Aanya left Sagnik's place faster than she meant to.
Not in a rush.
Just… in motion.
Like staying a few seconds longer would make the night start speaking in clearer sentences, and she wasn't ready for that yet.
The corridor outside felt too bright for how quiet her thoughts were.
Too normal for how unsettled she felt.
By the time she reached the hostel, the world had already resumed its usual noise.
Aditi's voice was the first thing that hit her, when she saw her get inside the room
She didnt say anything for a while, she was just playfully smirking and then she said
"I swear if you disappeared to him again I'm going to start charging rent for your emotional absence."
Aanya shut the door behind her.
"I was gone for a few hours."
"You were gone for a lifetime in friendship terms."
Aanya didn't respond immediately.
She just walked to her cupboard, picked out clothes, and tried to make the room feel like it still belonged to her in full.
Aditi followed, talking without pause.
"You know what's funny? I think you've started scheduling your life around his existence."
"That's not funny."
"It is a little."
Aanya glanced at her.
"It's not true."
Aditi shrugged.
"Then why do I always find you calmer when you come back from there?"
That landed somewhere quieter than it should have.
Aanya didn't answer.
She just turned away and opened her drawer.
Lip balm.
Routine.
Control.
Something normal.
Aditi leaned against the wall, watching her.
"You're going to marry him at this rate," she said casually.
Aanya froze for half a second.
Then applied lip balm like she hadn't heard it.
"…you're ridiculous," she said softly.
But she was smiling.
That was the problem.
Aditi grinned instantly.
"Oh my god, you didn't deny it properly."
Aanya turned.
"I did."
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did."
"You hesitated."
"I didn't."
"You definitely hesitated."
Aanya grabbed a pillow and threw it at her without warning.
Aditi laughed so loudly she nearly dropped her phone.
And just like that, the tension broke into something lighter again.
"Go get ready," Aditi said between laughs. "Your boyfriend is waiting."
"He is not my—"
But Aditi was already out the door.
Still laughing.
Already running ahead of consequences.
Aanya stood there for a moment longer.
Then sighed.
Picked up her bag.
And followed.
He was waiting outside the hostel gate.
Exactly where he always seemed to be.
Not in an obvious way.
Just… present.
Like part of the path she didn't consciously choose but always ended up walking anyway.
Aanya slowed for half a step when she saw him.
Then continued.
Normal pace.
Normal face.
Nothing different.
Except her thoughts weren't cooperating.
Sagnik looked up immediately.
And then—
"You're red," he said.
Aanya blinked.
"What?"
"You're red."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm fine."
But even as she said it, she felt it—something slightly too warm in her chest, slightly too aware in her skin.
He stepped closer.
Not thinking too much.
Just instinct.
And placed his hand on her forehead.
Checking.
Practical.
Familiar.
Safe.
Then his hand shifted slightly—briefly—touching the side of her neck to feel her temperature properly.
And something in Aanya stopped moving for a second.
Not physically.
Internally.
A pause too sharp to ignore.
Her fingers caught his wrist before she could think better of it.
Not stopping him.
Just holding on.
Like she needed proof that the moment was real.
Their eyes met.
And for a fraction of a second, neither of them corrected the distance between them.
Then she let go.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like letting go meant pretending it didn't mean anything.
"I'm fine," she said again.
But her voice wasn't fully hers.
She turned away first.
Started walking.
Then stopped.
Turned back slightly.
"…are you coming or what?"
He nodded.
"Coming."
And walked beside her.
But Aanya stayed quiet.
Not because she had nothing to say.
But because suddenly, every explanation she could offer her own mind felt incomplete.
The memory gaps from the night before didn't help.
Neither did the warmth still lingering where his hand had been.
And worse—
neither did the quiet, unsettling feeling that she wasn't trying to understand something new.
but just starting to realize what she had been feeling all along.