Love Tangled

Green-Eyes

The annual St. Xavier’s Cultural Fest prep was in full swing, and the auditorium was absolute chaos. Stage lights were being tested, music echoed from every corner, and students were running around with props.

For Priyansh and Ritika, however, the real drama was happening right in front of their eyes.

Nitin was sitting on the edge of the stage, his sketchpad on his lap. Beside him sat Disha, laughing softly at something he’d drawn. She reached out, playfully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned closer to his shoulder to look at the drawing.

"Look at them," Priyansh muttered, leaning against the auditorium door, his knuckles white around his water bottle. He was talking to Ritika, but his eyes hadn't left Disha for a second. "He doesn't even know how to talk to girls, Ritika. What is she doing with him?"

Ritika, who was holding a stack of event flyers, didn't answer right away. She was staring at Nitin. She remembered how Nitin used to look at her—with that soft, subtle warmth in his eyes every time they crossed paths in the hallway. Now? He hadn't looked her way all morning.

"Maybe he’s different when it’s just the two of them," Ritika said, her voice carrying a quiet bit of bitterness that surprised even herself. "He's... attentive."

"Attentive?" Priyansh snorted, walking closer to Ritika. "He's a ghost, Ritika! I’ve known Disha for five years. She’s doing this to get a reaction out of me. It’s obvious."

"Then why do you care so much, Priyansh?" Ritika asked, turning to face him, her eyes sharp. "You asked me out. You were supposed to be interested in *me*. But all you’ve done for three days is watch Disha and Nitin!"

Priyansh blinked, caught completely off guard by Ritika’s confrontation. "I... that's not—I care about my best friend, Ritika! I don't like seeing her waste her time with a nobody."

"He's not a nobody!" Ritika snapped, her voice rising slightly. "Nitin is gentle, he’s talented, and he actually cares!" She stopped herself, her breath catching as she realized how defensive she had just gotten over Nitin.

Priyansh glared at her, his ego completely bruised from both sides now. "Fine. If you think he's so great, why don't you go ask him yourself why he dropped you the second Disha gave him attention?"

That hit a nerve. Ritika’s chest tightened with a mixture of anger, hurt, and desperate longing. She looked back across the auditorium.

Nitin had just handed Disha his hoodie because the air conditioning in the auditorium was too cold. Disha smiled, slipping it on, and Nitin’s eyes softened as he adjusted the collar for her.

It was too much for Ritika. She crumpled the flyers in her hand, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the auditorium.

From the stage, Nitin caught a glimpse of Ritika rushing out through the double doors, looking visibly shaken.

"She’s breaking, Nitin," Disha whispered, nudging his arm gently, though her own eyes tracked Priyansh, who was angrily slamming his locker nearby. "Priyansh is losing his mind, and Ritika... Ritika looks like she’s about to cry because of you."

Nitin swallowed hard, feeling his heart race. The fake relationship was doing exactly what it was meant to do, but as he watched Ritika disappear into the hallway, the desperation in his own chest was becoming impossible to ignore.

"We’re close," Nitin murmured, his fingers tightening around his pencil. "We’re really close."

"Yeah," Disha said softly, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "Just a little more pressure, and the game is ours."