Time passed faster after that. Maya was noticed everywhere. The girl who rejected Jeeth, The girl whom Adhi walked away with. It was like maya became a celebrity at NLU in a day. Everywhere maya went she was expecting Jeeth to jump up and murder her with an axe. But he was a no show. Even if he saw maya he would walk away as if nothing happened.

Weeks passed. Maya and Adhi spent most of the time together. Libraries, his football matches. Anywhere Jeeth could intercept maya adhi made sure he would be with her. Adhi believed that he looking to strike at the right moment.

They got closer too. They would talk about his past with Jeeth and khushi. About his family. Just like maya he too was sensitive about something and didnt want to talk much about it.They talked about Jeeth what he does to manipulate the students to fall at his feet. About how dangerous he was.

When adhi felt that maya was getting afraid from the truth he would make her feel safe. There was no confession or anything yet. He never touched her except hold her hands. But maya knew. A part of her knew that she liked him too. It was too old to be a crush now.

As she watched him scroll through the list of ice creams infront of stall sorrounded with dozens of children. It was fun to watch a grown man waiting in line with kids to buy icecream for her.

It was weekend evening and when adhi called her to hang out she couldn't find a reason to say no.

She didnt want to say no. She waited for him at the open table of the icecream stall just next to her college.

Adhi returned with 3 cups of icecream.

"Whose the 3rd one for?" Maya asked adhi

"For us. Its a new flavor we should try."

"What is it?"

"Mint chocolate" he took a big scoop of it and ate it.

"Izzz gooodd" the words were slurry due to his frozen tongue.

Maya laughed and ate her vannilla icecream.

"Vanilla is much better im sure"

"Lemme try" Adhi began to take a scoop of maya's icecream but she slapped his hands away.Adhi pouted and brought his hands around the mint choco as if he was protecting it. Maya laughed again.

"You know when i was in kerala. Me and my cousin Tara used to stay at my grandma's place for the vacations. My Ammuma is obsessed with these daily soaps in tv. When she sits down to watch even if the house burned down she wouldn't notice."

She took another scoop of her ice cream "Me and Tara used to sneak out every night at 7 to eat icecream at a nearby store . The uncle there would give us icecream for half the price and charge the half to Amumma's credit. Poor gran must be wondering why her credit at the store is rapidly increasing" Maya chuckled at the memory she looked up from her icecream and found Adhi watching her.

"What?"

Adhi's jaw twitched. He looked distracted. "Nothing"

Maya began to pry further but froze due to the action he did after that. His arm rose in the air, his big hand reaching for her face very slowly.Her eyes bounced from that hand to his face and found his gaze fixated somewhere to the right of her lips.And then, before she could stop what was about to happen, his thumb touched her skin.

Very softly. He was brushing the corner of her mouth.All and every complaint died when his finger swiped over her skin.

"Nothing" he repeated distractedly.

Maya simply remained frozen in place. Feeling how that simple contact against her skin seemed to awaken fire all across her body.A shaky breath left her.Only then did Adhis eyes looked up and meet hers.It made her blood swirl, it rose to her neck, her cheeks. Spreading out as she held his gaze, his eyes turning a little darker.

Then he did something that knocked the air out of maya's lungs. He brought that thumb to his lips and and wiped it clean.

"Vanilla is much better than mint choco" he murmured.

And maya kept staring at him. Adhi cleared his throat. Diffusing the tension in the air.

"You done?" Adhi asked her

"Huh"?

He angled his head and gestured to the icecream.

"Yeah almost done" maya replied quickly concentrating on the icecream as if it were an unsolvable puzzle.

Adhi chuckled at maya's expression and continued to watch her with his chin on his knuckles.Heat rose in maya's cheeks. She looked at him through the corner of eyes and blushed.

"Stop looking at me like that" maya mumbled.

"Like what?" Adhi teased her.

"You know what"

"I dont know thats why im asking you. What way do you think im looking at you?"

"Like youre going to eat me" maya teased back. She looked up at him mustering a little courage.

But maya found his face very close to hers. His eyes darkened. He bend down to her ears and whispered "Do you want me to eat you?"

Maya was sure she was red as a tomato by then. His thumb swiped at her mouth once again.

"I think you got all of it " maya whispered

"Just being thorough" adhi held her gaze and winked at her.

A smile broke through maya's face and and she closed her eyes unable to look at him. His chuckled filled her eyes. Maya was happy. The happiest she has been in the past few years. It was scary that would this moment go away too fast.

Maya shook of all the negetive thoughts and what pulled her from it was droplet of water that fell on her hands. Then her shoulders and then multiple drops started pouring from the sky.

"Ohhh shitt" Adhi grabbed maya's arm from the table.

"Come on its gonna be pouring soon. We need to get inside the campus or we'll be drenched" Adhi shouted through the rain.

Maya quickly grabbed her bag. Adhi took her hands and secured it in his by intertwining their fingers. And then they broke of into a run.They were shrieking and laughing. Both of them slipped a few times but didnt let each other fall. The rain kept pouring harder and harder.

By the time they crossed the arch of the library building which was the first building in the campus they were both drenched.The campus was empty only a handful of people here and there but no one expect maya and adhi in the library building. Both of them drenched and panting leaned against the closed doors of the library.

"We should wait it out" adhi shouted through the loud rain

"Okayy" maya shouted back.

Both of them broke into laughter. Laughing clutching their stomachs. The laughter settled down soon but the cold from the rain was extreme. The blowing wind was no help either.Maya was shivering from the cold.

Adhi found her shivering and asked "Cold?"

"What do you think?" Maya retorted.

Adhi replied with a smile "i think youre hot".

Maya's mouth remained open at his response. "But you are now freezing from the rain. Too bad i dont have a jacket".

"Uff that would be too filmy" maya made a disgusted face.

"Everything about NLU is filmy". Adhi said in a dramatic voice.

Maya laughed again. She looked at adhi and found him standing close to her.

Very close.

They're chests almost touched each other. Adhi with darkened eyes took a step forward. As a reflex maya took a step backward. They moved until her back hit the wall. Adhi's arms came up and placed them on either sides of her head.

He looked at her eyes intensely "Maya."

"Mmmm" she couldnt utter a reply and settled with a hum.

"Maya i think..... No i know." She could see him struggling for the right words. She just hoped its the same ones she wanted to hear.

"I like you maya".

The world swept off from her feet. It was bliss that spread through her body. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it would come out of her chest. But his eyes. His eyes were waiting for a reply. The reply she was waiting to tell him the second he confessed.

"I like you too Adhi" maya whispered through the loud rain. But he heard it. Both of them heard it.

She heard adhi let out a shaky breath. Then this spectalur grin spread out his face. He looked so happy that maya felt shy knowing that it was her that made him this happy. Her chin dipped and she looked at the ground where their shoes were touching each other.

Adhi's hand came under her chin and lifted it to meet him in the eyes. He took one more steps closer that there were no space between them. They were practically sharing air. Adhi's other hand came around maya's waist and pulled her closer.

She knew what he was going to do. Something that she had never done before. And to share that with adhi, the person she likes, is the best feeling in the world. His head tilted and moved towards her. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt his breath on her lips.

And the world stopped moving when his lips met hers.

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