Mere Watan | URI: Surgical Strike | Vihaan Shergill

Chapter •5•

Aadhya

I saw Vimal was waiting for me the moment I entered my first class for the day. I sighed and went to my seat, putting my bag down.

"So, you ready to for coffee this evening?" He asked, casually taking the seat next to me, sitting too close.

I glared at him. He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking.

"Which part of 'I didn't agree to that' did you not get, Vimal?"

"The part where you're pretending you don't want to get coffee with me," I automatically rolled my eyes. I can't believe he still won't take the hint.

"I'm not pretending, I don't want to get coffee with you."

"Hmm, what about a milkshake?"

"No."

"Fine.. we'll get dinner then," He grinned, leaning close into my face.

"I don't want to get anything with you, Vimal, now back up." My voice was firm, and I hoped my glare conveyed exactly how I felt about him. He smirked and leaned back, slinging his arm over the back of my chair.

"Think about it, Aadhya, I'm here offering to take you out to dinner and you're refusing? Do you know how many girls are waiting for me to just look at them? Come on, baby. Drop the act. We both know you want it." His arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me closer into him.

Alright, this was enough. I quickly removed his arm and dropped it in his lap. His expression faltered as he continued to stare at me expectantly.

"Listen, Vimal. I am not pretending. I really don't want to go anywhere with you. I am really not interested, in doing anything with you. Now, please. Leave me alone." My voice was as firm and laced with anger as it could be without shouting.

He scoffed. As if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He leaned back in towards me.

"Playing hard to get, huh? I know your type pretty well." He tucked in a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Vimal, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested in you in the slightest? Just go away!"

"Are you listening to yourself?" he scoffed again. "Main tujhe dinner pe leke jaane ki offer deraha hu and you're rejecting me? You're," he pointed an accusing finger at me, "rejecting me? You should be grateful I even considered you good enough for me. Pari sahi keh rahi thi, you are full of yourself." And with that he stormed off. Finally, he left.

I sighed and leaned back into my seat. God, what was that. I was thankful that he left and won't bother me for at least for a while till he calms down. But wait, the project! Oh god, he's going to mess up everything, he was already not doing anything and dumping all the work on Vihaan and me but after this? I faceplanted onto the desk. He was going to cause a scene for sure. Come on, why can't I just have just one unproblematic week? Why? I couldn't believe my luck.

The professor came in looking extra cheerful and happily started a very monotonous lecture on a very irrelevant topic.

What a pleasant start. I faceplanted again, gently this time cause it hurts.

As the professor droned on and on in the background, Vimal's behavior weighed on me like an anchor, I felt a mixture of relief and frustration over the project. But, more than anything, I couldn't help but dwell on the implications his possible fit might have on the project, dreading the chaos that awaited once Vihaan found out. Anxiety crept in as I imagined the impending confrontation.

'Of all the days for an uninspiring lecture... Why does this class always have to be so tedious? I can't believe I have to sit through this when there's a mountain of work piling up, thanks to Vimal.' I thought as I let out an exasperated sigh and slouched in my chair, my attention only half-heartedly focused on the professor's words.

Inayat, who was in the same class, slid a note over to me. It read, "You good?" I didn't even notice when she came in, I responded with a half-hearted smile and a thumbs-up, hoping to downplay the turmoil I felt.

Once the class ended, I gathered my belongings and headed out, hoping to catch a breath of fresh air before diving into the next lecture. However, my escape was thwarted as Vimal blocked my path.

"Aadhya, listen," he began, looking shamelessly sheepish.

I cut him off, my patience wearing thin. "I've made it clear, Vimal. I'm not interested. Please, let's focus on the project and keep things professional."

He persisted, "I just... I got a bit carried away. I didn't mean to get mad at you."

"Vimal, just leave it. We have a project to work on. Please, focus on that," I urged, wanting to redirect the conversation.

"Okay, okay," he relented, his tone somewhat subdued. I don't believe he will though.

Resigned, I left the argument behind and hurried off to the next class, hoping I could catch a break. Going through the usual college routine was calming for a brief minute, although I still felt stressed about that group project meeting coming up later.

As the classes came to a close, it came time to discuss the project with Vihaan and the others at the library which became our designated meeting ground. Vihaan was already there, engrossed in a book, meticulously organizing the materials, I felt my anxiety calm down a bit upon seeing him. I settled in next to him, trying to keep my focus solely on the project, despite the lingering uneasiness following the earlier encounter with Vimal.

Pari and Vimal casually strolled in one after another looking blatantly disinterested. Though Pari's eyes did light up once she sat next to Vihaan. However, her lack of participation persisted, and Vimal, though attempting to make up for lost time, seemed distracted and unfocused, flashing me a wink and smirking from time to time much to my unease, I tried my best to ignore him and focus on finishing at least my portion of the project.

Vihaan, as usual, carried the weight, tirelessly organizing and coordinating our efforts. He seemed to have sensed something was off between me and Vimal but didn't ask any questions.

"Vihaan, we've been working for so long, why don't we go grab a coffee,  hmm?" Pari suddenly asked as she blinked up at him, smiling sweetly. Vihaan smiled back at her, and my heart skipped a beat.

"No, I'm good. Let's focus on this project so we can finish it quickly." He suggested to which Pari smiled at him and then rolled her eyes once he turned away. Tucking in her hair behind her ear in disappointment and crossing her arms. Not doing anything to contribute.

I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of frustration and apprehension about the entire situation. Vihaan though, as calm and collected as ever, tried to keep the mood peaceful, but it was easy to feel the tension brewing.

Despite the struggle, we managed to make some headway, mostly thanks to Vihaan taking charge and pushing things along, guiding me along as well. As we wrapped up the session, Vihaan assured me, sensing my tension, "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. We've got this." His genuine and easy smile calmed my racing heart, on contrary to the usual raging butterflies.

I left the library feeling both relieved and nervous, knowing things were far from cool. The weight of the drama Vimal could bring clouded my thoughts, this messy blend of dread and uncertainty about the next few days to we finishe the project had me on edge. I couldn't help but hope for a respite from it all, just needing some calm through all the chaos, which, for my heart, seemed to be Vihaan.

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Happy Republic Day everyone! Thank you for being so patient with my nonexistent schedule and still showing interest in this story. I know I haven't updated in so long but I just got scolded by Cathy in the comments telling me I can't not update this story on Republic Day, thank you for reminding me @cathy065394 😅 and thank you to everyone else in the comments as well asking for an update, I know it might not look like it but it motivates me to write.
This is somewhat edited and somewhat still in progress, I'm posting it because I don't want to not update on this special day, I'll edit and maybe extend this chapter later or update the rest as the next chapter. But for now, here it is. Thank you to everyone who's reading this story so patiently, it really means a lot to me. 🩷🩵