The university hallway buzzed with energy as Revathi walked alongside Mridhul, books clutched to her chest, her mind already racing with theories for her next class. 

She had tied her hair up in a messy bun, a few strands framing her face, and wore a casual but chic outfit: a fitted graphic tee paired with high-waisted mom jeans and white sneakers. 

Her trusty tote bag swung at her side, overloaded with notebooks and a tangle of guitar picks.

Mridhul, as always, was mid-rant about his new obsession with a café that had started serving Oreo milkshakes. 

"I'm telling you, Rev! One sip, and I transcended. Like, my taste buds left the mortal plane—"

He was cut off when a group of guys standing by a vending machine stepped into their path. Revathi tensed immediately, her grip on her books tightening. 

She exchanged a quick glance with Mridhul, who raised an eyebrow, already sensing trouble.

"Hey, Revathi, right?" one of the guys said, his smirk so exaggerated it could've been its own emoji. His hair was gelled back to a level of crispiness that rivalled a fresh toast. 

"We've seen you around, and uh... we were wondering if you'd want to grab coffee with us sometime?"

The "us" seemed more like a poorly veiled excuse for "me."

Revathi blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, no thanks," she said, her voice firm but polite. She tried to step around them, but another guy stepped forward.

"Come on, don't be like that! It's just coffee. Unless..." He gave her an exaggerated wink. "You're too busy with your cricketer boyfriend or something?"

Oh, for the love of— Revathi felt her blood boil. Ever since she and Shubman had gone public, these kinds of comments had started cropping up. 

It was as if her relationship had suddenly put a neon sign over her head that said Approachable—But Only When Taken. 

She wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream.

Mridhul, ever the drama king, stepped in. "Excuse me, but she's busy with literally anything that doesn't involve you guys. Bye." 

He grabbed her arm, pulling her past them before she could retort and make the situation worse.

As they walked away, Revathi let out an exasperated groan. 

"Why does this keep happening? Like, they didn't even know I existed before! Now suddenly, it's like I've got a spotlight on me, and it's all because of Shubman."

Mridhul snorted. "Girl, they're just mad they didn't notice you first. Classic case of 'We want what we can't have.'"

Later that evening, Revathi sprawled on Shubman's couch, still ranting. He was in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for dinner, but his attention was fixed on her every word. 

She wore one of his oversized hoodies, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail, her frustration etched on her face.

"And then this one guy," she said, gesturing wildly, "he had the audacity to wink. Like, sir, no. Just no. Boys suck, Shubman. They suck."

Shubman froze, his knife hovering mid-air. Her words rang in his ears like a gong. 

Boys suck? 

His brain immediately latched onto the possibility that he was being lumped into that category.

Does she think I suck? Am I one of the boys who suck?

He frowned, his grip on the knife tightening. As much as he adored her, her words stung. 

Was he, Shubman Gill, lumped into this general disdain? 

His mind spiralled. Okay, I've got to figure this out. Am I doing enough? Am I treating her well? Is this about me not responding fast enough to her texts last Tuesday?

Meanwhile, Revathi was still on her tangent. "Like, I don't get it! Why do they suddenly care now? It's like they're only interested because you're in the picture. It's so shallow!"

Shubman set the knife down and leaned on the counter, his arms crossed, a slight pout forming on his lips. 

"Babe," he said softly, "do you think... I suck?"

That stopped her mid-rant. She blinked, her brain struggling to process his words. "What? No! Shubman, you're not even a boy. You're a man."

He raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a half-smile despite himself. "A man, huh? That's a relief. For a second, I thought I was part of the 'boys suck' club."

Revathi rolled her eyes, chuckling. "You? Please. You're in the 'best boyfriend ever' club."

His smile widened as he walked over to the couch and knelt beside her. "Yeah? You sure about that? 'Cause for a second there, it sounded like I might've been on thin ice."

She groaned, playfully hitting his arm. "You're such a drama queen. You know you're amazing."

He took her hand, kissing her knuckles, his voice low and affectionate. "Just checking. I can't have my baby thinking I'm one of those idiots who wink at girls in hallways."

She blushed at the way his warm lips brushed her skin. "Trust me, you're the exact opposite. You're—" She paused, biting her lip as she tried to find the words. "You're just... everything."

His gaze softened as he leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers. "And you're everything to me, Rev."

Her chaotic thoughts momentarily stilled as she gazed into his eyes. Okay, maybe not all boys suck. Just the ones who aren't Shubman.

Later after dinner, Shubman sat on the couch, casually scrolling through his phone as Revathi leaned against him, her legs tucked underneath her, watching a show on the TV. 

The mood was relaxed, and comfortable, the kind of evening they always seemed to fall into so naturally.

He paused, his thumb hovering over his screen as he stared at a candid picture he had taken earlier when they were out. 

It was a picture of Revathi looking at something offscreen, her eyes sparkling, her face radiating a carefree, natural joy that always made his heart skip a beat. 

The kind of beauty that wasn't about makeup or clothes, but just her — the real her.

He smiled to himself, his thumb swiping up to open his Instagram, as if on autopilot. He didn't even think twice before hitting "Post." 

It wasn't just a picture. It was her. And he wanted the world to see how lucky he was.

The caption was simple, but everything he needed to say: "My favourite person."

shubmangill has posted

liked by revarathnakumar, ishankishan23, taylrsdaughter, and 2,34,775 others

My favourite person.

load comments

Revathi looked over at him as he posted the photo, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" she asked, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Shubman looked up, catching the gleam in her eyes. "Nothing," he said, grinning. "Just sharing how lucky I am to have you in my life."

Her cheeks flushed at his words, and she rolled her eyes with a soft laugh. "Stop being so cheesy," she teased, trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips. 

"You know I hate that."

He shrugged with a grin. "Too bad. I'm gonna keep being cheesy until you admit you like it."

She playfully shoved him, but the warmth in her heart made her words soft. "I do, okay? But don't go overboard, alright? You're already embarrassing me with this whole 'favorite person' thing."

He just chuckled, slipping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. "You're embarrassed, huh? Well, that's too bad, because you're about to be all over my feed now."

Her eyes widened, and she immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking her Instagram. When she saw the post, her heart fluttered.

Shubman posted about me...

Her eyes lingered on the picture. She couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth spread through her. There she was looking completely unguarded, and it wasn't some professional photo. 

It was just her. And Shubman saw that. He saw her.

She looked up at him, feeling something like a mixture of giddiness and awe. 

"You really did that, huh?" she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He gave her a lazy grin, his eyes softening. "Yeah, I did. You're my favourite person. Deal with it."

Revathi shook her head, trying to hide her smile, but she couldn't. "You're so extra," she muttered, though her heart felt lighter than it had in ages.

Shubman's smile didn't falter. He was proud of the post — proud of her, proud of what they were together. He had never been this open about something before. But with her, it was different.

As she scrolled through the comments, her heart swelled at how many people had reacted to the photo, how many of them were so happy for the two of them. 

It was like they were cheering for their love, and it made her feel seen in a way she'd never expected.

"So," he said, his voice low, teasing. "Do you think I should post more pictures of you? Or is one enough?"

She snorted, shaking her head, but her smile was wide. "I swear, you're such a show-off," she said, but the affection in her voice was undeniable.

He shrugged, leaning back against the couch, pulling her closer. 

"What can I say? I'm proud to be with you." His hand brushed against hers, his thumb lightly grazing her skin.

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head but squeezing his hand in return. "I guess I can't really argue with that."

SOUP RANTS!

Welcome to the thirty-first chapter of this book!
they're so adorable
did we like this chapter?
I'll see you guys soon!
yours truly,

soup 🫶