Boy's Hostel: Room- 334

The boys' hostel rooms were almost identical to the girls' rooms, with a few subtle differences. The walls were painted in the lightest shade of blue, giving the room a fresh and calming vibe. The cupboards were built into the walls, their sleek light grey doors blending seamlessly with the room’s modern aesthetic. Above the study tables, shelves were also built into the walls, maintaining a minimalist and organized look. The doors, including the main room door and washroom door, were a matching light grey. The balcony doors, unlike the girls' sliding doors, were French-style, opening outward to allow more air circulation.

Kartik, Ansh, and Sahil entered their new room, they took a moment to glance around before deciding on their respective spaces.

Ansh (grinning): “I’m taking the bed near the window. Fresh air is important, you know.”

Sahil (rolling his eyes): “Sure, as if you’re going to wake up early to enjoy it.”

Kartik (calmly): “I’ll take the one near the balcony.”

With that settled, they started unpacking. Kartik neatly arranged his books on the built-in shelf, placing them in a precise order. His clothes were folded perfectly in his cupboard, and his essentials were placed in the drawers beside his bed. Among his belongings, he carefully placed his guitar in a corner, making sure it was positioned securely. His fingers lightly brushed the strings before he stepped back, satisfied with its placement.

Ansh, on the other hand, was more relaxed in his unpacking, placing things wherever he felt comfortable and was done the fastest, tossing his clothes into his almirah haphazardly before collapsing onto his bed with his phone.

Sahil, unlike Ansh, took his time unpacking. He wasn’t as precise as Kartik, but he was far from careless. His clothes were neatly folded and stacked in his almirah, his shoes arranged properly at the bottom. He placed his books on the shelf in no particular order but made sure they weren’t messy. His watch, wallet, and a few personal items were set on his bedside table, everything placed with a sense of calmness and routine.

Once he was done, he leaned back on his bed, checking his phone while waiting for the others to finish.

After three hours of settling in, Ansh stretched and grabbed his clothes.

Ansh: “I’m going to freshen up. Don’t miss me too much.”

Kartik just shook his head, stepping onto the balcony to get some fresh air. Sahil soon joined him, leaning casually on the railing while scrolling through his phone. The evening air was cool, and the quiet hum of the campus filled the background. His eyes wandered over the surroundings when something—or rather, someone—caught his attention. Across from them, on the opposite balcony, stood a familiar figure. The girl in the maroon frock from earlier, Aarya. She was laughing at something, phone pressed to her ear, completely unaware of his gaze.

Kartik narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure if it was really her.

Kartik (frowning slightly): “Sahil, is that… Aarya?”

Sahil barely looked up from his phone before nodding.

Sahil: “Yeah, that’s their room. Right opposite ours.”

Just as Kartik processed that information, Ansh stepped out onto the balcony, towel around his neck. He caught the exchange and smirked immediately.

Ansh (teasing): “Again? First at lunch, now here? Are you sure it’s just ‘observing the surroundings,’ Kartik?”

Kartik didn’t react much, just exhaled through his nose and turned back toward the view.

Ansh (grinning): “Admit it, bro. The view just got more interesting.”

Kartik chose not to respond, but Sahil chuckled as he went back to scrolling his phone.

.

.

As soon as the girls entered their room, Prerna and Yashika dramatically collapsed onto their beds with exhaustion.

Prerna (muffled into her pillow): "I swear, today felt like a whole week crammed into a single day."

Yashika (sighing): "My legs are giving up on me. Too much walking, too much talking… I’m done."

Aarya chuckled at their dramatic reactions but felt the exhaustion herself. Instead of flopping onto her bed, she grabbed her toiletry bag and headed to the washroom to freshen up.

She removed her makeup, letting out a relieved sigh as the cool water touched her skin. After cleansing and patting her face dry, she returned to the room, looking refreshed.

They all applied their face masks, laughing at each other’s ridiculous appearances in the mirror. Once their masks were on, Yashika set up her laptop on her bed, and they snuggled in to watch a movie. The cozy atmosphere, the coolness of the masks, and the light-hearted movie made them all feel much better. By the time the movie ended, they were feeling much more relaxed. They removed their masks, applied moisturizer, and flopped back onto their beds, enjoying the lingering freshness.

Aarya’s phone suddenly rang, flashing Mom on the screen.

Aarya (smiling): "I’ll be back. It’s home."

She grabbed her phone and walked to the balcony, where the cool night breeze greeted her. She leaned against the railing, looking at the view of the quiet campus as she talked to her family.

.

.

Mess Hall – Dinner Time

The boys took their plates and sat at a table in the mess hall. The atmosphere was filled with the chatter of students, the clinking of utensils, and the occasional laughter from different tables. Kartik was about to start eating when Ansh suddenly put a hand on his wrist, stopping him.

Ansh (grinning): “Arre bhai, wait! What’s the hurry?”

Kartik (frowning): “To eat? What is the whole point of sitting here?”

Ansh (smirking): “Nahi, nahi. Thoda wait kar.”

Kartik (raising an eyebrow): “Kyun?”

Ansh (leaning in teasingly): “Aarya ke liye, aur kis liye?"

Kartik (rolling his eyes): “You seriously need a better pastime.”

Ansh (mockingly sighing): “And you seriously need some patience! What if Aarya walks in right now and sees you stuffing your face like a caveman? Not a good look, bro.”

Kartik (deadpan): “Then she’ll know I have a great appetite. No big deal.”

Ansh (grinning): “Or she’ll think, ‘Oh no, this guy doesn’t have the class to wait for someone before eating.’”

