**SEASON 2 — EPISODE 8: "THE DISTANCE THAT HURTS"**
The next morning feels heavier than usual.
Maybe it's the weather.
Maybe it's her heart.
Maybe it's the memory of almost kissing Yashwin…
with Arjun standing right there watching.
Bhanu walks into school quietly, eyes lowered, trying to slip into class unnoticed.
She doesn't want to face either of them.
Not today.
Not after yesterday.
---
## 💗 **THE FIRST AVOIDANCE**
She sits in the back row — a place she never chooses — hoping Yashwin won't see her.
But of course…
He does.
He enters the classroom late, scanning the room.
His gaze lands on her instantly.
A soft smirk forms on his lips…
And then he notices something.
She doesn't look up.
She doesn't meet his eyes.
She doesn't smile nervously.
She doesn't blush.
She just… ignores him.
The smirk drops.
His jaw tightens.
He walks to his seat, keeping his eyes on her longer than necessary — trying to catch her attention.
She keeps looking at her notebook.
His hand drums loudly on the desk.
Annoyance.
Frustration.
Confusion.
Yashwin is used to many things —
but not being avoided by **her**.
---
## 💔 **ARJUN ALSO SEES**
Arjun enters a few minutes later.
He sees Bhanu quietly staring at her desk.
He sees Yashwin watching her.
And his heart breaks all over again.
But unlike Yashwin, Arjun doesn't approach.
He just sits down and quietly opens his notebook.
His eyes shift to Bhanu every few minutes —
wistful, sad, longing, apologetic.
Bhanu feels both their gazes burning into her.
She lowers her head even more.
---
## 💗 **THE LIBRARY ESCAPE**
During lunch, Bhanu rushes to the library.
She needs space.
She needs air.
She needs peace.
She presses her hands to her chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.
*Why am I like this?*
*Why does it hurt so much?*
*Why am I scared to face them?*
She closes her eyes tightly.
"Bhanu?"
Her breath catches.
Of course.
He found her.
Yashwin stands behind her desk, one hand on the chair, expression unreadably calm but eyes burning.
"You skipped lunch."
"I wasn't hungry…"
"And you ignored me the entire morning."
Bhanu swallows.
"I didn't ignore—"
"You did."
His voice is low.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Wounded.
Confused.
He leans closer.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her eyes widen.
"No! It's not like that—"
"Then what is it?"
His voice softens.
"Yesterday? The moment we had?"
Bhanu looks away.
"It… it confused me."
Yashwin's jaw loosens slightly.
"Confused?" he whispers.
Bhanu nods slowly.
"I don't want to hurt anyone… not you, not Arjun. Everything is messy now."
Yashwin steps closer again.
Too close.
"Bhanu… stop running from me."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
His eyes search hers deeply, intensely.
"You're scared of what you felt yesterday. Aren't you?"
Her lips part.
He's right.
She doesn't answer.
She can't.
And that silence tells him everything.
---
## 💔 **THE QUIET HEARTBREAK OF ARJUN**
But just as Yashwin leans in, someone clears their throat softly near the bookshelves.
Bhanu freezes.
Yashwin steps back.
They both turn.
Arjun stands there with a book in his hand, though he clearly wasn't reading it.
He saw enough.
His face is calm — too calm.
The kind of calm that hurts more than anger.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Arjun says quietly.
Bhanu opens her mouth, but he doesn't let her speak.
"I came to give you this."
He places a small bookmark on her table.
"You dropped it yesterday."
Bhanu whispers, "Thank you…"
Arjun gives a faint smile.
"Don't worry, I won't… misunderstand anything. Not anymore."
That line breaks something in Bhanu's chest.
Yashwin's eyes narrow slightly, sensing the pain between them.
Arjun gives them one last small smile — gentle, sad, final — and walks away.
His shoulders droop slightly.
Bhanu watches him disappear between the shelves, her eyes stinging.
---
## 💗 **THE MOMENT BHANU CRIES**
When Arjun leaves, Bhanu's breath begins shaking.
She clutches the bookmark tightly.
Her voice cracks.
"Yashwin… I didn't want this. I didn't want anyone to get hurt…"
Yashwin stiffens.
He hates seeing her cry.
He sits in the chair beside her — not touching her, but close enough that she feels the warmth.
"Hey," he says softly.
"Look at me."
She doesn't.
He gently slides her hair behind her ear.
Not forceful.
Not demanding.
Just soft.
Bhanu's tears drop onto her notebook.
"I feel like I'm ruining everything," she whispers.
Yashwin exhales deeply.
Then—
Very, very carefully—
He lifts her chin with two fingers.
"Bhanu… you aren't ruining anything.
You're just trying to understand your heart."
Her breath trembles.
His thumb gently wipes a tear from her cheek.
"Don't run," he whispers.
"Not from me. Not from him. And not from yourself."
Bhanu's eyes shake with emotion.
"Yashwin… why are you being so—"
"Soft?" he finishes with a faint smile.
"Because I don't want to see you cry. Ever."
Her heart melts painfully.
Then—
In the quietest voice she's ever heard from him—
"Come to the terrace after school.
I need to tell you something."
Her pulse stutters.
"Wh-what is it?"
He smiles softly.
"You'll know."
---
## 🌸 **END OF SEASON 2 — EPISODE 8**