Author's note: Thank you so much for all the love on the last chapter!! Let's see how quickly we can get to 140 votes on this chapter :)

~Our first selfie~

Sanjana Thapar

It had been a week since NK Uncle's funeral. A week since he had left, taking with him his warm smile, those long life lessons and bad jokes that I used to pretend to be annoyed by. This was the first funeral I'd been to since Mom's. Back then, I was just a confused kid, not really understanding a whole lot. I had simply hid with my grandfather. But NK Uncle's funeral... it carved something deep inside me. Maybe it was because I was older now, or maybe because it forced me to confront the brutal simplicity of death

The talent show winners were announced, I hadn't won first place. Second place. For the first time in my life, I didn't mind. I wasn't even remotely upset. Infact, I was just happy that I had managed to perform.

I took a sip of the warm Starbucks drink Saksham had dropped off earlier, my third this week before focusing on the marketing case studies. Not that I was complaining about the free drinks – they were keeping my budget intact while depleting his. My twin brother had become my perpetual shadow lately, ever since I'd told him about NK Uncle's demise after my performance. He had sat with me, offering silent comfort, and even accompanied me to NK Uncle's funeral because I wasn't sure if I should attend. He would also flood my phone with funny memes and reels that managed to make me smile. It was all so typical Saksham. He tried to maintain this stupid cool and detached image while being a total emotional softie.

But it was Varun who caught me off guard. During our punishment tasks, he'd quietly do some of my work in case we were partnered. He even let me sit beside him in class without his trademark glare or shaking his head admonishingly. Last night, he appeared at our study session clutching a stack of romance novels, mumbling something about accidentally checking them out from the library. "Since they're already here," he'd muttered, his eyes focused on his textbook, "Someone might as well read them." When I told him that I had to study from my quiz and had no time to read, he said I was prepared enough and strategically 'forgot' them on my table.

The timer on Varun's phone went off again and we looked up from our respective books. He pushed his wire-rimmed glasses  with one hand and turned off the alarm with the other. "Breaktime," he announced.

"No, it's fine. Let's just continue," I mumbled, focusing my attention back to the case study. I had been refusing to take breaks for the past week. Even today, the only break I took was opening the door for Saksham when he dropped off my drink. With unexpected decisiveness, he reached over and firmly closed my notebook. "Your brain isn't a storage container you can keep cramming information into," he said. Beneath his typical assertiveness I could sense his concern and that warmed my heart. "And you've already skipped your earlier break today."

"I see you are back to being mean to me again," I said with a slight pout as I folded my arms over my chest.

The corner of his mouth twitched. He reached for my DIY activity jar. When I made no move to participate, he let out an exasperated sigh and pulled out a slip himself before handing it to me.

"Take a selfie," I read out loud flatly, immediately dropping the paper back.

"You aren't going to do it?" he asked, his voice laced with genuine bewilderment. "But you love taking selfies."

"I'm just not feeling it right now," I mumbled, clicking my pen repeatedly. "Can we just get back to studying...?"

I watched as he seemed to have a mental debate with himself, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of his notebook. "What if..." he started, then stopped, took a deep breath like he was preparing to jump off a plane for skydiving. Seriously! No exaggeration. "What if we took one together?"

"What?" I squeaked, watching him in confusion.

"A selfie. You and me. Together," he clarified, his words tumbling out as he shifted awkwardly in his chair.

"Oh?" I felt my lips curving upward despite myself, watching him squirm. His nervousness as he tried to make me feel better was so uncharacteristic but so endearing. He was doing things that he didn't like for me. To make me smile. To make me feel happy and it did. It sparked the first genuine smile I'd felt in days.

Something flickered in his eyes when he caught my smile – relief, maybe, mixed with something softer that made my heart skip. I smiled again as I reached for my phone. He slid his chair closer slightly with a lot of hesitation. "No, come sit on the bed," I said, patting the spot beside me, trying to ignore how my pulse quickened at the suggestion. His shoulders stiffened as he stared at me. Rolling my eyes, I said, "Relax, I'm not going to eat you."

"Very funny," he grumbled as he sat on the edge of the bed. Clicking my tongue at his ridiculousness, I shifted closer until our shoulders touched.

"You take it. Lighting is better that way," I said, holding out my phone. Our fingers brushed during the exchange, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

His shoulder pressed against mine as he raised the phone, and suddenly I was drowning in awareness – the slight pressure of his arm against mine, my skin tingling where it met the fabric of his shirt, the intoxicating warmth radiating from his body. An unbridled thought of leaning into that warmth flashed through my mind, making my cheeks heat. Clearing my throat, I forced myself to look up into the camera.

"Wait," I said, reaching up to fix my hair. His eyes tracked the movement, lingering a heartbeat too long before darting away. "I look terrible."

"You look fine," he said, then cleared his throat. "I mean, your hair is... it's good."

"Okay you can stop now," I said, giggling to mask how his words affected me. "Your niceness is throwing me off. Just go back to being your usual saddu self. It suits you."

"Great! Then we don't need to take a pic–"

"No!" I interrupted with a slight whine, grabbing his arm without thinking. "We need to! I just realized we don't have a single picture together. Now come on."

He chuckled slightly as he raised his arm. I loved that sound, how it transformed his whole face. Seeing him happy made something warm bloom in my chest. I turned toward the camera, but found myself drawn to his reflection – the sharp line of his jaw, the way his dark lashes cast shadows on his cheeks when he blinked, how his usual stern expression had melted into something almost vulnerable.

