Chapter 2

The Cold War Begins

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"Some people become friends with a smile. Others declare war without saying a word."

By the second day, Naina Joshi had made one decision.

She was going to pretend Arav Rajvansh didn't exist.

It sounded simple enough.

Until she remembered he sat beside her.

---

The morning air carried the scent of wet earth after last night's rain. The school courtyard glistened under the soft sunlight as students hurried through the gates, trying to beat the first bell.

Naina adjusted her backpack and climbed the stairs to Class XII-A.

She was early again.

Exactly the way she liked it.

The classroom was almost empty. Only a few students had arrived.

She walked straight to the last bench, placed her books neatly inside the desk, and pulled out her chemistry notebook.

Today, she promised herself, there would be no arguments.

No looking at him.

No reacting to his comments.

He could sit beside a wall for all she cared.

"Morning!" Siya chirped, dropping into the seat in front of her.

"You actually came early again."

Naina smiled.

"I can't think when I'm rushing."

Siya laughed.

"You really are every teacher's dream student."

Before Naina could reply, the classroom door opened.

Without looking inside, Arav walked in.

Untucked shirt.

Loose tie.

Hands in his pockets.

His steps were slow, unhurried, as if the ringing bell meant nothing to him.

A few conversations stopped instantly.

Nobody greeted him.

Nobody even looked at him for long.

Arav reached the last bench and dropped his backpack onto the desk.

This time, Naina quietly moved her notebook before it could slide off.

She didn't even glance at him.

Good.

Progress.

He sat down beside her, leaning back in his chair.

Silence.

It lasted nearly five minutes.

Then—

"You're blocking the window."

His voice was calm.

Flat.

Naina continued writing.

"I'm sitting on my side."

"The curtain's stuck."

She looked up.

Sure enough, the curtain had tangled around the window latch behind her.

She sighed and shifted slightly.

"There."

Another silence.

Somehow...

It felt even more awkward than talking.

---

The first period was English.

Mrs. Fernandes walked into class carrying a stack of novels.

"This year," she announced, "we'll be studying literature differently."

A wave of curiosity spread across the room.

"I want each of you to work in pairs for presentations."

Several students immediately turned toward their friends.

Mrs. Fernandes smiled.

"No choosing partners."

Groans echoed through the classroom.

She began reading names from a list.

"Nikhil and Aman."

"Siya and Riya."

Students nodded happily.

Naina silently hoped for anyone.

Literally anyone.

Then—

"Naina Joshi..."

She looked up.

"...and Arav Rajvansh."

The room exploded with whispers.

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"Poor Naina..."

Siya covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Naina closed her eyes for a brief second.

This has to be a joke.

Mrs. Fernandes looked around.

"Any problem?"

Naina opened her mouth.

"No, ma'am."

Beside her, Arav didn't react at all.

He simply stared out the window.

As though he hadn't even heard his own name.

---

The bell rang for recess.

Students rushed into the corridor discussing their projects.

Naina packed her notebook with unnecessary force.

"This is unbelievable."

Siya giggled.

"Look on the bright side."

"There isn't one."

"Maybe he'll do the whole presentation."

Naina laughed sarcastically.

"The only thing he'll do is disappear."

She had barely finished speaking when she heard footsteps behind her.

Arav walked past without slowing down.

For a second, she thought he'd ignored the conversation.

Then, without looking at her, he said,

"Don't worry."

His voice was quiet.

"I'll disappear."

He kept walking.

No expression.

No anger.

No sarcasm.

Just those three words.

Naina stood frozen.

She hadn't expected him to hear.

Or respond.

"See?" Siya whispered.

"He's weird."

Naina watched him disappear into the crowded corridor.

Weird wasn't the word she would have chosen.

Impossible.

That was better.

And somehow, she had a feeling this project wasn't going to end peacefully.

The rest of the day passed slower than Naina had expected.

Or perhaps she was simply too distracted.

Not by Arav himself...

But by the strange silence he carried around him.

He wasn't loud like the boys who constantly joked in class.

He wasn't arrogant in the usual way either.

He simply behaved as if nothing around him mattered.

And for some reason...

That irritated her more than anything else.

---

The lunch bell echoed through the corridors.

Within seconds, the classroom emptied.

