⛧°。 ⋆༺ ＳＡＲＡ'Ｓ ＰＯＶ ༻⋆。 °⛧

What happened to Shubman's eyes? They looked so tired, with dark circles shadowing his usually bright expression. Did he stay up all night? My thoughts drifted, concern creeping in without my realizing it. The bell for lunch broke my reverie, and I quickly blinked back to reality, grabbing my things and heading to the canteen.

I spotted Arjun Bhaiyya sitting at a table and made my way over to him.

"What happened, Sara?" he asked as I sat down beside him.

"Nothing," I replied casually, trying to mask my distracted state. "What has Mumma packed?"

Before he could answer, Shahneel arrived with Shubman right behind her. She plopped down next to Bhaiyya, deliberately leaving the chair beside me empty. I shot her a glare, which she returned with a teasing grin that only made me more flustered. Shubman, oblivious to our silent exchange, sat down beside me, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

We all ate quietly for a while, the clatter of cutlery and chatter from the surrounding tables filling the air. My mind kept wandering, though. Why did he look so worn out? Was it school stress? Cricket? I stole a quick glance at him, but before I could dwell on it further, Tanya from my class approached our table.

"Shub, is the assignment from your class ready?" she asked, her tone sweet and familiar.

Shub? My grip on my fork tightened. What's going on between them?

Shubman shook his head, his voice calm and indifferent. "No, Tanya, it's not ready yet."

She smiled at him, a little too brightly for my liking, before walking away. I stared down at my lunch, suddenly finding it hard to concentrate on eating. Was she just being friendly, or was there something more?

Shahneel nudged me under the table, her sly grin back. I glared at her again, but she just mouthed, Jealous much? My cheeks burned, and I quickly looked away, focusing on finishing my meal. Why did Shubman have to sit next to me, and why did Tanya have to show up right then? Today was turning out to be more complicated than I'd anticipated.

English class began, but my mind was still preoccupied with Shubman. His tired eyes, Tanya's overly friendly approach—it was all swirling in my head. Shahneel sat beside me, doodling absentmindedly in her notebook as the teacher droned on about metaphors. I leaned closer, whispering under my breath.

"Shanu," I murmured, trying not to attract the teacher's attention.

"Hmm?" she replied without looking up.

"What's wrong with Shubman?" I asked.

That got her attention. She turned to me with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"He looks so... tired," I said, struggling to keep my voice low. "And those dark circles. Did something happen?"

Shahneel tilted her head, thinking. "Oh, that. Mumma's been on his case about studying more. She made him hand over his phone last night and sit with his books for hours. Poor guy barely slept."

I frowned, feeling a pang of guilt for how stressed he must be. "He stayed up all night studying?"

Shahneel snorted softly. "Studying? Knowing my brother, he probably stared at the same page for three hours and then dozed off at his desk."

I let out a small laugh, but it didn't erase the concern. "He's under a lot of pressure, isn't he?"

"Yeah," she admitted, her voice softer now. "Mumma and Papa are always comparing him to me. I feel bad sometimes, but he doesn't really talk about it."

I nodded, feeling a strange mix of empathy and admiration for him. Before I could say anything more, a question that had been nagging me slipped out.

"And... Tanya? Why does she call him Shub like they're best friends or something?"

Shahneel's expression instantly shifted to a teasing smirk. "Oho, someone's jealous."

I rolled my eyes, but my face betrayed me, heating up despite my denial. "I'm not jealous. I'm just curious."

"Yeah, sure." Shahneel leaned back in her chair, clearly enjoying this. "Tanya's always hanging around him. She's been crushing on him for ages, but he doesn't care. He's nice to her, that's all."

"Nice to her?" I repeated, trying to sound neutral.

"Relax, Sara. He's nice to everyone," Shahneel said, nudging me playfully. "Besides, I think he's more interested in someone else."

I blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Before she could elaborate, the teacher turned her gaze toward us. "Miss Shahneel and Miss Sara, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

We both shook our heads quickly, mumbling apologies as the other students snickered. But as I turned back to my notebook, Shahneel's words lingered in my mind. Someone else? Could she mean... no, that's ridiculous.

