Author's POV
For three hundred and sixty days, the college remained a college.
A place where students rushed to lectures, professors complained about attendance, and assignments stole everyone's will to live.
But for five days every year, it became something else entirely.
Colorful stalls lined the campus.
Music echoed through the grounds.
Students who had barely attended classes suddenly appeared before eight in the morning.
And for the next five days, nobody cared about grades.
The annual fest had officially begun.
Among the various stalls, stood two stalls facing each other.
One stall smelled of sugar, while the other smelled of sanitizer.
Naman's stall was one of the many rectangular stalls that lined up the left side of the main entrance gate. What stood out about his stall was the mickey mouse shaped cut out with Jalebis drawn on it's ears that he had stuck in front of his stall table to attract people.
Directly opposite it stood Aditi's setup beneath a canopy. A board reading "A Splash of Color for Every Face!" welcomed visitors, surrounded by colorful doodles, while rows of chairs waited for customers to sit down and get their faces painted.
The crowd hadn't arrived yet as the fest had just begun.
Aditi finished setting her own stall and turned to look at Naman's. She found him already looking at her as always, elbows propped up on the table and his face resting in his palms. He had worn the mickey mouse ears, and his light blue apron hid the crisp brown suit that he was wearing according to the theme.
Aditi found herself contemplating whether to call him cute or hot.
When she was finally done checking him out, her gaze finally landed on the cutout that was stuck on the stall.
Her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe it. No way, he did that.
She looked back at him, and raised both of her eyebrows.
He just shrugged, still in the same position, his eyes never leaving her. He lifted his one hand, pointed his finger at her and then he pressed his thumb and index finger together, the other three fingers fanned out.
'You look pretty.'
Aditi smiled, looking down at herself. She was wearing a pure white full, puffy sleeves one piece gown with a corset design. She hadn't worn her own apron yet.
She then pointed at him, and did a thumbs down, teasing him.
He pouted at her.
She stuck her tongue out.
He straightened up, his hands moving to his back to untie the knot of his apron. He kept the apron on the table and walked towards her.
She checked him out from head to toe again now that she could see him properly.
She met him halfway, her crossed arms and poker face not giving away how much impressed she was.
"Is this what I get after I give you this surprise?", he mumbled.
"I love the surprise. I did not say anything about that. I was talking about you.", she teased.
He gasped, "How could you?"
Aditi struggled to keep a straight face, "Someone has to be honest."
Naman placed a hand dramatically over his heart, "I spent all night perfecting those Mickey Mouse jalebis."
"I know."
"I sacrificed sleep."
"I know."
"I almost sacrificed my fingers."
Aditi's eyebrows shot up, "What?"
"I exaggerated that.", he muttered.
She glared at him.
Naman pointed at her accusingly, "And after all that, you call me ugly."
"I never called you ugly."
"You gave me a thumbs down."
Aditi rolled her eyes, "Fine. The suit looks nice."
He was just about to smile, "The suit?"
"The suit."
"The face?"
She sighed, "The face too."
A victorious grin spread across his lips, "Thank you."
"Don't let it get to your head."
"Too late."
Aditi groaned.
For a moment, they simply stood there, smiling at each other.
Then Naman glanced at her dress again, "You look like a princess."
Aditi looked away before he could notice the warmth creeping into her cheeks, "Go back to your stall before I take my compliment back."
"Noted."
He took two steps backwards.
Then three.
Then four.
Never breaking eye contact.
"Walk properly," Aditi warned.
"I am walking properly."
"You are going to trip."
"I am not going to tr-"
His heel caught on a chair.
Aditi slapped a hand over her mouth.
Naman somehow managed to regain his balance, "...trip."
Aditi burst out laughing.
Radhika was standing at the main gate, staring at the huge banner that read, 'Day 1: Once upon a time.'
Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, Radhika used to be really excited thinking about meeting Rishi.
But that wasn't the case today.
Today, she was anxious and nervous and a little heartbroken all at once.
