Arjun had always been the carefree one—the guy who laughed in the face of trouble, the expert at annoying his siblings, and the king of bad decisions. But today… today was different.

The screech of tires, the deafening sound of impact, and then—BAM! The universe decided he needed a flying lesson.

When Arjun opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground, staring at the sky like some tragic movie hero. His arm throbbed, his head hurt, and—oh great—his brand-new jacket was now decorated with dirt. But none of that mattered.

Because right in front of him, struggling to sit up, was a girl.

Shivani.

Her forehead had a small cut, her hands were scraped, and she looked like she had just walked out of a dramatic music video. But it wasn’t the injuries that caught Arjun’s attention.

It was her eyes.

A pair of beautiful eyes… but filled with so much pain. Not the "oops-I-fell" kind of pain, but the kind that sat deep inside, like an old wound no one could see.

For the first time in his life, Arjun felt something strange—an unfamiliar ache in his chest. Was this… concern? Nah, couldn’t be. Maybe indigestion?

“You okay?” he asked, his voice softer than he intended.

Shivani nodded, but Arjun wasn’t buying it.

Lifting his injured arm, he groaned dramatically. “Well, looks like we’re both a mess now. Great. Just my luck to crash into someone with tragic-heroine vibes.”

Shivani blinked at him, clearly not expecting that.

Arjun sighed. “And here I thought if I ever had an accident, it’d be in slow motion with dramatic background music. But nooo, reality just had to make me look like a clumsy idiot.”

Shivani let out a small chuckle.

Arjun smirked. There it is.

And in that moment, he decided—whatever pain she was hiding, whatever made her eyes so sad—he was going to be the idiot who made her smile again.

____

Mission: Make Shivani Laugh

Arjun sat on the hospital bed like a king recovering from battle, dramatically inspecting his bandaged arm. Meanwhile, Shivani sat nearby, still quiet, still lost in thought.

Not on his watch.

"So, Shivani," Arjun started, stretching his legs out. "Tell me, did you have a secret plan to run me over, or was it just fate deciding I needed a reality check?"

Shivani raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? You walked in front of my bike!"

Arjun gasped. "Lies! I was merely existing, minding my own business, when you—out of nowhere—came speeding like an action hero!"

Shivani rolled her eyes. "I was going at normal speed!"

"Normal speed? HA! Tell that to my poor jacket. It used to be a proud, spotless masterpiece, and now… now it's covered in tragic accident memories!" He held up his sleeve like it was a priceless artifact.

Shivani shook her head. "You're so dramatic."

Arjun leaned forward. "Oh, you haven't even seen my best work. If this were a movie, this would be the scene where I look deep into your eyes and say, ‘Shivani… before I die… tell me… was I your first crush?’"

Shivani stared at him, then let out a loud laugh.

Arjun grinned. "Aha! Mission accomplished!"

Shivani tried to stop laughing but failed miserably. "You're ridiculous!"

Arjun placed a hand over his heart. "Ridiculously charming, you mean?"

Shivani rolled her eyes again, but this time, there was a spark in them—a tiny flicker of amusement.

And Arjun? He felt like he had just won the biggest battle of his life.

Arjun’s First Love—And He’s Doomed

As they left the hospital, Arjun walked beside Shivani, still feeling victorious from making her laugh. She turned to him just before getting into her cab.

“Thanks, Arjun,” she said softly.

Arjun blinked. “Huh? For what? For getting hit by your bike?”

Shivani shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “For making me laugh.”

And just like that, she got into the cab and drove away.

Arjun stood there, staring at the empty road like an absolute fool.

Wait… what was this weird feeling in his chest? Why was he still smiling like a lovesick teenager?

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

Was this…?

Was this love?!

Arjun clutched his head dramatically. “Nooo! Not me! The king of carefree living! The master of mischief! The undefeated prankster! I can’t be in love!”

But the image of Shivani’s smile refused to leave his mind.

He groaned. “I’m doomed.”

And thus, Arjun Kumar—the boy who never took anything seriously—had just fallen into his first love. And knowing him, this was going to be nothing short of a complete disaster.