Selfishness

CHAPTER 4 :Unknown text

Third person's pov

As Kritika lay in bed, a charming smile graced her lips as memories of her encounter with Ranvijay flooded her mind. She couldn't believe that someone as charismatic as him was taking an interest in her. Throughout her school years, she had been a loner, with only a handful of friends and minimal interaction with boys. Her love life, if it could even be called that, had been a series of disappointments, with crushes fizzling out before they even began.

The sudden attention from Ranvijay both thrilled and unnerved her. She was torn between wanting to keep her guard up and the desire to explore the possibility of finding someone special. But a nagging voice in her head whispered doubts, reminding her of her past failures and insecurities.

"Kritika, you're going mad," she murmured to herself, trying to push away the conflicting thoughts swirling in her mind. "Stop overthinking. Just focus on what's ahead."

But try as she might, her thoughts kept circling back to Ranvijay. A part of her couldn't shake the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be different. Yet, another part of her remained skeptical, fearing that it was all just a game to him.

"I should just forget about him," she scolded herself, feeling a pang of disappointment. "No boy will ever love me. He's probably just playing with me."

Despite her attempts to convince herself otherwise, she found herself reaching for her phone, her fingers instinctively searching for Ranvijay's Instagram profile. As she scrolled through his posts, she couldn't help but admire his handsome features and confident demeanor.

"Hot," she whispered under her breath, unable to deny the attraction she felt towards him.

But the moment of humor quickly faded as a wave of insecurity washed over her. "Kritika, are you stupid?" she chided herself. "You think a guy like him could ever be interested in someone like you?"

Though she tried to brush it off with a laugh, the pain in her heart lingered, a constant reminder of her own doubts and insecurities. Yet, despite the uncertainty, a flicker of hope remained, a glimmer of possibility that maybe, just maybe, this time could be different.

Suddenly kritika's phone pinged showing a text received from an unknown number her heart raced as she read the unexpected message from the unknown number. "Are u awake?" it read, causing her skepticism to skyrocket. Who could possibly be texting her at this hour?

Her fingers hovered over the block button, ready to dismiss the message as the ramblings of some late-night stranger. But before she could act, another message came through, sending a jolt of shock through her system.

"By the way it's me, Ranvijay."

Her breath caught in her throat as she re-read the message, her mind spinning with a whirlwind of emotions. Shock, excitement, nervousness—all of it collided inside her, leaving her feeling giddy and uncertain all at once.

"Oh my god, oh my god," she muttered to herself, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the screen. "What should I do now?"

Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, each one competing for attention. She had never been in a situation like this before, never chatted with a boy, let alone someone as charming as Ranvijay. The pressure to respond in a way that wouldn't make her seem weird or awkward weighed heavily on her.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, to think rationally. After all, it was just a message from him, nothing more. With shaky fingers, she typed out a response, trying her best to sound composed and casual.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's up?" she finally replied, her heart still pounding in her chest as she awaited his response.

"Just thinking about you" he texted