I thought my immune system was strong, but now that I had been down with a fever for about a week, I concluded that I should stop overestimating it. Usually, I didn't fall sick that much but whenever I did, it was nothing less than hell.

"Sandhu, why are you still on the laptop? Didn't I tell you to rest?" Mom scolded while coming in my room.

"I am fine, mom. I will just make the PPT in half an hour and then rest," I assured.

She shook her head when I began coughing violently, feeling like my lungs would come out of my mouth any second. I calmed down after a few minutes and gave her a sheepish smile. Five out of six days left for the project submission passed by in a blur and tomorrow was the deadline.

I had to take a leave from college for two days after I couldn't bear the cold anymore, and Ved was chewing my head for not listening to him. I wanted to hit him but I had no strength left, so I requested Mehta Sir to grant me a sick leave and have been home for two days now.

Apart from Ved, Surbhi and Parth also scolded me for acting like an idiot when I was not fine. I understood the concerns of my best friends, but what about Ved? Why was he acting like he was really worried about me?

What was going on in his mind? Why was he being so nice to me? I wanted to dismiss it as one of his tactics or gameplay, but his actions seemed genuine. I didn't expect my enemy to take care of me; why would he?

Was there something else that I was missing?

"Sandhu," Mom's voice interrupted my brainstorming.

"Yeah?"

"Wear more warm clothes, you are shaking badly."

On her command, I put on one more sweater on my already three layers of warm clothing and tied a navy blue scarf around my head, covering my ears tightly. Mom laughed at me as I dressed myself like a scarecrow and told me that I looked like my grandmother.

"I am going to my room, if you need anything, call me. And don't stress yourself. I don't understand why you are doing a group project alone," she mumbled.

"Chill, Ma (mom). You go, I will handle it."

She nodded and left my room, closing the door on her way. After she left, I got back to work but my body started aching badly after some time. I sneezed, coughed and the cycle repeated over and over. I seriously hate getting sick.

I still had some work left to do, but my body was begging me to rest. I checked the time on my wall clock: 5:07 pm. I calculated the amount of time it would require me to complete my task and went to my bed.

With the thought of a quick nap, I pulled the quilt over me. I closed my eyes but sleep was nowhere near. The worry of not being able to make the presentation and losing marks didn't let me rest, so I got up and went to my study table again.

I was about to sit on my chair when I heard a soft knock on my door. I wondered why mom would knock when it was only two of us in the house. I went to my door and opened it.

I blinked rapidly when I saw my group members standing in front of me. Ved was smiling brightly while Ayush and Nikhil had a blank expression on their faces.

"Hey, Grandma," Ved greeted.

"Why are you guys here?" I asked in a nasally voice.

"Aunty called me and informed me that you were really sick. So, we are here to help you," Nikhil replied in a plain tone.

I sighed. Mom... She didn't had to. Well, the situation was already awkward but inviting the guys over was worse.

"It is okay, you guys don't need to bother," I said.

"Take care of yourself first, Grandma," Ved retorted and pushed past me.

He went inside and observed my room, jumping from one place to another. He kept picking up my things and acting like he was in a museum. Ayush and Nikhil also entered my room, but unlike Ved, they stood in one place.

"Ved, don't touch my things," I scolded.

He ignored me and plopped down on my bed. Before I could lecture him, he went under the covers and smiled like a kid.

"Your bed is really soft, Sandy Pandy," he commented.

"Get off!" I yelled and walked towards him.

How dare he use my bed without my permission?

I was pissed off but halted when Ved gave me puppy eyes. I couldn't believe my eyes - he was pouting. I opened my mouth but the words got stuck in my throat.

"I am feeling cold," he said in a low voice.

Was he serious? How could Natural Heater feel cold?

For a minute, I just stared at him like an idiot. He kept looking at me as if I was snatching his favourite candy from him, and I started feeling guilty too.

"Fine," I said.

He shot me his signature smile - the one he gave me when we were at the resort in Nandimata village. I felt my cheeks heating up and widened my eyes when I saw Ved's face glowing like a lightbulb.

"What are we supposed to do?" Ayush asked.

I snapped my head at him and Nikhil. They were looking at me weirdly while Ved was having a happy moment of his own, sliding more under my comforter.

I forgot about the other guys completely!

"Umm... only the digital presentation is left," I informed.

"Okay, then. I will make the PPT," Ayush announced and sat down on my study table.

