"Love doesn't ask for permission.
It starts with a smile… and ends with your whole heart."
---
They were sitting in the park, under the excuse of group project discussion.
The sun was soft. The wind, calm. Her friends were chatting. He was quiet.
Avni was scribbling something in her notebook when he said:
"Tum left-handed ho?"
She looked up, surprised.
"Haan… problem hai?"
He shook his head with a smirk.
"Nahi. Bas… unique cheezon pe nazar chali jaati hai."
She didn't expect it.
Didn't expect the way her lips curved into a smile.
Didn't expect to feel warmth in her chest for such a small comment.
And she definitely didn't expect him to be watching that smile like it was something rare.
The moment passed.
She looked away quickly. Covered her mouth. Pretended to cough.
But it was too late.
He had seen it.
And she had felt it.
---
The next few days… she found herself thinking of that one moment more than she should've.
How soft his voice was.
How warm her cheeks felt.
How easy it was to smile around him… and how hard it was to accept it.
She told herself:
"Bas ek baar tha. Galti thi. I'll ignore him from now."
But the truth?
She hadn't smiled like that in years.
And somehow… she wanted to do it again.