"Ready?" he asked, his breath tickling my ear. I nodded. Just before he took the photo, he smiled – not his usual controlled one, but something genuine and so like him. I found myself smiling too, not at the camera but at him in the reflection.

He clicked a picture and I of course had him click more pictures with us in different poses because who can ever click the perfect selfie in the first try?

"Alright... that's enough," he finally said, practically thrusting my phone back at me. "Let's get back to studying."

"But–"

"We are done," he said, before jumping off my bed like it had burned him or something. He quickly retreated to his usual seat and opened my notebook with forced focus. "Let's see what you have analyzed so far."

"Actually I lied. I liked the nice Varun better than saddu Varun," I said, pinching my lips together to stop giggling. "Can he come back?"

"No," he stated firmly and simply, fixing his glasses.

Scoffing, I gave him my full attention as we spent the last twenty minutes of our study session discussing the case study.

That night as I lay in bed, I found myself staring at the selfie we had taken together. My thumb hovered over the 'Add to Story' button, but something stopped me. There was something about the photo that felt too private to share. I zoomed in on his face, studying the rare gentleness in his expression, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, how different he looked without his usual mask. No, I decided, this one wasn't for anyone else. This moment – this version of Varun – I wanted to keep just for myself.

——

“Hey!” I called out to my friends, sliding into the seat beside Maya. The afternoon sun beat down on the cricket field where Phoenix was playing against another university. Usually, I avoided these matches like the plague but between Saksham's recent sweetness and my friends’ persistent nagging, I’d caved. “What's the score?”

“75 for 3,” someone said.

Maya leaned in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Your brother's absolutely crushing it out there. The team would be lost without him.“”

I rolled my eyes. “Right, because cricket is a one-man sport now?”

“So speaking of your brother...What's going on with him and Ms. Belle?"

“Tara? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on. They're practically joined at the hip lately. And the way he looks at her? She acts all uninterested, but please... Who actually resists the famous Saksham charm?”

Clenching my jaw, I glared at my brother who was running between wickets. I was just trying to rile up Saksham but my idiot brother took it as a challenge trying to get into Tara's pants. I was going to kill him.

He hit a six and everyone around me clapped and hooted for him.

“"God, she's such a piece of work," Maya suddenly spat, her voice dripping with venom.

"What's your problem with her?"

"Oh, please. That whole innocent little mouse act? It's pathetic. You should've seen her during rehearsal – I forgot my lines for like two seconds, and she jumps in, reciting both our parts perfectly. Made me look like a complete fool. Little Miss Perfect with her holier-than-thou attitude."

"Sounds more like she saved your scene," I said carefully, watching Maya's face darken.

"You weren't there," she snapped. "But don't worry – I've got plans for our precious Ms. Belle."

My skin prickled with a warning. "What kind of plans?"

A cruel smile played on her lips. "Let's just say she won't feel so perfect after I'm done."

"Maya," I warned, my voice hardening. "Whatever you're thinking, drop it. Try talking to her like an actual adult?"

She groaned dramatically. "Oh, like how you wanted me to 'drop' the whole Varun thing? Still think he's hiding something, by the way. He's a total criminal."

"He's not a criminal," I said through gritted teeth. "And I told you to forget everything about that."

"Yeah, well, tough luck. Can't forget about him, and can't forget about Little Miss Perfect either."

Something snapped inside me. "Touch Tara, and we're done."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I stood, my hands shaking slightly. "Actually, we're done right now. Delete my number, and if we cross paths, just... don't acknowledge me."

She let out a laugh that didn't quite mask her shock. "What's gotten into you lately?"

"Something I should've found years ago," I said quietly, turning away from her stunned face. "A conscience."

As I walked away from my former friends, I couldn't help feel relieved. It felt like weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I pulled out my phone to text Tara. She needed to know what Maya was planning. Before I could finish typing, my screen lit up with an incoming call. Varun's mother's name flashed across my display.

"Hi, Aunty. How are you?" I answered with a smile, expecting our usual warm conversation.

"Sanjana," her voice came through, ragged, like she'd been crying for hours.

"Aunty, are you okay?" My heart started racing at her tone.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you... I don't know who else to call... my poor boy... Varun... Oh God, what should I do. My poor boy..."

I frowned, my stomach twisting into knots. "What's wrong, Aunty? Varun is okay. I saw him last night." I tried to keep my voice steady, even as panic began to rise.

Her wail sent chills down my spine. I started running toward the boys' dorm, my feet moving before my brain could catch up. "I'm going to Varun's room and see what's going on, okay? I'm sure everything is okay. I'll-"

“Don't let anything happen to him. I'll take the blame. I'll take the blame for it all. Even if I didn't do it. I'm going to tell them I did it." The desperation in her voice made my blood run cold.

"What are you-"

"Promise me, Sanjana, you'll take care of my boy. He deserves all the happiness and I won't let anyone take it away from him. Promise me, Sanjana. You'll take care of him." Her words came out in hysterical bursts before the line went dead.

My heart pounding against my ribs, I reached Varun's room. I didn't bother knocking – just pushed the door open and froze. The room was a total mess and admist the mess was Varun. He was curled into himself on the floor.

“Varun?” I whispered, dropping to the floor in front of him. When he didn't look up, I gently but firmly cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. He looked absolutely defeated. The sight of tears on his face broke my heart. Without thinking, I pulled him into my arms, holding him like I could somehow keep him from falling apart. "What's wrong? Tell me? I can fix it."

His bitter laugh against my shoulder felt like glass shards. He pushed my arms away, but the gesture lacked his usual strength. "It's all over. My dreams, hopes, life. Everything. It's all over."