The rain crashed down, hitting the ground hard, like the tension between them. Avyaansh, his usually perfect hair now soaked and flat, stood frozen. His laugh stopped short, as if it was caught in his throat.

"It's...it's humorous how you're joking right now, Lavender," he managed, the forced lightness in his voice cracking. "And the best part? You expect me to believe it." He tried to laugh again, a hollow, desperate sound that the storm swallowed whole.