The first month was chaotic and war-like. Nandini tried to maintain her bossy persona. Dev would arrive with nothing with a half-charged laptop and a carefree smirk that made Nandini's blood boil.

Every time she tried to corner him with a complex psychological theory, he would dismantle it in two sentences and then ruin the moment by commenting on how her nose scrunched up when she was thinking too hard.

"Dev! Focus! Second chapter ka draft kal tak khatam ho jaana chahiye."

(We have to finish the draft of second chapter by tomorrow.)

Nandini snapped, slamming her hand on the table. Dev didn't even look up at her. He was busy sketching a caricature of her on the back of a rough sheet.

"Draft ban jaayega Nandini. But did anyone ever tell you? Jab tum stress leti ho, tumhari aankhein thodi choti ho jaati hain. Like a very angry kitten."

(Draft will be done….When you take stress, your eyes go small.)

"I'm not a kitten. Main tumhari partner hoon project mein. Thodi respect dikhao!"

(I am your partner in the project. Show some respect!)

"Respect toh hai. Par darr nahi hai. Aur jab tak darr nahi hai, main tumhe aise hi tang karta rahunga."

(I have respect. But not fear. And until there is no fear, I will keep troubling you like this.)

He grinned and showed her his artwork proudly.

By the second month, the nonchalant Ice King showed a side that Nandini hadn't expected. It happened during a late evening session at a cafe.

Nandini was exhausted, her eyes burning from staring at the screen. She had hit a writer's block and her mind was blank.

Dev noticed her silence but didn't make a joke. Instead, he quietly closed her laptop and pushed a glass of cold coffee toward her.

"Break lo thodi der. Tumhara dimaag ab overheat ho raha hai. Isse pehle ki dhuaan nikalne lage, have this cold coffee and destress yourself."

(Take a break. Your brain is overheating. Before smoke starts coming out, have this cold coffee and destress yourself.)

Nandini looked at the glass and then at him. His eyes were surprisingly warm.

"We don't have much time, Dev. Khatam krna hai hume. Next month first three chapters ki submission hai aur abhi tak humne chapter 3 start bhi nhi kia hai."

(We have to finish this. Next month we have to submit three chapters and we haven’t even started chapter3.)

"Abhi bhut time hai. Tumhe lagta hai ki duniya ruk jayegi agar ek din kaam nahi hua. Mere saath baitho, chup chap piyo ise."

(There’s a lot of time. You think the world will stop if you don’t work for one day. Sit with me, and finish this.)

That evening, they didn't talk about their dissertation or work. They talked about their families, about Dev's love for old Hindi rock music, and Nandini's secret fear of failing her parents' expectations. The line between partners and friends started to blur.

He asked her why she showed herself with a mean, baddie image. During one moment of vulnerability, she confessed that she was not the most confident or bold child in school and was teased mercilessly because of her awkwardness.

That the witty exterior was just a facade to keep her guards high. To push people before they could hurt her. That she felt bad after doing it, but it had become an unconscious act now.

The third and fourth months were the blush phase. Dev had realized that Nandini's sassiness was a shield, and he took great pleasure in melting it away. He became shamelessly bold.

In the middle of a crowded hallway, he'd lean in to whisper a suggestion about a reference book, his breath intentionally ghosting over her ear just to see her lose her train of thought.

"Dev, woh secondary data mil gaya?"

(Dev, did you get that secondary data?)

She asked him one morning, trying to keep her voice steady as he walked beside her.

"Mil gaya. Par badle mein mujhe kya milega? I don't work for free anymore."

(I did. But what will I get in return?)

"Tumhe degree milegi! Aur kya chahiye?"

(You will get the degree! What else do you want?)

Dev stopped walking, causing her to stop too. He stepped into her personal space, looking down at her with a gaze that was no longer just playful. It was intense.

"Degree toh sabko milegi. Mujhe tumhara agla Sunday chahiye. No books, no laptop. Just you and me."

(Everyone gets degree. I want your Sunday.)

Nandini felt her heart do a somersault. She looked at her shoes, unable to meet his eyes.

"Woh... main busy hoon. Mummy ke saath market jaana hai."

(That…I am busy. I have to the market with mummy.)

"Jhoot bolna seekh lo, strawberry. Blush karte waqt jhoot pakda jata hai."

(Learn how to lie strawberry. Lies are caught when you blush.)

For the first time, she didn't have a witty comeback. She just bit her lip and walked faster, her face as red as a tomato.

The fifth month brought a shift in Nandini. She stopped fighting the attraction. She found herself looking for him in the hallways. She started dressing a little more carefully, noticing how his eyes would linger on her when she wore jhumkas and applied kajal.

Her wit didn't disappear, it just became part of their love-language. She learned that she could rile him up too.

"Dev, tumne yeh analysis galat kiya hai. Industrial batch mein sab itne hi careless hote hain kya?"

(Dev, you’ve done the analysis wrong. Is everyone in Industrial batch so careless?)

She teased, leaning over his shoulder to point at a graph. Dev looked up, his face inches from hers.

Usually, this was where he'd win. But this time, Nandini didn't pull back. She stayed right there, her eyes challenging him.

"Baakiyon ka toh pata nahi, par main bohot careful hoon. Khaas kar un cheezon aur logo ke liye jo mujhe pasand hain."

(I don’t know about others, but I am very careful. Especially for the things and people I like.)

The air between them felt electric. The hate part of their relationship was long gone, replaced by a thick, heavy tension that neither of them knew how to break.

The final month was a blur of submissions and stress. The Baddie and the Ice King were now the talk of the department. People whispered about how they looked like a power couple.

On the day before their final submission, they were in the empty library. The silence was heavy. The project was finally finished. 110 pages of hard work.

Nandini clicked Save for the last time and let out a long breath.

"Ho gaya. It's finally over."

(It’s done.)

Dev was sitting on the edge of the table, watching her. He looked serious, the kind of serious that always made Nandini's heart race.

"Dissertation khatam. Ab toh...milna hi nhi padega. No reason to meet."

(Dissertation finish. Now…we don’t have to meet.)

Nandini felt a pang of sadness. She looked at the laptop screen, her voice barely a whisper.

"Toh tumhe milne ke liye reason kyu chahiye?"

(Why do you need a reason to meet?)

Dev stood up and walked around the table. He stood directly in front of her. He didn't say anything at first, just looked at her with an intensity that made her breath hitch.

"Reasons sirf asliyat chhupane ke liye chahiye hote hai, Nandini. Aur mai sach se nhi darta."

(Reasons are needed to hide the reality, Nandini. And I am not scared of the truth.)

Nandini looked up at him, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Toh ab kya? Agle hafte toh classes bhi khatam hai."

(So, what now? Next week even the classes will be over.)

Dev reached out, his thumb grazing her jawline, a touch so bold and lingering that it silenced every thought in her head.

"Classes khatam hai. Duniya nhi. We will still meet. Just you and me. Bas main aur meri angry strawberry."

(Classes finish. Not the world….Just me and my angry strawberry.)

Nandini felt her face flush a deep crimson, but this time, she didn't turn away. She leaned into his touch, her eyes searching his.

"You're so shameless."

She whispered. He chuckled and leaned closer to her face.

"Only for you, my strawberry."

He didn't confess yet, neither did she, but the way he looked into her eyes said everything.