4. Frenemies

Aadya's POV:

Running into that Mr.smug face at Roohi's engagement was the last thing I expected. Just when I thought I had left all my collage grudges behind, there he was, with that same arrogant smirk, as if the years hadn't changed a thing. To make matters worse, he turned out to be Roohi's brother-in-law. I could barely stand to be in the same room as him.

The next day, as I was driving to library, I was still fuming about seeing him again. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the Mercedes swerving into my lane until it was almost too late. I slammed on the brakes, just barely avoiding a collision. The other car screeched to a stop, and I saw the driver get out, furious.

Of course, it had to be him in whole city.

"Are you blind, or just reckless?" Smug face shouted as he stalked over to my car.

I stepped out, equally furious. "Are you trying to get us both killed? What kind of maniac drives like that?"

He crossed his arms, his expression turning smug. "Maybe if you weren't so distracted, you'd have seen me coming. Or is driving too much of a challenge for you?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. "You were the one who swerved into my lane, Mr.smug face . This isn't collage anymore-you can't just do whatever you want and expect everyone to bow down to you."

He stepped closer, his voice lowering dangerously. "And you still think you're always right, don't you, Princess? Some things never change."

"Neither does your habit of being an arrogant jerk," I shot back, refusing to back down.

We were standing so close now, the tension crackling between us. I could feel the heat rising in my face, both from anger and something else I didn't want to name.

"Maybe you just can't handle someone challenging you," he said, his tone almost mocking.

"Challenging me?" I laughed bitterly. "All you do is cause trouble. If you're so interested in challenges, why don't you try being a decent human being for once?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but just then, a bystander called out, "Hey, you two need to move your cars!"

I realized we were causing a scene. Without another word, I turned away from him and got back into my car. As I parked my car in diffrent spot, I could still feel the frustration bubbling inside me. He had always known exactly how to push my buttons, and nothing had changed.

I needed some peace after the chaos of the past few days my parents wanted me to move back here and i really didn't want to but they were really amandent this time, I decided to retreat to my favorite place-the library. The smell of old books and the quiet atmosphere always had a calming effect on me. I was lost in thought, imagining the hours I'd spend with a good book, when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

I turned around, and of course, it was him. Mr.smug face, looking as smug as ever.

"Why are you following me?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

He shrugged casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I'm not following you. I'm just heading to the library."

I rolled my eyes, not buying it for a second. "Since when do you read?"

"Since always," he replied smoothly, falling into step beside me. "You just never noticed."

"Right," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "And I suppose you just happened to be going to the exact same library as me, at the exact same time?"

"Maybe it's fate," he teased, flashing me that infuriating grin.

I groaned inwardly. "Fate? Or just your never-ending need to annoy me?"

"Maybe a bit of both," he admitted with a chuckle. "But seriously, what's wrong with going to the library? It's a public place."

I had no good argument against that, but it didn't stop me from trying. "You always do this-show up out of nowhere and ruin my plans."

"Ruin?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'd say I make things more interesting."

"Interesting isn't the word I'd use," I muttered, quickening my pace. But he easily matched my stride, his presence impossible to shake off.

We reached the library, and I tried to ignore him as I browsed the shelves, but it was no use. Every time I pulled out a book, there he was, making some comment or another.

I picked up a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird," trying to focus on the summary.

"Going for a bit of courtroom drama, are we?" Shivansh commented, leaning closer. "Thinking of applying it to real life?"

I shot him a look, but he just smirked, clearly enjoying himself. I moved on to the next aisle, hoping he'd take the hint. I grabbed another book-"The Great Gatsby."

"Ah, Gatsby," he said with a mock sigh. "A man who chases after the unattainable. Sound familiar?"

I clenched my teeth, putting the book back a little too forcefully. He followed me to another shelf, not giving up. I reached for a copy of "Jane Eyre."

"Jane Eyre?" he remarked, sounding amused. "An independent woman who refuses to bow down to anyone. Now that seems more your style."

I was at my breaking point. Turning to face him, I snapped, "Don't you have any work, Shivansh? Or is bothering me the only thing on your agenda today?"

He grinned, clearly unfazed by my irritation. "Work? You are my work today, Princess."

I glared at him, but he just chuckled. I knew I was losing this battle, just like I always did with him. He had a way of getting under my skin, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to win against him.

"Fine," I huffed, grabbing a book and heading to a table. "Just... stay over there."

He sat down across from me, not even pretending to look for a book. I buried my nose in my novel, trying to drown him out, but I could still feel his gaze on me. It was distracting, irritating... and strangely comforting, in a way I refused to admit.

"You're not going to win, you know," he said after a few minutes, his voice soft but teasing.

I looked up from my book, meeting his eyes. "Who says I'm trying to win?"

He leaned forward slightly, his expression serious for the first time. "You always are, Princess. And that's what makes it fun."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just went back to my book, pretending I wasn't affected by his words. But deep down, I knew he was right. I was always trying to win, especially when it came to him. The problem was, I never could.

