ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱᴛᴇᴘ ᴛᴏ ʀᴜɪɴ

The wind whispered through the towering deodars, rustling the fallen leaves scattered along St. Michael’s High’s pristine and elegant pathways. The school was alive with murmurs, the usual gossip circulating like wildfire. But today, the talk wasn’t about Tanya Kapoor or the latest luxury car someone had brought to school.

It was about Aarini Joshi.

The girl who had caught Revansh Malhotra’s attention.

The attention on the golden boy.

Aarini could feel it. The stares, the whispers, the curious glances thrown her way everytime she passed by. She wasn’t used to it, and it made her uneasy. Her life had always been simple, wake up, go to school, study hard, and return home to her loving family. She had never been the center of attention, and she didn’t want to be.

Yet, here she was, walking through the corridors of a school where she had always been invisible, except now, she wasn’t.

And Aarini disliked this attention.

It was all because of him.

Revansh Malhotra.

The name itself carried a weight of arrogance and power. The golden boy of St. Michael’s. The heir to an empire. The guy who could have anything or anyone he wanted.

He didn't had a good reputation in her parent's eyes and Aarini’s parent's had told her to not talk much with those rich brats as the couple had heard about all those late night parties where the elite youngsters would take drugs to have sex all night.

Aarani didn't know what was going inside Revansh's twisted head.

She didn't know why he had chosen her.

Aarini sighed, adjusting her backpack as she walked toward the classroom. Maybe he would forget about his sudden interest in her. Maybe it was just a momentary whim of the golden boy. She could only hope as she had no interest to spend time with a guy who held such a reputation.

As she reached her desk, she barely had time to sit before he appeared.

Revansh.

He was dressed in his crisp white shirt with the top buttons undone, his school blazer hanging loosely over his shoulder, he carried himself with the confidence of someone who owned the world. His dark blue eyes held an unmistakable glint of amusement as he slid into the seat next to hers.

Aarini stiffened for a second.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice a bit cautious.

Revansh smirked, resting his elbow on the desk, leaning slightly toward her. “What does it look like?” His smile was soft, his dimpled cheeks visible. For a second he looked like a normal and innocent boy, he didn't look like Tha Revansh who partied ans hooked up with new girls every week. He didn't seem like an alcoholic or a druggist. He looked like a normal boy from a normal family. Just for a second and Aarini noticed it as she couldn't look away.

Aarini exhaled as she finally came to her sense looking away. “It looks like you’re bothering me.” she said, her voice low. Revansh Malhotra really was a charmer and she couldn't deny that.

He chuckled, his voice low and teasing. “I thought we were partners for the English project?”

Her eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t mean you can just sit here.”

Revansh tilted his head, watching her like a predator would its prey. “Relax, Aarini.” The way he said her name sent an unexplainable shiver down her spine. “I just want to get to know my partner better.”

She let out a quiet breath, turning her attention to her notebook, refusing to meet his gaze. “I don’t see why that’s necessary.”

Revansh leaned closer, his voice a husky whisper. “Because, sweetheart, if we’re going to be spending time together, we might as well make it... interesting.”

Aarini’s fingers curled into a fist. He was playing a game. She wasn’t stupid. How dare he talk to her in such a manner!

She turned to face him, finally meeting his piercing gaze. “I don’t know what kind of ‘interesting’ you’re talking about, but I have no intention of being a part of it.”

For a split second, something flickered in Revansh’s eyes, surprise, amusement and intrigue and then, he grinned softly.

“You’ll come around, Aarini,” he said with unwavering confidence.

Aarini scoffed, looking away from him. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Revansh just shrugged off casually as if she had said the most normal thing to him and left the classroom.

***

Aarini had never been the type to rush home, but today, she wanted nothing more than to get away from him.

As she stepped out of the school gates, a sleek black Maserati pulled up beside her.

Her breath hitched as she froze in her place.

The tinted window rolled down, revealing Revansh, his fingers drumming lazily against the steering wheel.

"Need a ride?" His voice was laced with amusement.

Aarini clenched her jaw. "No, thank you."

Revansh arched an eyebrow. "You sure? I mean, I’d hate for you to walk all the way home when I can just..."

"I said no," she interrupted firmly.

Revansh let out a low chuckle. "Feisty..." He tilted his head. "Alright then, how about a cup of coffee instead? Just one drink."

Aarini folded her arms. "And why would I do that?"

He smirked. "To get to know your project partner better, obviously. You don't want us to fail now, do you?"

She stared at him for a long moment. The last thing she wanted was to get tangled up with someone like him. But a small part of her, the stubborn part wanted to show him that she wasn’t afraid of him.

Fine. One drink and then she would make it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. Aarini thought.

“Fine,” she said, much to his apparent surprise. “But only for fifteen minutes.”

Revansh grinned, pushing open the passenger door. “Hop in, sweetheart.”

She rolled her eyes but slid inside, ignoring the way his car smelled faintly of expensive cologne and something dangerously intoxicating.

This was a bad idea.

She just didn’t know how bad.

***

At the Cafe

The cafe was warm and cozy, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. Aarini stirred her cappuccino absentmindedly, while Revansh watched her, his gaze unwavering as he looked at her intently.

"So," he said, tapping his fingers against the table. "Why do you act like you don’t care about me? As if i don't affect you at all..."

Aarini raised an eyebrow. "Because I don’t. You do not affect me."

His smirk didn’t falter. "Come on, I don’t buy that."

She sighed, looking him dead in the eye. "Then that’s your problem."

Revansh chuckled, leaning forward. "Alright, let’s make a bet."

Aarini frowned. "A bet?"

"Yeah." He tilted his head. "If, by the end of this project, you fall for me, you owe me a favor."

She blinked. "And if I don’t?"

Revansh’s smirk widened. "Then I owe you one."

Aarini let out a small laugh. "That’s stupid."

"Scared you’ll lose?" he challenged with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "I just don’t see the point."

"The point," Revansh said, voice dripping with confidence, "is that you will fall for me like everyone does."

Aarini stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. What a narcissistic guy. She thought rolling her eyes.

"Fine," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Let’s see who wins, Mr. Malhotra."

Revansh leaned back, his smirk never fading.

Little did she know.

She had just walked into the most dangerous game of her life.

And Revansh Malhotra never played to lose.

"Very soon, I'll break that attitude of yours, sweetheart." Revansh muttered to himself with a deadly smirk at his face as he watched Aarini’s retreating figure from the cafe.

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So how was the chapter yall?

Hope yall liked it.