She had decided that she wasn't going to think much about it while she was getting ready. She had looked at her floor length soft lavender gown and thought that she was going to click thousands of pictures in that, but now, when she was actually here, she could not think about anything else.
She did not care about her dress, or anything about the fest.
She only kept thinking about what she was going to do when she saw Rishi.
She could act completely normal, like she hadn't heard anything last night, but that wasn't as easy at it sounded.
So, she decided that she was going to try to ignore him as much as she could.
She took a deep breath, put on a smile and stepped inside.
The chaos immediately wrapped around her.
No wait, they were someone's arms.
She turned around, startled, only to find Ruhi grinning at her.
Ruhi was dressed in a black, off shoulder gown that flowed with her as she moved.
"Look at you, Radhika!", Ruhi gasped, "You look gorgeous!"
Her smile was contagious, and Radhika found herself feeling a little less anxious as a real smile found its way to her lips.
"So do you, yaar!", Radhika said, giving her a side hug.
"Let's go find Aditi's stall!"
Together, they walked to the left, where the stalls were located.
"There it is!"
People had already started showing up at their stalls.
Aditi was currently busy painting a flower on someone's face.
Radhika's eyes moved to the other side, and she found Naman piping out jalebis while people stood around his stall, amazed at how perfectly he was able to make the shapes.
She nudged Ruhi, "Let's go to his stall."
Ruhi didn't need to be told twice.
The moment they reached the stall, Naman held up a freshly made Mickey Mouse jalebi.
"Ladies, please maintain distance. The artist is working."
"Artist?" Ruhi repeated.
"Do you not see the masterpiece in my hand?"
Radhika stared at the jalebi, "One ear is bigger than the other."
Naman immediately lowered it, "You people have no appreciation for art."
"Give it to me," Ruhi said.
"Buy it."
"I'm your friend."
"And?"
"Friends get discounts."
"Friends support small businesses."
Ruhi gasped, "Did you just call your stall a small business?"
"Every empire starts somewhere."
Ruhi snatched the plate of jalebis from him anyway, "You're giving these for free to us."
She handed it over to Radhika and took one plate for herself, giving Naman a sweet smile, "I will tell Aditi how great of a human being you are!"
Naman narrowed his eyes, "You don't need to. She already knows me."
Ruhi's eyes widened, "Is that so? The fest has already started, let's see when you're going to propose to her then."
Radhika shook her head in amusement, "Let that poor guy work, Ruhi. What has he ever done to you?"
Ruhi pointed at him accusingly, "He won't propose to my best friend!"
Naman's eyes widened, "Shh! Lower your voice. She is right there."
Ruhi grinned, "Are you giving it for free or not?"
Naman rolled his eyes, "Fine, take it."
Just then, they heard a voice from not far away, "What's going on?"
Ruhi and Radhika turned around at the voice, their breaths hitching at the sight.
Siddharth was wearing an all black suit which flaunted all the muscles Ruhi had spent the previous night staring at.
Rishi was wearing a grey checked suit, with a white shirt underneath it. The top few buttons of the shirt were open, his hands in his pocket.
Both of them walked towards Naman's stall.
Ruhi swallowed, remembering what her clumsy self did last night.
She knew Siddharth would tease the hell out of her if she stayed there.
She nudged Radhika, "Should we go to Aditi's stall?"
Radhika, who herself was trying to figure out how to escape Rishi, nodded eagerly, "Yes! Let's give her some company."
She circled her arm in Ruhi's and they practically ran to Aditi's stall.
Rishi and Siddharth reached Naman's stall, their eyes following the two girls.
Naman frowned, "What happened to them all of a sudden?"
"Did they just run away from us?", Siddharth asked.
"Looks like it.", Naman replied.
"Why?", Rishi raised an eye brow.
Naman shrugged, "How would I know that?"
Rishi's eyes stayed on Radhika as she reached Aditi's stall. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, before she glanced back.
Her eyes met his.
Rishi raised her hand in a wave, but Radhika had already looked away.
Rishi's brows furrowed, his hand falling back to his side.
Why was she behaving that way?
