The professor's secret

Enjoy reading~

Third person's pov:

She was sitting in her room, curled up inside her blanket, with only her face visible. A tissue box sat on her lap, and she was going through the tissues one by one. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and her nose was running. For the first time in a long while, she wasn't eating her chocolates before bedtime, a routine she always followed to cheer herself up.

Tears still streamed down her face when she heard a knock on the door. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but she knew that Sagar Sharma wouldn't stop until she opened the door. He was her cousin from her mother's side, and he was extremely close to her. In fact, because of him, she had never felt the need for a brother. Sagar was the most bubbly and carefree person she knew—his energy was infectious, and he never took anything seriously.

Sagar had come to visit her because his parents were away on a business trip to London. He had taken the opportunity to drop by, as he knew she was home alone.

"Come in," she said in a soft, hoarse voice, her throat sore from all the crying.

She was still hidden under the blanket when he walked into her room. Dressed in his usual black vest and grey trousers, Sagar's black curly hair was tied up in a messy bun on his head. Naina often wondered how he managed such a big bun. She herself had long hair, but she usually let it flow freely, or sometimes tied it in a ponytail if she was feeling lazy.

Sagar looked at her with a concerned expression, then passed her a cup of hot coffee. She had never figured out how he always seemed to know when she was feeling down. It was like he had an ability to sense her mood. And whenever he knew she was sad, he always made her a cup of coffee. It was one of the little things he did that made her feel cared for.

She took the cup from him, the warmth of it comforting against her cold hands. But her mind was still elsewhere, lost in her own sadness.

"You're not gonna talk to me, huh?" he said with a playful tone, his usual bubbly self trying to break through her shell.

She didn't respond, still lost in her blanket and tears. But Sagar didn't give up. He sat on the edge of her bed, watching her quietly, waiting for her to open up.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, and she could tell he was trying hard to make her laugh. But today, she was in such a bad mood that she knew she wouldn't be able to laugh—not today, at least.

Seeing his efforts go to waste, he let out a deep sigh and said, "What happened, my caterpillar?"

As soon as she heard him say that, a small smile formed on her face. It was the most unique nickname anyone had ever given her, and it brought back memories. When she was younger, she used to catch caterpillars and wait for them to turn into butterflies. But in all her childhood years, she never got to see a full lifecycle of a butterfly. Every time she caught a new caterpillar, they ended up dying, and because of this, Sagar had called her "caterpillar."

"Nothing, just college stress," she replied, but she knew he wouldn't believe her.

He shook his head, still watching her, who was now hiding completely under the blanket. Without saying anything, he pulled out a chocolate from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it but just stared at it for a while. Soon, tears began to fall from her eyes again.

Seeing her like this, he shook his head and passed her a tissue. "Tell me, who had dared to break your heart?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, not saying anything. She ripped open the chocolate, took a bite, and then offered him a piece. He smiled at her, and she knew exactly what was going to happen next. He took a bite, and sure enough, half the chocolate was now in his mouth.