(Aryan’s POV)

I’ve never felt anything like this.

I’m leaning against the corridor wall, arms crossed, waiting for her exam to end.

The second the doors open, I see her.

My Avani.

Laughing. Real, bright, free.

Her eyes are sparkling, cheeks flushed, voice loud with excitement as she argues about some question with her friends.

That laugh hits me straight in the chest.

I did that.

I gave her that moment.

When she spots me, her smile falters for half a second (old fear flickering), then she squares her shoulders and walks right to me.

No hesitation anymore.

She asks for lunch with her girls.

Just them.

A month ago I would’ve dragged her away by the wrist.

Today?

I look into those hopeful eyes and I can’t say no.

I want to be the reason she smiles, not the reason it dies.

So I let her go.

I take their names (because I protect what’s mine).

I pay for everything (because she deserves to feel like a queen).

I sit three tables away and watch her bloom like a flower I finally learned not to crush.

I’m smiling like an idiot, scrolling through my phone but not seeing anything, when I feel the air change.

Rohan.

He’s standing at the entrance, staring at her like she’s the only person in the room.

Fists clenched. Jaw tight.

Eyes burning with something I recognise too well.

Obsession.

He starts walking straight toward her table.

Every muscle in my body locks.

He stops two feet from her chair.

“She’s mine,” he says, voice low enough that only our corner hears.

The entire canteen freezes.

My blood turns to fire.

I’m in front of him in a heartbeat, chest to chest, blocking his path to her.

“Say that again,” I growl.

Rohan doesn’t blink.

“I said. She’s. Mine.”

The first punch is mine.

It lands on his jaw with a crack that echoes.

He swings back, catches my cheekbone, splits the skin.

We crash into tables. Plates shatter. Girls scream.

I taste blood and rage.

I’m bigger. Stronger. Meaner.

But he’s fighting like a man possessed.

Because he thinks he loves her too.

I get him in a chokehold, knee in his back, ready to end this for good.

Then I hear her voice.

“Aryan, stop!”

She’s there.

Right in the middle of the chaos.

She throws herself at me, arms around my neck, body shielding me from Rohan like I’m the one who needs protecting.

“Stop,” she whispers against my ear, trembling. “Please. For me.”

I freeze.

Rohan is on the floor, lip bleeding, staring at her like she just stabbed him.

Something around my neck snaps.

The chain.

The pendant with her name.

It falls to the floor between us, broken.

Avani gasps.

She pulls away just enough to look at it, then at me, eyes wide, hurt, angry.

She turns to Rohan, voice shaking with fury I’ve never heard from her before.

“How dare you?” she says to him. “He’s trying. He’s changing. And you ruin everything!”

Rohan flinches like she slapped him.

She grabs my hand, fingers tight around mine, and pulls me toward the exit.

I let her lead me.

Because right now, bleeding and furious and half-crazed with love,

I would follow her anywhere.

Even away from the only friend I ever had.

Because she chose me.

She fucking chose me.

And I will spend the rest of my life making sure she never regrets it.

End of Chapter 9

Vote if your heart is racing.

Comment “she chose him” or “Rohan deserved it”

Let’s see how far love can really go when it’s born in blood. 🖤

To be continued…