Beside him, Siddharth smirked, knowing exactly why Ruhi ran away from him.
"Why are you both running?", Aditi asked as they reached her stall.
"Forget about that. First paint something on our faces too!", Ruhi demanded.
Aditi pushed a booklet ahead, "What do you want me to paint? Select from this."
"Wow. Look at you, being all professional. Are you going to make us pay too?", Radhika asked.
Aditi shook her head, "Of course not. Why would I take money from you guys?"
"See! This is what I am saying. Naman didn't say that.", Ruhi complained.
Aditi chuckled, "You really think he'd take money from you?"
Radhika smirked, "Ignore her, Aditi. I don't know what's gotten in her. She is always after Naman."
Ruhi rolled her eyes, "Do you want me to go after your dear Rishi then? I can do that too."
Radhika's smirk wavered, "I don't care."
"Sure you don't. Anyway, I am actually thinking of not getting my face painted.", Ruhi chewed at her lips.
Aditi frowned, "Why? You just told me to paint."
"I know I did. But then, look at this acne. I don't think my skin will be able to bear paints right now.", Ruhi ran a finger along her cheeks, sighing.
"Are you on your periods, Ruhi?", Radhika inquired.
Ruhi shook her head, "I am going to get them soon. I feel it."
Aditi turned to Radhika, "Then you tell me what you want, let's get it done while I don't have any customers."
Ruhi picked up her plate of jalebis.
Radhika looked through the booklet, "Just make these strawberries on my cheek."
Radhika sat down comfortably on the chair as Aditi prepared the paints for her.
"When are the guests going to come?", Ruhi asked.
Radhika replied, "By 10 a.m."
Aditi started painting on her face, "I will also wrap up my stall by then."
"Only two hours?"
Aditi shrugged, "We are allowed to close whenever we want. I won't just sit here all day, right? I also want to enjoy the fest."
"What about Naman?", Radhika asked midstroke.
Aditi clicked her tongue, "Stay still! He is going to wrap up too."
"Speaking of him. Did you try the jalebis yet? He did this just for you.", Ruhi grinned, taking a jalebi from Radhika's plate.
"I haven't. He said that he'll give me one later."
"Maybe he is keeping the perfect jalebi aside for you.", Ruhi said with her mouth full.
"I am sure he is.", Aditi smiled.
She then proceeded to click photos of herself and her friends while they were busy with the paintings.
After a few minutes, Aditi stepped back from Radhika, "Done."
Radhika looked at herself in the mirror kept on the table, "This is so cute!"
"Wait, let me take a picture!", Ruhi said, immediately capturing her cheeks in an image.
Radhika stood up from her chair, "Now, I can finally savour those jalebis!"
She turned to where she had kept her plate, only to find it empty.
Her eyes met Ruhi's.
Ruhi blinked innocently.
Radhika crossed her arms.
"Well, Naman does make good jalebis...", Ruhi mumbled.
"He does? I wouldn't know, na. You ate mine.", Radhika said with a calm that only comes before the chaos.
"Yes. They were great, I am telling you, na.", Ruhi took a step back.
"Why dont you get some exercise? You need it after eating two plates of jalebis.", Radhika stepped towards her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... Let me help you do some cardio!"
Ruhi ran away from her, and Radhika immediately followed.
"Radhika, you don't need to exercise! You haven't even had any jalebis! Don't run!", she called out from over her shoulder.
Radhika ran after her, "Then don't make me run!"
Across from them, Siddharth and Rishi watched them running around before they disappeared into the crowd.
Siddharth shook his head, "They are never going to grow up."
Rishi snorted, "Says the one who fell into a sand pit just to win a challenge."
Siddharth rolled his eyes, "Shut up! I'm just saying this because... They are wearing long gowns. What if they fall because of it?"
Rishi gave him a side eye, "When did you become so caring?"
"I have basic humanity, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what do we do now?", Rishi asked.
Siddharth glanced around, "Naman and Aditi are not going to be free anytime soon, I guess we should just be with Radhika and Ruhi."
