The classroom was unusually quiet, yet nobody was truly paying attention. Every student sat in their place with an open notebook in front of them, pretending to focus on the lecture. However, almost every pair of eyes kept drifting toward the same corner before quickly returning to the board whenever the professor turned around.

The professor remained busy writing something on the board, completely unaware of the silent exchange happening behind him. The moment he focused on writing a long explanation, dozens of eyes shifted toward the window without moving their heads. As if following a well-practiced routine, a figure climbed onto the windowsill and, without wasting a second, jumped outside, landed in the college corridor and quickly ran fast.

The girls who had been holding their breath finally relaxed. A collective sense of relief spread across the room as everyone comfortably turned their attention back toward the front, acting as though nothing had happened. A girl sitting in the front row, unable to see what had happened, leaned toward her friend and whispered.

"Agnika got out of here."

"Hmm," the other girl replied before grinning. "Finally. Her Dev must be waiting for her. If Agnika doesn't meet her Dev today, just assume the entire world is going to catch fire."

The moment those words left her mouth, the girls sitting nearby burst into laughter. Their laughter instantly echoed across the classroom, drawing the professor's attention.

He turned around sharply, causing every student to fall silent at once. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully scanned the entire classroom from one end to the other. After making sure he hadn't missed anything, he frowned deeply.

"Agnika Shergill is missing again?" he said in disbelief. "I saw that girl sitting right here a few minutes ago, and now she's disappeared once more... Today, I'm definitely not letting her get away with this.”

Here Agnika, who was running across the campus grounds while clutching her bag. Her high heels kept slowing her down, making it difficult to move as fast as she wanted. Finally, she came to an abrupt stop, slipped both heels off her feet, grabbed them in one hand, and took off again at full speed.

The moment she reached the boundary wall behind the college, she immediately looked around and shouted.

“Have you arrived?”

“Don't jump… You'll get hurt,” a voice called back instantly. “Just stay where you are and wait.”

As soon as he said that, a young man appeared above the wall and looked down at her. The wall was not very high, but it was high enough to require some effort to climb over. The second Agnika saw him, a bright smile spread across her face. Resting both his arms casually on top of the wall, he looked at her with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“You skipped your class for me again?”

“I can leave the entire world for you,” Agnika replied without a second of hesitation. “What is one class compared to that?”

He burst out laughing at her dramatic answer. Shaking his head, he slowly took her bag from her hands and tossed it onto the other side of the wall before extending his hand toward her.

“Come on, give me your hand and be careful. And why were you running barefoot?... Why did you take off your shoes?... Have you completely lost your mind? What if you had hurt your feet?”

“If I had gotten hurt, then I would've gotten hurt,” she replied carelessly. “Coming to meet you was more important.”

His smile widened at her answer. Grabbing her hand firmly, he pulled her upward. Agnika placed her feet against the wall and climbed with practiced ease. It was obvious she had done this countless times before because she reached the top without the slightest difficulty.

The moment she sat on the wall, Dev caught hold of her and carefully helped her down to the other side. Once she landed safely, he lightly shook his head and sighed.

“Somebody help me,” he muttered. “This girl never stops running.”

Agnika immediately threw her head back and laughed loudly. Both of them headed toward the car, and the moment they reached it, Agnika immediately asked.

“Where are we going?”

“Don't worry,” Dev replied as he opened the car door for her. “I know we only have an hour before your driver arrives, so we won't go very far. We'll go to the ice cream parlor nearby. I've already called ahead and told them to prepare your favorite ice cream. It should be ready by now. Let's get there quickly and eat as much of your favorite ice cream as we can.”

The excitement on Agnika's face was impossible to miss. Without thinking twice, she immediately wrapped her arms around him. Laughing softly, Dev gently pulled her away before helping her into the car. After closing the door behind her, he walked around to the driver's seat and started the engine.

As he drove, he reached for her hand and lightly kissed it. A faint smile appeared on his lips, but there was sadness hidden behind it.

“I don't know how much longer we'll have to keep meeting like this,” he said quietly. “I wish your father would just agree so we could get married soon.”

Agnika immediately turned toward him.

“Don't worry so much. The moment I finish my graduation, I'm going to tell dad clearly that I want to marry you.”

Dev let out a small sigh before shaking his head.

“It isn't that simple, Agnika... You know that better than anyone. Your father and my father belong to opposing political parties... Every time one side takes a step forward, the other tries to pull them back. And on top of that, our families have carried a feud for generations. Do you really think everything is going to be that easy?”

“And you're forgetting something,” Agnika replied confidently.

“What?”

“My dad loves me more than anything else in this world.” A proud smile spread across her face. “Ramdas Shergill might set the entire world on fire if he has to, but refusing his daughter's wish? That is something he can never do.”

The next hour passed exactly the way Agnika wanted it to. The moment they reached the ice cream parlor, she dragged Dev inside as though she owned the place. Since he had already called ahead, her favorite flavors were waiting for her. Agnika's eyes instantly lit up at the sight, making Dev smile despite himself.

“See?” he said proudly. “Nobody knows your favorites better than me.”

“That's because I keep reminding you every three days,” Agnika replied before taking a large spoonful of ice cream.

“Three days?”

“Fine… Every day.”

Dev laughed while shaking his head.

