Thank you so much Pooh309 for suggesting the exam scene. I had fun writing it.❤

Kiara's POV:

Ding dong!

I rang the bell to Ritik's home twice however still there was no response. I knew the last time when I was here and how Ritik left his breakfast to follow me must have created some doubts in the minds of everyone so I was scared to come here but mom left me with no option. Ritik not only followed me that day, he even called me Kia something which his family have not heard since we stopped talking, so of course, it must have added fuel to their doubts. Anyway, one day or the other...I have to face them.

I rang the bell again and got the same response. As far as I guessed, Aashna aunty must be busy with cooking breakfast, Aarav uncle might be getting ready, Aashika must be sleeping and as for Ritik, I didn't wished to assume anything.

I waited for a few more seconds and finally saw the door open.

"Sorry. Please come in." Aarav uncle said and gave enough space for me to enter.

"It's fine. Good morning." I greeted. He did the same and told me the reason why there was a delay in opening the door which was basically his banter with Aashna aunty. I was glad that there was no change in his behaviour towards me. He did looked shocked to see me here but composed it soon.

"Who is there?" Aashna aunty asked.

"I will go and meet her," I said and started walking towards the kitchen. Even uncle followed me because he was also helping Aunty in cooking.

"If I'm not mistaken, Even you have your exam today, right?" Aashna aunty asked once we were done with our greetings.

Yeah, stats!

"Yeah, I do. Mom told me to give this to you, So I came here first." I replied her as I handed her a bag which mom sent. I didn't even know what was inside it as I was too stressed because of my exam. I didn't wish to come here but then again I wanted to see Ritik and that's how I landed here.

"Thank you and all the best for your exam. Rock it." Aunty said giving her best smile. I guess even she didn't took that incident seriously.

"You go and talk to him. I swear if he doesn't consult a doctor today I will kick you." Aashna aunty said to uncle. I would have been laughing at this but I was too busy thinking who was 'He' aunty was referring and if it is Ritik, what happened to him, why should he consult a doctor?

"Ok ok. I will talk to him again but it is not my mistake that our kids have got your stubbornness." Uncle replied and continued with his work. Unable to control myself, I asked them who was sick.

"Ritik. He has fever but he is being stubborn to consult a doctor and on the top of that, he has an exam." Aunty replied. I felt very bad to know that Ritik was sick. I wanted to meet him, to ask how he was now but I knew it was not possible.

"Ok. Tell him to take care. I will leave now." I said and went out of the kitchen. Both of them were coming to bid goodbye but I told them to continue with their work.

As I went out of the kitchen, I saw Ritik coming downstairs. He looked exactly how I wished to see him. Fit and fine. His face was not having any kind of expressions but once he saw me, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked like he was going to ask something but stopped and turned to the other side.

"How are you feeling now?" I asked as I went a little towards him.

"Why do you ask?"

"I heard you were sick. Are you fine now?" I asked.

"You don't have to worry about it." He replied and started walking.

"Ritik," I called him as I took hold of his arm.

"Why didn't you consult a doctor?"

"Why are you showing all this care towards me? What do you want now? Didn't I already told you to stay away from me?" Ritik asked somewhat in an irritated tone.

"Why are you even here? Don't tell me you came here to interrogate me again."

"No. I'm not here to interrogate you. Sorry if that's what you thought. I know you talked with Nia. Though I don't know her reaction, I know you told her everything. Please consult a doctor if you are still unwell and All the best for your exam." With that, I removed my hand from his arm and started walking outside. This time Ritik didn't stop me so I got a clear picture that whatever he said that day, he meant it.

***

"Are you done with your preparation?" Veer asked as I stood next to him. We were waiting for Anika to come however she was late because she woke up late and then there was no one to drop her.

"When it comes to stats, I'm never fully prepared but I really hope the paper is easy," I replied. The incident with Ritik was long forgotten and was replaced by the fear of my exam. Last night I revised all the formulas and was very confident about them but now it felt like I don't know what statistics is!

"Anyway, Call Anika and tell her to come soon," I said and started looking at formulas which I wrote on a paper. I felt Veer calling her however I didn't ask him what they talked, I kept revising until I heard Veer gasp.

"What happened?" I asked however instead of answering he just signalled me to look in the direction where he was looking.

"Oh." Was the only thing that left my mouth once I saw Anika on Sameer's bike.

"Isn't it strange? She is actually on someone's bike who is not me and her brother. It's a miracle." Veer said. I was too busy thinking how this miracle happened so I didn't reply him anything.

"Thanks for the ride. You are truly my saviour." Anika said to Sameer as she got down from his bike. Oh come on, my brother ain't so sweet.

"My pleasure." He replied. I started to move from there but was stopped when Sameer called me.

"Hey shorty, wait."

"Why do you want?" I asked angrily. He got down from his bike and came towards me.

"Why are you always so angry? I just wanted to give my best wishes. Do well in your exam and don't take much stress about it." Sameer said and royally messed my hair before going away.

"How did you come with him and how is he your saviour just because he dropped you one day?" I asked Anika.

"That's a long story. I will tell you later but for now, let me tell you something. I heard Ritik's batch has the same class as us. So there are chances that he will also be in our classroom." Anika said making my heart hammer against my chest. As if I was not enough scared because of the exam.

"I hope he is not. Let's go." I said and dragged Veer and Anika with me. We went to the class assigned to us. Veer had a different classroom so we bid him bye and went to ours. I checked for my seat number and got happy to see that I was on the second last bench.

"I got third," Anika said with a pout.

