A shift in the air
Author's pov-
Divya couldn't focus for the rest of the day. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept replaying purv's words.
"You overthink too much. You should stop that."
It wasn't just what he said-it was how he said it. Like he knew her, like he understood something about her that even she didn't.
She hated that it made her heart race.
By the time her last lecture ended, she was exhausted-mentally more than physically. Kaashi and aditya had already left for the day, so she made her way to parking lot alone. Just as she reached her car, she noticed a familiar figure leaning against it.
Purv.
She sighed. "Seriously? Do you just appear out of nowhere?"
He smirked. "Maybe."
She rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"
"Get in," he said, nodding towards her car.
She frowned. "Why?"
"Just get in, divya."
Something in his tone made her hesitate. He wasn't demanding, wasn't cold-it was... Something else.
Curiosity won over, and she slid into the driver's seat as he walked around to the passanger side.
"Where are we going?" She asked as she started the engine.
"You'll see."
Fifteen minutes later, they were parked infront of a quiet cafe on the outskirts of the city. It was nothing fancy-small, cozy, with warm yellow lights glowing from the inside.
Divya gave him a skeptical look. "You brought me to a cafe?"
Purv shrugged. "You like quiet places, don't you?"
She blinked. He remembered?
She followed him inside, the scent of coffee filling the air. It wasn't crowded-just a few people sitting in corners, lost in their own worlds.
They found a table near the window. A waiter came over, and without asking, purv ordered for both of them.
"How do you know what I like?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I pay attention," he said simply.
She didn't know what to say to that.
A few minutes later, their drinks arrived. She took a sip of hers-dark chocolate mocha. Her favourite.
She looked at him auspiciously. "Alright, how do you know this?"
Purv leaned back in his chair, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I notice things, divya. Even the ones you don't say out loud."
Her fingers tightened around the cup.
He was doing it again-getting under her skin, making her feel things she didn't want to feel.
"So what are we doing here?" She asked, changing the subject.
Purv exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Sometimes it's exhausting, isn't it? Pretending you don't care about things when you actually do."
Divya froze.
He wasn't talking about himself. He was talking about her.
"What-"
"You act like nothing gets to you," he continued, looking directly at her. "Like you're fine when you're not."
She looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You do."
Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't want to have this conversation-not with him, not with anyone.
"Why do you care?" She asked quietly.
Purv didn't answer right away. He just stared at her, something unreadable in his eyes.
Then he said, "I don't know."
And somehow, that was even more dangerous than if he had given her a reason.
---------------------------------------------------
They drove back in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was... different. A shift in the air between them.
When they reached her house, she turned to thank him, but he was already looking at her.
"Don't overthink it," he said.
And then he walked away.
Divya sat there for a long time, staring after him, her heart doing things she didn't understand.
She had a feeling Purv Rathore was going to be a problem.
A very big problem.