The library, my haven of peace, was the last place I expected to be annoyed, yet here I was, with Shivansh Birla doing his best to ruin it. Every few minutes, I felt his gaze on me, and it grated on my nerves. He wasn't even pretending to read the book in front of him-he was just here to annoy me. Typical.

After what felt like an eternity of trying to ignore him, I finally snapped. I shoved my book into my bag and stood up, determined to escape before I lost my temper. The fresh air hit me as I exited the library, but it did little to calm the storm inside me.

All I wanted was to get to my car, drive away, and leave Shivansh far behind. As I reached for the car door, I heard his voice call out, "Princess!"

I rolled my eyes and ignored him. He was probably just going to tease me again, and I wasn't in the mood. I yanked the car door open, but before I could get in, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

Reluctantly, I turned around, ready to tell him off, but the words froze in my throat. There, in his hand, was my phone.

"You left this behind, Princess," Shivansh said, a smirk playing on his lips.

I hadn't even realized it was missing. My frustration simmered, but I managed to keep it in check. "Give it to me," I demanded, holding out my hand.

Shivansh didn't move. Instead, he twirled the phone between his fingers, clearly enjoying this. "Not even a thank you?" he teased.

I glared at him, hating how he always found a way to get under my skin. "Thank you," I bit out, my tone clipped. "Now, can I have my phone?"

He smiled, that infuriatingly charming smile, and finally handed it over. "You're welcome, Princess."

The nickname made my blood boil. "Don't call me that," I snapped, grabbing my phone.

He chuckled, clearly unfazed by my irritation. "Whatever you say, Princess."

I turned away, fuming, but before I could get into my car, I heard a familiar voice call out, "Aadya!" I turned to see Vivaan walking toward us with a wide grin. He was Shivansh's younger brother i knew him, and unlike Shivansh, he was someone I actually got along with.

"Vivaan!" I greeted him with a genuine smile and hugged him, relieved to see a friendly face.

Vivaan shook his head with a laugh, glancing between him and me. "Some things never change. Why are you guys fighting now?"

Shivansh shrugged, leaning against my car casually. "I don't fight with her," he said with a playful smirk. "She just likes to argue."

"Argue?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. "If you didn't act like an entitled jerk all the time, we wouldn't have to argue."

He feigned innocence, his eyes widening theatrically. "Me? Entitled? I'm just trying to help you, Princess."

"You're impossible," I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.

Vivaan chuckled, clearly enjoying the banter. "You two are exactly the same as you were in collage. It's like I've stepped back in time."

"Except now we're adults and should know better," I retorted, though the sarcasm in my tone was hard to miss.

"Should, but don't," Shivansh quipped, his smirk widening as he looked at me. "I'm just here to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble."

"More like cause trouble," I shot back, rolling my eyes.

Vivaan laughed, stepping in between us. "Okay, okay, let's not turn this parking lot into a battlefield. Aadya, how's life in London been? You are Bhabhi's friend, right?"

I nodded, grateful for the change in subject. "Yeah, I came back for Roohi. I knew she was marrying into a wealthy family, but I didn't know she was marrying into  this family," I said, giving sumg face a pointed look.

"Surprise!" He said with mock cheerfulness. "Now you get to see even more of me. Lucky you."

I groaned dramatically. "Just what I needed."

Vivaan grinned. "You know, it's actually kind of funny how things turned out. You and Shivansh always butted heads in collage, and now here you are, part of the same extended family. Fate has a weird sense of humor."

"Or a cruel one," I muttered under my breath, though a small smile tugged at my lips. As much as Mr. Smug face annoyed me, I had to admit that the banter felt oddly familiar, almost comforting.

"You know you missed me, Princess," he said, leaning in closer, his tone teasing.

I glared at him, but before I could snap back, Vivaan interjected, "Alright, enough of that. Let's not turn this into one of your infamous collage fights. We've grown up, haven't we?"

"Debatable," I muttered, shooting Mr.sumg face another glare.

"Let's click a picture, hey click our picture " I giving my phone to smug face and hearing this he made irritated face but clicked our picture.

"Would you like to joins us I asked " I asked taking back my phone.

"No I wouldn't princess" he said

"Bhai come on " vivaan said grabbing hin by his shoulder, and I clicked our selfie.

The three of us chatted for a bit longer, falling into a familiar rhythm that was strangely comforting , after our school when i got sperated from girls because all of us had to go to pursuse our dreames i meet this two in my collage.

They were the reason because of whom i survived my collage we were known as " three musketeers" i don't know what went wrong between me and Shivansh that our fun banter into fight and our friendship turned into rivalry, maybe i know.

Despite the tension between Shivansh and me, there was something about the dynamic that reminded me of our friendship in collage days-full of banter, teasing, and a hint of something more beneath the surface.

As I finally got into my car and drove away, I couldn't help but think about how bizarre the situation was. I had come here for Roohi's engagement, my parents are now forcing me to shift back because they miss me and now I again meet him in a way I hadn't expected. I knew they were wealthy, but I had no idea they were The Birlas.

And to make matters worse, my friend turned into enemy from collage was now a constant thorn in my side. What were the odds?