(Vihaana's Pov)

Lunch Break

Dhruv and I walked out of lecture together, notebooks clutched under our arms. "You survived Mr. Kapoor's lecture?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "Barely. How is that man allowed to exist in the same building as students?"

Dhruv laughed. "You'll get used to it. Come on, the gang's probably at the café already."

Sure enough, as we rounded the corner, the whole group was there—Abhimanyu, Arjun, Rudra, Reyansh, Aadya, Taranya ...and Vivaan, casually leaning back with his coffee, chatting and laughing with everyone.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Aadya said, nudging me playfully.

"I survived the lecture," I said, sliding onto the bench. My hands rested in my lap, gestures saved for the dramatic parts, and the chaos immediately surrounded me.

"Did anyone see Abhi almost drop three muffins at once?" Taranya asked, and I couldn't help but smile. "Oh yes! And then he tried to catch one midair, and it landed on Dhruv's notebook!"

Vivaan chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "You really do notice everything, huh?"

I grinned. "Of course. Someone has to report the disasters."

"Disasters? We call it Monday," Arjun said, tossing a sugar packet at Rudra, who made a dramatic groan.

Reyansh laughed. "Finally, someone new to laugh at our nonsense."

"Oh by the way!!!" I said, gesturing slightly when I started telling the story of the professor tripping over the projector cord. Everyone laughed, including Vivaan at the right moments. He wasn't dominating the conversation, just subtly amused, joining in naturally when it was funny.

By the time the lunch break was over, I realized something. I wasn't the new girl in the gang anymore. I was just... one of them. And Vivaan? Unlike the others, he was calm, confident, teasing occasionally, quiet when he wanted, but always right there, seamlessly fitting in.

I smiled. Maybe surviving college chaos wasn't so hard after all. Especially with friends like them who can make even a love failure die with laughter.