He loved me first

“Tangled Threads”

Aarav's POV

The sky was dipped in burnt orange, clouds dragging slowly across the dusky evening. We had just reached Zara's gate, rain drying off our clothes but not the thoughts still flooding my chest. Her words echoed over and over again: "You can only be my friend, Aarav. Nothing else."

It was supposed to hurt less. I had told myself not to expect anything. But the way she looked at me while saying it, as if her heart was begging her mouth to shut up... that s**t cut deeper.

Still, I smiled.

"Get inside before you catch a cold," I said, like some i***t still pretending this wasn’t breaking me.

She nodded and walked in, glancing back only once. And that one look? I’d replay it all night.

I turned and walked away, hands in my pockets, shoes kicking at pebbles like they’d done something wrong.

When I got home, I collapsed on my bed without changing. I didn’t want to let go of the scent of rain or the memory of her hand trembling in mine.

Phone buzzed.

Group chat: "Drame Baaz United"

Nyra: "GUESS WHO WERE DRENCHED TOGETHER IN THE RAIN"

Vivaan: "Aarav and Zara... again? lololol"

Neil: "Bro just say you're in a w*****d slow burn and move on."

I rolled my eyes, smiling. Neil always had something wild to say. A born roaster, funny as hell, never missed a chance to turn pain into punchlines. But he was loyal, like the type to show up at your house with food and bad jokes when life wrecks you.

Nyra: "I'm telling you, Mr. and Mrs. Always Near Each Other. Ship is sailinggggg."

Vivaan: "Send pics next time 😤"

Neil: "Did y'all sign up for Couple Goals 101 or what?"

I typed back: "Y’all are delusional. We’re just friends."

Nyra: "So are we pretending yesterday didn't have major Bollywood c****x energy?"

Neil: "Yeah bro, your friendzone looks hella romantic."

I sighed. They were teasing, but none of them knew.

None of them saw her eyes when she told me I could never be more. None of them knew how I stood there afterward, frozen, like something inside me had cracked open.

But I wouldn’t show that. Not in the chat. Not to anyone.

I typed: "Friends. That’s all."

Zara’s POV

From my window, I could see the wet streets drying slowly under the orange-pink sky. Evening had crept in like a lullaby I didn’t want to hear.

Nyra barged into the room, waving her phone. "Your fan club is wild today."

I raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

She read from the group chat. "Neil said Aarav's in a w*****d romance. Vivaan sent emojis that basically looked like two people making heart eyes."

I snorted. "They're overreacting."

She flopped on the bed beside me. "Are they? You and Aarav were standing very close, whispering things, looking like a couple from some dreamy drama."

I hugged my knees to my chest. "It wasn’t like that."

Nyra turned to face me. "Then what was it like?"

I stayed silent.

Because truth was, it was like that. The rain, the closeness, the way his voice cracked when he said my name.

I just shrugged and started to clean my room.

Author's POV

Back in Aarav's room, his phone buzzed again.

Neil: "Bro we planning for Sunday or not? Picnic, roast battle, something. I’m not letting y’all drown in love stories without snacks."

Vivaan: "Zara better come. Nyra said she makes killer brownies."

Nyra: "She won’t. She’ll say no. She always does."

Zara: "You guys plan like you’re actually going to have a picnic. It’s been 2 months and y’all haven’t even picked a park."

Neil: "Oh look who joined the chat, Mrs. Too Cool To Come."

Vivaan: "Confirmed: she reads our messages even when she pretends not to."

Nyra: "Caught in 4K."

Zara: "I don’t even like the sun, why would I go to a picnic?"

Neil: "We’ll bring an umbrella and Aarav. Both give shade. 😏"

Vivaan: "The umbrella’s optional tbh. Aarav’s always around anyway."

Aarav smiled at the screen. It was chaos, but it was good chaos. This was the kind of mess that kept you grounded.

He looked out his window, mind drifting.

If she just wanted friendship… fine.

He could be that. He could be her friend. He’d still flirt, still make her laugh, still show up when she least expected it. Because if that was the only way to see her happy—he’d take it. Every damn day.

Whatever it took to keep her tension-free, he’d do it. Because her smile was worth it. Always.

But as he watched the sun dip lower, one thought returned—persistent, sharp.

Will they always just be friends?

“It wasn’t a goodbye. But it didn’t feel like a beginning either.” 🌙

Author's note

Hey beautiful readers! 💫 this Chapter just dropped and things are getting deeper between Zara and Aarav! Your #Vote# mean the world to me 🌙💌 Tap the vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments! Let’s keep our story glowing ✨