Anvi's POV:

The morning sun streamed through the half-open curtains, its golden rays falling right onto the bed where Anvi lay curled up under her blanket. With a sleepy groan, she pulled it higher, trying to block the sunlight and sink back into her dreams.

Just when she thought she'd managed to escape the day a little longer-ring! ring! ring!-the alarm blared for the third time. This was her final wake-up call. She couldn't afford to hit snooze again.

Groaning in defeat, she sat up, rubbing her eyes before dragging herself out of bed. She grabbed her towel from the baby-pink couch and trudged to the washroom.

As she hung the towel and began brushing her teeth, her phone started ringing again. With toothpaste still in her mouth, she reached for it from the bedside table-it was Nyra.

She accepted the video call, balancing her phone on the counter. On the other side, Nyra appeared in her night suit, her phone propped somewhere as she worked on her tab.

"Kya kar rahi hai subah subah?" Anvi mumbled, toothbrush still in hand.
["What are you doing so early in the morning?"]

"Aaj election ka procedure start hoga! Presentation ready hai na?" Nyra asked, glancing up briefly.
["Today the election procedure will start! The presentation is ready, right?"]

"Haan yaad hai! Maine bana ke Julia ma'am ko mail bhi kar diya," Anvi said proudly, rushing to rinse her mouth and spit out the foam before she accidentally swallowed it.
["Yes, I remember! I've made it and even emailed it to Ma'am Julia."]

"Vahi yaad dilane ke liye phone kiya tha! All the best-slay karna!" Nyra said excitedly. She was now in her washroom too, toothbrush in one hand and toothpaste in the other.
["I called just to remind you! All the best-slay it!"]

"Mujhe sab yaad rehta hai," Anvi said, rolling her eyes as she washed her face. Her phone was placed on the dry glass slab, the screen reflecting her sleepy face.
["I remember everything."]

"Haan haan, pata hai kitna yaad rehta hai," Nyra teased, brushing her teeth.
["Yes, yes, I know how well you remember things."]

"Shuu... dimaag mat kharab kar subah subah! Main nahaane ja rahi hoon, school mein milte hain," Anvi said, drying her face with the towel.
["Shh... don't ruin my mood so early in the morning! I'm going to take a shower, see you at school."]

Nyra smirked. "Toh naha lo call pe rehke," she said mischievously.
["Then go ahead and shower while staying on the call."]

Anvi froze for a second, then burst out laughing before groaning. "Ughh, school mein milte hain!!!" she cried dramatically and hung up.
["Ughh, see you at school!!!"]

Throwing her phone onto the bed, she ran straight to the washroom again.

By the time she was done getting ready, it was already 8:15 a.m. The school gates had just opened. Anvi stood outside, adjusting her bag strap, scanning the crowd for a familiar face.

Nyra was late. As usual.

The usual school chaos had already begun-buses honking, students rushing in with half-tied hair and undone ties, and a few prefects already shouting, "Line banaao, line!"
["Make a line, make a line!"]

Anvi stood near the gate, her backpack slung over one shoulder, flipping through her cue cards and quietly revising her speech. Just then, she spotted a familiar figure rushing toward her.

"Sorry, sorry! Evansh bhaiya ke chakkar mein late ho gayi," Nyra said, slightly out of breath, her ponytail swaying behind her.
["Sorry, sorry! I got late because of Evansh bhaiya."]

Anvi sighed but smiled. "Koi nahi, chale? Assembly start ho jayegi."
["No worries, shall we go? The assembly is about to start."]

"Haan, chalo," Nyra nodded, still catching her breath as they walked into the school campus together.
["yes, let's go!"]

The morning buzz of chatter, laughter, and announcements filled the air. The notice board was crowded, posters of candidates covering every inch of space.

It was the start of something big-the school elections. The new academic session had begun just a month ago, and yet, the excitement and competition were already in full swing.

As they entered the main building, the corridor buzzed with energy. Students were huddled in groups, some nervously going over their notes, others confidently practicing their speeches one last time.

The sound of the bell echoed through the hallway.
Assembly time.

Anvi and Nyra joined the stream of students heading toward the ground. The air was crisp, filled with chatter and anticipation. The stage was already set-a podium in the center, the school banner behind it, and the microphone that would soon carry so many dreams and nervous voices.

Anvi adjusted her badge and took a deep breath. You've practiced enough, she told herself. Just be confident.

