Chapter 6: Out of the Spotlight

Back home, I sat at my desk. I wanted to do a practice test, but I couldn’t focus.

Amma’s serial blared from the living room, and the aroma of tadka dal drifted in, but I couldn’t taste any of it. The familiar ticking of the wall clock and the distant sound of Amma’s laughter did nothing to calm my nerves. Rohan’s tear-streaked face kept flashing through my mind.

Ever since we met, he’d followed me like a loyal puppy, always silently taking care of me. I could be stubborn, but he was endlessly patient.

I remembered the time I got a fever before the pre-boards, and Rohan cycled across town just to bring me homemade khichdi. He’d waited outside the gate until Amma let him in, his face red from the sun.

And Rohan was exactly my type—six foot one, broad shoulders, long legs, lean muscle. I’d even dreamed about marrying him someday: coming home from work to see Rohan in an apron, shirtless, greeting me with a spatula.

What a beautiful life that would be.

But now… I could only retreat to being friends.

I couldn’t take the risk. Ten years of hard work—IIT was my dream. I couldn’t afford to fail. And I didn’t want my parents to lose their only child.

I tried to comfort myself: once I got to college, there’d be plenty of quality guys. As for Rohan, if fate wanted him and Priya together, so be it. That way, everyone would be happy.

I stared at the photo of my family on the desk, my parents smiling proudly at my last medal ceremony. I owed it to them to succeed.

Suddenly, the barrage appeared:

[The author really knows how to tug at your heartstrings. Seeing the male lead with the supporting girl was painful, but thank goodness they broke up—he’s still untouched, like the last gulab jamun at a wedding buffet!]

[The male lead is so dense. He finally realised something was off with his body—the supporting girl’s help was on point!]

[OMG, the male lead called the female lead and asked her out tonight!]

[He’s showering so hard, using so much body wash—is it to smell good for tonight’s big event?]

[Ahhh, the famous scene is coming! Double out-of-focus eyes, they’re about to ascend together!]

My pen fell onto the test paper with a thud.

The world spun around me. Me getting together with Rohan and then breaking up—it felt like my own choice, but also like I was being pushed along by the plot. All to move the main couple’s relationship forward.

Cold sweat broke out on my back. I was overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, unable to escape the script.

The feeling was suffocating, like being trapped in a pressure cooker with the lid about to blow.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed my pen, and tried to focus on the IIT practice test. I gripped it so hard my knuckles turned white, the words on the page swimming before my eyes.

I was about to call Rohan—then stopped. Could this also be part of the plot?

If I ruined the main couple’s date, wouldn’t that just prove I was the villainess?

After thinking it over, I called the class teacher and requested a seat change for Monday.

I spoke in my best good-student voice, mentioning the need for better focus and fewer distractions. Thanks to my good-student status, the teacher agreed.

I breathed a sigh of relief. As long as I stayed far away from them, I wouldn’t get pulled into the main couple’s drama, right?

I whispered a silent prayer to Ganpati Bappa, hoping for a little peace.

But as I slid into my new seat, a shiver ran down my spine. The plot wasn’t done with me yet.