Right?

꧁・┆✦ʚ 𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚋𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 ♡ 𝙿𝚘𝚟 ɞ✦ ┆・꧂

I barely made it through the school day, and by the time I got home, I was running on fumes. My head ached, my eyes burned, and my body felt like lead. After quickly changing out of my uniform, I crashed onto my bed, not even bothering to pull up the blanket.

Sleep came quickly, but not for long. The sound of my door creaking open dragged me back from the edge of unconsciousness. I groaned, rolling onto my side to see who dared disturb me. Of course, it was Shahneel.

"What do you want?" I mumbled, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

"Your phone," she said, standing at the door with her arms crossed like she owned the place.

Too exhausted to argue, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and handed it to her. "Just keep it back later. I've got an alarm set," I muttered, my voice heavy with sleep.

"Sure, sure," she replied, smirking as she took the phone and left the room.

I didn't even have the energy to question what she needed it for. The second the door closed, I let myself drift back into the darkness. My mind barely registered the sound of distant laughter from downstairs or the faint aroma of dinner being cooked in the kitchen. Sleep swallowed me whole.

When I finally woke up, the room was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of my study lamp, which someone must have turned on while I was asleep. I glanced at the clock. It was 8:15 PM. Great, I'd slept through the evening.

Stretching, I swung my legs off the bed and trudged downstairs. The house was lively as usual—Mumma talking loudly in the kitchen, Papa watching some cricket match on TV, and Shahneel giggling over something on my phone.

"Shanu!" I called out, annoyed.

She looked up at me, all innocence. "What?"

"My phone," I demanded, holding out my hand.

"Oh, this?" she teased, waving it around. "I was just checking something."

"Give it back," I snapped, not in the mood for her games.

She finally handed it over, and I checked to make sure nothing was messed up. Everything seemed fine, but I still glared at her.

"Next time, ask," I grumbled, turning toward the kitchen.

Mumma noticed me and immediately zeroed in. "Shubman, how much did you study today?"

"Later, Mumma," I replied, too hungry to deal with another lecture right now.

But she wasn't one to back down. "No, now! You've been sleeping all evening. Did you even open your books after school?"

I sighed, rubbing my temple. This was going to be a long night.

As I made my way to the dining table, my stomach growling for food, I could feel Shahneel's mischievous eyes following me. She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, still scrolling through something on her own phone, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Shubuuuu," she called out in her sing-song voice, which immediately put me on edge.

"What now, Shanu?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent as I grabbed a plate from the kitchen counter.

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "So... who's the lucky girl?"

I froze mid-step. "What are you talking about?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Oh, don't act innocent," she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I saw you at school today, Mr. Head Boy. You were all distracted, weren't you?"

"I wasn't distracted," I shot back, but my voice betrayed a hint of defensiveness.

She gasped dramatically. "Oh my God, you totally were! Let me guess... Tanya?"

I almost dropped my plate. "What?! No!"

Shahneel burst into laughter, clearly enjoying this far too much. "Relax, relax. But seriously, you've been acting weird lately. I bet it's someone from school. Spill it, bhai."

I rolled my eyes, trying to brush her off. "You're imagining things. I've got no time for this nonsense."

"Sure, sure," she said, winking. "But you should know, Sara seemed very interested in you today."

That caught me off guard. "Sara?" I repeated, trying not to sound too curious.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, standing up and grabbing a glass of water. "You didn't notice her watching you in the canteen? Or how she fumbled her words when you were around? Poor girl couldn't even finish a sentence!"

I felt a warmth creeping up my neck, but I quickly masked it with a scowl. "Stop making things up."

"Am I though?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Before I could respond, Mumma's voice cut through the conversation. "Shahneel, stop teasing your brother and help me set the table."

Shahneel chuckled, giving me one last knowing glance before skipping off to the kitchen.

I shook my head, sitting down to eat, but her words lingered. Sara? Watching me? Fumbling her words?

I pushed the thought aside, focusing on my food. Shahneel was probably just messing with me. Probably.

********