1. The Beginning of Always

The campus cafeteria buzzed with noise—chatter, laughter, and clinking trays—but Avya preferred the quiet corners. That's where she was, secluded and focused, when the girl first approached her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her shoulders hunched, clearly trying to hold back the torrent of a broken heart.

"Is this seat taken?" the girl asked, her voice thin, attempting a casual tone that didn't quite land.

Avya glanced up, her sharp, perceptive eyes taking in the scene. At nineteen, she already possessed an uncanny ability to read people, a skill honed by a life that demanded constant vigilance. "Looks empty, doesn't it?" she replied, a hint of dry wit in her voice.

A soft, shaky chuckle escaped the girl, and she sank onto the seat opposite Avya, clutching her textbooks tightly to her chest like a shield. "You always eat alone?"

"I prefer peace," Avya stated simply, returning to her meal.

The girl sighed, a heavy sound. "I prefer not crying in front of people. But here we are." She gave a weak, self-deprecating smile.

Avya looked at her again, truly looked. This time, a flicker of something passed between them—not recognition of a face, but of the raw emotion behind it. Pain. Buried pain, similar to what Avya often felt, though hers was always meticulously hidden.

"Bad breakup?" Avya asked, cutting straight to the point.

The girl gave a bitter, humorless laugh. "Worse. My mother found out I like someone who doesn’t fit her 'checklist.' Now I'm being paraded in front of rishtas like a damn auction for a suitable groom. It's... humiliating."

Avya leaned back, a sardonic twist to her lips. "Ah. So the classic 'fall-in-love-with-the-wrong-guy-and-now-your-family-has-a-meltdown' plotline."

That made the girl laugh—a genuine, uninhibited burst of laughter that surprised even Avya. It was the first time Avya had smiled that day, a faint but real curve of her lips.

They didn't talk much after that first encounter. But from the very next day onward, the girl always sought out Avya's quiet corner, always sat beside her.

Weeks bled into months.

Their friendship deepened, forged in the crucible of shared late-night study sessions, clandestine drives to roadside chai stalls, and the quiet exchange of dreams and fears. Avya, ever the pragmatist, even taught her how to throw a punch—"just in case," she'd said with a smirk. The girl, whose name Avya soon learned was Naira, often called Avya her safe place, her anchor in a world that felt increasingly tumultuous due to her family's expectations. Avya never articulated it, but she felt the same. Naira's open vulnerability was a stark contrast to Avya's guarded strength, and it somehow completed her.

Then came the day Naira told her about the arranged marriage. The groom was Riaan Malhotra, a name Avya only vaguely recognized from business headlines.

"I can't do it, Avya," Naira confessed, her voice thick with despair. "I love someone else. But they won't understand. My family... they'll disown me. They'll ruin my life."

Avya had been silent at first, her mind working through the implications. Then, her reply was cold and clear, devoid of emotion, yet firm in its conviction. "Then make them understand. Or walk away. But don't stay silent and let two lives get destroyed."

"I can't break his heart," Naira whispered, referring to Riaan.

Avya's reply had been direct, sharp as a blade. "Then be honest. Let him decide what to do with the truth. Better a broken truth now than a shattered lie later."

"I don't want anyone to hate me," Naira pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.

"They'll hate you more if you lie and waste their life," Avya countered, her gaze unwavering.

Naira paused, a desperate plea in her eyes. "If I don't tell him, will you?"

"No," Avya said, without hesitation. "It's not my place. Your truth is yours to tell."

"But you'd be seeing a stranger marry into a lie," Naira argued.

"And that's precisely why you need to speak up," Avya concluded, her tone leaving no room for further debate.

Naira never did speak up.

Thank you for reading. This is my first novel, and your support means everything. I’d love to hear your thoughts, reactions, and theories in the comments! 💛

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