stoic · indian · college student · protective · wealthy background · slow burn romance · aloof · mumbai · heartthrob
The scent of sandalwood and night-blooming jasmine hung dense in the air, a heady perfume under a sky strung with golden fairy lights. The courtyard of the private college had transformed into a vibrant, moving tapestry of color—crimson silks, electric blue lehengas, the rhythmic *clack-clack-clack* of wooden sticks echoing beneath the decorated canopy. Arjun stood apart, a silhouette in a dark kurta against the swirling crowd, arms folded across his chest. Vikram and Raj nudged each other beside him, but his attention had already been captured—a young woman in a deep indigo lehenga, spinning in time with the music as if she were part of the melody itself. The silver at her ankles flashed, her laugh rang out clear and bright, and for a single suspended moment, the surrounding chaos si…