Just as Advik found himself surrounded by that shameless senior, who seemed determined to ruin his image on the very first day of college, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted them.

With both hands casually tucked inside his pockets, Ayaan walked toward them with his usual arrogant swagger. Removing his sunglasses, he looked straight at the boy—Anuj—and said calmly, "So according to your logic... am I gay too? Because till date, I've never touched a girl either."

The moment Anuj saw Ayaan Singhania standing in front of him, the irritation on his face disappeared. Instead, he silently swallowed his anger. Everyone knew that Anuj and Ayaan had never gotten along. Their rivalry wasn't loud or obvious, but a cold war had existed between them since childhood. They had studied in the same school for years. Unlike Ayaan, who belonged to one of the richest families in the country, Anuj came from a middle-class background. As a child, he had always been timid, and unfortunately for him, Ayaan had enjoyed making his life miserable. From forcing him to do small errands to constantly teasing him, Ayaan had never missed an opportunity to trouble him. Over the years, that fear had slowly turned into resentment... and eventually, hatred.

Looking at Anuj with complete indifference, Ayaan spoke again. "Do you really think pulling down people around me will somehow make me bow before you?" A faint smirk appeared on his lips as he put his sunglasses back on. "Grow up, Anuj. You're not a child anymore. Acting like this will never help you get ahead of me." Then, glancing briefly at Advik, he added, "And trust me... I couldn't care less whether he feels sad or happy. So stop targeting people around me just because you can't do anything to me."

Without waiting for a reply, Ayaan simply walked away with his signature attitude. Left with no choice, Anuj clicked his tongue in frustration before heading toward the auditorium as well.

Advik stood there for several seconds, completely speechless. He honestly couldn't decide whether he should be grateful to Ayaan for saving him from Anuj's awkward question... or angry because it was Ayaan who had become the reason he was targeted in the first place.

Before he could think any further, an announcement echoed through the speakers, asking all hostel residents to report to the auditorium immediately. Pushing every unnecessary thought aside, Advik quickly made his way downstairs.

The Convocation Hall was already packed with students. The moment Advik entered, he noticed countless girls turning their heads in his direction. For the past month, he had slowly become used to attracting such attention, so instead of feeling awkward, he calmly ignored every curious gaze and quietly took an empty seat.

Just as Mansi had predicted...

On the very first day, Advik had unknowingly become the center of attention. To some girls, he looked like their dream boy. To others, he was nothing less than Prince Charming himself. Since hardly anyone had the courage to approach Ayaan Singhania because of his infamous temper, many girls had unconsciously shifted their attention toward the mysterious new boy sitting quietly among them.

A few minutes later, the hostel warden, along with the physical training instructors, walked onto the stage. What followed was a long lecture filled with rules, regulations, hostel discipline, attendance policies, and countless warnings that almost every student had already stopped paying attention to.

Ayaan, who had been sitting lazily throughout the speech, suddenly straightened up the moment the PT instructor made an important announcement.

"From tomorrow onward, every hostel resident must report for morning trekking at exactly five o'clock."

The entire hall groaned at once.

The instructor continued, "You'll go in pairs... and your trekking partner will be your hostel roommate."

Ayaan's expression instantly froze.

However...

That wasn't the sentence that truly shocked him.

The instructor calmly added, "And if anyone breaks even a single hostel rule... the complaint will be sent directly to your parents."

That one sentence completely ruined Ayaan's mood.

There was only one thing he absolutely couldn't allow.

His father receiving complaints about him.

The lecture finally came to an end, and students gradually began leaving the auditorium.

As Advik stepped outside, he accidentally bumped into a girl walking in the opposite direction. Before she could lose her balance, he instinctively caught her in his arms.

For a few seconds...

The girl simply stared at him.

Completely frozen.

In her mind, romantic background music had already started playing.

Completely unaware of what was going on inside her head, Advik gently helped her stand properly before asking in a soft voice, "Are you okay?"

The girl could only nod silently, her eyes refusing to leave his face.

Seeing that she was fine, Advik smiled politely and walked away toward the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, the girl remained standing there like a statue, absentmindedly touching the places where Advik had held her.

Placing a hand over her blushing cheek, she whispered dreamily, "He's... so handsome."

"My heart literally fell for him at first sight."

Flipping her hair dramatically, she grinned to herself.

"Come on, Gargi... now I have to convince Ayaan Bhaiya to tell me who that boy is."

On the other side, Ayaan silently made up his mind.

"No matter what happens... I'll follow every single hostel rule."

"Whatever it takes... I won't let Mr. Singhania receive even one complaint because of me."

Thinking about his new strategy, he too walked toward the cafeteria.

Most of the students had already gathered there for lunch.

Meanwhile, Advik picked up a tray and started collecting his food. The moment his eyes landed on his favorite dosa, his face brightened slightly. Without wasting a second, he placed the last dosa onto his plate before finding an empty table. Leaving the tray there, he walked away to wash his hands.

