accidentally in love

The Growing Connection

The days following that afternoon in the courtyard felt different—uncomfortably so. Aradhya couldn’t shake the feeling of Zayn’s words lingering in her mind. They had been honest, almost too honest. And the way his fingers had brushed against her skin had set something alive inside her, something she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like him—she was starting to realize she might. But she had a reputation to uphold. She couldn’t just let herself fall into the trap of liking someone like Zayn. He was charming, yes, but he was also unpredictable, cocky, and too good at reading people. He liked to play games, and Aradhya wasn’t interested in getting caught up in one of them.

Still, she couldn’t help but think of him. Every time they crossed paths in the hallways or during lunch, there was that tension between them—this unspoken understanding that neither of them could quite explain. Zayn was still the same, the teasing, cocky guy who loved to get under her skin. But there were moments, fleeting ones, when she saw something else in him. Something softer, something genuine.

It was Friday again, and Aradhya was sitting in the library, trying to focus on her work. The weekend was just around the corner, and she had plans to get ahead on her assignments. But once again, the universe seemed determined to bring Zayn into her day.

"Working hard as usual, huh?"

Aradhya sighed before she even looked up. She knew that voice anywhere. Zayn was leaning against the table, his usual carefree smirk playing on his lips.

"Do you ever actually study?" she asked without looking up, trying to keep her tone light. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his presence affected her.

"Of course I do," Zayn replied, sitting down across from her, uninvited as usual. "But not as much as I probably should. I’ve got other things to think about." He looked at her pointedly, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Aradhya rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the faint smile tugging at her lips. "Like what, exactly?"

Zayn leaned back in his chair, his hands casually resting behind his head. "Like how you always manage to avoid me when I get too close."

Aradhya froze, her heart doing that annoying skip again. She could feel his gaze on her, sharp and teasing, but also oddly sincere. "I don’t avoid you," she replied, her voice a little too defensive for her liking.

Zayn raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. "Really? Because last time I checked, you were practically running away from me."

"I wasn’t running," she muttered, glancing at her book as though it were the most interesting thing in the room.

Zayn leaned forward, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "You know, Aradhya, for someone so guarded, you’re not very good at hiding it. You can’t fool me."

Her breath hitched. He was right. She couldn’t fool him. And maybe, just maybe, she didn’t want to anymore. She met his gaze, trying to steady her nerves. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes sparkled with something more serious. "I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Or maybe I’ll keep pushing until you finally admit that you’re just as interested in me as I am in you."

The words hung in the air between them, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Aradhya’s heart pounded in her chest, her pulse quickening at the realization of how close they were—how close he was to knowing the truth. She didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to acknowledge that the attraction between them was more than just rivalry or teasing.

But there was something in Zayn’s gaze, something that made her heart race even faster. He wasn’t joking anymore. This wasn’t just a game to him.

She opened her mouth to say something—anything—to deflect the weight of the moment, but before she could, Zayn stood up, breaking the tension.

"Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your work," he said, his tone casual, but there was a flicker of something more in his eyes. "But just know, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here... waiting."

Aradhya watched him leave, her heart still thudding in her chest. She hadn’t expected him to walk away. It was like he had just left the door wide open for something to happen—something neither of them could ignore anymore.

She sat there for a few moments, trying to collect herself. The truth was, she didn’t want him to leave. And that thought, more than anything, terrified her.

---

Later that evening, Aradhya couldn’t help but replay their conversation in her mind. Zayn’s words had been simple, yet they had unsettled her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She didn’t know what he wanted, or what he saw in her. He had always been the type to flirt with everyone, to tease and make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room. But this time, it had been different.

There was something real in the way he looked at her. Something that went beyond the usual banter.

And it scared her.

She had always prided herself on keeping a distance from people, on not getting involved in anything too complicated. But with Zayn, she felt like the walls she had built around herself were starting to crumble. She didn’t know what to do with these feelings, or if she even wanted to acknowledge them. But every time Zayn smiled at her, every time he looked at her in that way, it became harder to deny.

Maybe she didn’t have to be perfect all the time.

Maybe it was okay to be a little bit vulnerable.