The friendship begin
Setting: Elemental International College for Arts and Commerce — The Grand Cultural Fest is just a week away. Posters flutter across the halls, music echoes faintly, and everyone is buzzing with excitement.
---
🌟 Principal's Office – Morning
Aahi, looking elegant and simple in her casual kurti and jeans, walks in with her file. Her mother, Aarifah, had insisted she participate in at least one event — for exposure, confidence, and connection.
She didn't expect what would come next.
---
🎙️ Principal Mehra (smiling):
> "Miss Aahi Shaikh. And Mr. Aarif Khan.
Congratulations! You both have been selected as the Event Heads for the college cultural drama."
---
Aahi's eyes widen.
🔥 Aahi (under breath):
> "Wait... him?"
Aarif, standing beside her — tall, silent, lean against the wall — blinks once, then folds his arms.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "There must be some mistake."
---
🎙️ Principal Mehra (chuckling):
> "You both scored highest in creative auditions. Aahi's an actress, Aarif's got unique stage design concepts. It's a perfect match."
Perfect?
They both look at each other.
Aahi raises an eyebrow.
Aarif shrugs coldly.
---
🔥 Aahi:
> "I work better alone."
🪨 Aarif (dryly):
> "Same here."
---
🎙️ Principal Mehra:
> "Which is exactly why you both need this. You'll learn. Together. Report in the auditorium in ten."
And just like that — they're stuck.
---
🎬 Auditorium – Rehearsal Time
The college hall buzzes with props, lights, costumes, and chaos.
Aahi stands on one side of the stage, reading the script. Aarif walks across, clipboard in hand, surveying lights and sets.
They don't talk.
They don't even look at each other.
But the tension?
You could cut it.
---
🪨 Aarif (finally, without looking):
> "The scene changes don't make sense. You'll need to rewrite them."
🔥 Aahi (coldly):
> "It's a script. Not a blueprint. Learn the difference."
---
The crew around them exchange glances.
Trouble in paradise.
---
Hours pass.
But something strange happens.
They begin to click.
When Aahi suggests a costume theme, Aarif quietly nods — then improves it with a lighting suggestion.
When Aarif adjusts the stage prop, Aahi reads the emotion of the scene perfectly.
They don't like each other…
But their energy is magnetic.
---
🌟 Later That Evening – Empty Hall
Only Aahi and Aarif remain — sketching sets, organizing plans.
The mood has softened.
Aahi's hair is slightly messy, a pencil behind her ear.
Aarif is crouched by the paint, sleeves rolled up, focused.
She watches him.
And wonders...
Why does he seem so familiar?
---
🔥 Aahi (quietly):
> "You… don't like people much, do you?"
---
🪨 Aarif (without looking up):
> "Not the fake ones."
---
🔥 Aahi (soft laugh):
> "So I'm fake?"
He pauses. Finally looks at her.
Their eyes meet. Long. Unblinking.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "No. You're… something else."
---
She blinks, heart skipping.
Then looks away — quickly.
After few hours...
Aahi sat cross-legged on the wooden stage, script open in front of her, but her eyes fixed on the empty chairs in the audience.
The silence was comforting.
Until she heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching.
She didn't turn.
She knew it was him.
---
Aarif slowly walked down the aisle, holding a water bottle, looking unsure.
She didn't speak. He didn't either.
Until he reached the edge of the stage and looked up at her.
---
🪨 Aarif (clearing his throat):
> "Uh… you left this backstage."
He held up her notebook.
She blinked.
---
🔥 Aahi (softly, smiling faintly):
> "You walked all the way back here… for this?"
He shrugged and handed it to her.
She took it, their fingers brushing for a second too long.
Awkward silence.
---
🔥 Aahi (finally, gently):
> "Hey... about that gift box…"
He looked down.
---
🔥 Aahi (continuing, quietly):
> "I didn't know what was inside.
Red told me it was for friendship. That he wanted to patch things up with you.
He said… you never accepted his gifts."
She sighed.
> "He was my only friend when I moved here. I trusted him. But I never wanted to be part of any prank.
I'm not… that kind of girl."
---
Aarif looked up.
Her eyes were watery, but calm. Fierce, even in honesty.
He stepped up onto the stage slowly, and for the first time...
He sat beside her.
---
🪨 Aarif (softly):
> "I know."
She blinked again.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "At first, I didn't. I thought you were like him.
I was angry. I wanted to stay angry.
But when I saw your eyes… when you looked at me after that…"
He sighed.
> "I knew I messed up."
---
Aahi didn't speak.
He glanced at her, hesitated.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "I'm sorry. For the way I treated you."
---
She looked at him.
And then… softly smiled.
---
🔥 Aahi (playfully):
> "You slapped me."
---
He looked horrified.
🪨 Aarif (rubbing his neck, guilty):
> "Oh god—don't remind me—my grandma would disown me if she found out—"
---
She giggled.
And he smiled for real this time.
---
🔥 Aahi:
> "You're different when you're not brooding."
---
🪨 Aarif (mock offended):
> "Brooding is part of my charm."
---
They both laughed.
And for a moment, the silence between them wasn't heavy—it was warm.
---
🔥 Aahi (softly, looking out into the empty hall):
> "This is strange."
🪨 Aarif:
> "What is?"
---
🔥 Aahi:
> "Talking like this. Laughing.
After… everything."
---
He looked at her.
Then at the faint glow of the overhead light haloing her hair.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "Maybe we needed to stop trying so hard to hate each other."
---
She looked at him. Slowly. Deeply.
Their eyes held.
The soft music playing on a tech intern's forgotten Bluetooth speaker shifted to a gentle instrumental piece.
---
🔥 Aahi (whispering):
> "So… truce?"
She held out her hand.
He looked at it, then took it—firm, warm.
---
🪨 Aarif:
> "Truce."
But when their hands met—
Both their bracelets pulsed faintly under their sleeves.
They didn't notice.
But something did.
Outside the auditorium, Chansey and Sas (still hidden in their spirit forms) peek from the nearby shadow wall, whispering to each other.
---
🔥 Chansey (soft voice):
> "She's smiling again."
---
🪨 Sas (gruffly):
> "And he stopped pretending he doesn't care."
---
They glance at the human pair on stage.
And just nod.
Because something new has begun.
Something neither Aahi nor Aarif are ready to admit…
But the fire—and stone—already know.