Days passed away. Karan and Sanjana became even more close to each other. Sometimes, things used to get awkward between them but Karan tried his best to lighten up the mood which always ended up in success.
The rumours said that they were dating but neither of them confessed to each other. They just loved each other's company and wanted to spend time together as much as possible.
Sanjana was unaware of Karan's feelings, but for her, their relationship meant more than just friends. Those long talks throughout the day, small skin ships, and moments spent looking at each other's eyes – everything about Karan turned Sanjana's mere teenage crush into a blooming love.
'I want to be with him always. It feels like he is the only person in this world who cares about me and understands me. I feel happy when I'm around him. Everything he does for me, and his concerns about me warms my heart. He seems like the only light to my darkness.'
Sanjana often questioned herself if she was in a dream or if was it a reality.
'If this is reality then I'm thankful to God for making my life so beautiful. And, if this is a dream, then I don't want to wake up from this dream, ever.'
The final exams would be starting soon, so everyone was busy with their studies. Karan and Sanjana's interaction lessened. Though they talked less in school, Karan always had lunch with her.
One day, it was about lunchtime. Sanjana was packing her things so that she could go to the cafeteria to meet Karan. Then, a classmate came to her.
Girl: "Hey Sanjana, someone wants to talk to you."
Sanjana furrowed her brows in confusion.
The girl pointed towards the classroom door. There was a girl leaning against the door, arms folded above her chest. Sanjana did not recognize her.
'Maybe from a different class? But what does she want from me?'
Sanjana went away with the girl.
Karan came to the cafeteria but could not find Sanjana anywhere. He entered her classroom, but she was not there either. Karan asked the girl who used to sit beside Sanjana.
Girl: "Sanjana? I don't know. I didn't see her."
Then the girl who told Sanjana about the other girl spoke up.
Girl: "A girl from another class came to meet her. She went out with her."
Karan looked confused. He went out of the class to look for Sanjana.
The girl brought Sanjana behind the school building. There was no one around. Sanjana saw two other girls leaning against the wall of the building.
Girl: "She is here!"
The other two girls smirked at Sanjana.
Sanjana felt a little scared but tried not to show it.
Sanjana: (looking at the three of them) "What do you want from me?"
One of the girls held Sanjana's hand and pushed her against the wall.
The three of them surrounded her, their arms crossed over their chest. Sanjana gulped a lump down her throat in fear.
Girl 1: (glaring) "Are you dating Karan?"
Sanjana now understood what they wanted from her.
Girl 2: (scoffing) "What did Karan see in you?"
Sanjana looked down trying to divert their glaring eyes.
Girl 3: (raising her voice) "We asked you something. Don't you have a voice to speak?"
Sanjana: "I-I t-think you are m-mistaken. W-we are n-not d-dating."
Sanjana hated her voice shaking like that.
Girl 2: "Then what are you doing with him?"
Sanjana was nervous and looked around her, trying to find a way to escape.
Sanjana: "We are just...friends."
Girl 3: (pushing Sanjana against the wall again) "Friends? Are you kidding me?"
Girl 1: (grabbing her chin) "We all saw both of you holding hands, being intimate with each other. And, you're saying you are just friends?"
Girl 2: (smirking) "Just friends? Or friends with benefits? How is Karan in bed? You must enjoy it, right?"
Sanjana felt miserable hearing those things. She tried to fight back by jerking the hand away that was holding her chin.
Sanjana: (raising her voice) "I said we are just friends!"
The girls became more furious at her actions.
Girl 3: (pulling her hand up in the air ready to hit Sanjana) "You bitch- "
??: "Stop it!"
All of them looked back at the ringing voice. The girls met with the glaring eyes of Karan standing a few meters away from them.
Sanjana peeked from behind the girls. She was surprised yet relieved to see Karan.
Karan walked to them and pulled Sanjana out from there.
Girl 1: (nervous) "Karan?"
Karan: (glaring at them) "What were you doing with her?"
Girl 3: "Nothing we- "
Girl 2: "Why do you care about her so much? What does she mean to you?"
Karan ignored her question and was about to go from there with Sanjana, but the girl grabbed his arm.
Girl 2: "Is she your girlfriend?"
Karan: (jerking her hand away) "That'sour personal matter. Just stay within your limits."
Karan walked away from there with Sanjana.
Karan brought Sanjana to an empty classroom.
Sanjana was standing, looking down, but sometimes taking glances at Karan.
'He looked mad. Is it because of me?'
Karan leaned against one of the desks, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead with his forefinger.
Sanjana slowly came to him and stood in front of him, looking down.
Sanjana: (apologetic) "Karan, I'm sorry. It was all my- "
Suddenly Karan pulled her into a tight hug.
Sanjana, shocked that some teacher might see them, tried to push him but he tightened his grip around her, burying his head in the crook of her neck.
Sanjana: (grabbing his shirt around his waist) "Karan, someone might- "
Karan: (low voice) "I was scared."
Sanjana remained silent. Karan continued.
Karan: "Ithought they would hurt you. I was worried about you...so much."
There was a moment of silence. No one talked.
Sanjana was about to hug him back when Karan suddenly pulled away.
Karan: (holding her shoulders) "I'm sorry for this. Just forget this happened."
Before Sanjana could react, he went out of the classroom.
