Why Do You Like Me?
702 Words
The college campus buzzed with nervous energy.
Exam season — the one time even the noisiest gangs turned into last-minute bookworms.
Students sat huddled under trees, flipping pages like their lives depended on it.
Even Dev and Kabir had their faces buried in notes (a miracle, honestly).
But one person wasn’t concentrating at all.
Aanya Kapoor.
She was pretending to read, but her mind had been stuck on one thing — or rather, one person — for weeks.
Rudra Mehra.
🕒 The Afternoon Break
Rudra was sitting on his usual spot — the back wall near the parking lot — earphones in, head tilted back, the kind of calm that hid storms.
Aanya walked up slowly, her notebook in hand, pretending to be casual.
> Aanya: “Hey… so, um, can I ask you something?”
Rudra (glancing at her): “If it’s about the syllabus, ask Dev. I’m not your study buddy.”
Aanya (smirking): “No. It’s not about exams. It’s about you.”
He sighed, pulling out an earbud.
Rudra: “What now?”
She took a deep breath.
Aanya: “I’ve been waiting for your answer.”
Rudra: “Answer to what?”
Aanya (softly): “My ‘I love you.’”
The words hung in the air, bold and quiet at once.
Rudra looked at her — really looked at her — for the first time in days.
His jaw tightened.
Rudra: “Aanya… I told you before. I’m not the right person for you.”
Aanya: “You said that. But you never told me why.”
Rudra (low): “Because I’m not good. My world isn’t safe. People get hurt when they’re near me.”
Aanya stepped closer, her voice firm but gentle.
Aanya: “You think being dangerous makes you unworthy? Rudra, I’ve seen danger. But I’ve also seen your heart.”
Rudra: “You don’t know me like I know myself.”
Aanya: “Then tell me. Why do you push me away? Why do you think you’re not enough?”
He clenched his fists.
Rudra: “Because I’m not someone you should love. I’ve done things I can’t undo. I’ve scared people, broken rules — I’m not your storybook hero, Aanya.”
She was silent for a beat — then smiled faintly.
Aanya: “You’re right. You’re not a storybook hero. You’re real. You bleed, you fight, you protect — and you care, even when you don’t admit it.”
He looked away, but her words followed him like fire.
Rudra: “Why me, Aanya? Why do you call me your hero? There are better guys softer, safer, cleaner. So tell me… why me?”
Aanya’s Answer — One He’ll Never Forget
She stepped closer — close enough that he could see the quiet fire in her eyes.
Aanya: “Because heroes don’t have to be perfect, Rudra. They just have to try when everyone else walks away.
You saved me when you could’ve left.
You fought for people who never thanked you.
You protect your friends like family.
And you blame yourself for every scar you didn’t cause.
That’s why you’re my hero — not because you’re fearless,
but because you feel everything and still stand tall.”
Rudra froze. He didn’t blink, didn’t breathe.
Her words hit harder than any punch he’d ever taken.
Aanya (smiling softly): “You say you’re not good enough for me… but, Rudra, no one ever made me feel safer than you.”
He stared at her — the same girl who once walked into his life saying she was a fan of his gundagardi,
now standing in front of him, seeing through every wall he’d ever built.
Rudra (quietly): “You really are crazy, Kapoor.”
Aanya: “Yeah. Crazy for my gangster hero.”
She turned to walk away before he could see the tears in her eyes — and before he could say what his heart was screaming.
He watched her leave, every step pulling something out of him — something he’d buried for years.
And as she disappeared down the hallway, Rudra muttered under his breath —
Rudra: “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Aanya Kapoor.”
- Writer
