Chapter 6: The Aftermath

                                    

                                          
The kiss lingered in Aanya's mind long after the warmth of Meera's lips had faded. It was all she could think about as she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, her heart still pounding in her chest. She could feel the ghost of Meera's touch on her skin, the way her hands had cradled Aanya's face so gently yet firmly, the passion behind that kiss. Aanya had never experienced anything like it before—so intense, so consuming, so... right.
But as the euphoria of the moment began to fade, reality came crashing down around her. What had she done? How had she let herself fall into Meera's arms like that? Her mind raced with a hundred different thoughts, each one more confusing than the last. She had spent so long trying to keep her emotions in check, to keep herself guarded, and yet with Meera, it all unraveled so easily.
Aanya turned over in bed, hugging her pillow tightly as if that could somehow make everything feel less complicated. But it didn't. Nothing felt simple anymore. The kiss had changed things—between them, within herself—and now she had no idea what to do next.
The next morning, Aanya avoided Meera. She didn't know how to face her, didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to talk about the kiss, to figure out what it all meant, but another part of her was terrified. What if Meera didn't feel the same way? What if the kiss was just another one of her bold, impulsive actions, something she didn't think too deeply about? Aanya couldn't bear the thought of putting her heart on the line only to have it crushed.
For the next few days, Aanya threw herself into her studies, using schoolwork as a distraction. She barely left her dorm room, except for classes, and even then, she made sure to sit as far away from Meera as possible. But it didn't matter. Meera was always there—in the back of her mind, in the way her heart skipped a beat whenever she thought about the kiss, in the way she caught herself searching for Meera's face in the crowd even when she tried not to.
It was torture, and Aanya knew she couldn't keep avoiding Meera forever. They still had their project to work on, and sooner or later, she would have to face the reality of what had happened between them.