The final day of the festival arrived, carrying an electric buzz of excitement through the university. The past four days had been an endless stream of laughter, late-night food runs, and chaotic moments, leaving the group exhausted but exhilarated. Now, as the festival was set to conclude, the university had organized one last grand event in the courtyard, with students gathered to enjoy performances, music, and open mic sessions before the celebrations officially ended.
The air was thick with chatter and anticipation, yet within the crowd, someone had other plans. Karan stood with his arms crossed, eyes trained on a particular group not far from him—Hamza, laughing with his friends.
It irritated him. The sight of Hamza looking so comfortable, as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't been humiliated at the football tournament, as if he wasn't a failure. Karan's jaw clenched. It was time to remind everyone exactly who Hamza was now.
Clearing his throat loudly, he raised his voice, ensuring that enough people nearby could hear. "Yo, Hamza," he called out, a smug grin curling at his lips. "Still enjoying this festival, huh? Even with your broken winning football tournament dreams?"
The words hit like a slap. A few heads turned. Hamza, seated at one of the benches with Rudra and Aarav, stiffened slightly but didn't respond. He wasn't in the mood for Karan's nonsense.
Karan took a step forward, voice dripping with mockery. "Must be nice, huh? Sitting back, playing your little guitar, pretending like you didn't lose everything." He chuckled, shaking his head. "What a fall from grace."
The murmurs started. The crowd was listening.
Rudra was the first to react, pushing himself off the bench. "Back off, Karan," he said sharply. "No one's in the mood for your bullshit."
"Oh, but I'm just getting started," Karan smirked, his gaze locked on Hamza, waiting for a reaction. "You know, I almost felt bad for you the other night. Watching you pour your heart out, singing your little love song." His smirk widened as he crossed his arms. "But the funniest part? The girl you sang it for doesn't even care. Speaking of her, where is Shumaila, Still avoiding you huh?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire atmosphere shifted. The air grew heavy.
Hamza's fingers curled into fists, his jaw tightening as whispers spread through the crowd.
"Wait, so Shumaila was the girl?"
"Damn, no wonder she's been avoiding him."
"That's embarrassing."
A sharp pain settled in Hamza's chest, but he remained silent. Because what could he even say?
Karan saw the hesitation and pounced. "Face it, man. You confessed to a girl who doesn't even look at you." His voice was cruel, calculated. "She's been ignoring you for days. And you're still here, holding onto hope? Pathetic."
A few people chuckled uncomfortably, but most of them just watched, waiting for a response. Hamza swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He knew Shumaila felt something. He could see it in her eyes, in the way she reacted to him. But she hadn't said anything. And that made Karan's words cut deeper than they should have.
Hamza tried to retort, to defend himself, but nothing came out. Because at the end of the day, Karan was right—Shumaila hadn't said a single word about his confession.
The silence that followed was thick and suffocating.
Karan continued, "Does she even see you as her friend? Hah! probably not!" enjoying the way he's humiliating Hamza.
Then, it was broken by a voice colder than ice.
"Maybe Karan is right."
The entire courtyard stilled.
The weight of her words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Karan turned, triumph written all over his face as he spotted Shumaila standing near the edge of the gathering, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
Hamza, on the other hand, felt like the ground beneath him had cracked open. His stomach twisted painfully.
Shumaila took a step forward, her voice carrying effortlessly. "Maybe I don't even see Hamza as a friend."
Karan's smirk widened. "Exactly. See, Hamza? Even she admits it."
Hamza's chest tightened as he dropped his gaze. He didn't want to hear this. Not from her.
But then Shumaila's next words sliced through the air like a blade.
"I don't see him as a friend," she repeated, pausing just long enough for Karan to bask in his supposed victory—before she delivered the final blow.
"Because he's more than that to me."
A stunned silence fell over the courtyard.
Karan's face dropped.
Hamza's head snapped up, eyes widening in disbelief.
The crowd barely had time to process what was happening before Shumaila continued, her tone steady, unwavering.
"Hamza is the most stubborn, frustrating idiot I know," she said, her lips twitching slightly, "but he's also one of the most genuine people I've ever met. He doesn't need to prove himself to anyone, because to me, he's already enough." (change of heart eh?)
Hamza felt his breath catch in his throat, his heart pounding harder than it ever had before.
Shumaila stepped closer, her gaze locked onto his. "Maybe I have been avoiding him," she admitted, her voice softer now. "But it's not because I don't feel anything."
She exhaled, her next words spoken so clearly that there was no room for doubt.
"It's because I feel too much."
The entire place stood frozen. The whispers had stopped, the laughter had died out. All that remained was the echo of Shumaila's words settling into every corner of the courtyard.
Hamza was certain his heart had stopped. He had dreamed of hearing something like this. But never like this. Never so public. So raw. So… real.
Then, before anyone could react, Shumaila closed the remaining distance between them.
She reached out, gently taking Hamza's hand in hers, her fingers curling around his like it was the most natural thing in the world. Hamza could barely breathe.
Without breaking eye contact, she simply said, "Let's go."
And just like that, she led him away while supporting as he was still recovering.
The students parted instinctively, stunned into silence as they watched the two figures disappear past the courtyard.
Karan stood frozen, fists clenched, his expression twisting in fury as he watched his entire plan collapse right before his eyes.
Back in the crowd, the group was still recovering from the shock.
Siddarth was the first to speak. "Holy. Shit."
Komal blinked. "Did that actually just happen?"
Sneha, grinning ear to ear, threw her hands up. "SHE JUST CONFESSED. PUBLICLY."
Aarav chuckled, crossing his arms. "And then she just dragged him out of there like an absolute queen."
Akansha smirked. "Took her long enough."
Rudra shook his head in awe. "We need to throw a party. This is history in the making."
As laughter and cheers erupted among the group, Karan stormed off in the opposite direction, seething.
But none of that mattered.
Because, for Hamza, Shumaila had finally given him the answer he had been waiting for.