Chapter 2: Smirks & Sharp Words
664 Words
The library was nearly empty that morning, save for a sleepy librarian and the sound of fingers flying over laptop keys. Aarushi walked through the glass-paneled door with her usual efficiency, clutching her planner and a black coffee that already needed a refill.
She wasn’t surprised to find Aarav already seated in the far study alcove, occupying the space like he’d bought it. Legs stretched out, blazer draped over the chair beside him, and a stack of neatly arranged printouts in front of him.
He looked up as she approached. “You’re late.”
“I’m two minutes early,” she said without missing a beat.
“Exactly. I’ve been here five.”
She sat down opposite him, placing her coffee and planner on the table. “You waiting for a trophy or a cookie?”
He leaned back, the ghost of a smirk dancing on his lips. “From you, Mehta? I’d settle for a compliment. Just once. For my sanity.”
“Noted,” she muttered, flipping open her notebook. “Now can we get to work? We have exactly seventy-seven days until the final pitch.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You counted?”
“I plan.”
“You obsess.”
She didn’t bother replying.
They got to it, tossing around initial ideas for the simulated business model. Clothing line? Too done. Tech startup? Predictable. They circled around social commerce with AI integration, both challenging and viable.
But every sentence turned into a sparring match.
“That doesn’t scale.”
“Yes it does, if you actually read the proposal properly.”
“Your margins are unrealistic.”
“Your face is unrealistic,” she snapped, then groaned. “I need more coffee.”
He chuckled. “Don’t flatter me like that, Mehta.”
Despite the friction, or maybe because of it, something was working. They pushed each other. Matched each other. Balanced each other.
They both noticed it. Neither said it aloud.
---
✨ Flashback: The Debate Showdown
It was the second-year inter-college debate. Aarushi had just dismantled her opponent with a series of sharp, methodical points.
And then he’d stood up.
Aarav.
No prep sheet. No notes. Just swagger and sheer nerve.
His rebuttal had made the room go still. The judges leaned forward. One even lowered his pen.
And for the first time, she’d been impressed.
Infuriated. But impressed.
That day, he didn’t win the debate. But he won something else — a permanent spot in her head.
---
💼 Present Tensions
Back in the library, Aarushi was halfway through sketching a mock flow diagram when she realized Aarav had gone quiet.
She glanced up. He was watching her. Not in the mocking, infuriating way he usually did.
Just watching.
“What?” she asked, defensive.
He shrugged. “Just wondering how someone so brilliant can be so stubborn.”
“It’s a skill,” she replied, looking back at her notes.
“We could make a killer team, you know. If you stopped trying to outdo me every ten seconds.”
She scoffed. “Letting you win isn’t on my vision board, Malhotra.”
Their fingers brushed as they both reached for the same highlighter. The contact lingered.
She pulled her hand back like she’d been burned.
He didn’t flinch.
“This is just a project,” she said, voice low. “Nothing else.”
His smile was slow, a little too confident. “We’ll see about that.”
The tension hung between them, fragile as glass.
And for the first time since their names showed up next to each other on that seating chart, Aarushi realized something unsettling:
She wasn’t sure she wanted to win *against* him anymore.
She wanted to win *with* him.
---
To be continued...
Now that they’re forced to sit side by side and work together… let’s just say, sparks and sabotage are coming. Stay tuned for late-night meetings, subtle tension, and maybe a little more than just corporate competition. 👀
- Writer
