Ruhi's POV
I don't feel like waking up.
But Radhika would kill me if I don't show up.
Ugh!
I can't even rest on Sundays.
Unwillingly, I dragged myself out of my bed, looking for my phone immediately.
There it is.
I picked my phone from the bedside table.
Let me blast some music so that I feel a little energetic.
I turned on the speaker, connected it to my phone, and clicked on Spotify.
Wait, am I logged out?
No.
Then where the hell are all my playlists?
I refreshed the app again and again.
Is this some glitch?
I checked my internet connection.
Perfectly fine.
Restarted the app.
Nothing.
What could have happened?
I don't understa-
Wait.
No way.
That monster! I am going to kill him today.
That's what he was doing on my phone yesterday!
What do I do now?
I clicked on Google and searched 'How to restore deleted playlists from Spotify'.
Okay, this looks easy.
I followed the steps mentioned and-
THERE THEY ARE!
I sighed in relief.
I have spent so long building these playlists piece by piece
Now that I think of it, I should have deleted his notes permanently.
I made a mistake.
Giving him an option to restore them was far too generous.
Just wait until I see you, monster.
I took a quick shower and entered the kitchen in the hope of finding some leftovers.
Half a packet of bread!
Wait, what's the expiry date?
Today.
Don't worry, I'll finish it today itself.
I made myself some tea and enjoyed it with bread and butter.
I feel so tired for some reason.
And this back pain. Ugh!
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Because apparently being annoyed at Siddharth wasn't enough suffering for one weekend.
My period had decided to join the party too.
Was this even my date?
Won't know.
Haven't gotten them for months now.
Mummaaaa!
I don't like being alone at all.
Okay, whatever.
After I finished eating, I grabbed my bag and keys, slipped into my sneakers- since my heels are broken- and left.
Thank God my scooter is working properly.
I reached my college gate, and guess who is the first person I see?
You guessed it right! It's none other than the monster himself.
Everyone else was there too.
I parked my scooter and walked towards them.
Siddharth stepped forward and extended his hands.
He cleared his throat, "I got them repaired."
I smiled, "That's so sweet of you."
I took the heels from his hand and he gave me an awkward nod.
He turned around to go in.
My smile vanished.
Without thinking twice, I threw one of the heels at him, and it hit his back.
Satisfaction.
"Ouch! What the- Ruhi, are you out of your mind?!", his eyes were wide with shock as he turned around, rubbing his back.
"A little.", I admitted.
Rishi gasped, "Ruhi, that was so rude of you! Please do that again."
The others burst into laughter
"As you wish, Rishi."
I threw the second reel at Siddharth too.
He dodged it this time, "No, stop! Rishi, don't encourage her! She is a crazy woman!"
I walked towards him, and the fact that he stepped back immediately made me laugh out loud.
"I am just taking my heels back.", I rolled my eyes.
He cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at me as he shifted awkwardly.
I am having so much fun.
After keeping the heels safely in my bag, I turned back to him, "You do know you deserve this, right?"
He crossed his arms, "I... I might have an idea. But this was still too much for just a playlist!"
My eyebrows shot up, "'Just a playlist'? You deleted all the eleven different playlists of mine! Do you even know how much effort goes into handpicking each song according to the vibe of the playlist?"
"You make is sound like it's as hard as diffusing a bomb. Just make them again.", he shrugged.
The audacity!
"Well, you'll understand when you make one. But forget it, because I restored them already."
"What? And you still chose violence?"
"You deserved it!"
"For a playlist?"
"Eleven playlists."
"They were restored."
"That's not the point."
"Then what's the point?"
"The point is that actions have consequences."
"And the consequence is getting attacked with heels?"
"Exactly."
"You are insane."
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw someone.
Oh shit.
I stepped into Siddharth's personal.
Pointing a finger at him, I said, "Only for you, Jaan."
Siddharth did not understand the assignment.
He freaked out.
"Wh-what?"
I grabbed his collar and pulled him down to my level with one hand, and with another hand, I tilted his head to the left, "Just play along.", I whispered.
He looked in that direction and finally understood.
Rohan was there.
He looked back at me, still slightly caught of guard.
"What exactly is going on here?", Naman asked, just as confused as the others.
I left Siddharth's collar and stepped back, giving him a sweet smile.
"Nothing. Let's go in.", I said, taking Siddharth's hand and moving forward before Rohan could come after us.
Thankfully, everyone followed me without another question.
