A week had passed. No more chaos. No more masked men. No more near-death surprises.
Maya had decided to return to her normal life. She wanted to go to college, focus on her routines, and just… breathe. Vedh and Lav had warned everyone—no one would dare to taunt her.
She was getting ready for college when Vedh noticed the change. He leaned against the doorway, a small smirk on his face. "So… you've decided to go back to being boring, huh?"
Maya gave him a mock glare. "Boring? No. Normal. There's a difference. And I like normal… for now."
Vedh chuckled, shaking his head. "Fine. But just letting you know… normal doesn't mean I'll stop teasing you."
Maya rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. "I'll survive. Somehow."
Lav and Tara exchanged relieved glances, glad to see her relaxed and smiling again. Slowly, the house settled back into its usual rhythm.
Maya adjusted her bag straps, glancing at Lav. "Thanks for… you know, making sure no one treats me any different from before."
Lav shrugged, pretending to be casual, though his ears were probably red. "Eh… someone's got to keep you out of trouble." He had even followed her path, just to make sure she was safe.
Maya tilted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Trouble seems to follow me anyway."
Lav smirked, stepping a little closer. "Maybe… but I kinda like following you."
Maya's eyes went wide, her heart skipping a beat. "Wait… you mean… you actually follow me?" she stammered, completely shocked.
Lav waved a hand casually, trying to play it cool."Uh… yeah, I mean—no, no, nothing serious," he said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Maya laughed softly, shaking her head. "You're so confusing."
"And yet," Lav added quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, "you still like it."
Maya rolled her eyes, making an "I'll puke" face, and stepped forward, moving ahead—but slowly. She murmured under her breath, almost to herself, "Maybe… I do"
Since it had been a while since Maya had shown up at college, they decided to walk today—both to enjoy each other's company and to spend a little time together. Lav and Maya left first, chatting and laughing quietly. Tara and Vedh followed behind, still catching up. Vedh frowned slightly, pouting. "Huh? Hey… I also told them not to trouble her. Why isn't she thanking me?"
Tara laughed, shaking her head. "It's okay, Vedh. Aww… your baby face is so cute!" She reached over and patted his head gently.
Vedh's cheeks instantly turned a bright strawberry red, and he looked anywhere but at her.
Tara's eyes widened, teasing. "Whoa! Look at those cheeks! What happened to you?"
Vedh, still blushing, ran his hands through his hair. "Look who's asking."
Tara giggled softly.
All four continued down the path, sharing laughter, shy glances, and playful nudges. Vedh and Lav teased each other relentlessly, Maya laughed at both, and Tara rolled her eyes while secretly enjoying the banter. The evening air was filled with warmth, embarrassment, and playful teasing, making it impossible to tell who was having more fun.
It was Lav's birthday week.
They were about to enter their classrooms when Lav gently tapped Maya's shoulder.
"Hey… I've decided that from today, I'll tell you pick-up lines," he said with a playful grin.
"Oh great, then I'm probably going to die," Maya replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
Lav cupped his face, closed his eyes, and smiled dramatically. "Yeah… from my cuteness."
Maya sighed. "I'm busy anyway. I can't deal with your childish behavior right now."
"Okay, okay—listen," Lav said quickly before she could walk away.
Maya facepalmed. "What now?"
Lav smirked. "You know why busy people are cute?"
Maya frowned slightly. "No… why?"
Lav chuckled and stepped toward his classroom. "I'll tell you later. I think you're busy," he said, then ran off before she could reply.
Maya watched him go and laughed softly. "Oh God… this guy." During the break period, Tara and Maya were walking in the corridor. A little ahead of them, Lav, Vedh, and his friends were standing together, chatting.
Tara suddenly decided to tease Vedh. She wanted to test his patience—maybe then he would get irritated and finally move on.
She stood on her tiptoes and playfully smacked the back of his head. "Move away, you idiot!" she said with a mischievous smile.
Tara turned back, quietly proud that she had annoyed him.
Maya, however, immediately turned around to see Vedh's reaction. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Tara's shoulders in excitement.
"Tara! He's looking at youuu!" Maya whispered dramatically. "He's smiling—and he's not even blinking or looking anywhere else!"
Tara froze for a second, then sighed loudly and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.
Maya burst into giggles. "Oh my god, Tara, he looks like a puppy who just got patted on the head!"
Tara peeked through her fingers. "Shut up, Maya!"
But Maya wasn't stopping. She leaned closer and teased, "Look at you—acting all tough, and now you're the one melting!"
Vedh, still standing in the corridor, tilted his head slightly and kept staring at Tara with a soft, amused smile. His friends started nudging him.
One of them whispered, "Bro… she really got you bad."
Vedh just chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, clearly flustered but happy.
Meanwhile, Maya continued embarrassing Tara.
"Should I wave at him for you? Or should I shout, 'Hi Vedh, Tara totally didn't mean that!'"
Tara gasped. "Don't you dare!"
Maya laughed harder. "Relax, drama queen. But seriously… he looks whipped
Tara groaned again and hid her face in her hands. "I'm never teasing him again."
Maya smirked. "Yeah right. You'll be back at it tomorrow." Vedh glanced back once, raised his eyebrows playfully, and Tara immediately looked away, blushing hard.
In the last period, the teacher announced that the college would remain closed tomorrow for Diwali. She smiled and added, "I hope you all celebrate with more lights and less pollution."
As soon as the announcement was made, the entire class cheered, and soon after, college ended for the day.
On their way out, both Lav and Vedh kept glancing at Maya and Tara. They secretly wanted to see them in traditional outfits — especially in sarees — for Diwali.
Lav nudged Vedh and whispered, "We should ask them."
Vedh sighed. "Fine… but you talk first."
Lav smirked. "Okay… I have a deal for them."
Vedh raised an eyebrow. "A deal? What deal?"
Lav leaned closer and whispered something in his ear. Vedh smiled and said, "Niceee, Lav."
Lav hesitated, then turned to the girls. "Uh… actually… Vedh wanted to tell you something."
Vedh's eyes widened. "What?! Why me all the time?" He facepalmed. "You people plan everything, but when it's time to speak, you push me forward! And I told you that you had to speak first."
Lav replied quickly, "I did! I told them you had something to say."
Vedh hit Lav's arm lightly. "You punk! I hate you."
Lav sighed dramatically. "Okay fine. We'll say it together. Ready? One… two… three—"
Both of them stayed completely silent.
Lav broke first. "I knew it."
Vedh shot back, "As if you were going to say anything!"
They immediately started arguing again in the corridor.
Meanwhile, Maya and Tara exchanged a confused look and simply walked ahead, leaving the two boys bickering behind them. Lav and Vedh hurried forward, caught up with them, gently held their hands, and said together, "We wanted to see you in a saree."
Maya and Tara quickly pulled their hands back and both said at once, "You're joking, right?!" Lav grinned mischievously. "Nope. I have a tiny deal," he added, winking, making both girls tilt their heads in curiosity.