The school courtyard buzzed with end-of-day chatter — parents waiting, teachers laughing over something trivial. Adhirath hadn’t planned to come; Tara had left her notebook, and he’d thought he’d just stop by and pick it up.
Until he saw Sanvi.
She was standing under the shade of the old gulmohar tree, laughing softly at something another teacher — a young man, too confident for his own good — had said. The sound caught Adhirath off guard. It wasn’t the laugh that bothered him. It was the way that the teacher leaned in a little too close, like he had the right.
Something twisted low in his chest.
He walked toward them before he even realized it. His steps were measured, but his jaw was tight enough to hurt.
“Sanvi,” he said, his tone too even.
She turned, surprised, her expression brightening. “Adhirath? You’re here?”
“I came for Tara’s notebook,” he said, but his eyes never left the man beside her.
The teacher smiled politely. “Ah, you must be Tara’s father. We were just talking about the annual function—”
Adhirath cut him off, his voice quiet but edged. “I’m sure you were.”
Sanvi frowned slightly. “Adhirath—”
He turned to her then, and for a second, the anger faltered, replaced by something rawer. “You didn’t mention you were… close with the staff.”
Her brows lifted. “Close? He’s a colleague. We were discussing her class performance.”
“Right.” His laugh was dry, humorless. “Just discussing.”
The teacher, wisely, excused himself. Silence hung between them as the courtyard emptied.
“Do you hear yourself?” Sanvi said finally, crossing her arms. “You sound like—”
“Like what?” he asked, stepping closer. “Like someone who can’t stand the thought of another man looking at you that way?”
Her breath caught, but she didn’t move back. “You have no right to feel that way.”
“I know,” he said, his voice softer now, almost a confession. “But that doesn’t stop me.”
For a heartbeat, neither spoke. The air between them was thick — with words unsaid, feelings unclaimed. Then the bell rang somewhere behind them, breaking the moment like a spell.
Sanvi turned away first, her voice steady but her hands trembling slightly. “You should go, Adhirath. Before someone sees what we’re not supposed to be.”
He stood there for a moment, watching her walk away — and for the first time, jealousy didn’t feel like anger. It felt like a realization.
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