She wanted a career. She got a crush she couldn't afford.
Srushti Rao is a final-year BTech student in Mumbai with a head full of spreadsheets, side hustles, and soft dreams of building her own PR empire. Smart, organized, and emotionally allergic t...
"Yeh solid lag raha hai. Especially the third slide. Clean. Thanks, Srushti." (This looks solid)
He'd said her name like it meant something. Like it didn't rhyme with "corporate deliverable."
And that pause before the "thanks"? That pause had no business doing what it did.
She clicked play.
Once.
Only once this time.
Progress.
Right?
Back in her PG later that evening, Ishveeri walked into the room with a wet towel on her head and said, "Tu na... tu full celebrity ban chuki hai." (You...you've become a total celebrity.)
Srushti looked up from her laptop. "Ab kya?" (What now)
"You have a playlist called 'Energy: Calm but Chaotic.' You're drinking matcha. And you literally smiled when your phone buzzed."
"I smile at everyone."
"You smiled before checking who it was."
Srushti looked down.
It was another message.
From him.
"What's the call status with BrandPulse? You said Friday but they haven't pinged me yet."
She typed back instantly.
Then paused.
Then backspaced.
Then typed again.
Pinging them now. I'll loop you in the second they respond. Don't worry, Cricketer. I'm scary when needed🔪🔪.
Three dots.
Then his reply:
You? Scary? 😂
She stared.
That was his first emoji.
She sent a sticker in retaliation. A weird, sassy cat one. He reacted with a thumbs-up.
Her heart reacted with a thud.
And that was that.
Her new routine: Classes. Calendars. Calls. Crush.
Crush, she absolutely wasn't allowed to have.
And yet, here she was - knees pulled to her chest, hoodie up, phone glowing in her palm like it held something dangerous.
