Chapter 1: The Smile That Ruined
City streets bustled with noise, but to Aarav, the world had gone silent the moment he saw her.
Avni.
Her name, he didn't know yet.
But her smile—he'd never forget.
She wasn't even smiling at him. Just something on her phone, a meme perhaps, or a text from a friend. That fleeting curve of her lips lasted less than a second. But to Aarav, it lasted forever.
He stood frozen near the stairwell of North Block, books clutched in one hand, the other tightening into a fist. Not in anger. Not in fear. In realization.
Because in that one smile, he saw it—
His future.
Her laughter floated through the air like soft petals, and the sunlight kissed her brown waves as she turned away, unaware of the boy whose world had just shifted on its axis.
He followed her with his eyes.
Then his steps.
She walked with ease—confident, graceful, like she belonged in every place she stepped into. She didn't know the weight her presence carried. She didn't know someone was now carrying her in every breath.
Aarav didn't approach her.
Not that day.
Not the next.
He wasn't foolish.
Love, he believed, wasn't something you confessed.
It was something you claimed.
---
Two Weeks Later
Avni laughed, throwing her head back, sitting with her friends under the canteen tree. The same laugh. The same sparkle. Aarav sat on the opposite bench, book open, eyes hidden behind dark glasses.
He hadn't read a single word.
He had been coming here every day at the same time, memorizing the way she drank her coffee, the way she argued over the best pizza topping, the way her voice changed when she was upset.
Aarav knew her schedule now.
8:15 AM — Entry through Gate 2.
8:45 AM — First class. Psychology Major.
12:00 PM — Break. Canteen or lawn.
2:00 PM — Library. Window seat, second row.
He knew her favorite perfume—light jasmine.
He knew the boy who tried to flirt with her yesterday.
He knew that boy was going to drop out by next week.
Because he had seen Aarav.
And Aarav had seen him too.
---
That evening, Aarav stood in front of the mirror in his quiet room. Books stacked perfectly. No dust. No clutter. The only thing chaotic was the wall behind him.
Avni's photos.
Not just photos from her Instagram. But real photos. Photos no one else could have clicked. Her tying her shoelace outside class. Her brushing her hair in the library reflection. Her laughing when no one else noticed.
Aarav stared at them, fingers brushing over one.
"You smiled," he whispered.
"That's all it took."
He wasn't insane.
He was devoted.
---
Meanwhile...
Avni had noticed him.
Not entirely. But in bits.
The boy who sat in the library corner every evening.
The boy who always seemed to be wherever she was.
She didn't find it creepy—yet. Just curious.
She mentioned him once to her friend Tanya.
"Have you seen that guy? Kinda tall, always alone. Intense eyes."
Tanya rolled her eyes. "The quiet stalker type? Ignore."
Avni laughed. "He's probably just shy."
---
But Aarav heard it.
Every word.
He sat two tables away that day.
Shy.
She thought he was shy?
If only she knew the thoughts he carried.
The things he'd already done to keep her smile untouched.
The things he was ready to do if anyone dared ruin it.
He watched her again the next day. Her dupatta caught in the wind. A boy helped her untangle it from the bush. Aarav's jaw tightened. His nails dug into his palm.
He went to the boy the same night.
No violence. No drama.
Just a soft, bone-chilling whisper:
"Leave her alone. You're not meant to even look at her."
The boy didn't come to college the next morning.
Or the next week.
No one questioned it.
---
One Month Later
Avni finally looked at him—really looked.
It was raining. She stood under the college shed, books hugged close, water dripping from her hair.
He was across the ground, standing in the open, drenched.
And he was staring.
She shifted uncomfortably, but their eyes locked. For a moment, she felt something strange. Not fear. But intensity. Like being pulled underwater. She blinked, and he was gone.
That night, her phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
"Don't walk in the rain. You might catch a cold."
Her heart skipped a beat.
She replied:
"Who is this?"
No response.
---
Back in his room, Aarav read her message a hundred times.
She had replied.
She noticed.
His fingers trembled. Not with fear. But with joy. Like a priest witnessing his god look back for the first time.
"She will be mine," he whispered.
"She already is."
He pinned her message to the wall, like a trophy.
She had texted him. Reached out. Connected.
Avni didn't know it yet...
But the trap was already set.
And she had stepped right in.
---
To Be Continued...