"Tumhara naam 4th hai list me," Nyra whispered beside her. "So, just three speeches before you. Easy!"
["Your name is 4th on the list," "So, just three speeches before you. Easy!"]

"Easy?" Anvi whispered back, rolling her eyes. "Yha mujhe anxiety ho rahi hai."
["Easy?" "I'm feeling anxious here."]

The principal took the stage, giving the usual morning greetings before announcing, "As you all know, today marks the beginning of our annual Student Council Elections! Let's give a warm welcome to our candidates!"

Claps erupted from all sides.

Anvi clutched her cue card, trying to steady her heartbeat.

First up was for the Head Girl post-Rhea di. Anvi had talked to her a few times; she was sweet, funny, and the type of senior everyone liked. Definitely voting for her, she thought as Rhea finished her confident, cheerful speech.

Next came Evansh bhaiya, Nyra's brother-running for Sports Captain. He spoke well, confident and chill as always, but Anvi could tell from his tone he didn't really care if he won or not. Typical Evansh-calm, cool, and a little too unbothered.

And then-

"Next, we have Vihaan Pathak, running for Head Boy!" the teacher announced.

Anvi's attention snapped to the stage.

He walked up, hands in his pockets, shoulders straight-tall, confident, and somehow too composed for a high-school election. The crisp white uniform fit perfectly, and that slightly messy hair? It looked like he hadn't even tried... but it still worked. Effortlessly.

For a second, the noise around her faded.

He smiled-that easy, unbothered kind of smile that didn't ask for attention but somehow drew every pair of eyes in the crowd anyway.

Anvi blinked. Once. Twice.

She had heard about him a lot from juniors, classmates, even seniors-all gossiping about their crushes on Vihaan Pathak. But she had never really paid attention... never even tried to find out who he actually was. And now, there he was-standing right in front of her.

His speech started.

He was confident-not the loud kind, but the calm, assured kind. His voice was clear, his words smooth, and his fluency... probably the best she had heard that morning.

She listened carefully, half admiring, half taking mental notes. The whole ground had gone silent, completely hooked. He spoke about why students should vote for him, how he planned to bring changes, and the ways he'd help make school life better.

It wasn't just what he said-it was how he said it. Easy. Convincing. Effortless.

She glanced around. Half the girls in the crowd were already giggling or whispering to each other.

"Votes toh inko hi jaane wale hain", she thought, rolling her eyes but smiling a little.
["The votes are obviously going to him,"]

Even Nyra-who usually zoned out during assemblies-was standing in front of her, listening attentively. That was... unusual!

As Vihaan finished his speech, the ground echoed with claps and cheers. He smiled, gave a polite nod to the teachers, and stepped down from the stage.

Anvi let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

"Bas, ab tera number," Nyra whispered, turning around to look at her.
["Now, it's your turn,"]

"Mujhe pata hai," Anvi said. Her palms had started to sweat, and her heartbeat was way too fast for her liking.
["I know,"]

The teacher adjusted the mic. "Next, we have Anvi Kashyap, running for Cultural Secretary."

Nyra gave her a small thumbs-up. She forced a smile, straightened her tie, and walked toward the stage.

Each step felt heavier than the last. Her head told her to focus, but somewhere in the crowd, she could still feel his presence-that one face she hadn't even known an hour ago.

Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the mic. "Good morning, everyone," she started, her voice slightly shaky at first but growing steadier. "Culture isn't just what we celebrate-it's what connects us. And that's exactly what I want to do this year..."

As she spoke, she didn't look at anyone-deliberately. She didn't want to see faces and forget her lines or start overthinking what people might be thinking about her. Big no. So, she focused straight ahead, said what she had practiced, and let the words just flow.

By the time she wrapped up her speech, the crowd clapped. She managed a polite smile and stepped back, spotting Nyra in the audience cheering, clapping, and even whistling.

"Huh, ye Anjana ma'am se daant sunegi aaj pakka", she thought, smiling to herself.
["Huh, she's definitely going to get scolded by Ma'am Anjana today,"]

And then-for God knows what reason-she scanned the crowd.

Her eyes landed on him.

Vihaan.

He stood near the back, arms crossed, watching. Not casually-really watching.

For a second, it threw her off completely.

But before her brain could spiral any further, she forced her focus back on Nyra.

"How was it?" she asked, walking toward her, still pretending like she hadn't just frozen mid-speech because of a certain someone.

Nyra grinned wide, almost bouncing in place. "Slayyedd! You're gonna win for sure," she said, giggling.

