Naina
When I was 11, my brother had his 10th standard board. Saying he was stressed didn’t even begin to cover it. 10 days before the exam, he wouldn’t eat or sleep properly and nerves kept on eating away at him.
To help him, I quietly sneaked into his room and looked around. A messy bed, a cluttered study table, and no natural light entering the room. Something in my head just clicked. I knew that the way his room sat was all wrong and 11-year-old me was set to fix it.
I cleared his space neatly and added a warm lamp beside his bed. I felt so accomplished and happy with myself. When my brother came back from his tuition, he didn’t say anything, but I understood his gratefulness. I knew that he slept better that night and went on to ace his exams with 93%.
I realised that day that I wanted to become an interior designer. I didn’t know the proper term for it then, but after years of career counselling, I’m now studying interior design with a minor in environmental science at my dream college and I couldn’t be happier.
‘Building Materials and Construction Techniques’, it said on the plaque, and I made my way into the class and got a seat near the very end. This was the very first class that was actually related to my major, and I was extremely excited to begin.
I may sound like an overenthusiastic nerd, but I have worked hard to get admission into this college and I will make the best of what I have.
The class slowly starts to fill in and I catch a glimpse of red hair and chunky glasses. Alana beams at me and drops her belongings in the seat next to mine. “Oh my god, you’re in this class as well? If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have been standing by the door awkwardly, trying to muster the courage to go in early,” she says, exhilarated.
“Hey, we’ve all been there, the first day of class and nerves are no joke. I was the same way fifteen minutes ago, but when I entered the class, nobody was there. By the way, it’s nice to see you! What are you studying?” I asked her, bemused, as she fiddled with her earring.
“I’m studying civil engineering right now and getting ready to take over the family business. My dad’s been in the industry for years, so I kind of grew up around it. It feels pretty cool to be following in his footsteps, but I’m also excited to bring my own spin to things and see how I can help the business grow,” she responds.
“Wait, your last name is Malhotra, right?” I ask. She nods. “Malhotra as in Civica from Malhotra group?” “Yeah, why do you ask?” She looks up from her book and stares at me, confused. “Your company’s first project was my grandfather’s house. They made it so beautifully, my dad had your father make our house, 20 years later. I think your dad still keeps in touch with mine.”
“That’s so cool! I’ll ask my dad about yours today. He’s a lawyer, right? What was his name again?” She turns to the last page of her book and looks up at me. “Mahendra Yadav.” I watch as she notes it down while playing with her pen.
I was halfway through scribbling a heading when the door creaked open. And there he was. Abhay. Again. Seriously?
I blinked, like maybe I was hallucinating. But no—same tall frame, same fair skin, same ridiculously fluffy hair that defied gravity and logic.
And now he was walking into my class?
He spotted me instantly—of course, he did. His eyes flicked to mine, and I swear he smirked. Like this was funny. Like he’d known about it.
Unbelievable.
I looked away, pretending to focus on my notes, my heart thudding louder than necessary. What is he doing here? I was still processing the fact that he’d shown up at all when he made it worse—so much worse.
He walked down the row like he knew exactly where he was going. Like he belonged there. And then, without hesitation, he pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down.
I stared at him.
He didn’t look at me—at least, not directly. Just that tiny glance, that half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“What in the world are you doing here?” I ask, befuddled. “Surprised to see me? I’m taking this class.” He smirked."I’m studying Architecture. Now, what are you doing here?" “I’m- I’m studying Interior design,” I say while taking a sip of water. I cough as water goes up my nose. My eyes immediately water and I splutter everywhere. Abhay tentatively strokes my back while Alana fusses over me.
After a minute or so, I recover and drop back in my seat. “Easy there,” he drawled."Do I make you nervous?" “I’m genuinely curious, do you think that highly of yourself?” I retort. “I was just kidding, anyway, I think the lecture is about to begin.” He shifts to face the professor.
A woman, mid- fifties, stands near the desk, placing her books. She has a red saree on and her face is adorned with a small bindi. I notice all this in the back of my mind, but her energy is so strong that I’m captivated instantly. It’s not just me, everyone in the class is immediately engrossed. She hasn’t even acknowledged us, but her presence is catching my attention.
She finally looks up and her eyes sweep over the class. She crosses her arm over her chest and smiles slightly."Hello class, I’m Shalini Kshirsagar, your Building materials teacher. I expect that you all will do your best in my class. Now, let’s begin with today’s lecture. Take your books out and flip to chapter two."
Shalini Ma’am was the kind of person who was made for teaching. Her love for her job is visible in her eyes and I didn’t even realise when two hours passed by. The bell rang, and shuffling of footsteps could be heard outside the classroom."Well, that’s my cue. Now remember, you all will be assigned a group project at the end of this month, and it will count as half of the grade of your first semester. You can leave now."
As we all left for our next class, I saw Ira standing near the end of the hallway, tugging at Reyansh’s arm. I grab onto Alana and rush to meet Ira. “Wait, who’s that guy Ira’s with?” Alana asked, pointing to Reyansh. “I’ll let her tell you.”
“Hi, how was your first lecture?” Ira asks, beaming. “It was fine, but who’s this?” Alana doesn’t waste a second and jumps to the point. “Yeah, who’s this?” Avani slings her arm over my shoulder, startling me. A tall, brunet guy is standing next to her, with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes are grey and he has a mole on his upper lip. “Wait, who’s he?” Ira points to the new guy, confused. “Okay, I think we need a proper introduction for all these new people,” I say, befuddled.
Just then, Abhay walks up to Reyansh and bro hugs him."Now, who is this?" Avani asks, frustrated. “Okay, I’ll go first. This,” Ira grabs onto Reyansh’s hand and his cheeks go pink," is my boyfriend, Reyansh." Alana’s jaw drops and she recovers a second later, smiling.
Avani clears her throat. “This is Veer, Veer Thackeray, my- “she hesitates for a second- “friend.” Veer glances over at her with narrowed eyes, not liking what she said. “Wait, is he that-?” Alana breaks the silence."Yes. Do not finish that sentence." “Fill me in later,” I mouth to her, and she nods, giving me a thumbs up.
“This is my cousin, Abhay.” Reyansh introduces him. Veer extends his arm for a handshake and whispers something. “Abhay Rawat. Yeah, I was there as well,” he responds. “Wait, aren’t you the guy who split coffee on her? That’s why I felt as if I’d seen you somewhere,” Alana comments, sipping on some water.
“Yeah. at first, I thought that maybe you were with him, Naina.” Avani points at Abhay. I look at her with horror written all over my face. “As in dating? I would never,” I say, disgruntled. “Never say never,” Abhay mutters under his breath.
“Y'all break time is over, let’s head on to our next class.” Ira kisses Reyansh on the cheek and walks over to grab my hand. “We have environmental science next, right? See you at lunch!” she says, clearly shy to face him after the kiss.
Reyansh just stands there, in a haze, and caresses his cheek. Abhay chuckles and leads him in the opposite direction. His eyes flicker over to me, something intense in his brown flecks that I cannot quite put a word on. My chest flutters slightly and I brush it off.
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That's it for this chapter! I've had major writer's block but im still trying to push through it.
Let me know if you liked the book!
Do comment :)
Word count: 1510
Love,
Adii<3
(Spicyvixen)
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