Once we all were out of Rohan's sight and alone, I sighed, "It was Rohan."
"Give us a heads up at least. That was so unbelieving to watch.", Radhika said.
I shrugged, "I didn't have time for that. He had already seen us."
Turning to Siddharth, I continued, "And you! Learn to take the cue. You literally turned into a statue there!"
"Don't blame me for this at least! How do you think I'd react when I hear you call me Jaan in the middle of an arguement?"
"What? You think I'd call you Jaan otherwise? That was the bloody signal!"
"Okay, so what? You handled it, didn't you? What else am I supposed to say?"
I opened my mouth to retort.
But wait.
Why did he just surrender?
There's no fun in surrendering.
I frowned, "You didn't fight back."
He blinked, "I didn't."
I scoffed, "The monster just surrendered!"
"Oh God, don't say it that way now!"
Radhika rolled her eyes, "You guys just want to keep fighting for no reason at all."
"We have a reason!", we said together.
Aditi crossed her arms, "Oh, yeah? What is it?"
I pointed a finger at him.
He pointed a finger at me.
Both of us opened our mouths to speak.
But nothing came out.
What was the reason again?
Radhika nodded, "Exactly."
"Have you guys ever considered becoming friends?", Rishi asked.
"Never!", both of us exclaimed.
The group immediately started grinning.
"Look at that," Aditi said, "They're even synchronizing now."
"We're not synchronizing."
"You said that together too," Naman pointed out.
"There you are!"
Prakash.
"I thought you guys won't even come today."
Beside me, Rishi muttered, "That was the thought."
Prakash didn't hear him.
He started looking between me and Siddharth, "Weren't you guys fighting yesterday?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, why are you holding hands today?"
I looked at Siddharth, then at our entwined hands.
Oh.
Right.
I was still holding his hand.
Since the Rohan incident.
Oops.
I immediately let go.
So did Siddharth.
We both took a step away from each other.
"That's not what it looks like.", he defended.
"Exactly.", I agreed.
We looked at each other.
"What does it look like?", I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"I don't know."
"Neither do I."
"Good."
"Great."
Silence.
Prakash blinked, "That was the most suspicious thing you could have possibly said."
"Don't you have tasks for us? Let's get to work.", I changed the topic.
"Right. There's not much to do today. Just a few paintings to finish."
"I am not good at painting.", Siddharth said.
"You just have to fill in the colors, man! It's not that difficult. Let's go."
And hence, we go.
We followed him to an empty classroom, and there on the floor was a huge painting of random cartoon characters.
Prakash left.
We all removed our shoes in a corner and sat around the painting.
Siddharth wears white Nike shoes, I noted absentmindedly.
We picked up paint brushes and started painting the characters.
Aditi was sitting beside me, completely focused on the painting.
I nudged her, "Aditi, are these paints washable?"
"Yeah, they are. Why?"
"Nothing."
"...Ruhi?"
"Nothing, Aditi."
She looked at me suspiciously, but I ignored her.
I pocketed a few tubes of paint and a paint brush and stood up, "I am going to the washroom."
No one looked up.
Perfect.
I picked up Siddharth's shoes from the corner and left the room.
Just around the corner, I found another empty room and locked it.
I placed the shoes on the bench and removed the paints, an evil smile forming on my face.
A few minutes later, I walked back to the classroom and placed his shoes exactly where they were before.
"I am back!", I settled down.
"Where is the pink color?", Radhika asked.
In my pocket.
"Check under the chart papers!", I said immediately.
She turned the other way, and I used that moment to remove them from my pocket.
"Oh. Found it! I might have sat on it.", I said, passing it to her.
Aditi side eyed me.
I gave her a smile.
Her eyes wandered from my face to somewhere behind me.
Where the shoes were kept.
She almost gasped, her eyes wide.
I shook my head, widening my own eyes to stop her from saying anything.
She leaned in towards me and whispered, "Did you do that?"
I grinned, nodding.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"You said they're washable!", I whispered back.
She scoffed, "That doesn't mean you-"
I shushed her.
Just then, Radhika caught my eye.
She raised an eyebrow.
Aditi tilted her head towards the shoes.
Her eyes widened and she placed her hand on her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Oh no.
Not her too.
I pointed a warning finger at both of them.
Not.
A.
Word.
Both of them nodded.
Neither of them looked trustworthy.
Especially Radhika.
She was already turning red from holding in her laughter.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Naman asked, finally noticing.
