An Innocent Crush ✓

17 | Periods and tests.

"Haan! Bas ab ye hona baki tha, kyu aate hai aise time pe periods!!"

Kiara was frustrated; her periods had arrived earlier than expected. She was getting ready for her tuition classes when her periods started. She swiftly changed into her baggy hoodie and jeans.

She parted her hair and quickly made two braids. Grabbing her backpack, she made her way out of her room. She saw her father already waiting for her near the door.

"Why did it take so long, dear?" he asked, glancing at the time. They were already five minutes late. Kiara ran towards her father and gave him a smile. "My first dress got ruined, so I had to change, that's why I got late... Now let's go, dad!"

Within a few minutes, she reached Dhruv's mansion. Quickly bidding goodbye to her father, she approached the doorbell. Dhruv's mother opened the door and smiled at Kiara. "Go quickly, Sonu seems to be in a bad mood today," she warned, causing Kiara to swallow nervously.

Kiara nodded and headed to the study room. As she entered, she saw Dhruv sitting on his chair with a grumpy expression on his face. When he heard the door click, Dhruv turned toward her direction.

She took a deep breath and slowly approached her seat, trying not to look at him as he seemed very angry.

"Why are you late?" he asked, his voice a little harsh. Kiara bit her lower lip before turning to face him. "Uh... my dad had some work to do, that's why," she quickly replied before hurrying to her seat.

"Hmm, take out your test copy."

Kiara sighed softly as she copied the questions from the whiteboard. She stole a quick glance at Vikram, who was just about finishing his test.

Dhruv's sternness seemed to soften a bit as he glanced at Kiara; she was glowing today, as she did every day, but today it was different.

"You all have twenty minutes," he said before opening his phone. Today, he had gotten into a fight with one of his classmates. College politics were getting out of hand. He was chosen as the leader, but he refused as it would affect his studies. Some of his classmates made fun of him for this reason.

Kiara kept biting her lip nervously as she couldn't remember the answer, even though she had studied all night for the test. She tried to focus on the test while nervously tapping her pen, and her eyes started to get blurry. She glanced at Vikram, who was now looking at her with a frown.

"Nazar maat laga," he said, hiding his test copy with his hands. Kiara rolled her eyes at him before sniffing a little, which gained Dhruv's attention. He furrowed his eyebrows before getting up from his chair and making his way towards Kiara and Vikram.

She looked at him approaching her with a stern look on his face, which made her let her tears fall. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now. Kiara nodded, feeling embarrassed about crying in front of him.

Dhruv suddenly smacked Vikram's head, "ouch! What did I do, bhaiya?" he asked, rubbing the place where Dhruv had just smacked him, with a betrayed expression on his face.

"You made her cry, didn't you, huh?" he asked, before smacking him again on the head.

Vikram rubbed his head, "Arey bhaiya, I didn't do anything. She's crying on her own," he protested. Dhruv sighed and looked back at Kiara. "What happened, Kiara?" he asked softly before leaning towards her a little.

"I just...I don't feel well and I can't remember the answers," she admitted, her voice shaky. Dhruv sighed before glancing at Vikram.

"See! You smacked me for no reason, I'm the innocent victim here!"

Dhruv stared at Vikram for a moment, then shook his head at his words, why are both the siblings so dramatic? He turned his attention back to Kiara, "emotionally blackmail karna toh koi isse sikhe... Write down the answers as a revision."

Kiara immediately gave him a bright smile before beginning to answer. She did her best and managed to tackle almost every single question. While Vikram and the others started to leave after finishing their test, Kiara remained focused on the last question.

"Khatam hua?"Dhruv asked, checking everyone's papers. He glanced at her when he received no response. Kiara, smiling as she looked at her paper, made him frown.

"Kiara?" He called her again. This time, she looked up from her paper and laughed softly. "You won't find this answer in the book. I've written it quite creatively." She said with a grin on her face.

Dhruv let out a sigh and shook his head at her words; indeed, she is different or, may I say, weird compared to everyone. But he couldn't help but smile at her. Kiara was always full of surprises, and today was no different.

As she handed in her copy, they both made their way out of the study room. Today, her father was late to pick her up. Kiara sat on the stairs with Dhruv standing by her side. He couldn't leave his student alone waiting for her father.

"I think your parents forgot they've got a little mischief-maker in the house too, huh?" Dhruv teased, taking a seat beside her. Kiara, feeling an emotional surge, fought back tears. Ah, those infamous mood swings!

"I don't know," she replied softly, her voice barely audible. Suddenly, a cramp struck her lower abdomen. "Ouch, ooh..." she winced, clasping her stomach tightly.

Dhruv immediately turned concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked, his tone gentle and caring. Kiara, still in discomfort, managed a nod, feeling a mix of emotions.