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Naina sat at her dining table, lazily picking at the last pieces of her toast as the sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains. Her mind wandered to her endless list of assignments. The plan for the day was simple: study. The quiet morning was interrupted by the sudden buzz of her phone, which she picked up without looking at the screen.

"Hello?"

"Good morning," Ayaan's deep, teasing voice filled the line.

Her brows furrowed. "What do you want?"

"Wow, no 'good morning' back? That's rude, even for you," he replied, feigning offense.

"Ayaan, I have work to do," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you have class today?" he asked casually, ignoring her tone.

"No, but I have studying to—"

"Perfect," he cut her off cheerfully. "Be ready in fifteen minutes."

"What?" Her voice rose with confusion. "Ayaan, I just told you I need to study—"

"No, you don't," he said firmly. "Now stop arguing. Be ready in fifteen. I'll text you when I'm downstairs."

"Ayaan, I'm not going anywhere!" she snapped.

"You are," he said with maddening confidence. "Fifteen minutes, Naina."

And just like that, he hung up.

She stared at her phone, dumbfounded. "Unbelievable."

Reluctantly, she got up, pulling on her favorite cargo pants and a simple white top. She glanced at herself in the mirror, wondering if she should try harder with her look, then shook her head. It didn't matter.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, her phone buzzed with a text: Downstairs.

Grumbling under her breath, she grabbed her bag and headed down. Ayaan was leaning casually against his car, looking effortlessly handsome in a black hoodie and jeans.

"Finally," he said as she approached, flashing his trademark smirk.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"We're going out," he said simply, opening the passenger door for her.

"I have studying to do," she protested weakly, though she slid into the car.

"No, you don't," he said with a chuckle as he got into the driver's seat. "You need a break, and I'm making sure you take one."

She sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue.

~•~

Their first stop was a small chai stall near the campus, where they sat on plastic stools under the shade of a large tree.

"So, how's med going?" Ayaan asked, stirring his chai with a spoon.

"It's... intense," Naina admitted. "But I think I've finally decided."

"Decided what?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.

"I'm going to switch to biomedical engineering," she said, smiling softly.

His face lit up. "No way! Seriously?"

She nodded.

"That's amazing!" he exclaimed. "You'll be an engineer too. Finally, someone in this group who'll understand my rants about circuits and algorithms."

She laughed, the sound surprising even herself. "We'll see if I survive first."

"You will," he said confidently. "You're brilliant. And stubborn enough to make it happen."