He was about to touch my laptop when I shocked him by yelling loudly. I wondered how I did it when my voice was so hoarse. I rushed to my closet and took out a thin translucent cloth and covered my laptop's keyboard with it.

Ayush furrowed his eyebrows and glanced between me and the cloth. "What's this for?" he asked.

"I used the PC before you, so if you touch it with bare hands, you will get infected too," I explained.

He looked at me as if I spoke something incredulous. I gave him a small smile and backed away from him when I sensed Ved staring holes in my head. I realised that I had promised him that I wouldn't bother Ayush, and if I said anything more, the situation might turn bad.

Ayush nodded, and I turned to Nikhil. I knew that he wasn't good in Physics, so I decided on briefing him about the project. Mehta Sir would ask any one of us to explain the thing randomly, and if Nikhil said something wrong, everyone would lose points.

"Are you comfortable sitting on the floor?" I asked.

When he nodded, I spread a small carpet on the remaining space of my room and put the charts on it. I sat down in one corner while Nikhil sat across from me. I gave him the articles I had gathered and other study materials.

While Ayush worked on the digital presentation, I gave a summary to Nikhil. He kept nodding his head, but I was sure he wasn't getting all of it.

"Ved, can you please pass my notebook?" I asked, pointing towards the stationery object on my bed.

He shook his head. I asked him again and he refused. Instead of helping, he kept playing on his phone. Realizing that he wasn't going to listen, I started getting up myself but stopped when mom arrived with a hot water thermos bottle in her hands.

"Mom, can you pass that notebook?" I requested.

She nodded, but Ved picked my book before she did. He gave mom a huge smile and jumped out of the bed. I rolled my eyes when he acted like an obedient child and smiled at her.

After having a small chat with him, Mom gave me the thermos and checked my temperature. She left after talking with Nikhil and Ayush. I kept the thermos between my legs and wrapped my palms over it. I closed my eyes as I felt the heat passing through my body.

I was enjoying the warmth, when I sensed Ved sitting beside me, his back touching my right shoulder. I opened my eyes and pushed him a little.

"What are you doing?" I asked and sneezed.

"Relaxing," he replied.

"Then use something else as support, you are hurting my shoulder."

He pushed his weight on me, and I groaned. I smacked him behind the head, but still he didn't budge. After hitting him and getting my hand hurt in return, I gave up.

"Are you done Nikhil?" I queried.

"Yes," he replied as he put the notes on the side.

Ved handed him my notebook, and I saw Nikhil's face relaxed while reviewing it. Ever since he came, I noticed that he wasn't having that much trouble studying as he earlier had.

"You have improved, Nikhil," I commented.

"What?" He snapped his eyes at me.

"Earlier you had trouble grasping the complex equations, but now you don't. You are smart." I smiled.

I saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink as he stared at me with surprise. I told him that he was doing great, and if he continued like that, we would have no problem tomorrow in college.

"Sandhya?" Ved poked me.

"What?" I asked and glanced at him.

He had changed his sitting position, his face towards me instead of his back. His legs were crossed in Indian style, his knees touching my right thigh from the side. He moved his head closer and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?" I questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Your nose is running."

I really wanted to kill him!

I took my handkerchief from my left pocket and wiped my nose. Ved kept staring at me, his eyes turning different shades. His face reminded me of his little brother Veer who made the same expression when he was telling me his favourite story.

"Move away from me, Ved," I said.

"Why?" he asked angrily.

"You will get sick."

Ved's lips curled into a smirk and his dark brown eyes shone with a glint. He rested his chin on his left fist after propping his elbow on his knee.

"Are you worried about me, Sandy Pandy?"

What? Was I... really worried about him? Why would I be?

"I am just telling you to be careful," I said, feeling the thermos getting hotter under my touch suddenly.

"Is that so?" he teased.

I stared at his face when no reply came to me. Other times, I had a perfect comeback, but I had nothing to say in response for what he asked.

What the hell?! Why wasn't my brain working properly? Did I have such a high fever?

"Sandhu." Mom's voice landed in my ears.

Ved moved away from me in a flash as Mom made her entry. She smiled at all of us and told the guys to stay for dinner. Dad had returned and would love to meet Ved and Ayush.

"It is okay, Aunty. You don't need to stress, we will have dinner at our homes," Ayush said.

