Shrawrites

Vidya Nadar, who once harbored a secret crush on Kathir Rathore during their college days, had moved on after discovering he was in a committed relationship. For personal reasons, she left Delhi and started a new chapter in Singapore. The years away allowed her to heal, to forget the boy who had captured her heart without even knowing.

But when she unexpectedly returns to Delhi, fate has other plans. She crosses paths with Kathir Rathore once again. However, he is nothing like the person she remembered. The familiar face she once admired now feels like a stranger - someone entirely different, beyond anything she had ever imagined or expected.

CRUSH ON YOU (COY)

The dim light in my room flickered slightly as I paced back and forth, arms crossed, frustration curling in my chest. My thoughts looped endlessly, circling around the same question. Why does he treat me like this?

Vino lay sprawled on my bed, propped up on her elbow, lazily watching me as if I were a TV show she wasn't sure she liked yet.

"I don't know why he behaves like that toward me," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. My fingers absentmindedly traced my arm where the faint bruises still lingered. "It's so painful."

Vino hummed, stretching her arms above her head. "Hmm… why don't you just ask him?"

I stopped pacing, turning to her with a bitter scoff. "Ask him? Do you think he'd even let me?" I shook my head, my hands clenching into fists. "When I try to talk, he never listens. And when I'm in pain…" I hesitated, my throat tightening. "My words just don't come out."

Silence settled between us. Vino's teasing expression softened as she noticed the way I clutched my sleeve. I hesitated for a second before rolling it up, revealing the faint bruises marking my skin.

Her eyebrows knitted together, and she sat up straighter, her fingers hovering near my arm but not touching. "Vidya…"

"It's fine," I said quickly, shrugging. "It doesn't hurt anymore." That was a lie. The pain wasn't just physical—it had dug its claws deeper than that.

Vino exhaled, shaking her head. "This is too much. But… why does he do it?"

I pressed my lips together, gripping my sleeve as I pulled it down. "That's what I don't understand."

Letting out a groan, I fell onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. My mind swirled with unanswered questions, all leading back to him.

Vino sighed beside me, shifting to sit cross-legged. "Alright, listen. Next time you see him, ask him why he's like this with you."

I let out a dry laugh, turning my head to look at her. "Hah… Do you really think I'll be able to talk to him? Every time I see him, he has that serious face, like he's permanently pissed off at the world."

Vino tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Your description is making me more curious to see him."

I rolled my eyes. "You won't be so curious once you meet him. He's already been harsh with me—I have no clue what he'd do if he saw you."

She smirked. "Maybe he'll hit me too?"

A smirk tugged at my lips. "Maybe."

Before I could react, she smacked my arm—not hard, just enough to make me giggle. The tension between us dissolved for a moment as laughter filled the room.

But even as we joked, a part of me still felt restless. No matter how much I tried to brush it off, his presence loomed in my thoughts, refusing to leave.

CHAPTER 6