It had been three days.
Three mornings of pretending she wasn't looking for him in the corridors.
Three afternoons of unanswered glances and unfinished thoughts.
Three nights of lying awake in her hostel bed, staring at the ceiling fan, counting rotations like they meant something.
He hadn't come.
He hadn't texted.
And that silence had started to feel deliberate.
By the third evening, Aanya stopped pretending she could carry it alone.
She knew the rules.
Hostellers weren't allowed to leave campus after hours. Especially not for reasons that weren't "essential."
But some things didn't feel optional anymore.
By the time she reached the boys' hostel corridor, her heart was pounding hard enough to drown out her footsteps. She stood outside his room for a moment longer than necessary, fingers clenched, breath uneven.
If I knock, there's no going back, she thought.
So she knocked.
It took a second. Then another.
The door opened.
Sagnik froze.
He hadn't expected her. That much was obvious. His hair was damp, like he'd just washed his face—or tried to wash something heavier away. The room behind him was dim, quiet, untouched by company.
"Aanya?" he said, stunned.
She looked smaller than usual. Tired. But her eyes—those were steady.
"It's been three days," she said softly.
That was it. No accusation. No greeting.
He swallowed. "You shouldn't be here."
"I know," she replied."I wouldn't be if I had another option."
That landed harder than anything loud could have.
She stepped inside before he could stop her. The door closed behind them with a muted click, sealing the distance they'd been pretending didn't exist.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, finally.
"Because if I did, tell me. I can take it."
He looked away.
That hurt more than any answer.
"I explained about the senior," she continued, voice steady but thin. "I waited. I gave you space. I told myself you'd come when you were ready."
Her hands curled into fists at her side.
"But you didn't."
He opened his mouth. Closed it.
"I'm not asking you to choose me," she said quietly. "I'm asking you to stop treating me like I don't matter enough to be spoken to."
That did it.
His jaw tightened. His shoulders sagged, like something heavy had finally found its weight.
"This isn't about you," he said.
She let out a small, humorless laugh. "That's what everyone says when they're hurting someone."
Silence filled the room again—thick, charged, familiar.
"I crossed rules to be here," she added, meeting his eyes now. "Not because I wanted to argue. But because I needed to know if I'm holding on to something real… or just waiting for someone who already decided to let go."
Her voice didn't break.
But something in his chest did.
"I dont understand, what went wrong? Where did i go wrong... come on Sagnik, it's hardly been some time since we started to understand each other, let's just forget this! Sounds good?!"
He didnt move an inch. He was rather more shocked seeing her there in front of him.
Aanya shook him out of his shock my flicking his shoulder. He winced and massaged hus shoulder.
"What?" He opened his mouth finally.
"What? Answer me. What is wrong?" She said with a trembling voice.
But, he couldnt bring himself to answer her question. Thats when she lost her will to sort things out with him.
"I knew coming here was a waste o-" she mumbled to herself, but was cut off by Sagnik
He spoke up finally "The problem isnt you, its rather me."
"I dont see any reason why it would be otherwise" she causally answered.
"I cant help it. You seem oblivious to people's intentions about you, and i cant seem to bring myself to an understanding that its normal, because the way he was looking at you that day. It seemed as if he had no intention on stopping.. even if i had asked him to back off, and I seriously didn't know what to do about it. I felt helpless, and scared, because nothing has ever come this close to my heart, and i didnt know how to handle it."
Aanya's face which was stoic a minute back has now been replaced with an expression so relieved.
She turned around, now facing him and spoke up. "People look, I am aware of that, it is not that I didn't see through his advances.. i did. I seriously did. But, I did nothing about it, because it didnt take up my mental radar. Because I have you"
"Y-You were a-aware of his a-a-advances?"
He asked with a shaky voice
She nodded her head at that.
She cupped his face and said something which brought immense relief to Sagnik
"I will chose you no matter what. Even if you dont chose me.. I choose you fully.
This brought a smile on his face, and with blush creeping us his cheeks.