Aadhya's POV
Two weeks.Two whole weeks of chaos.
School → restaurant → home → repeat.
No breaks. No peace. No life.Exhausting? Yes.Worth it? Also yes.Because Krish cooks for us.
And honestly… that alone is enough motivation.
Right now—
"Table no. 12. Clean it," Nikansh said.
Boss mode on again.I nodded and picked up the plates.As I wiped the table, my eyes casually drifted outside through the glass window—
And froze.A car stopped.Familiar.Too familiar.Door opened.Reyansh stepped out.
With his entire circus.
Oh no.
Why do problems have legs? And why do they walk straight into my life?"Guys—Reyansh and his group are here," I rushed into the kitchen and dropped the plates on the counter.
Everyone froze.Krish looked straight at Vivaan.
"Don't mess with them here."
All eyes shifted to him.
Vivaan was quiet.
Just staring....at me..Then—
"Krish is right. No one starts a fight."Final.
Everyone went back to work.
Like nothing happened.
I stepped out again, forcing myself to act normal.
Serve. Smile. Move. Breathe.
But their table—
No menu.
Of course.Why would life be easy?
I picked up the menu and walked toward them.Smile. Fake one.
Very fake.
"OH MY GOSH… so you're really a waitress," Riya said, dragging every word like she just discovered a new species.
Wow.
Congratulations. You have eyes.
I smiled.Fake meets fake, darling. Let's see who wins.
In my head: Just one slap. Bas ek. Control Adi.
Before I could say anything, someone placed water glasses on the table.
I thought it was Nikansh.
But—
Vivaan.
I could feel it.The anger.Quiet.Sharp.
"Ha…ha… what happened to you, Vivaan? Are you getting poor?" Manik laughed, hitting the table like he told the funniest joke alive.
Yes, congratulations. You're officially annoying.
"Why don't you ask my friend," Vivaan replied calmly, gesturing slightly."Hmm?"
Jiya stepped forward.
Manik's face dropped instantly.
Nice."Jiya girl, you're here too?" Riya said dramatically.
"No, it's just a hologram," I replied sweetly.
Cute voice. Dead sarcasm.
Vivaan really knows where to hit.
"It's okay Adi, I'll take their orders," Jiya offered.
"No."
Reyansh spoke.
"We want Aadhya and Vivaan to serve us."
I glanced at Vivaan.
Are you okay with this?
He didn't even look at me.
"Yes."
Of course.
Suddenly—
Reyansh placed his hand on Yuvika's shoulder.
Protective? Possessive?
Whatever it was—
Vivaan noticed.
And before I could even process—
His hand came around my shoulder.
And pulled me closer.
I froze.
What—
My brain shut down.
My heart?
Doing dhak dhak dhak dhak like it's training for Olympics.
I tried to move.
He leaned slightly and whispered near my ear—
"Don't move."
And I didn't.
What the hell is wrong with me.
Reyansh saw it.
His expression changed.Bad. Dangerous.
Everything at once.
" I'll have Italian salad with side dressing," Riya said.
Vivaan noted it like nothing happened.
Back to normal position.
Like he didn't just mess up my entire system.
"Burger with fries," Naman said, handing me the menu.
"I'll have the same, with Pepsi," Manik added.
"Coffee. Sugar free," Yuvika said softly.
Vivaan paused for a second.and stared at her ..
Then wrote it.
And then—
"I'll have mac and cheese. Fries—perfectly cooked. Pepper sauce," Reyansh said.Drama king.
Vivaan noted it.
Removed his arm.
Finally.
I breathed.
"Your order will be prepared. Thank you," I said quickly and escaped to the counter.
Vivaan had already gone inside.
Good.
Safe.
Or so I thought.
"Naman?"
Why is he here.
"Aadi… can I talk to you?"
Oh god. Timing dekho.
"I mean… you can tell me here. I'm on duty," I said.
"I wanted to ask you out. I mean… court you."
…
Brain has stopped working.
What.
Huh.
Why.
Now??
My eyes instantly shifted—
Reyansh.
Staring.
Intensely.
Oh great. Audience bhi ready hai.
"Is everything okay, Adi?"
Dj.
Looking like he's about to murder someone.
"No, we're just talking," Naman said.
And boom—
Silent war.
Eye contact.
Fire vs fire.
Oh no. Fight incoming.
"Dj, maybe you're needed inside," I blurted out.
"You too, Aadhya. You're needed inside," he said—still staring at Naman.
Yeah yeah let's go before someone dies.
I grabbed his arm and dragged him inside.
"I'll wait for your answer!" Naman shouted from behind.
Kill me.
Right here.
"ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET NAMAN DATE YOU?"
Dj.
Volume: 1000.
Everyone stopped.
Work? Gone.
Focus? Gone.
All eyes—
On me.
"Huh?..n…hm…"
What do I even say.
"Do you like him?" Nikansh asked, suddenly beside me.
Why are you teleporting.
"Huh?" i stammered
"You do?"Vivaan.Flat. Direct.No emotion.
Damnit.
I did have… like… tiny… microscopic… crush.but it was back then..
"N-no. I don't plan to date him," I said quickly and walked out.
Escape mode.
I reached the counter.
Jiya was sitting there.
"Watch Dheeraj," she said.
"But shouldn't I watch Naman instead?" i asked her.
"What?"
"Didn't anyone tell you about their fight?"
Oh right. That.
"I've heard… but not details," I admitted.
She leaned slightly.
"I don't know everything either. But that scar on Dheeraj's jaw? Naman did that."
And left.
Just like that.
Great.
Now I'm even more confused.
Who's right?
Who's wrong?
And why am I always stuck in the middle of everything?
I looked toward the tables.
At them.
At him.
At everything.
And one thought stayed—
I need answers.
And I know the best person for this. " Oyiii Avi let's have a break" I called him. Let's find out.
I called Avi and we slipped out through the back door. I handed him a burger and took one for myself. "I have a question," I started. He took a bite, chewed for a second and then, "About Naman and Dj?" he asked. I paused, then nodded. "Did they fight… is that it?" he asked again. I nodded once more. He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I don't know," he said and took another bite. Ugh. Of course. Why do I even expect useful answers from him? This guy lives on vibes and food. I stared at him in disbelief while he peacefully enjoyed his burger like we weren't talking about something serious.
"I don't know about their fight," he continued after a moment, licking sauce off his fingers, "but I just know Bhavik and Neel complained about Naman to Dj when he was the president. Dj talked to Naman after that. What they talked about… no one knows." He paused, thinking a little, which is rare for him. "Then we heard they were at the old factory. When we reached there, Dj was on the floor unconscious, his jaw bleeding… and Naman was holding a pipe."
I froze. My grip on the burger tightened without me realising. My eyes widened. That… wasn't just a fight. That was brutal. Too brutal. My mind replayed the image he just described again and again—Dj on the ground, blood, Naman standing there with a pipe. I felt uneasy. Something about this didn't sit right. Was Naman really capable of that? The way he spoke to me just now… he didn't seem like that kind of person.
I looked down at the burger in my hand but suddenly I didn't feel hungry anymore. This wasn't just some silly school rivalry. There was something deeper here. Something I wasn't seeing yet. And now… I couldn't ignore it. I need answers. From Dj. Or From Naman.