"Are you telling me you are willing to spend time with Ruhi?"
Siddharth glared at Rishi, "Why are you twisting every sentence I say?"
"Can you guys go away? You are crowding my stall.", Naman said.
Rishi scoffed, placing a hand on his chest "Bohot chubhne laga hoon."
Siddharth wrapped his arm around Rishi's shoulder, "Let's go, drama queen."
They walked away from the stalls and towards the main stage, where Ruhi and Radhika had ran off to.
When they reached the main stage, they found some girls dancing on Tum Hi Ho Bandhu, while the crowd cheered for them.
Rishi scanned the crowd, until his eyes landed on the two familiar faces. He nudged Siddharth, tilting his head in their direction.
Ruhi and Radhika were standing away from the crowd, dancing on the song, their steps completely in sync as if they had come prepared, the phone kept in front of them recording everything.
They danced as if no one was watching, completely carefree and lost in their own world.
Rishi sighed involuntarily as he watched Radhika laugh when she did a step wrong. Her hair were all over her face as she laughed, but she couldn't care less about them.
But Rishi did.
Her hair were blocking his view of her face.
He felt a sudden urge to go up to her and push her hair back.
Siddharth was stuck in a similar realm.
He watched as Ruhi's dress moved with her, the black fabric flowing around her with every step.
She looked happy.
Completely, unapologetically happy.
And for some reason, he couldn't look away.
Then her eyes found his.
The smile on her face faltered.
Siddharth caught it.
Ruhi stopped dancing.
For a moment, neither of them looked away.
The music continued.
The crowd continued cheering.
Yet somehow, all Ruhi could focus on was the fact that Siddharth was standing there, watching her.
And then, her mind went back to the night before.
Suddenly, she was feeling embarrassed.
She immediately took her phone and grabbed Radhika's hand, "Abort mission."
"What?"
"Just trust me and walk."
Before Radhika could protest, Ruhi dragged her away from the stage.
Siddharth blinked, "They did it again."
Rishi blinked too, "They did."
Naman sighed, removing his apron. He had finally wrapped up his stall.
He glanced at Aditi's stall. She was packing up too.
He picked up the plate of Jalebis and walked up to her.
Aditi was busy packing her paints into a box when a plate suddenly appeared in front of her.
She looked up.
Naman pushed the plate towards her.
A smile formed on Aditi's face, "I thought I won't get any."
"How could I not give it to the person I made them for?", Naman raised an eyebrow.
Aditi's smile widened. She picked up a jalebi, taking a moment to admire his work. She couldn't believe how perfectly shaped they were.
Naman said, looking at the ground, "I saved the perfect ones for the one who is perfect."
Aditi didn't look up from the plate. If she did, he would see how pink her face was.
She finally took a bite, her eyes closing momentarily as a hum of satisfaction escaped her mouth, "How are you so good, Naman?"
Naman rubbed the back of his neck, "Anything for you."
Aditi took another piece in her hand. She looked at it, and then at Naman.
Then, she extended her hand towards him.
Naman looked at it, then back at her.
She moved her hand closer to her face, insisting him to have it.
He finally took a bite, both of them smiling like idiots.
"Thank you so much, Naman. For doing this for me.", Aditi said softly.
"Anything for that smile.", he cleared his throat, "So, what do I get in return?"
"What do you want?"
Naman pointed a finger at his cheek innocently.
Aditi's eyes widened and she gasped, "Naman!"
Naman blinked, "What? I am just asking you to paint something on my face!"
Aditi looked away, "Paint. Of course."
Naman smirked, "Why? What did you think?"
"What? Me? Paint. Yeah, I thought of that only.", Aditi said, flustered.
Naman shook his head in amusement as he sat down on one of the chairs.
"Wh-what do you want me to paint?"
"Whatever you want."
"Alright."
Aditi unpacked a few of her paints and brushes.
Naman leaned back in his chair comfortably.
Aditi leaned down at his face level, and Naman's breathe hitched immediately.
Aditi was close.
Too close.
