My Ex - Crush

Episode 30

Arjun's POV:

The courtyard was alive with celebration. The third-year NASA team had set up a cake-cutting ceremony, and HOD ma'am, beaming with pride, sliced into the cake, her face glowing with joy as she distributed pieces to the students. Laughter and cheers echoed through the air, the faculty offering their congratulations to the GSen team before slowly filtering out of the department.

But as the festivities carried on, I noticed Deepika had already left with her friends. A faint pang of disappointment hit me, but I quickly pushed it aside, telling myself it was nothing.

Amidst the loud party, Vignesh suddenly grabbed everyone's attention. He stood in the center of the courtyard and, to my utter surprise, knelt before Varshitha. The third-year senior had worked closely with him on the GSen team, and the look in her eyes as she stared down at him made something twist inside me. The crowd fell silent, anticipation thick in the air.

"Will you accept my love?" Vignesh screamed, his voice echoing through the courtyard, bold and unrestrained.

Varshitha's eyes welled up with tears as she nodded, unable to speak. Vignesh leapt to his feet and pulled her into a tight embrace, the courtyard erupting in cheers around them. Everyone clapped and shouted, celebrating not just the victory, but this unabashed display of emotion.

I watched them, a strange sensation twisting in my gut. Was it jealousy? Maybe. I couldn’t deny the way my chest tightened, seeing Vignesh just go for it without hesitation. He had the guts I lacked. He had the confidence to lay it all out there, and for a moment, I hated him for it.

As the celebration wound down and most students had left, the remaining NASA team and some second-year seniors decided to continue the party at a small restaurant near our college. We gathered around a table, the mood still jubilant, the air thick with the smell of food and the buzz of conversation.

I found myself sitting with the GSen team, half-listening to the chatter around me, still lost in my own thoughts.

"You girls should have attended the convention," Souban was saying, his voice tinged with pride. "The reactions of those North Indian students were epic when we won the trophy! They were taunting us, saying we weren’t better than a visiting college, but now our college will finally have some respect in NASA."

"And it’s with you now, Jagan," Vignesh said, turning to the second-year senior across from him. "Our victory shouldn’t stop with us. Now that we know how to win that trophy, you should bring it home next year too."

"Definitely, Anna," Jagan replied confidently. "We’ll retain the trophy."

"Everyone deserves praise," Varshitha chimed in, her voice warm and appreciative. "This victory was possible because of the hard work of each one of us."

Applause followed her words, and we dug into our dinner. But even as I ate, my mind was elsewhere, unable to shake the thoughts of Deepika. She’d been so distant lately, like she was intentionally keeping me at arm’s length. It was infuriating. How could she act like nothing happened? Like that moment in my car was just a blip, something to be forgotten?

I kept circling back to that day, to the way her face had been just inches from mine. I’d come so close to kissing her, so damn close. The memory made my pulse quicken, and I felt the heat rising in me, my thoughts growing darker, more intense. What did I mean to her? Was I just a friend? Or was there something more, something she was too scared or too stubborn to admit?

I gripped my glass, trying to steady myself, trying to push those thoughts away. But it was useless. The anger and frustration swirled inside me, mixing with a tinge of jealousy as I remembered Vignesh’s bold confession earlier. Why couldn’t I just do that? Why couldn’t I just tell Deepika how I felt? Hell, why did I even care anymore if she was pulling away?