"Nothing.", the three of us replied immediately.
Naman narrowed his eyes.
"That's suspicious."
"You're suspicious.", I shot back.
"That's not even a proper comeback."
"Good. Then stop talking."
He frowned, but didn't say another word.
By the time the painting was finished, Prakash came back.
His eyes went straight to the shoes.
A laugh left his mouth, "Who has such unique shoes?"
Oops.
Time for the big reveal.
Siddharth, who had just stood up, finally turned around, "What shoe-"
I silently stepped out of his line of sight.
He picked up his shoe to get a closer look at it.
The swoosh logo was painted red, and the outlines around it were yellow. I used the pink color to paint the bottom outline of the shoes.
I am so proud of myself for that artwork.
He dropped the shoe down and looked around, looking for something.
Then his eyes landed on me.
Oh, he was searching for me.
He stared at me in disbelief, hands resting on his hips.
I gave him a crooked smile, "This is the last time, I promise."
He sighed, "What is wrong with you?"
"Don't worry, the paint is washable. I confirmed with Aditi before doing it. But you have to admit it, they look cool."
He scoffed, "Picasso would die all over again if he saw this."
Aditi raised her hand, "I agree."
I glared at Aditi before speaking, "Just wash them if you hate them so much!"
He raised an eyebrow.
"...What?"
He crossed his arms.
"Oh, you mean... I have to wash them?"
He shrugged.
I groaned.
Ten minutes later, I found myself standing in the girls washroom, washing his shoes with a cloth that Prakash got me.
I see why Rishi hates him so much.
Radhika and Aditi entered the washroom, laughing at me.
I rolled my eyes.
"Why would you even do that?", Radhika asked.
I shrugged, "Annoying him gives me dopamine."
"How does all your plans always backfire?", Aditi teased.
I threw a glare at her, "Don't talk about that, you traitor!"
"What? You expect me to appreciate your so called masterpiece?"
I suppressed a smile, "Okay, okay, maybe it wasn't my best work,"
I held both the shoes up to show them, "See, all clean?"
Radhika leaned in to take a closer look, "I think there's a little pink left right there. Wash it properly, Ruhi!"
I huffed, "I hate you both!"
"Here.", I passed the shoes to Siddharth.
He took it from my hand and inspected it, "Nice work, Ruhi. You should open a washing centre."
I rolled my eyes, "Whatever."
"So, are we allowed to go home now?", Naman asked.
"Prakash said he'd check if there's anything left and he'll call me accordingly. So, we just wait.", Siddharth replied.
And hence, we waited, staring at each other's bored faces.
"By the way, I hope both of you are not going to pull any more pranks on each other. Because we're now tired of it.", Radhika said.
I raised my hands in surrender, "I already said that was the last time."
"I don't do anything anyway.", Siddharth said.
"Oh yeah? You're so innocent?"
"Yes, I am. I don't-"
Suddenly, a song started playing.
Not just any song.
Dreamum wakeupum critical conditionum.
Earthum quakepum hil dool sab shake upum.
Oops again.
"Who is playing this song so loudly in the middle of the campus?", Aditi asked.
Face to faceum dharti putram
Top to baseum kama sutram
Naman pointed at Siddharth, "I think it's coming from your phone."
Thighsum thunderum downum underum
Sizeum matterum thinkum wonderum
"What? No, how is this possible-", he removed his phone out of his pocket, "-It is my phone indeed."
Jumpingum, pumpingum
Throbbingum, thumpingum
"Dude, cut the call!"
Wune runde mune na-
He finally cut the call.
Everyone stared at each other.
Then burst into laughter.
Everyone except me and Siddharth.
Siddharth's eyes found mine.
Oh no.
I swallowed, "Look, I... I can explain. This was-"
"No, you can't.", he walked towards me.
"What are you going to do?", I took a step back.
"Siddharth, look-"
He increased his speed.
I sprinted away.
Radhika face palmed herself, "There they go again."
I ran down the empty corridor, looking back to find him close, and the others were following him too.
I turned around the corner, leaving him a little behind me.
There was a storage closet at the corner.
I better hide there before he comes here.
I entered the closet and was just about to close the door when he stopped me, grabbing the door handle.
Of course he was more powerful.
He opened the door easily and entered in too.
I'm so gone today.
He breathed heavily, "Where will you go now?"
I myself was out of breathe, "Look, let's talk it out. I did-"
He scoffed, "How's that fair? I get beaten by your heels when I do something and when it comes to you, we 'talk it out'?"