Sanjana stood there with mixed emotions.
'Why do you want me to forget it? I want to know how you feel about me. You're making me so confused.'
Karan and Sanjana did not meet for the rest of the day.
After coming back from school, Sanjana tried to study but her thoughts kept going back to Karan.
She looked at her phone and thought about texting Karan.
'No Sanjana, he must be busy with studies. Don't disturb him.'
Sanjana could not study at all that night. She kept on thinking about Karan.
Before going to bed, she got a text notification. Sanjana checked her phone and to her surprise, it was Karan. She immediately opened the text.
Karan: (text) "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened during lunch. I wasn't in my right mind. Let's just forget what I said, okay? Let's not make things awkward between us."
Sanjana felt hurt reading the text. She forced a smile and replied to him.
Sanjana: (text) "It's okay, don't think about it. I also don't want anything to be awkward between us."
Karan: (text) "Thanks. Goodnight."
Sanjana: (text) "Goodnight."
Sanjana sighed and kept the phone away.
'Why do you want me to forget it? How can I forget it?'
Tears started forming in her eyes.
Sanjana: (sighing and looking up) "I really want to know what he thinks about me. So many things happened between us. How can I turn a blind eye to my own feelings?"
Sanjana wiped her tears away.
Sanjana: (agitated) "Now, why am I crying? What kind of frustration is this?"
The next day, Sanjana was walking through the school courtyard when she saw Karan with his friends.
Sanjana was about to call him but she sighed and started walking towards the building.
Karan noticed Sanjana.
Karan: (to his friends) "I'll see you all later."
Karan ran towards Sanjana.
Karan: (coming to her) "Hey!"
Sanjana: (surprised) "Oh! Hey!"
Karan: (teasing smile) "Going away without meeting me? Being a bad friend, huh?"
Sanjana: (giving a fake laugh) "No, I was just heading to my class. See you later then."
Sanjana was about to go when Karan grabbed her hand.
Karan: (confused) "Hey, did something happen? You're acting weird."
Sanjana: (shaking her head) "No, nothing."
Karan: "Then why- "
??: "HEY WATCH OUT!!"
Karan saw a ball racing towards Sanjana.
Karan: (pulling her away from the line of the ball) "SANJANA!"
Sanjana, surprised by everything, bumped into Karan's hard chest.
Sanjana's heart started thumping in her chest.
'No, I can't do this anymore.'
Boy: (running towards them) "Hey, is anyone hurt?"
Karan: (hugging Sanjana) "No, just be careful from next time."
The boy picked up the ball and ran to his friends.
Karan: (still hugging her) "Are you- "
Sanjana lightly pushed him away and moved back.
Sanjana: (diverting her gaze) "I'm getting late for class."
Sanjana went away from there hurriedly.
Karan was confused about the sudden change in Sanjana's behavior, so he went after her.
Sanjana sat at her desk and started taking out her books. She saw the chair in front of her being moved. She looked up to see Karan with his signature warm smile.
Karan faced the chair towards her and sat in front of her.
Sanjana: (sighed) "What do you want Karan?"
Karan: (holding her hand) "Just want to spend some time with you."
Sanjana pulled her hand out of his grip.
Karan: (confused) "Why are you behaving so weirdly, Sanjana?"
Sanjana: (looking away) "I'm not."
Karan: (a little louder) "Yes you are!"
The class got quiet and looked at them. Karan gave out an irritated sigh.
Sanjana: (indifferent) "I think you should not create a scene here."
Karan: (impatient) "Then, tell me why are you avoiding me?"
Sanjana: "I'm not avoiding you!"
The students were looking at them and talking in hushed voices.
Neena: (whispering in Pooja's ear) "I think they are fighting."
Pooja smirked looking at them.
Karan: "You were fine till yesterday. What happened to you today?"
Then something crossed his mind. Sanjana was looking outside the window.
Karan: (looking down) "Is it about what happened yesterday?"
Sanjana, still looking outside, bit her lower lip.
Karan: (sighing) "Listen, I told you to forget about that because I didn't want to make anything awkward in our relationship."
Sanjana looked at Karan, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Sanjana: "Relationship? What kind of relationship do we have, Karan?"
Karan opened his mouth but nothing came out.
Sanjana: "What am I to you, Karan?"
One drop of tear rolled down her cheek. Karan felt hurt, seeing her like that.
Karan: (defeated sigh) "Sanjana,why are you doing this? Is it really necessary?"
Sanjana: (wobbly voice) "I just want answers, Karan. What is our relationship? What do I mean to you?"
Karan did not know how to answer that question. He himself did not know the answer.
Sanjana scoffed sadly.
Sanjana: "See, you don't know it yourself."
Karan: "Sanjana, I- "
Sanjana: (looking down) "I need some space, Karan."
Karan's eyes widened.
Karan: "Sanjana what- "
Sanjana: "Please..."
Karan sighed and got up from the seat.
Taking one last glance at Sanjana, he left the classroom.
Pooja: (smirking) "Wow that was like a movie. Poor Sanjana."
Neena: (laughing) "I knew it. They wouldn't last long."
Pooja: "Obviously, what does she think she is? Karan is far away from her reach."
They started laughing.
Ignoring all the mumblings going around in the class, Sanjana wiped away her tears and put her head down on the desk.
'Why does it hurt so much?'