Anvi rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Bas ab tu bhi bol de, nazar lag jaayegi."
["Just say it now, or someone might jinx it."]

"Arrey baba, sach mein! Tumhara speech sabse accha tha," Nyra said, linking her arm with Anvi's as they started walking out of the ground.
["Oh wow, seriously! Your speech was the best,"]

Anvi laughed softly, but her mind wasn't calm. Because even with Nyra talking non-stop beside her, all she could think about was that one look-the one Vihaan had given from across the crowd.

Vihaan's POV:

The assembly was almost over, and honestly, I'd stopped paying full attention after my turn on stage. Same speeches, same promises, same "I'll make this school better" lines-it was all noise by now.

Until her voice cut through it.

"Good morning, everyone..."

It wasn't loud or overly confident. Just... real.

I looked up.

She stood at the podium, a little nervous at first, her fingers gripping the cue card. But there was something steady in her eyes-like even if her voice shook, she wouldn't back down.

I didn't know who she was. I'd never seen her before-or maybe I had, just never noticed.

But now, somehow, I couldn't not notice.

Her words weren't dramatic or over the top, yet they hit right. Simple, thoughtful-the kind that makes people listen without trying too hard.

When she finished, the crowd clapped. And she smiled. Just a small one. But it was enough to make me blink twice.

Anvi Kashyap, running for Cultural Secretary, the teacher had said earlier.

Anvi.

The name fit her-soft but sure of itself.

I caught myself still looking when she turned her head slightly, scanning the crowd. For a second, her eyes landed on me.

And just like that, my focus-the one I prided myself on having-completely vanished.

She looked away first, and I smirked a little to myself. Not because it was funny, but because... I hadn't felt that kind of distraction in a long time.

As everyone began leaving, I adjusted my bag, still thinking about that small smile.

Interesting, I thought.
This election week might not be that boring after all.

More speeches followed, but honestly, I wasn't interested in any of them. I'd already zoned out halfway through.

Rhea nudged my shoulder. "Ek ek naam de ek post se-jo tujhe lagta hai select honge," she said, whispering like this was some kind of prediction game.
["Give me one name for each post-who you think will get selected,"]

I smirked. "Apne ko kya hai? Apan teen toh ho hi rahe select," I said casually, stretching my arms behind my head.
["What about us? At least three of us are definitely getting selected,"]

Evansh, who stood just behind me in line, scoffed. "Tum do ho rahe ho. Maine toh nomination me Jana hi nahi hai!"
["You're getting two. I won't even go for the nomination."]

Rhea turned to glare at him. "Tujhe chalna padega!"
["You'll have to come!"]

Evansh looked completely unfazed. "Main khush hoon aise hi."
["I'm happy just like this."]

I couldn't help laughing. "Tu na, bhai, ekdum retired uncle vibes deta hai."
["You, man, give off total retired-uncle vibes."]

Rhea rolled her eyes. "Tum dono na... ek din mere dimaag ka dahi kar doge."
["You two... one day you'll totally fry my brain."]

I grinned, leaning back again. Same chaos every election season-everyone too serious, except us three.

Finally, the assembly was over. Everyone started heading to their classrooms, shoving past each other, chatting, laughing.

Rhea, Evansh, and I stayed back on the veranda, letting the crowd thin out first before we made our way inside.

That's when I saw her.

Anvi. With Nyra-Evansh's sister.

Oh, they're friends, I thought, quietly observing.

They walked toward the lift line, talking and laughing like they were in their own little world. Nyra's hand gesturing animatedly, Anvi giggling at whatever joke she'd just made.

Then someone came up behind Anvi and tugged at her ponytail. She slapped his shoulder, clearly irritated, and then all three of them burst into laughter.

And that's when I realized... I'd been staring.

For too long.

What's wrong with me? I muttered under my breath, shaking my head in frustration.

I turned to Evansh, hoping he wouldn't notice my sudden fixation, but he was too busy teasing Rhea.

I tried to push my thoughts away, but somehow, every little laugh, every glance, kept pulling me back.

Finally, after some time, the crowd thinned out. We all headed toward the lift, and by chance, I ended up in the same one as her.

Reaching the 10th floor, Rhea, Evansh, and I walked toward our classroom, while she and her group took the staircase down to the 9th floor. The lift in our building didn't stop on every floor-one only opened at even numbers, the other at odd-so it worked out that we didn't cross paths directly this time.

Even so, I couldn't help stealing a glance toward the staircase as she descended, laughing softly with her friends, completely unaware of my attention.