He watched as she dipped the brush into the paint, his eyes moving from her hand up to her face.
His gaze paused on her lips.
She was involuntarily pouting as she mixed the paints, not knowing the effect it had on Naman.
His lips parted and his breathing got ragged.
Aditi lifted her brush and leaned even closer, and he could feel her breathe on his face.
Naman swallowed hard, his eyes refusing to look away from her lips.
And when Aditi moved an inch closer, he felt his control snapping.
"S-stop!", his voice came out rough.
Aditi immediately straightened up, her brows furrowing, "What happened?"
Naman finally breathed out, placing a hand on his chest to calm his heart which was beating a little too fast.
"Are you okay?", Aditi asked, completely unaware of his thoughts.
"Yeah... I just... Let's not... I mean, I don't want to paint my face anymore.", he stammered.
Aditi frowned, "Why?"
The frown made her pout again, and Naman immediately looked away, "Oh God!"
"Naman, what happened?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You know what? Let's find the others.", he stood up from his chair, and started putting the paints back in her bag.
Aditi just watched him, utterly confused.
"Radhika, your ball is literally hitting the gifts in the back instead of the stack of cups! You've got to focus!", Ruhi complained.
Radhika placed her hands on her hips, "You do it then!"
Ruhi stepped forward, her chin high, "Let me show you how to win!"
She took the ball from Radhika's hand. Closing one eye to focus, she took her sweet time to make the perfect shot.
When she finally threw the ball, it didn't even reach the stack of cups and landed on the counter ahead.
Radhika laughed, "What happened, Ruhi?"
Ruhi narrowed her eyes, "We still have two chances left."
She again positioned herself, aiming at them properly this time.
The ball hit the top most cup and it fell down, while all the others were still in place.
Ruhi turned to the stall owner, smiling sweetly, "Do I get something for that?"
The owner smiled back, and then shook his head.
Ruhi's smile disappeared.
She huffed, "I am going to get it this time!"
She pulled her hand back for momentum, and just as she was about to throw the ball, someone snatched it from her hand.
She looked back, only to find Siddharth standing there.
"Move back.", he ordered.
Ruhi crossed her arms, "You won't be able to-"
Siddharth threw the ball at the stack, and all the cups fell down.
Ruhi's mouth was left agape.
Siddharth smirked, "You were saying something?"
"I could have done that too.", Ruhi muttered.
"Sure."
"I could!"
"I never said you couldn't. But you did say it.", Siddharth pointed out.
"Say what?"
"That I won't be able to do it."
"Did I?"
"Yes, you did."
"Congratulations! You proved me wrong.", she then turned to Radhika, "Let's go."
She grabbed Radhika's hand and started walking away, when Siddharth called out, "Don't you want this?"
Ruhi turned back and saw Siddharth holding a giant teddy bear.
She left Radhika's hand and ran back towards him.
She tried to grab the teddy bear from his hand but he pulled it away from her reach.
"Give it now!"
"I won it. Why should I give it to you?"
"Because we paid for the game!", Ruhi countered.
Radhika intervened, "I did."
Ruhi threw a glare at her.
"Then you should get it, Radhika. Here.", he handed the soft toy to her with a smile.
Ruhi watched the interaction with crossed arms, muttering under her breathe, "Look at that smile. He never smiles at me."
"You said something?", Siddharth raised an eyebrow.
Ruhi gritted her teeth, "Nothing."
Suddenly, Siddharth smirked, "By the way, yesterday-"
Oh no.
Ruhi knew exactly what he was going to bring up.
The one thing she was running away from since the day started.
She had to change the topic.
She looked at Rishi, who was standing in the corner silently, and immediately grinned, interrupting Siddharth, "Rishi! Why are so quiet today?"
Siddharth scoffed as she changed the topic.
Rishi blinked, "It's nothing."
His eyes glanced at Radhika before he immediately looked back at Ruhi.
Ruhi frowned, "You're always so full of energy. You didn't even greet your dear honey today."
The air thickened with tension.
