Chapter 2 — After the Rain

The next morning, the whole campus glittered under sunlight after a long night of rain. Arjun told himself that the strange encounter in the music room didn’t mean anything, but every drop of that memory clung to him like dew.

When he entered the English block, laughter rippled from the courtyard. A group of seniors leaned against the staircase rail — and at the center, relaxed and confident, was Ravi.

He was different by daylight: hair still damp, sleeves pushed up, a band of silver glinting on his wrist. His usual smirk was back, and the people around him seemed to orbit his mood.

As Arjun passed, Ravi’s gaze hooked onto him immediately.

“Well, well… the rain survivor,” Ravi said loudly enough for others to hear. “Didn’t think you’d show your face today.”

Arjun met his eyes, steady. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Ravi pushed off the railing, closing the distance between them. “Most juniors who bump into me usually keep a ten-foot safety radius. Guess you like living dangerously.”

“Or maybe,” Arjun replied, lips curving, “you’re not as scary as you think.”

The small crowd snickered at the boldness, but Ravi only tilted his head, amused. For a heartbeat, his smile softened — something private flickered there, something that didn’t match the performance.

He leaned closer, voice dropping just enough for Arjun to feel the warmth of his breath.

“Careful, junior. Keep talking like that, and I might think you enjoy my attention.”

Arjun’s pulse jumped. “Maybe you already do.”

That earned a real laugh from Ravi — quick, low, unexpected.

“Not bad,” he said, stepping back, eyes gleaming. “Looks like the new kid has claws.”

Before Arjun could answer, the bell rang. The group scattered, but Ravi lingered a second longer, his hand brushing lightly against Arjun’s shoulder as he passed.

“See you around, rain-boy,” he murmured, half-tease, half-promise.

All day, Arjun couldn’t focus. Every glance, every accidental brush in the hallway seemed to carry an echo of that whisper.

And later, when he walked past the old music room, he paused.

Through the half-open door came the soft sound of piano keys — the same tune from the night before.

He didn’t go in.

But he smiled, realizing that maybe the college bully wasn’t as untouchable as he pretended to be.

Later that afternoon, Arjun found himself in the library — the only quiet place left on campus. He’d just settled into a corner table when the chair across from him scraped back. Ravi dropped into it without asking, spinning a pen between his fingers.

“You’re following me now?” Arjun asked, trying to sound calm.

Ravi smirked. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”

He leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes catching the light like polished steel. “You really don’t get it, do you? Most people avoid me. You… you stare back. You talk back. You even walk into the same room I’m in like you belong there.”

Arjun blinked, unsure whether it was a compliment or a warning. “Maybe I just don’t scare easily.”

Ravi’s grin widened, slow and deliberate. “Or maybe,” he murmured, “you like the thrill.”

For a second, neither looked away. The air between them felt too still, too charged — like the moment before lightning strikes. Then Ravi broke the stare with a laugh, tapping the pen against Arjun’s notebook.

“Careful, junior,” he said softly. “Keep tempting me like that, and I might forget to be nice.”

He stood, turning to leave — but before he walked away, he reached out, flicking a stray paper from Arjun’s hair. “Rain-boy,” he added under his breath, his voice low enough that only Arjun heard it.

The nickname shouldn’t have sounded intimate. But somehow, it did.

Thank you 🙏 😊

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