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✨ Chapter 2: First Encounter & New Bonds
The ten-hour flight had drained every bit of energy from Riya and Sakhi.
By the time they landed in Italy, it was already night. The airport lights felt too bright for their tired eyes, and their excitement was fighting hard against exhaustion.
"I can't feel my legs," Riya muttered, dragging her suitcase.
Sakhi sighed. "Forget legs… I think my brain stopped working somewhere over the ocean."
Riya looked around. "Also… no one came to pick us up."
Sakhi blinked. "We really thought life would be like movies, huh?"
With no choice left, they decided to find their way to the bus stop using the school address they had.
---
As they stepped onto the road and started crossing toward the bus stand—
Suddenly—
SCREEECHHH!
A car came speeding toward them and stopped just inches away from Riya.
For a second… everything went silent.
Then—
Riya exploded.
"ARE YOU BLIND?!" she shouted in pure Hindi anger. "Pagal ho kya?! Gaadi chalani nahi aati kya?!"
The driver inside looked confused, clearly not understanding a single word.
Riya wasn't done.
"Anpadh! Gawar! Itni mehengi car le li par chalani nahi aati!" she continued, switching between Hindi and broken English in frustration.
At that moment, the car door opened.
A tall, dangerously handsome man stepped out.
His presence alone changed the air.
Calm. Powerful. Intimidating.
He looked at Riya with cold eyes and said in a low voice,
"This is my road. You should watch where you're going."
Riya's anger doubled.
"YOUR road?! Did you buy the whole country?!" she snapped.
Sakhi was nowhere around—she had gone to a nearby shop to grab drinks—so Riya was standing there alone, arguing fearlessly.
The man tilted his head slightly, observing her like she was something… unusual.
Riya scoffed. "Crazy rich people. No manners."
And just when she was about to leave—
She turned back, bent slightly, and kicked his car tire hard.
"Learn how to drive," she said, and walked away.
The man stood there… stunned for a second.
Then a slow smirk appeared on his face.
"Interesting," he murmured.
---
Inside the car, his driver looked nervous.
"Sir… she seemed a bit… crazy."
The man glanced at the tire. "Do you know how expensive that is?"
The driver hesitated. "Sir… technically… it was our fault. The crossing signal was on, and we were speeding."
There was a brief silence.
The man looked in the direction where Riya had gone, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Then he leaned back calmly.
"Let it go," he said. "We have more important work."
But something about that girl stayed in his mind.
---
Meanwhile, Sakhi rushed back.
"Riya! What happened?!"
Riya rolled her eyes. "Some psycho rich guy. Doesn't know how to drive, but has attitude like he owns the world."
Sakhi gasped. "You fought again?! In a new country?!"
"He almost hit me!" Riya snapped.
"Relax! Nothing happened," Sakhi said, trying to calm her down.
Riya took a deep breath. "Yeah… but still."
---
Soon, they reached their college.
They showed their documents, explained about their scholarship, and were finally guided to their hostel room.
After settling in, just as they were organizing their things—
A girl entered.
She had soft features and a warm smile.
"Hi! You must be new," she said.
Riya smiled back. "Yes. I'm Riya."
"I'm Sakhi."
"I'm Sofia," she said. "Welcome to Italy."
There was an instant connection.
Within minutes, they were laughing like old friends.
---
The next day, classes began.
Everything felt new—language, environment, people.
But slowly, things started falling into place.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
And before they realized it—
One month was gone.
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One afternoon in the canteen—
Riya stretched lazily. "One month in Italy… and I'm still alive. Impressive."
Sakhi smirked. "You almost died on day one."
Riya glared. "That was not my fault."
---
That's when someone bumped into them.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," the boy said quickly.
Riya shook her head. "It's okay—"
The boy looked surprised. "Wait… are you guys Indian?!"
Sakhi almost jumped. "YES! Finally!"
He laughed in relief. "Thank God. I thought I was alone here."
"I'm Aarav."
"Sakhi."
"Riya."
---
Just then, Sofia joined them.
"Hey guys!"
Aarav smiled slightly. "Hi…"
"I'm Sofia."
"Nice to meet you," he said.
For a brief moment… their eyes met.
And stayed.
Riya noticed immediately.
She leaned toward Sakhi and whispered, "Did you see that?"
Sakhi grinned. "Ohhh… something is definitely cooking."
---
Later in the canteen—
Sakhi suddenly froze.
"Riya… don't look suddenly… but the guy near the window…"
Riya immediately turned.
"WOW."
Sakhi sighed dreamily. "Right?"
Riya raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you notice guys?"
"Since now," Sakhi said dramatically.
At that moment, the boy walked past them—and gave Sakhi a small smile.
Sakhi froze completely.
"Did he just smile at me?"
Riya smirked. "Congratulations. You're in love."
"Shut up!"
---
Meanwhile…
Aarav and Sofia were walking together.
"I like talking to you," Aarav said.
Sofia smiled softly. "I like it too."
Something simple… but real… was beginning.
---
Back with Riya—
She sighed. "Everyone is falling in love… except me."
Sakhi laughed. "You already fought with your love story on day one."
Riya made a face. "That psycho driver? NEVER."
---
But somewhere in the city…
That same man sat in silence, recalling a girl who had dared to shout at him… and kick his car.
A faint smile appeared on his lips again.
---
And just like that…
New friendships were formed,
New feelings started growing,
And unknown connections quietly began to tighten.
Riya didn't know it yet—
But that "psycho driver"…
was not just any man.
And their story…
was far from over. 😈
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