Before he could answer, Siddharth said, "That's because you are running away from us since we arrived. How will we greet his honey?"
"I am not anyone's...", Radhika mumbled.
She looked at Rishi, and his expression were of both hurt and confusion at the same time.
Ruhi finally sensed it.
Something was wrong.
She looked at Siddharth, seeing if he sensed it too.
He did.
A silent conversation passed between them before he nodded slightly.
Ruhi clapped her hands, "Alright! Let's play that build the castle game!"
She pointed at the stall beside the one they were at.
The rules were simple, if a pair manages to build a castle from the lego blocks under the given time limit, they win.
Ruhi announced, "The teams are, Radhika and Rishi, and-"
"What are you guys doing?"
Naman and Aditi walked towards them.
"Aditi, thank God, you are here! You're going to be my partner! And Naman, you can pair up with Siddharth.", Ruhi declared, grinning because she doesn't have to pair up with Siddharth anymore.
Radhika started, "Ruhi-"
"We will talk later. Now go and take your position.", she pushed Radhika and Rishi together.
She herself stood with Aditi, while Naman and Siddharth took the table next to them.
Radhika refused to even look at Rishi, while he kept glancing at her.
The timer started.
Radhika immediately started working on the castle, trying to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.
Rishi, on the other hand, took his sweet time.
He cleared his throat, "Why are you ignoring me?"
Radhika paused.
She knew he would want to talk about it, but she didn't expect him to be this straightforward.
She continued stacking the legos, "I am not."
"I was waiting for you yesterday."
No answer.
"You didn't even pick my call."
Nope.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Radhika's jaw clenched, her hands getting clumsier with each passing second.
"Honey, talk to me...", he pleaded.
She finally looked at him, "What am I supposed to talk about?"
He frowned, "We talk about anything and everything, honey."
She scoffed, "Do we? Then why don't I know everything?"
His frown only deepened, "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb, Rishi."
"I genuinely don't know what you're talking about, honey. Please tell me, what did I do?"
Radhika swallowed hard, "Talk to me only when you decide to come clean about everything. Otherwise don't."
Their castle fell apart.
"Honey..."
She stepped away from the table, and walked away from the stall.
Rishi just stood there, staring at her retreating figure.
Ruhi and Aditi watched her walking away, and immediately left the game to follow her.
They found her by the fountain, staring at the vines.
The same vines Radhika and Rishi had decorated the fountain with together.
"Radhika!", Ruhi called out as they reached her.
Aditi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
Radhika nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?", Ruhi asked, concerned.
Radhika thought about it for a second, before shaking her head, "Not now. Let's enjoy the fest for now."
Ruhi stared at her, "Are you sure?"
Radhika managed to give them a smile, "Yes. Let's go to the main stage."
Ruhi and Aditi shared a glance, before agreeing with her.
Siddharth and Naman turned to Rishi.
"What happened, Rishi?", Siddharth asked.
"I... I don't know.", Rishi whispered helplessly.
"Do you want us to-"
Rishi shook his head, "No. She won't tell anything to you guys."
"What will you do then?", Naman asked.
Rishi shrugged, "Figure out what I did?"
"We are here if you need us."
Rishi nodded gratefully.
"Are you guys ready to welcome today's guests?", the host asked the students.
A loud cheer erupted in the audience.
"With a great round of applause, please welcome the queen of television, Sanya Kulkari, and everyone's beloved Yuvraj Oberoi!"
Sanya smiled at the crowd, waving at the audience as she stepped on the stage.
Behind her came the whirlwind of chaos, Yuvraj. He was grinning from ear to ear as he practically jumped on the stage, dancing on the background music that played for their entry.
The crowd went completely wild.
Yuvraj accepted the microphone from the host, only to wince dramatically when the cheering got even louder.
"Okay, okay. Relax. I know I'm good-looking."
The audience laughed.
Beside him, Sanya rolled her eyes, "See? This is exactly why I didn't want to come with him."
"Excuse me!", Yuvraj placed a hand on his chest, "These people came to see me."