"No, beta. How can I send you on empty stomach when you came here for the first time?" Mom asked and patted his head lovingly.

"We will stay, Aunty, we still have a lot of work left," Ved said. "Do you need help in cooking?"

"Thank you for the offer, Ved." She smiled. "You guys work, I will take care of the food. Dinner will be ready soon, I will call you."

"Cool," Nikhil replied.

After ensuring that all the boys were staying, Mom went back downstairs with a huge grin on her face. I felt bad that she would have to cook a lot of food alone, I would have helped her if I wasn't suffering from cold.

"I will inform Mom that it would take us more time," Ved announced.

He made a call and informed his mother the same. I observed him as he talked to his mother happily. I averted my eyes when he cut the call and turned towards us.

If I remember correctly, his mom died when we were in 4th grade. Then who was he talking to? His stepmom? But didn't he hate her?

I glanced at Ayush who was already looking at me; he was the one who had informed me about Ved's mom's death. I got curious to know more but decided to keep my mouth shut.

It was none of my business and poking my nose where it didn't belong never proved good.

Ayush went back to typing on my laptop when I didn't say anything, and Nikhil was still busy with reading the notes. Ved was playing on his phone and was back in his previous position beside me.

I let him be as I didn't want to spoil his good mood. Moreover, I wasn't feeling that cold as he was sitting closer to me. Natural Heater was doing such a good job that I didn't feel the need to use my thermos also.

I glanced at Ved, and he was playing games on his phone. Everyone was lost in their own worlds, but my mind was busy replaying old memories. No matter how much I tried to shake it off, the incidents from childhood came running back to me.

She is not my mom! I hate her.

Ved's mom died last year and that woman was his stepmom. Don't tell anyone.

Had Ved finally accepted his stepmother? And what about Veer?

Oh... now I get it why both brothers have similar facial features. Veer is Ved's half-brother, that's why he is so younger in age.

I was jealous but I was glad that Ved finally got a mom and a cute little brother to keep him company. I knew we weren't friends, but seeing him having a healthy relationship with his stepmom made me feel good.

Losing our parents, our loved ones is the worst feeling in the world. And I hope no one ever suffered that pain.

"Dinner is ready, kids," Mom announced from downstairs.

My mom is definitely a ninja.

"Coming," I replied.

"Let's go, guys. I am hungry," Ved said and got up.

Ayush put the laptop on sleep mode, and Nikhil also stood up after closing the book. Both of them went out of the room, and I also began to get up but failed; my legs had gone numb.

"Need help?" Ved questioned.

"No, you go ahead," I replied.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my right arm. He pulled me off the ground in a swift movement, but since my legs hadn't regained consciousness, I lost my footing.

"Easy there, Sandy Pandy." Ved caught me.

When I told him about my legs being numb, he gave me a mischievous smile and started kicking on my legs lightly. Small jolts of current passed through my lower limbs, and I cursed. He laughed at me and pulled my scarf down on my face.

"Idiot," I huffed as I retied the scarf.

"You have a high fever." He touched my forehead with his right palm, getting serious all of a sudden.

"Yes, I have."

I moved my head back but he continued checking my temperature like Mom did. He was close - too close. I told him to stop, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"You are going home after the presentation tomorrow. There is no need to attend other lectures," he said.

"I will decide that myself," I replied.

I tried to move away but he didn't let me. He tightened his hold on my hands and pulled me closer. My face hit his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Don't act stubborn," he scolded.

My temperature skyrocketed. He was too warm!

"Ve-Ved..."

He hugged me tightly, and I was sure my brain short-circuited. I felt my heartbeat sprinting in cycles; I wasn't sure if my body was reacting like that due to fever or because of the idiot.

"Leave me, Ved," I demanded.

After a few minutes, Ved removed his arms slowly and gave me some breathing space. After gaining my thinking power back, I opened my mouth to snap at him but closed it back when I saw his face.

He was looking at me with an innocent expression, his eyes soft and mellow. He wasn't looking at me like he hated me, but as if he-

"Sandhu!"

Dad's voice stopped my train of doubts. I put a one hand distance between me and Ved who had turned all red. I told him to go down, and he ran out of my room like his life depended on it.

I also followed after him, but my inner voice was whispering something to me which I didn't want to accept. Because, first of all, it sounded absurd, and second, I was definitely overthinking.

Ved Rajput, stop messing with my mind.