The atmosphere around them grew heavy as silence fell between them.
Divya bit the inside of her cheek, barely suppressing her anger.
She smiled sweetly, though there was no warmth in it.
“Is that so?”
Oblivious to her mood, Akhil nodded and said gratefully.
“She was the one who helped me prepare for the seminar.
Not a single student had helped me.
If not for her, I might not have done so well in the seminar.”
Divya nodded, though she desperately wanted to kill that bitch for daring to spend time with her Akhil.
She knew if she heard anything more than that, she might actually plan to kill the innocent girl.
She could barely tolerate Akhil spending time with his parents and friends.
Now, another girl has entered the picture, trying to take Akhil away from her.
She wouldn’t allow that.
If his meeting with that girl was only brief, she could reluctantly forget about it.
But if any sparks flew between them, she could simply lock Akhil away somewhere only she could access and do whatever she wanted with him.
She changed the topic, though her face still wore a strained and forced smile.
“What do you want to be, Akhil?”
She looked at him, her gaze gentle and filled with curiosity.
Akhil raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering across his face.
“You mean my occupation?”
Divya nodded and waited for him to explain.
Akhil replied without hesitation.
“Of course.
I want to become a software engineer.”
“Didn’t I already tell you?”
Divya chuckled, her gaze locked onto him with barely contained amusement.
Akhil narrowed his eyes at her, feeling personally offended.
He had just told her about his goal.
Yet she was laughing at it.
“Are you making fun of my goal?”
Divya did not explain immediately.
There was a trace of surprise and shock in her expression.
“Oh my!
This is the first time I’ve seen you showing your anger in front of me.
You really surprised me.”
Her tone still carried shock that she couldn’t believe Akhil had raised his voice in front of her.
As far as she knew, Akhil would never raise his voice at her.
So, he really wanted to become a software engineer.
She had a lot of connections.
Just a word from her would be enough.
Beside that, many IT company CEOs wanted to curry favor with her.
It wouldn’t be a problem.
She looked at him, her voice serious and earnest.
“I did not make fun of your ambition.
I was just surprised because AI has already taken many people’s jobs.
It’s difficult to survive in this field unless you keep on improving yourself.”
Akhil also nodded as it was true.
AI has made the work easier, and IT company have begun pouring their resources into AI rather than human workers.
A sigh escaped from his lips as he thought about his grim future.
What can he do?
He had already chosen IT as his major and there is no turning back.
The future of engineers seemed bleak in this AI-dominated world.
Divya took in his reaction, and her fingers twitched at her side.
She wanted nothing more than to hug him and comfort him.
Her expression turned wistful as she thought about it.
“My poor Akhil”
She saw his expression grow gloomy and melancholy.
She called him, her voice soft and understanding.
“What are you worried about?
I’m with you.
Besides, I have a lot of connections.
It would be easy for me to get you a job.”
A faint smile lingered on her lips as she said this.
She felt very happy when Akhil relied on her.
It made her feel that she was the only person Akhil could rely on.
Her smile grew wider, filled with the smug satisfaction of someone who could already envision the gratitude and admiration in Akhil’s eyes.
But Akhil’s response left her speechless.
“No, I don’t want your help.”
Akhil shook his head, though he found it tempting.
He didn’t want to achieve his ambition solely by relying on someone else.
He wanted to join a company through his own hard work.
Meanwhile, Divya’s mouth opened for a moment before her lips pressed into a thin line.
She kept discovering new sides of Akhil she had never seen before.
Though her lips curled upward in approval.
Her love for him grew stronger day after day.
“How adorable he is.”
She shook her head with a faint smile.
“I see.
Akhil gave her a grateful nod.
The atmosphere around them became lighter and more relaxed.
Soon, a waiter approached their table.
He was carrying an ice cream and tea on a tray.
He carefully placed them on the table and said with a polite smile.
“Enjoy your ice cream.”
He did not linger any further and quietly left them.
Akhil’s grin widened as he saw his favorite ice cream.
Divya took her tea and sipped with satisfaction.
The ice cream looked absolutely delicious.
Three scoops sat like crowns upon the plate.
Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors made a stark contrast on the same plate.
A drizzle of caramel flowed between them.
He dug his spoon into the ice cream and scooped up a large portion of strawberry ice cream before eating it with satisfaction.
“It is delicious.”
Five minutes later,
Akhil patted his stomach, and his face was filled with bliss and contentment.
Divya chuckled at his behavior and said as she stood up.
“Let’s go.”
Akhil nodded and immediately followed her as they went to the counter to pay the bills.
Both of them stepped out of the shop, Akhil felt drowsy.
So, he tugged at Divya’s sleeve.
She turned around in confusion.
“What?”
Akhil yawned while covering his mouth.
“I feel sleepy.”
Divya blinked seemingly taken aback by his answer, raised her eyes towards the sky.
The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the roads.
A gentle wind ruffled Akhil’s hair as he yawned repeatedly.
Divya knew Akhil was exhausted, but that did nothing to ease her disappointment.
She wanted to spend more time with Akhil until late at night.
She sighed out loud.
Akhil glanced at her and could not help but comfort her.
“Divya, did you forget that we’ll be hanging out again in three days?”
Divya remembered that he agreed to spend time with her every three days.
Her expression brightened at that thought.
They both got into the car and drove away from the ice cream shop.