Hamza's POV
Hamza sat at the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor of his dorm room. He had no idea where Rudra was but it didn't even mattered as he wanted to be alone.
His confession had been impulsive, raw, and completely out of character. But in that moment, he hadn't cared. He had just needed her to know.
But now? Now, he wasn't sure if he had made things better or worse.
Shumaila hadn't said anything. She hadn't pushed him away, but she hadn't embraced him either.
Was that a good sign? Or a sign that she was too stunned to react?
He groaned, running a hand through his hair.
Maybe disappearing for a while wasn't the worst idea.
Early morning
"Hamza, where the hell are you?" Rudra muttered to himself as he walked into their dorm room, expecting to find his roommate.
Instead, the room was empty.
With a sigh, he was about to leave when his eyes landed on something—a piece of folded paper on Hamza's desk. Curiosity sparked in him, especially when he noticed the way Hamza's name was scrawled on it.
"What's this?" he murmured, picking it up and unfolding it.
As his eyes skimmed over the words, his jaw dropped.
By the time he finished reading, his shock turned into excitement.
"OH. MY. GOD." Rudra gasped, dramatically clutching his chest like he had just discovered a hidden treasure.
"This… THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!"
Without missing a beat, he pulled out his phone and started creating a group chat excluding Shumaila and Hamza obviously.
The name? "Shumaila x Hamza Crisis Control."
Group Chat
Rudra: GUYS. EMERGENCY. 🚨🚨🚨
Rudra: I FOUND A LETTER.
Rudra: A HEARTBREAKING LETTER. WRITTEN BY HAMZA.
Rudra: I REPEAT. HE WROTE HIS FEELINGS DOWN.
Aarav: …why are you being dramatic?
Sneha: Wait, WHAT? 😳
Komal: SHOW. US. NOW.
Siddarth: I don't believe it.
Akansha: I DO. 🤡
Rudra: ATTACHING PHOTO. 📎
Rudra has sent an image.
The group chat exploded.
Sneha: WE NEED A MEETING. NOW.
Komal: SAME PLACE AS ALWAYS.
Siddarth: On my way.
Aarav: This is getting interesting.
Akansha: I'm already here.
As soon as everyone gathered, Rudra dramatically slammed the paper onto the table. "Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is why both Shumaila and Hamza are acting weird."
Sneha picked it up, reading aloud: "I love you. And I hate myself for not knowing it sooner."
The group collectively inhaled.
"Okay, but this means—" Aarav started.
"That he confessed," Komal cut in, her eyes widening. "Which means… THAT'S why Shumaila has been acting weird!"
Siddarth smirked. "Look at you, Sherlock Holmes."
Komal ignored him, standing up. "Think about it! She came back from her jog all weird, and then suddenly Hamza disappears? He must have confessed to her!"
"And judging by the fact that he's been MIA ever since… it probably didn't go well," Akansha added.
The room went silent for a moment before Siddarth spoke. "Alright, let's talk about something else—Hamza's change. We all saw how he reacted after Karan's confession. We all saw him fall apart."
Aarav nodded. "Yeah… he's not the same person who accused Shumaila without proof. He's… different."
Komal sighed. "I hate to say it, but I think we need to forgive him."
Sneha placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, we're doing more than forgiving him."
Rudra smirked. "Oh, we're definitely doing more than forgiving him."
"What do you mean?" Akansha asked, raising a brow.
Sneha and Rudra exchanged a knowing look.
Then, in unison, they declared: "MISSION: SHUMAILA AND HAMZA."
"Alright, listen up," Sneha started, rubbing her hands together. "Shumaila's IQ is excellent. But her EQ? A disaster. Especially when it comes to emotions."
"Facts," Rudra agreed.
Komal smirked. "So we're playing cupid?"
"Not just playing cupid," Siddarth corrected. "We're engineering a love story."
Aarav chuckled. "This is either going to be genius… or a complete disaster."
"Both!" Sneha grinned. "And that's the fun part."
The group leaned in, whispering their plans, their excitement bubbling.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the chaos brewing behind her back, Shumaila sat in her dorm, flipping through her notes when—
"AACHHOOOO!"
She groaned, rubbing her nose. "What the hell? Who's cursing me?"
'Probably Hamza' she thought.
Shumaila scowled.
"That idiot? Please," she huffed. "I bet he's somewhere being annoying even in my absence."
Still, as she turned back to her notes, she couldn't shake the weird feeling in her chest.
And somewhere across campus, her entire group was plotting against her.