**SEASON 2 — EPISODE 7: "THE ALMOST KISS"**
After school, the campus slowly empties.
Students leave in groups, laughing, chatting, complaining about homework.
But Bhanu stays behind.
Her club had a short meeting, and by the time she finishes helping clean the room, the corridors are nearly silent.
She hugs her books to her chest and walks toward the exit.
Her footsteps echo softly.
Her mind spirals with everything happening —
Arjun's hurt eyes,
Yashwin's closeness,
Her own confused heart.
She sighs, closing her eyes for a moment.
When she opens them…
Someone is standing by the staircase.
Leaning against the wall.
Arms folded.
Watching her.
**Yashwin.**
---
## 💗 **THE LONELY CORRIDOR**
He pushes off the wall slowly.
"You're late."
Bhanu blinks.
"H-How long have you been here?"
"Since I realized you weren't downstairs."
Her heart jumps.
"You were… waiting for me?"
Yashwin shrugs, but the softness in his eyes answers for him.
"I didn't want you walking home alone."
Bhanu looks down at her shoes, a tiny smile threatening to escape.
"You didn't have to—"
"I wanted to."
Those words.
Soft.
Simple.
But they hit her harder than anything else.
He walks beside her down the silent corridor.
For a moment, neither speaks.
Bhanu's hand brushes against his accidentally.
She quickly pulls it away.
Yashwin glances at her with a faint smirk.
"You always act like I'll shock you if you touch me."
Bhanu's cheeks turn red instantly.
"I-It was an accident…"
"Then why did you pull away so fast?" he teases lightly.
She opens her mouth to reply —
but trips over a slight step in the hallway.
She stumbles—
And this time, Yashwin catches her *even faster* than before.
His arm wraps securely around her waist.
Her palms press against his chest.
Their faces are **far too close**.
Bhanu's breath freezes.
Yashwin looks at her—
not teasing,
not mocking,
but something deeper.
His voice lowers to a whisper.
"You really like falling into me, don't you?"
Bhanu tries to pull away, but he doesn't let her.
His grip stays gentle yet firm, holding her close.
Closer than before.
Close enough to hear his heartbeat.
Close enough to feel his breath brushing her lips.
Bhanu's voice trembles.
"Yashwin… let go…"
He doesn't.
Not yet.
---
## 💗 **THE MOMENT THEY CAN'T ESCAPE**
Time freezes.
His hand slowly slides from her waist to her lower back, pulling her just slightly closer.
Her pulse races.
"Bhanu," he whispers, looking right into her eyes.
She swallows hard.
"I can't… I can't think when you look at me like that…"
"Good," Yashwin murmurs.
"Because I can't think around you either."
Her breath catches.
His forehead leans toward hers, slowly, carefully, as if giving her every chance to step away.
She doesn't.
Their noses almost touch.
Their lips are a breath apart.
The air between them becomes thick, electric, burning.
"Tell me to stop," he whispers.
Bhanu closes her eyes.
Her voice barely comes out.
"I… I don't want to."
That's all it takes.
Yashwin lifts her chin softly with his fingers.
Her pulse explodes.
Her lips part unconsciously.
He leans in—
Closer—
Closer—
Their lips almost touching—
Almost—
Just an inch left—
Just a moment away—
And then—
---
## 💔 **THE INTERRUPTED HEARTBEAT**
"Bhanu?"
The voice shatters everything.
Bhanu jerks back instantly.
Yashwin straightens sharply, jaw tight.
Bhanu turns.
Arjun stands at the other end of the hallway.
Frozen.
Eyes wide.
Face pale.
He saw *everything*.
Not just the hug.
Not just the closeness.
But the moment they almost kissed.
Arjun's gaze flickers between them—
Yashwin's clenched fists,
Bhanu's flushed cheeks,
their trembling breaths.
His voice cracks when he speaks.
"I… I came to give you the notes you forgot."
He holds out the notebook with a shaking hand.
Bhanu steps toward him, but Arjun takes a small step back.
Just one.
But it's enough.
"Arjun—" Bhanu whispers.
"It's okay," he says quickly, forcing a smile that looks more like a wound.
"You don't have to explain."
His eyes soften in a way that hurts her deeply.
"I didn't realize I was… too late."
Yashwin's expression darkens instantly.
"Arjun," he says quietly, "don't twist things."
Arjun ignores him.
He looks only at Bhanu.
Soft.
Heartbroken.
Understanding.
And hurting anyway.
"I'll… see you tomorrow," he says weakly.
And he walks away.
Bhanu feels her chest crack open.
---
## 💗 **AFTERMATH**
Bhanu stands frozen, eyes wide, throat tight.
Yashwin steps closer to her, his voice low.
"Don't let him make you feel guilty."
But she whispers, shaking:
"Yashwin… he saw. And he was hurting."
Yashwin clenches his jaw.
"He'll move on."
Bhanu looks up at him, eyes trembling.
"Will he?"
Yashwin's expression flickers—
jealousy,
fear,
possession,
and something softer he can't admit yet.
He steps closer again, but gently this time.
"Bhanu… what happened between us just now…"
he pauses, searching her eyes—
"That wasn't nothing."
Bhanu lowers her gaze.
And whispers the truth that scares her most.
"I don't know what to do."
Yashwin exhales slowly.
"I do," he murmurs, lifting her chin again.
"I'll wait. But I'm not stepping back."
Her heart pounds.
He steps away, giving her space — something he's never done before.
Then says quietly—
"But don't let that moment scare you. You felt it too."
He walks down the hallway…
Leaving Bhanu utterly breathless, confused, and shaken.
---
## 🌸 **END OF SEASON 2 — EPISODE 7**