The moment Advik disappeared...

Ayaan arrived at the counter.

Unfortunately for him...

The last dosa had already been taken.

His eyes immediately landed on Advik's tray.

Without the slightest hesitation...

He picked up the dosa from Advik's plate, placed it onto his own tray, and comfortably sat down right across from Advik's empty chair.

Then...

With the biggest grin on his face...

He started eating it.

A few moments later, Advik returned.

The first thing he noticed was Ayaan sitting opposite him, happily enjoying a dosa while flashing his irritating smile.

Ignoring him, Advik quietly sat down and looked at his own plate.

The dosa...

Was gone.

His eyes slowly shifted toward Ayaan.

More than half of it had already disappeared.

For a brief moment, anger surged through Advik's chest. He had spent the entire afternoon arranging not only his own belongings but Ayaan's as well. He was exhausted... and starving. Yet instead of creating a scene in front of everyone, he looked around the crowded cafeteria, silently picked up his glass of water, drank it in one go, and walked away without saying a single word.

Ayaan had been fully prepared for another argument.

He had expected shouting.

Complaints.

Maybe even another bucket of cold water.

Instead...

Advik simply left.

No fight.

No insults.

Nothing.

His hand slowly stopped midway while holding another bite of dosa.

Only then did he realize...

Advik hadn't eaten a single thing from his plate.

An uncomfortable feeling settled inside his chest.

For some strange reason...

Seeing Mister Gandhi leave without eating didn't sit well with him.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Ayaan quietly filled another plate with fresh food before heading back toward the hostel room.

As he walked through the corridor, he kept mumbling to himself.

"Seriously..."

"He throws tantrums exactly like a girl."

"Who gets upset over something this small?"

After walking a few more steps, he suddenly paused.

"...And why am I even taking food for him?"

Almost immediately, he answered his own question.

"I'm only doing this because he helped organize my wardrobe."

"Yeah..."

"That's the only reason."

"It has nothing to do with concern."

"After all..."

"Bad Boy Ayaan Singhania doesn't care about anyone."

Completely satisfied with his own explanation, he finally reached the room.

Pushing the door open...

The very next second...

A loud scream escaped his lips.

"AAAHHHHH!"

he sudden dramatic scream that echoed through the room instantly irritated Ayaan.

Without wasting another second, he quickly got off Advik and marched straight toward Harsh. Grabbing him by the collar, he landed a solid punch on his face.

"Aah!" Harsh cried dramatically, holding his cheek. "Ayaan! Why the hell did you hit me?"

Meanwhile, Advik hurriedly got to his feet. His ears were still burning from the awkward position they had ended up in just moments ago. Taking a deep breath, he forcefully pushed that embarrassing incident to the back of his mind and tried to act as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately...

Harsh and Saksham weren't the kind of friends who would ever let such an interesting scene pass without creating chaos.

Still holding Harsh by the collar, Ayaan glared at both of them and said, "Don't you two have even basic manners? Who barges into someone's room without knocking?"

Instead of feeling guilty, Harsh simply rubbed his cheek dramatically.

Advik, however, wasn't amused at all.

He had already been uncomfortable with Ayaan, and now his friends had barged into their room without warning. No matter how convincing his disguise was...

Deep inside...

He was still Advika.

Being surrounded by boys like this naturally made him uneasy.

Ignoring the strange atmosphere, Saksham slowly scanned the entire room before raising an eyebrow.

"Wow..."

"Ayaan..."

"How did your room become this clean?"

Throwing an arm around Harsh's shoulder, he laughed.

"We actually came here expecting to clean up the disaster you must've created..."

"But your room is spotless."

He even winked teasingly.

Hearing that, Ayaan proudly folded his arms.

"So you two useless friends abandoned me here alone..."

He smirked confidently.

"But I'm Ayaan Singhania."

"I always know how to get my work done."

The moment those arrogant words left his mouth, Advik couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"Oh really, Mister Ayaan?"

A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"Won't you tell your dear friends exactly how you were welcomed into this room?"

The second Advik mentioned it...

The image of freezing cold water being dumped over his head flashed through Ayaan's mind.

His confident expression immediately disappeared.

Instead of answering, he awkwardly looked away.

Harsh and Saksham exchanged meaningful glances.

Something definitely wasn't right between these two.

Just then, Harsh noticed the plate of food lying upside down on the floor.

"Huh?"

He frowned.

"Why is there food all over your room?"

Only then did Advik notice it as well.

His eyes slowly fell upon the scattered meal...

And among it...

Half of the dosa Ayaan had brought for him.

For a brief second...

His gaze unconsciously shifted toward Ayaan.

He genuinely couldn't believe it.

This arrogant rich brat...

Had actually brought food for him.

At the same time, Ayaan noticed Advik staring at him.

Feeling unexpectedly awkward, he immediately turned his face away.