Kartik (rolling his eyes): “I don’t see you waiting for anyone.”

Ansh (smirking): “That’s because I’m not the one secretly stealing glances at her.”

Kartik (picking up his spoon, unfazed): “Neither am I.”

Sahil, who was smiling listening to them and scrolling through his phone, glanced up and smirked.

Sahil: “Speak of the devil.”

Kartik looked up and saw the girls entering the mess, trays in hand. They were scanning the room for an empty table. Aarya still wore the same maroon frock, but she looked fresher, as if the day hadn’t drained her at all. Her hair was brushed neatly, with the black bow still in place. Her face had a natural glow, with no traces of makeup, yet she looked effortlessly beautiful. A few strands of hair had escaped the tie, framing her face but was looking upset. He frowned.

Sahil waved at the girls, catching their attention, and they started walking toward their table.

Ansh (leaning toward Kartik, whispering): “See? Your patience paid off.”

Kartik, instead of replying, picked up his fork and took a bite, ignoring Ansh’s teasing with practiced ease. The girls placed their trays on the table and sat down. Aarya silently sat at the table near Kartik. Without saying a word, she picked up her spoon and started eating, her brows slightly furrowed.

Sahil, noticing her expression, leaned forward curiously.

Sahil (raising an eyebrow): “Hey, what happened? Why do you look so serious? Some tragic story?”

Aarya didn’t respond immediately and just kept eating. Prerna, sitting beside her, struggled to hold back her giggles. "Madam was checking the school website for the class schedule while coming here, but she accidentally saw the entrance exam’s top scores instead and the highest score is 297.5 out of 300.”

Sahil (confused): “So?”

Seeing Sahil’s confused face, Aarya sighed and finally decided to explain.

Aarya (exasperated): “Ugh, okay, listen! I checked the entrance paper during the vacations, just out of curiosity. And let me tell you, it was tough! Even I struggled with some questions.”

Sahil (raising an eyebrow): “So?”

Aarya (frustrated): “So… I was the board topper last year from this school, and even I only managed to score 287.5 when I tried solving it! And now, this mystery genius has scored 297.5—means they got just one answer wrong!”

Before Sahil could respond, Yashika, looking utterly confused, tilted her head and asked the dumbest question possible.

Yashika (innocently): “But Aarya… how do you know that this person got only one answer wrong?”

For a second, there was complete silence at the table. Aarya closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly turned to face Yashika with a tight-lipped smile.

Aarya (deadpan): “I expected you to be dumb, Yashika. But for God’s sake, not at this level.”

That was it. Prerna and Ansh burst into loud laughter, nearly choking on their food. Ansh even banged the table, unable to contain himself.

Prerna (laughing): “Yashika, yaar! Basic maths bhi bhool gayi?”

Sahil, sitting beside Yashika, gave her a sympathetic look and gently patted her head as if comforting a lost child.

Sahil (softly, suppressing his laughter): “It’s okay, Yashu… we all have our moments.”

But even he was struggling to keep a straight face. Even Kartik was trying his best but the corners of his lips twitched as he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

Meanwhile, Yashika pouted and crossed her arms.

Yashika (grumbling): “Ugh! Fine, I get it now. No need to roast me alive.”

The entire table was still shaking with laughter, while Aarya just shook her head, muttering something about needing better friends.

Sahil (blinking): “Wait… so you’re upset because someone scored higher than you?”

Aarya (crossing her arms): “No....I'm just curious to know about this genius!"

As Aarya finished speaking, Ansh casually pointed his finger toward Kartik, who was calmly eating his food.

Ansh (grinning): “It’s him.”

Aarya, in the middle of taking a bite, frowned in confusion.

Aarya (raising an eyebrow): “Who?”

Ansh chuckled, enjoying the moment.

Ansh (dramatically): “The one genius you’ve been obsessing over. The 297.5 scorer.”

Aarya, still holding the spoon in her mouth, froze mid-chew. Her eyes slowly widened as they met with Kartik's.

Kartik, sensing her shock and found her expressions cute smiled—his white, perfect teeth on full display.

Aarya still hadn’t moved. Spoon still in her mouth.

Prerna, biting her lip to hold back her laughter, nudged her.

Prerna (teasing): “Breathe, Aarya. Oxygen is important.”

That was enough to snap Aarya out of her trance. She quickly pulled the spoon out of her mouth and gulped down her bite, her face heating up.

Aarya (stammering slightly): “really?”

Yashika, still a little lost, leaned toward Sahil and whispered,

Yashika (whispering): “Wait… so he’s the topper?”

Sahil just sighed and patted her head again.

Prerna, noticing Aarya still staring at Kartik leaned in teasingly.

Prerna (grinning): “Impressed already?”

Aarya, still staring at Kartik in disbelief, didn’t even realize and absentmindedly muttered “Sort of…”

Ansh let out a dramatic “Oh hooo!” while Sahil covered his mouth, pretending to be shocked. Yashika gasped as if Aarya had just confessed to a crime.

Kartik, who had been calmly eating, froze for a fraction of a second. He didn’t say anything, didn’t look up, didn’t react in any obvious way—but the slight redness creeping up his neck and ears betrayed him.

Prerna (mock gasp): “Oh my God. Did Kartik just blush?”

Kartik, without looking up, continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Aarya, now realizing she had basically admitted she was impressed, grabbed her glass of water and took a long sip to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze.

Prerna leaned closer and whispered mischievously,

Prerna: “You do realize he heard that, right?”

Aarya sighed and muttered under her breath,

Aarya: “Kill me.”