The two spent the next hour talking, teasing each other, and sharing ice cream from the same cup despite ordering different flavors. Most of the conversation made absolutely no sense to anyone else, yet both of them laughed so much that people around them occasionally turned to look at their table.

For Agnika, every minute felt precious. For Dev, every smile on her face felt like a victory. Unfortunately, time refused to stop for either of them.

Almost exactly an hour later, Dev drove her back to the college. As promised, the driver was already standing near the gate, repeatedly looking around with visible concern. Unable to spot Agnika anywhere, he immediately reached for his phone. Before he could dial the number, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Agnika demanded.

The driver jumped in surprise before letting out a relieved sigh.

“Madam … I couldn't find you anywhere. I got scared, so I was just about to call Sir.”

Agnika's eyes widened dramatically.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

The driver blinked in confusion.

“What?”

“You were going to call Ramdas Shergill and tell him that his daughter has disappeared?”

The poor driver immediately looked nervous.

“Madam, I was only worried …”

“For you, it was just two minutes of not finding me,” Agnika interrupted. “For Abbu, it would've meant that someone kidnapped his daughter.”

The driver's face turned pale.

“Madam...”

“By now, he would've had the entire city searching for me... Police, security, party workers, media, everyone would be running around with sirens trying to find me.”

The image was so ridiculous that even the driver couldn't stop himself from smiling. A few steps away, hidden behind a tree, Dev had heard the entire conversation.

The moment Agnika finished speaking, he lowered his head and laughed. The driver finally noticed him and quickly looked away, pretending he hadn't seen anything. Satisfied with herself, Agnika nodded firmly.

“Good… Now never think about doing something that dangerous again.”

“Yes, Madam,” the driver replied obediently.

Agnika proudly walked toward the car and slid into the back seat. Just before the door closed, her eyes instinctively searched for Dev.

As if sensing it, Dev stepped out from behind the tree. A soft smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand and waved at her. Agnika's expression immediately brightened. Without caring who was watching, she sent him a flying kiss.

Dev could only shake his head while laughing at her childish antics.

The car slowly pulled away from the college gate, while Agnika continued looking out of the window until Dev finally disappeared from sight. Even then, the smile on her face refused to fade.

The moment the car came to a stop, Agnika pushed the door open and rushed out. She ran toward the entrance with the same energy she carried everywhere she went. Inside the house, Ramdas was already stepping out of the hall, having grown slightly impatient after not seeing his daughter for a few extra minutes. The second Agnika spotted him, her face lit up with a bright smile. Without slowing down, she threw herself into his arms and wrapped them tightly around his neck. Ramdas immediately hugged her back before lightly patting her head.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long. Why are you late today?”

Agnika instantly widened her eyes in mock horror. Grabbing his wrist dramatically, she pulled his watch closer before bringing it right in front of her face. She stared at it as though she had just discovered the biggest disaster in human history. A moment later, she covered her mouth with her hand and gasped.

“Oh my heavens,... Five whole minutes… How did this happen? How did I get five minutes late?” she exclaimed dramatically. “oh god…, Dad… Are you alright? Your heart is fine, right? You survived these terrible five minutes?”

The moment the words left her mouth, loud laughter echoed through the room.

Ramdas turned slightly and glanced behind him. His eldest son, Pranjal, was laughing openly while his wife Puja sat beside him, trying and failing to hide her amusement. Priyanshu, the younger son, was already seated at the dining table, laughing so hard that he nearly choked on his water.

“Enough drama,” Priyanshu said while shaking his head. “Come here quickly. The food is getting cold, and you know very well that I don't like cold food.”

Agnika immediately grabbed Ramdas's hand and practically dragged him toward the dining table. The smile never left her face as she pulled her father along and dropped into her chair as though she had not a single worry in the world.

Just then, Naina walked out of the kitchen carrying the last serving bowl. Her eyes immediately landed on Agnika before shifting toward Ramdas. The sight in front of her made her shake her head with a smile.

Ramdas was not looking at the food. He was not looking at anyone else. His entire attention remained fixed on his daughter.

Ever since the day Agnika was born, that had never changed.

Ramdas had always wanted a daughter. When his first child turned out to be a son, he accepted it happily. When the second child was also a son, he had spent years jokingly complaining to everyone that fate was being unfair to him. He had wanted a daughter so badly that the entire family had grown tired of hearing about it.

Then Agnika had finally arrived. And from that day onward, Ramdas's entire world had somehow shrunk until it fit perfectly around one little girl.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Agnika asked suspiciously while reaching for a piece of bread.

“Because you're trouble,” Ramdas replied without missing a beat.

“I am not.”

“You disappeared from college again.”

“I returned, didn't I?”

“That is not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is that one day you're going to give me gray hair.”

Agnika immediately leaned forward and examined his head carefully.

“You already have gray hair.”

For a second, complete silence filled the room. Then everyone burst out laughing. Ramdas stared at her in disbelief while Agnika proudly grinned at her own joke. The dining table soon filled with conversation, teasing, laughter, and the familiar warmth that came from people who genuinely enjoyed being around one another.

For the Shergill family, lunch or dinners were never just about food. They were about being together. And at the center of that happiness, as always, sat Agnika Shergill, the daughter who had unknowingly become the heartbeat of the entire family.