"Maybe a soulmate is a best friend who makes you love yourself more"

Arshita's Pov

As soon as the bell rang for the lunch I gathered my things cuz I have been waiting for it since morning not because I was hungry but I wanted to have a word with Shubman.

He had been unusually quiet since morning and over our ride to school. He didn't seem like himself and didn't even talked much. He wasn't being all worked up for showing our relationship or anything, something was up with him.

It's been a week since we had declared our relationship "official" in front of the whole college and a week since he told me that his mother wanted to meet me.

The mere thought of it was enough to give me a heart attack. We haven't even decided what we'll do or what will happen. He just told me that his mom was waiting for her schedule to be free. So, one way or another, I was going to meet his mom soon.

The last few days had been eventful, everyone was busy with themselves so we didn't hung out much. Shubman would drop out at the time of dinner so I didn't had to eat dinner alone.

I was observing that Shubman was becoming a part of my daily life, we hung out more with each other. I was beginning to see how we treated each other before we became friends.

That means I had grown to read him better and what I saw in the morning was telling me that something's up with Shubman.

I should have asked him in the morning because the curiosity or maybe the worry didn't let me focus in my class. Finally the literature class ended and I was heading out but our teacher stopped me, "Miss Arora" she said, "Can I talk to you for a sec"

I turned to look at her when the everyone left I walked upto her desk "Yess ma'am"

She picked some papers from her desk and came towards me. I was trying to assume what it could, I was not even failing in this class,it was favourite, I didn't do anything wrong, so what could it be.

She came and smiled saying "I've printed some of your works" I looked at her without any idea what she was talking about, "They're really good" she said and I looked up.

My thoughts came to a halt, I was stunned to listen what she just said. "Ohh" was all I could mutter.

"Are you a part of any writing club of the college" she asked and shooked my head no.

"No?" She asked, "You should be they're really good, I especially like the second one" she said.

Knowing which one it was I looked down at the ground not speaking anything.

I just happened to love reading cuz dad loved it and I really liked literature but I never thought that my poems could impress anyone. I just wrote what came to my mind.

"Poetic love" she suddenly said and I looked up "You write what your heart speaks" she said, "How often do you write?"

"I don't" I said "I mean.. I don't write much" I said.

"You should" she said and took out a, folded paper from her purse. "I go to this writing seminar very often, and I found that there's this writing contest for teenage writers. Your poems are lovely and so I was wondering how well can you do"

She handed me the paper and when I looked down to see what it is, I realized it was a flyer.

"You should give it a shot" She said.

"I'm don't.... I mean I'm not that good" I said.

"Why not?" she asked, "Umm.. I'm not much of a writer" I said.

"Everyone's a writer" she spoke up, "Your whole life is a story. The choices you make each day define what kind of story it is. Some people, like you, are better at writing it in words than others"

"Um.. Can I think about it?" I asked nervously looking at the flyer.

"Yess yes you can I'll be happy if you make up your mind." she said smiling.

"You just have to send a sample of your work first. The details are on the flyer." she said, "Just make up your mind and let me know, I'll be glad to help"

"I will" I said smiling at her "I will ma'am thanku" I said and kept the flyer in my bag leaving the classroom.

All this contest thing with ma'am made me forgot about the unusual behavior of Shubman and I saw him patiently waiting for me, staring near my locker tapping something on his phone. As soon as he saw me he smiled and kept his phone in his pocket.

"Heyy" I said walking upto him.
"Sorry for making you wait, ma'am wanted to talk" I said.

"No problem" he tried giving a smile, "Btw is everything okay?" he asked.

I opened my locker to take my things, replying "She just... asked me to do this... thing" I said.

He raised his eyebrow smirking and leaned again my locker saying, "You know that your 'this' sounded really pornographic, like 'this thing'" he said.

I slammed my locker's door and looked at him with my mouth open, "That's because you have a dirty mind" I said.

"Then what is this 'this thing you're talking about, my little porn star?" he asked trying not to smile.

The students standing around us starred at me after listening to that ridiculous name and I just wanted to hide somewhere. I looked at Shubman and my heats were burning.

"Let's have lunch" I said and caught Shubman's elbow dragging him with me.

As we started walking Shubman burst out laughing, "Nice save Arshu"

I slapped his arm slightly "You called my a porn star, aur ab vo log soch rhe hoge ki -" I stopped looking at his face and I couldn't explain any further.

"You're a really cute little porn star" he said pulling my cheeks.

"Mai na tumhe itna maarungi ki tum khud porn star bann jaoge" I said punching his arm.

"Ahh I really like it when you talk dirty to me"and gave me a mischievous wink," but easy there my miss porn star" he said as a smirk was plastered on his face and I couldn't become more red than I was.

I looked at him and knowing that I can't win this I just gave him a pleading look saying "Stop, please just stop" I said and he couldn't stop laughing.