The crowd cheered.
Sanya pointed at them accusingly, "You are all encouraging him."
"Thank you!" Yuvraj said, blowing them a kiss.
Sanya snatched the microphone from his hand.
"Good morning, everyone."
The audience greeted her enthusiastically.
"We are really happy to be here today and-"
Yuvraj slowly reached for the microphone again.
Sanya slapped his hand away without even looking at him.
The crowd burst into laughter.
"I haven't even done anything!", Yuvraj pouted.
"You were about to."
"I was going to welcome them."
"You already did."
Yuvraj sighed dramatically, "You're so boring."
"You're just over enthusiastic.", Sanya retorted.
The host intervened, "How do you manage to not kill each other on set?"
"Oh, I tell you. This girl here is always after me!", he pointed at Sanya.
The crowd started hooting.
He chuckled, shaking his head, "Not that way, guys! If we speak in that way, I would say I am after her.", he winked.
Sanya opened her mouth to speak, but the audience started howling so loudly that she couldn't even say anything.
Yuvraj raised his hands, "Alright, I am just kidding. Don't make this tomorrow's headline."
The host laughed nervously, clearly unsure whether Yuvraj was actually kidding.
Sanya shook her head, "I apologize on his behalf."
"You always do that."
"Because someone has to."
The crowd cheered.
Yuvraj pointed at them immediately, "See? They agree with me."
"No, they agree with me."
"No, they definitely agree with me."
The host decided it was best to move things along, "Before we begin the rest of the program, would you both like to say a few words to the students?"
Sanya nodded, accepting the microphone, "First of all, congratulations to everyone who worked hard to organize this fest. We got a chance to look around before coming here, and everything looks beautiful."
The organizing committee immediately straightened in pride.
"And to all the students participating- whether you're performing, managing stalls, or simply enjoying the fest- I hope you create memories you'll remember long after college ends."
The audience applauded.
Yuvraj took the microphone, "That was very inspiring."
"Thank you."
"I have a much more important question."
Sanya closed her eyes.
The audience leaned forward.
Yuvraj pointed towards the crowd, "Who here skipped an assignment to be at the fest today?"
Hundreds of hands shot up instantly.
Yuvraj looked delighted.
Sanya looked horrified, "Why would you ask them that?"
"I like honesty."
The crowd erupted into laughter.
"Moving forward, let's start with the first game of the day. This was suggested by Yuvraj sir, so I would ask him to explain it to students.", the host said.
Yuvraj stepped forward, "It's really simple. We will select a few students from you guys-"
A roar of excitement came from the students.
He chuckled, "Yes, and we will give you a scenario, and you will have to act it out. Easy?"
Students immediately started raising their hands, eager to get a chance to get on stage.
"Okay, let me see... That girl in the black dress!", he pointed out.
Ruhi.
She jumped with joy, Radhika and Aditi pushing her towards the stage.
Yuvraj held his hand out to help her climb the stage. She smiled at him as she took his hand and walked towards the center of the stage.
"Now, we need a handsome guy to accompany this beautiful girl.", Sanya said, looking through the crowd.
Her eyes swept through the crowd, before landing on someone, "That guy at the back! Black suit!"
Ruhi's eyes widened.
Their friends lost it as Siddharth stepped on the stage.
Ruhi's eyes followed him until he was standing beside her, "Why would you agree to come up?", she said low enough so that only he could hear.
He glanced at her, "I am just trying to enjoy the fest."
She huffed.
Sanya noticed their interaction, "Seems like you guys already know each other."
Before they could reply, a voice from the front side of the crowd said, "They are dating."
Ruhi looked down, her eyes widening as she saw Rohan who gave her a thumbs up.
She looked at Siddharth, who was equally horrified.
Yuvraj laughed, "Now that's called destiny!"
Sanya nodded, "Explains the twinning outfits too."
Ruhi regretted wearing that dress.
Yuvraj smiled mischievously, "Since you both are a couple, we will give you a scenario accordingly."
"Let's start the fun!", Sanya announced.
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