to share that this scene was actually inspired by an Instagram reel!