"Tum bhut gande ho" I said and started walking when he caught up with me and was still laughing.

"Thnq" he said keeping his hand at his heart. "You belong to mental asylum"

"Acha lekin phir tum mujhe itna miss krogi that you'll also end up there" he said chuckling.

"I highly doubt that" I said. "And I highly doubt that you, doubt that" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

He was acting his usual way and annoying me so for once I thought just imagined that something was bothering him but I couldn't deny the fact that I was worried,so I asked him "what's wrong?"

He stopped laughing and turned to me, "What?" he asked.

"I'm not blind" I said, "I know something's bothering you"

"Other that my girlfriend doing 'this thing' with her literature ma'am" he was trying a grin but when he saw the unimpressed look on my face he dropped it, looked away running a hand through his hair "It's nothing"

It was definitely not "nothing"

I kept staring at his face and when he didn't spoke, I said "Remember what you told me?" he looked towards me, "Talking about your problems can help" I said.

"Well" I said reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze "You know you can always talk to me, right?

At this the corner of his lips turned into a grateful smile and I knew this was the first real smile I had seen on his face since today. He squeezed my hand and then our fingers laced together.

"Look at you behaving like a worried girlfriend" he said chuckling and nudged me with his shoulder, "I like it"

I flushed. "I'm not worried"

"Ha ha pta hai" he said totally unconvinced. "But really, don't think about it, it's really nothing" He said assuringly.
_____

There was a time where I would have been glad to work with Siddharth on a project together, but this wasn't one of them.

So I sat there trying to concentrate on the notes I was making and wanted to act like he didn't existed. Thankfully he also didn't tried to start a conversation with me so we just sat there doing out part of work.

Last I and Siddharth talked when he called me to thank for leaving the notes at his house, it was just a small thanku and I didn't talked after that as I immediately cutted the call.

As the bell rang we still sat there as others started discussing about there projects and we sat there in silence, I just wanted him to sit like this and not to talk to him for whole year, but that was impossible because of our history teacher's stupid idea. We were supposed to visit a historical place and take all the information available and define it in our presentation.

He cleared his throat bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Are you free on next Saturday?" He asked.

"Yeah" I nodded. "Just text me the details" I said.

Before he could continue I got up gathering my stuff, running out of the class. These small talks between us still bothered me too much. He talked to me as there was never anything between us, as we were strangers, as there was never us.

And the next thing I know that I ran to the washroom and closed myself inside breathing in breathing out, moving my hands through my hair trying to drain all the fucking emotions inside me. When I was relieved I came out and washed my face and got out.

As soon as I got out I saw Siddharth and Aditi near the lockers talking to each other. I looked at them, at her at him, at her at him and felt as if someone ripped my heart as it wasn't enough ripped already. I looked away before they could see me.

Letting them break my heart was one thing but letting them see me broken was another.
____

"You didn't told me what your literature ma'am asked you to do" Shubman said and I stopped ruffling through his cd's in his car's dashboard.

"She wanted me to join a writing competition" I said again ruffling through his cd's and he looked at me narrowing his eyebrows and asked "You write?"

I picked up a CD and at the back of it was written 'Romeo Juliet mix', wow he likes them too. I looked up and said shaking my head "That's the point"

"She read my assignments and thought that they were really good" I said.

"I want to read them" he said and I looked at the CD in my hand smiling and then back on the road.

"I'm not really that good" I said.

"Says the girl who's going to join the writing contest" he said grinning.

"I don't, I mean haven't even decided if u was going to join" I said and looked out, " I don't think I'm good enough to join it"

"Don't be stupid" he said "Join krne me tumhara kaunsa Kuch jara hai"

I looked down and I wasn't telling hum but I was really happy that ma'am thought that my poems were good and I didn't joined yet but I was excited for this.

"I'll think about it"

"Acha let me read your work" he said trying to convince when I shook my head "come on, I'm just curious" he said.

Am idea came to my mind abd before I could stop myself I said "Ek Kaam krte mai tumhe apni poems pdhne dungi, if you show me your work"

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion "I don't write"

"I meant your drawings" I said.

"Ohh"

He fell silent silebt for a moment and I remembered how he didn't wanted me to see h I s drawing back then in his sketchpad, so for once I thought that he will deny it.

"Does it have to be an old one" he asked after much silence, "Meri sari drawings ghr pe hai"

I was shocked that he even considered for this and for a moment I just stared him and then spoke up "Maybe you can draw something for me, meri mom abhi ghr pe bhi nhi hai"

He thought for a moment and I still ant believe my ears when he, said "Okay. Deal"

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Hola guyss!

Here's the next chapter, hope you all will like it and what do you think will Shubman draw for her when he visits her house for the first time.

Keep reading to know and do vote and comment 💖💖