I should not be this messed up over a piece of candy.
Seriously.
It was literally just a candy. Wrapped in silver foil. Probably cost five cents. And yet… here I was. Walking out of class like I'd just been handed a diamond by the queen of physics.
She'd said first place.
She'd said you earned it.
She smiled.
And our fingers touched.
Barely.
But still.
I stuffed the candy into my pocket like it was evidence in a crime scene and practically fled the lecture hall. Ayaan was waiting outside, leaning on a bench like he was born to be annoying.
"Took you long enough," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "Let me guess. Quiz? Pop test? Surprise existential crisis?"
I didn't answer.
I was too busy replaying the scene in my head like a maniac.
The way she looked at me. The way she handed that candy like it meant something. The way she praised me like it wasn't a big deal—but it was. Because Daphne Mehra doesn't hand out compliments like Halloween treats. She's careful. Intentional. Subtle.
And she gave me first place.
Ayaan squinted. "Dude. Are you—blushing?"
"No."
"Liar. You are. What happened in there?"
"She gave me candy."
Ayaan stared at me like I'd just told him I was secretly a superhero. "…That's it? That's what's got you looking like someone hit you with Cupid's sledgehammer? Candy?!"
I pulled it out of my pocket and held it up like it could explain itself. "She gave it to the top scorers."
"And you were one?"
"I was the top."
"Of course you were."
"She looked at me."
Ayaan snorted. "I'd hope so. You're six feet of brooding tension. Hard to miss."
I ignored him. My brain was busy spiraling.
Did she always smile like that? That little quirk of her lips that felt like a dare. A challenge.
Did she lean closer than usual when she handed me the candy, or was I just imagining it?
Was that touch accidental, or—?
God.
I was doomed.
I hadn't even opened the candy, and I already wanted to frame it. Or maybe keep it locked in a drawer like it was some kind of sacred artifact.
Ayaan, still grinning, looked at me with mock pity. "You're so gone."
I didn't respond.
Because I was already wondering what her hands felt like without a wrapper in the way. What it would be like if she touched me like that again. Longer. Slower.
I swallowed, trying to shake off the thoughts, but the more I thought about her, the more impossible it felt to ignore it. To ignore her.
But I didn't have a clue what to do with this… whatever it was.
I'm not a guy who loses his mind over a piece of candy. But here I was.
Ayaan nudged me. "So, what's next? Are you finally going to admit you like her, or are you just gonna keep pretending that candy was some casual thing?"
I didn't have an answer. But the longer I stood there, the more I realized one thing: This wasn't just about the candy.
This was bigger.
Way bigger.