After all...

Only a few minutes ago, Advik had hit him pretty hard.

Watching the silent exchange between the two, Harsh suddenly clutched his forehead dramatically.

"Hey Ram..."

"Why are you two looking at each other like newly married lovers?"

He gasped loudly.

"Don't tell me..."

"What we just saw..."

"...was actually real?"

The moment those words left his mouth...

Both Ayaan and Advik slowly turned toward him.

This time...

Not only Ayaan...

Even Advik was glaring at Harsh with equally dangerous eyes.

For a few silent seconds...

The two of them looked at each other.

Without speaking a single word...

They silently reached the exact same conclusion.

The next second...

Both of them grabbed Harsh and Saksham by their collars.

"OUT."

Before the two could even react, they were unceremoniously pushed outside the room.

"Arre! Oye! Listen—"

"At least let us explain!"

The door slammed shut right in front of their faces.

Harsh and Saksham continued shouting dramatically from outside, but neither Ayaan nor Advik paid them the slightest attention.

Finally...

Silence returned to the room.

Now that Harsh and Saksham were finally gone, only Ayaan and Advik remained inside the room.

At this moment, Ayaan didn't even want to look at Advik's face. First, the food he had secretly brought for him had ended up scattered all over the floor. And worst of all... that accidental lip contact. The mere thought of it sent chills down his spine.

Without saying a word, he hurried straight into the washroom.

The moment the door closed behind him, he turned on the tap at full force and immediately started rubbing his lips under the cold water. Again... and again... and again. It was as if he was desperately trying to wash away something unforgivable.

Several minutes passed before he finally looked up at his reflection in the mirror. His lips had turned bright red from all the rubbing.

He let out a deep sigh before muttering to himself,

"Oh God... please don't ever let something this embarrassing happen again."

"Meri izzat kisi ladke ke haathon neelam ho jaaye... itni buri kismat mat dena."

Outside the washroom, Advik wasn't doing any better either.

The first thing he did was rush toward the mirror and carefully fix his wig. During the fight with Ayaan, it had become loose, and even a small mistake could expose his biggest secret.

Just as he was adjusting the last few strands...

The washroom door suddenly opened.

Hearing the sound, Advik's heart skipped a beat.

Without wasting another second, he hurried toward his bed, pulled the blanket over himself from head to toe, and lay down completely still. His wig was still slightly loose, and there was no way he could risk letting Ayaan see him like this.

When Ayaan stepped out of the washroom, he looked around the room.

His gaze fell on Advik, who was already lying on the bed completely covered by the blanket.

He frowned slightly.

"How did this guy fall asleep so quickly?"

For a brief moment, he found it strange...

But after everything that had happened today, he didn't have the energy to think about it anymore. Besides, he was still annoyed with Advik for their pointless arguments throughout the day.

Shaking his head, Ayaan quietly switched off the room lights and lay down on his own bed without saying another word.

The room soon fell into complete silence.

Only after waiting several minutes and making sure Ayaan's breathing had become steady did Advik slowly lower the blanket.

The first thing his eyes landed on...

Was Ayaan.

Bathed in the soft silver moonlight streaming through the window, he looked completely different from his usual arrogant self.

Peaceful.

Calm.

Almost... innocent.

For a brief second, Advika simply stared at his sleeping face.

It was hard to believe that the same man who spent the entire day arguing with her could look so harmless while asleep.

But the moment that thought crossed her mind, she quickly shook her head.

"What am I even thinking?"

Without another glance, she quietly slipped into the washroom, fixed her wig properly, and returned to her bed.

Picking up her phone, she set an alarm for 4:00 AM. Tomorrow would be the first day of morning trekking, and she couldn't afford to be late.

Placing the phone beside her pillow, Advika slowly closed her eyes.

Within minutes...

She drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Darkness.

Endless darkness.

A young man stood in the middle of it, his face pale with fear.

"N-No..."

"I don't love boys!"

"I'm not gay!"

"I'm... I'm normal! Just like all of you!"

His desperate voice echoed through the darkness.

The next moment...

Dozens of photographs came flying toward him from every direction.

One after another, they struck his body before scattering across the ground.

His eyes widened in horror.

Every single photograph showed two boys kissing.

Some captured intimate moments...

Others looked even worse.

Panic consumed him.

Around him, countless people burst into loud laughter.

Friends...

Relatives...

Everyone pointed fingers at him as they mocked him mercilessly.

"No..."

"This isn't true!"

"You're all misunderstanding!"

He kept shaking his head desperately, but no one listened.

Then...

An older man slowly stepped forward.

His father.

With disappointment written all over his face, he threw a set of legal papers directly at him.

"Our upbringing has failed."

"From today onward..."

"You are disowned."

The papers fell at his feet.

The laughter around him grew even louder.

Unable to bear it anymore, he covered both ears tightly and screamed at the top of his lungs—

"NOOOOOOO!!"