I shrugged, managing a weak smile, "I am just a girl."
He stepped closer in the already small space, "That's the only reason I am not doing anything."
I patted his shoulder, "Aww! Such a gentlema-"
His glare intensified.
Suddenly, we heard a click.
Both our heads snapped towards the door.
Siddharth immediately tried to open it.
It didn't budge.
Before any of us could do anything else, we heard the others from the outside.
"Hum tum..... Ek kamre mein bande ho! Aur chaabi kho jaye!"
Ugh! Not again.
"Open the door, guys!", I banged on the door.
"The door will only open after you both call it a truce and shake your hands.", Radhika's voice came from the other side.
Siddharth groaned, "Radhika, let's talk about it once we come out, yeah?"
"Nope. As much as it is funny, we all are tired of your constant arguments. So, now we don't care if you strangle each other in there, but you only get to come out after you become friends."
I sighed, "This is unbelievable!"
"All because of you!", Siddharth pointed an accusing finger at me.
I crossed my arms, "Excuse me! How is it my mistake?"
"You changed my ringtone."
"I did that yesterday when you took my phone. And what about my playlist?"
"You deleted my notes too, didn't you? What about my shoes?"
"That's because you broke my heels yesterday."
"I repaired it and gave it back!"
"Yeah, so did I."
"But you also threw your heels at me!"
"I was angry because of the playlists! You started it. Yesterday. First my heels, then my phone."
"You hit me with those heels first-"
"You deserved that-"
"Violence should never be an option-"
"But it was still your mistak-"
A loud bang was heard on the door, silencing us.
"Be quick. We don't have all day!", came Radhika's sharp order.
I could hear others laughing too.
This is irritating.
"You know what?", I turned to him.
"What?"
"They're right. Let's just end this once and for all. Tell me, what's your problem?"
"Excuse me?"
I urged, "What is your problem? Why do you keep jumping from being a man to a monster. Do you have a split personality or are you possessed?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"I am being serious."
He scoffed, "You want to know why I act like this? That's because you are a witch who has put God knows what spell on me that even I don't know why I am acting like this!"
I frowned, "That... does not make sense."
"You don't either.", he pointed out.
"Okay, this isn't going anywhere.", I sighed.
"What now?"
"You tell me why you keep fighting with me."
"Me? You are the one always fighting with me!"
"So, you just fight because I do?"
He blinked, "...Yes?"
I stared at him.
He stared back.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"I know."
"You don't even have a reason?"
"Do you?"
I paused.
I can't tell him that I fight with him because it is fun.
And I honestly can't come up with any other reason.
Why do we fight dude?
I snorted, "This is crazy."
"What is crazy?"
"We have no reason to fight."
"We... don't?"
"Do we?"
Silence.
Is it really that weird to fight over nothing?
Now that I think of it, we keep finding new things to fight over because we don't have a reason.
Wow.
I am so stupid to waste so much energy on practically nothing.
The fights aren't happening because of a problem.
The problem is that we keep looking for reasons to fight.
"This is ridiculous.", Siddharth sighed.
The door opened.
"I am glad you two finally realized how immature you both are.", Radhika grinned.
Siddharth and I shared an awkward look.
"Come on, shake your hands now.", Aditi ordered.
Do I really have to do this?
Radhika glared at us when we didn't move.
I sighed, extending my hand.
Siddharth didn't
I scowled, "This is cheating."
"Siddharth!", Naman scolded.
He rolled his eyes, his hand finding mine for a handshake.
I looked up at him, "So, truce?"
He looked at our hands, then at me, and nodded, "Truce."
Truce.
Alright.
Let's see where this truce takes us next.
I let go of his hand and cleared my throat, "Where is Rishi?"
"Prakash had called him for some work. Now, he is waiting for us by the gate.", Naman replied.
Siddharth put his hands in his pocket, "Let's go then."
"I feel so satisfied, I can't tell you!", Radhika exclaimed.
Naman nodded, "Yeah, no more childish fights in the group."
"Not gonna lie, I am going to miss those fights. They were quite entertaining.", Aditi grinned.
I remained silent.
Radhika said, "It will be so-"
She paused abruptly.
"So what?", I glanced at her.
She had stopped walking, her eyes looking at something distant.
I followed her eyes.
Rishi.
Standing with a girl.
"Who is she?", Radhika asked.
"Sakshi."
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