"Whatever. Come and solve one doubt of mine." I said and took her with me. I looked at the second seat number which was written beside mine. Who must be the senior sitting next to me? No matter whoever it is, I just hope he/she is Kind and won't disturb me.

"See this sum. I have a doubt...."

"Excuse me, May I know who's seat number is this?" Anika asked the girl sitting behind us. Damn, why is she so curious? Here I'm asking her a serious doubt and she wants to know who is going to sit beside me.

"Huh...yeah. It's Ri." The girl answered after a few seconds of thinking.

"I mean Ritik." She said further. What the hell? I was numb by her response. Out of all the students why it had to be Ritik? How will I concentrate if he sits beside me and moreover, what will he do when he comes to know that I'm the one sitting beside him? Probably ask to change his seat.

"Tell me what is your doubt?"

"Leave it. I don't have any doubt." I said closing the books and handed them to Anika. Resting my head on the bench I tried not to think about Ritik and reminisce the formulas however I failed miserably.

"Kiu, I'm going to my bench. Please write your exam properly and don't worry everything will be fine." Anika assured. I nodded and rested my head on the bench again. After a few minutes when I lifted my head, I saw Anika talking with Ritik. When did he come and why is Anika talking to him?

The moment I saw Ritik walking towards me, I felt like running from there. I was so nervous, firstly because he was going to sit next to me and secondly to realize that today he will know how weak I'm at stats.

Ritik came and kept his exam essentials on the desk. He even talked with the girl behind us and then finally got settled. While looking at his essentials, I remembered that I didn't bring my water bottle. Great, now sit with parched throat for next 90 minutes.

Soon the teacher distributed the question papers and I literally felt like crying when I saw it. The last question was the same one which I had doubt in but didn't ask Anika because I was too numb to know that Ritik was my exam partner. I glanced around the class and saw everyone busy with their answer sheet. I knew all the objectives, so out of 20 marks my 10 marks were secured but I was worried about rest 10.

I looked at Ritik and saw him so busy writing down the answers as if he was just scribbling something. The supervisor was so lenient, she knew everyone was copying but choose to ignore it. I didn't had anyone from my class sitting beside me and as for the person on the front bench, I never saw him attending the lectures and even if I did, I knew I was not going to ask him.

I wrote all the objective type questions and sat there silently. I even tried to remember how the next two sums were to be solved but nothing clicked in so I gave up and kept the pen aside.

"Don't tell me you are going to leave those two sums," Ritik asked as he finally lifted his head from his answer sheet. So he noticed. I didn't wish to reply and make fun of myself so I looked at him for a second and then turned and rested my head on the desk.

"Kiara," Ritik called shaking my hand.

"I don't know how to do them," I answered without looking at him. He chuckled but didn't say anything after that.

"Get up and copy this." He said after five minutes. Copy this? I immediately sat straight and looked at him. He signalled to his answer sheet and pointed towards the sum written with pencil. I didn't had any words to thank him.

"I swear it's correct." He said once he saw me looking at him.

"No. I didn't mean to say that." I replied.

"I won't make fun of you. Write it quickly and add the small calculation steps which I skipped." He said and again signalled me to write. My heart was full, I really felt like giving him the tightest hug and saying thank you.

"Thank you so much," I said once I was done.

"It's fine." He replied and looked away. He was now back to his cold behaviour towards me. I was so happy internally to know that I'm going to score out of marks in this exam, all thanks to Ritik but I knew I can't fully thank him even if I want too.

Excitedly I waited for the next question paper. The teacher first gave them to seniors and then started distributing to us. Ritik was keenly looking at the questions, biting his lower lip in the process. Looking at his lip I remembered our kiss so I immediately looked away but the butterflies in my stomach made me restless. I thought of drinking water, even searched for the bottle on my desk and remembered that I don't have it. I was about to ask it from my friend when I felt Ritik passing his bottle towards me, his eyes were still on the question paper but he did move his water bottle near my hands.

I felt extremely proud of myself for loving him but at the same time, I cried at my fate and foolishness. I love someone who thinks so much about me but still, we can't be together and all I do is hurt him again and again. If Ritik is this sweet to me even when he is angry, I wonder what would it be if we were like an actual couple.

I drank the water, thanked him and continued with my writing. The paper was easy and so done with it before five minutes. I looked at Anika and saw her already looking at me. She asked me whether I was done so I nodded and saw her doing the same.

"Thank you for your help," I said as Ritik was about to go from there.

"Ok." He answered and went from there as if he wanted to run away from me. I went towards Anika and told her everything that happened.

"Wow. See how kind and helpful he is." Anika said dreamily.

"I'm doing so wrong by hurting him."

"Happy realization. Finally, you realized it. I can't be any happier." Anika acted.

"I always knew I was hurting him but then what should I do? Why no one understands me?" I cried.

When I know my friend loves a boy, how can I date the same boy?

"You should have told the truth to Nia. It might have hurt her but that was the truth. Ritik doesn't love her, it was always you. Even if Nia doesn't want to understand it, she will have to do it anyway because that's the truth."

"I know but..."

"Forget it. What's that?" Anika asked and made me look at the door. I turned around and saw Nia and Ritik talking with each other. What shocked me was to see Nia smiling. How is this possible?

As what Akshay said me, Ritik told her everything. Then isn't she hurt or angry after knowing the truth?

Someone, please tell me what is happening?

"Ask Akshay," Anika suggested. Yes, he was the right person to ask this question but I hate him for not telling me anything that day. I literally begged him to tell me about Nia's reaction but he kept saying that I should talk about this with Nia directly.

Thank you.