"She wasn't toxic. Just dramatically territorial."
Everything was finally going normal.
No shouting. No chaos.
Her dad hadn't touched alcohol in weeks. Her mom wasn't suspicious anymore.
Even her brother was behaving like an actual human.
And Siya?
She was floating in Lover Girl Mode™.
Waking up to Ruhan's good morning texts.
Sending heart emojis in math class.
Replaying his voice notes like it was a playlist.
Until that one stupid evening.
💌 The Message That Ruined Her Peace
She was scrolling Instagram when a DM popped up from an unknown number.
Stranger:
"You should talk to your BF. A girl hugged him today after school. Pretty close she got 😉"
Siya:
Excuse me? WHO hugged WHO??
Stranger:
"He didn't stop her either. She looked cute btw. Byee."
She blinked.
Paused.
Re-read.
World War 3 exploded in her brain.
"WHATTTTTTTTTTTTT???"
She threw her phone across the bed dramatically like every Netflix heroine in heartbreak.
Ran to her mirror.
Stared at herself.
"Am I not cute enough? Should I cut my hair? Should I punch someone? Or both?"
She started pacing.
This was it. Betrayal.
Infidelity.
Treason. 😭
🏫 Next Day at School: Meltdown Hour
She walked into school like a zombie.
Her best friends took one look and gasped.
"Girl, what happened?? Did someone die?"
She slammed her bottle down like an angry aunty.
"Not someone. MY LOVE LIFE."
Her voice cracked. Her eyes welled up. She sniffled.
"Some girl hugged Ruhan. HUGGED. HIM."
Her friends gasped like they were watching a soap opera.
"Did you see it?"
"No. Someone messaged me."
"Was it a number you know?"
"No. But THEY SOUNDED CONVINCING OKAY??"
One friend blinked.
"Siya. You're being pranked."
"No I'm not. This isn't funny. He has the cutest smile and now she probably has it. I'm going to throw hands."
She sniffled again.
Everyone tried to console her.
One friend even offered a chocolate bar like it was a peace treaty.
"I trusted him," she said dramatically, staring out the window like she was in a sad Bollywood scene.
🛵 That Afternoon: The Ambush
Ruhan was riding back from school, whistling, clueless, being his usual perfect self.
And there she stood—arms crossed, death glare ready, waiting at the corner like a mini villainess.
He pulled over with a big smile.
"Ayy Siyaaa! Missed me?"
No answer.
Just one angry eyebrow raise.
"Oye? What happened?"
She walked closer.
He grinned nervously.
"Wait wait... why do you look like you're gonna kill me?"
"WHO hugged you yesterday??"
"Wha—what?" he blinked. "Nobody! What are you talki—"
"Don't lie, Ruhan! A girl hugged you. And she was CUTE apparently!"
"WHAT?? Who said that?!"
"Your friends!"
His jaw dropped.
Then it clicked.
"Oh my god. Noooo. That was Tushar and Abhi. THEY PRANKED YOU. They told me they might text you from a random number but I didn't think—"
Before he could finish—
SLAP!
But not a real one.
The kind of tiny palm-tap-slap on his arm.
Not pain.
Just payback.
With a little pout and 10% tears and 90% drama.
"Idiot!" she said.
"Do you know I cried in front of people?? Real tears! In public!"
Ruhan grabbed her hand and kissed it instantly.
"I swear on your dramatic monologues, nothing happened. Not even close."
She glared. "Your friends are annoying."
He smirked. "You're jealous."
"Shut up."
"You love me."
"Shut up."
"You'd go to war for me."
"Only if you keep your hugs exclusive."
He laughed. Picked up her bag. Walked beside her like a proud, slapped boyfriend.
🌸 Later that Night...
Ruhan:
"So… we good?"
Siya:
"We fine. But tell your stupid friends, next time I'll hug them. With a brick."
Ruhan:
"Noted 😬💗"