Pov:Max
I wish I could laugh this off. I wish I could tell myself that none of this matters.
But it does. It really does.
After Ram's harsh words, they've been echoing like static in my mind: "How many times do I have to tell you that kiss was nothing more than lust?"
I don't know what hurt more — the words or the way he looked at me when he said them, like I was nothing but a fleeting moment of weakness.
I didn't cry. Not in front of him. Not then.
But now, sitting quietly on the third bench of the corridor with my knees hugged to my chest, I feel the pressure behind my eyes building.
That kiss…
It wasn't just physical. Not for me. Not even the way he looked at me before that — there was something deeper, unspoken, real. And then... silence. Distance. And now, denial.
I let Rithul talk to me. Maybe I smiled more than usual. Maybe I laughed too much. Maybe I wanted to feel like someone still saw me — the me that wasn't shamed for feeling too much.
But that glance Ram threw… it wasn't anger. It was pain. Pure, sharp pain.
And now, everything is a storm.
"Max," Kitty's voice pulled me out of my haze. "Want juice?"
I nodded. Not because I was thirsty, but because I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts anymore.
Vin walked by with her iconic grin and leaned down toward me.
"You've stirred a love triangle here, huh?" she whispered playfully.
I gave her a fake laugh. I wasn't even sure who was in this triangle anymore. Was Ram even in it? Or did he remove himself already?
The corridor felt too small. The walls — too loud. And my heart — too heavy.
I missed the Ram who walked beside me in silence and still made me feel understood.
I missed the Ram who switched bus seats just to make sure I was safe.
I missed the Ram who didn't have to say much to make my world stop spinning.
But maybe that Ram never existed for me. Maybe I was just a supporting character in his story.
I pulled out my phone and opened a blank message. I typed:
"Why are you doing this to me?"
But I didn't send it.
Instead, I walked back to class. No one noticed the storm behind my smile. Not even Rithul.
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