"Naina!" Siya called. "Come on, before all the samosas are gone."

"I'm coming."

They walked toward the canteen, joining the crowd of students filling the hallway.

The canteen buzzed with laughter, arguments over cricket, and complaints about homework.

Naina balanced her tray while Siya searched for an empty table.

"There!" Siya pointed.

As they sat down, Riya leaned across the table with an excited grin.

"So..."

"So what?"

"You've survived two days next to Rajvansh."

Naina sighed.

"Barely."

The girls laughed.

"I still don't understand him," Naina admitted. "Does he ever smile?"

Siya shook her head.

"I've never seen it."

"My brother says he wasn't always like this."

Riya frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He studied here since ninth grade. Back then he used to talk more."

"And then?"

Siya shrugged.

"No one knows."

Before Naina could ask another question, loud laughter erupted from another table.

She turned instinctively.

Arav stood near the vending machine.

Two boys tried talking to him.

He answered with a single nod before walking away.

"They're from the basketball team," Siya explained.

"He never hangs out with them?"

"He used to."

Again...

Used to.

The word lingered in Naina's mind.

---

The next period was held in the library.

Mrs. Fernandes assigned everyone a classic novel for the upcoming presentation.

"You have one week to prepare," she announced.

"You'll need to collect information from the reference section."

Students scattered between the shelves.

Naina wandered toward the literature aisle.

The library was peaceful.

The only sounds were turning pages and soft footsteps.

She finally found the novel listed by her teacher.

Unfortunately...

It sat on the highest shelf.

She stretched onto her toes.

Almost...

Almost...

The book slipped from her fingers.

A hand caught it before it hit the floor.

Naina turned quickly.

Arav.

He looked at the book.

Then at her.

Without saying a word, he placed it back on the shelf.

Still out of her reach.

Naina stared at him.

"Seriously?"

No reply.

"You know I can't reach it."

Silence.

"You're impossible."

He looked at her for the first time.

"You've said that before."

His voice remained calm.

Then he walked away.

Naina blinked.

"That's it?"

No explanation.

No apology.

Nothing.

The librarian noticed her struggle and handed her the book with a warm smile.

"There you go."

"Thank you."

As she walked back toward her table, she couldn't stop thinking about the strange encounter.

If he wanted to annoy her...

Why didn't he simply laugh?

Why did he always leave before she could understand what he was thinking?

---

The final period ended.

Outside, dark clouds covered the afternoon sky once again.

"This weather hates board students," Siya complained.

A loud clap of thunder answered her.

Moments later, rain poured over the school grounds.

Students crowded beneath the entrance porch.

Some called their parents.

Others waited for buses.

Naina searched her bag.

"No umbrella..."

"Mine's tiny," Siya said apologetically. "We'll both get soaked."

"It's okay. I'll wait."

The rain showed no sign of stopping.

Minutes passed.

One by one, students disappeared.

The parking area slowly emptied.

Then came the familiar roar of a motorcycle.

Several students looked toward the gate.

Arav adjusted his helmet beside his black bike.

Without acknowledging anyone, he started the engine.

For the briefest moment...

His gaze swept across the crowd.

It paused near the entrance.

Near Naina.

Just long enough for her to notice.

Then he looked away.

The motorcycle sped out through the school gate, disappearing into the rain.

Naina folded her arms.

"Of course."

"What?" Siya asked.

"Nothing."

She wasn't disappointed.

Why would she be?

She didn't even like him.

Yet somehow...

Watching him disappear into the storm left her with an odd feeling she couldn't explain.

Not curiosity.

Certainly not admiration.

Just...

Questions.

Questions that seemed to multiply every time their paths crossed.

As the rain continued to fall, Naina stared at the empty road.

She didn't realize someone else had been watching from the second-floor corridor.

Mrs. Meera Kapoor.

The class teacher smiled to herself.

She had seen the sparks between the two students.

Not sparks of love.

Not yet.

Sparks of constant conflict.

Sometimes, she thought, the students who challenged each other the most learned the most from one another.

Little did she know...

The very next day, an unexpected classroom announcement would force Arav Rajvansh and Naina Joshi to spend more time together than either of them wanted.

And neither of them was going to like it.

End of Chapter 2🌷🩷