The rest of the day passed by quite normally.

Vriti attended all her classes, took notes, and tried her best to focus. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept drifting back to the same person.

Abeer Diwan.

It was as if he had occupied every corner of her thoughts.

As she sat on the bus ride home, she found herself staring out the window with a silly smile on her face.

I never imagined my first day of college would turn out like this.

First day... and I already have a reason to look forward to coming back tomorrow.

The thought made her smile even wider.

Maybe it was just a crush.

Or maybe her very first real crush.

Either way, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

By the time she reached home, it was already four in the evening.

"Mumma!" she called out as she entered the house.

Her mother immediately stepped out of her room.

"You're back! How was your day? Did you like the campus? How were the classes? Did you make any new friends?"

Questions started flying at her from every direction.

Vriti laughed.

"Arre, Mumma! Stop, stop!"

She raised both her hands dramatically.

"First, give me some tea. I'm exhausted. And who asks so many questions at once?"

Her mother chuckled.

"Sorry. I got excited. It was your first day, so I wanted to make sure everything went well."

Vriti smiled softly.

"It was good. Better than I expected, actually."

Then she stretched her arms.

"Now please make me some tea while I freshen up."

Her mother nodded and headed toward the kitchen.

After changing into comfortable clothes, Vriti flopped onto her bed.

The moment she was alone, the thoughts returned.

"Hayee..." she sighed dramatically.

"How can someone be so dreamy?"

Abeer Diwan's face instantly appeared in her mind.

His hazel eyes.

His smile.

Even that annoying comment about needing glasses.

Instead of irritating her, it somehow made her smile.

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

She sat up immediately.

"Wait..."

Her eyes widened.

"Instagram!"

She quickly started searching for her phone.

"Where did I keep it?"

She searched her desk, her bag, and even under her pillow.

"I swear I left it right here..."

A few seconds later, she found it tucked inside her jeans pocket.

"Found you!"

Without wasting another moment, she opened Instagram and typed a name into the search bar.

Abeer Diwan.

His profile appeared almost instantly.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Trying to act casual even though nobody was watching she opened his profile.

And then she started scrolling.

Photo after photo.

A few pictures from college events.

Some from basketball tournaments.

Others from family functions and vacations.

Every picture somehow looked perfect.

"This should be illegal," she muttered.

A small smile refused to leave her face.

Completely engrossed in stalking ahem, admiring his profile, she didn't notice her mother entering the room.

"Riti baby, here's your tea."

The moment she heard her mother's voice, Vriti nearly jumped out of her skin.

In pure panic, she locked her phone and shoved it aside as if she had been caught doing something highly confidential.

Her mother paused.

Then looked at her.

Then at the phone.

Then back at her.

A suspicious smile slowly appeared on her face.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Vriti answered far too quickly.

"Hmm..."

Her mother placed the tea on the table, still looking unconvinced.

But she decided not to say anything.

Meanwhile, Vriti silently prayed that her mother hadn't seen the Instagram profile she had been obsessively scrolling through moments earlier.

Later that evening, the family gathered around the dinner table.

"So, Riti, how was your first day of college?" her father asked while serving himself some food.

Vriti smiled.

"It was really good, Dad. The classes were interesting, the professors seemed nice, and the campus is amazing."

Her father nodded proudly.

"That's great."

Vriti continued talking about her day, but then her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

A pair of hazel eyes suddenly appeared in her mind.

A small smile found its way onto her lips.

"And the people there are... beautiful."

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Her father simply nodded, but her mother raised an eyebrow.

She had definitely noticed that smile.

The smile that appeared whenever a certain someone crossed her daughter's mind.

Still, she chose to remain silent.

For now.

That night, sleep came easily to Vriti.

But even in her dreams, college seemed brighter than before.

Or perhaps it was because of one particular person.

The excitement of a new day kept her smiling long after she had gone to bed.

The next morning was unusual.

Very unusual.

For the first time in years, Vriti woke up before her alarm.

Not only that, but she was fully dressed and ready well before time.

As she hurried downstairs, she called out,

"Mumma! Breakfast!"

Her mother nearly dropped the spoon she was holding.

At the dining table, her father slowly lowered his newspaper and stared at her.

Both of them looked equally shocked.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?" her father asked dramatically.

Vriti rolled her eyes.

"Dad!"

Her mother crossed her arms.

"Riti, it's barely morning. Why are you ready so early?"

"Exactly," her father agreed. "Usually we're the ones waiting for you."

Vriti tried her best to act normal.

"What? Can't I wake up early?"

Her parents exchanged suspicious looks.

"Is something special happening today?" her mother asked.

A tiny image of Abeer flashed through Vriti's mind.

She quickly shook her head.

"No, Mumma!"

Then she pointed a finger at her mother dramatically.

"Yesterday you were the one telling me to become more responsible and serious about life. Now that I'm actually doing it, you're making fun of me?"

She puffed out her cheeks and made an exaggerated offended face.

Her father laughed.

Her mother laughed.

A few seconds later, Vriti joined them.

The cheerful atmosphere filled the house with warmth.

After breakfast, Vriti grabbed her bag and headed toward the door.

"Have a great day, Riti!" her mother called out.

"Study properly!" her father added.

"I will!" she replied.

Though deep down, she knew there was another reason she was looking forward to college so much.

As she left with her father, a smile lingered on her face.

And somewhere in her heart, she hoped that today she would get to see Abeer Diwan again.

After reaching college, Vriti headed straight toward the library.

Well... technically she was going there for books.

But if she was being honest with herself, there was another reason too.

A small part of her hoped she might catch a glimpse of Abeer.

After all, that was where she had first seen him.

As she approached the library, however, she immediately noticed something was different.

The place was unusually quiet.

There were only a handful of students sitting at the tables, busy reading or working on assignments. The groups of girls who had crowded the library the previous day were nowhere to be seen. There was no gossip, no laughter, and no constant movement around the shelves.

The silence told her everything she needed to know.

Abeer isn't here today.

For some reason, she felt a tiny bit disappointed.

Shaking the thought away, she entered the library anyway.

Since she still had plenty of time before her first class, she decided to make good use of it.

She wandered between the tall bookshelves, carefully scanning the titles and picking out a few books she found interesting. Every now and then, she settled into a corner and flipped through a few pages, completely losing track of time.

The peaceful atmosphere was a pleasant change from the usual chaos outside.

Nearly half an hour later, Vriti finally checked the time.

Her eyes widened.

"I'd better leave before I'm actually late this time."

Gathering the books she had borrowed, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the library.

With her first class only a few minutes away, she made her way toward the academic block, completely unaware that the day still had a few surprises waiting for her.

The Third Encounter

After leaving the library, Vriti hurried through the corridor with a few books clutched against her chest.

For once, she was actually paying attention to where she was going.

See? I can walk perfectly fine when I want to.

The thought had barely formed when she turned a corner

And almost walked straight into someone.

She stopped just in time.

The books in her hands nearly slipped.

Slowly, she looked up.

Abeer.

Again.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Abeer glanced at the books she was carrying and back at her.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Impressive."

Vriti frowned.

"What?"

"You managed not to crash into me this time."

Her eyes widened.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying..." he shrugged casually, "that's progress."

Vriti could feel her cheeks warming.

"I bumped into you twice."

"Twice in one day."

The corner of his lips lifted slightly.

"That's a pretty strong record."

Vriti opened her mouth to argue.

Then closed it.

Because unfortunately...

He wasn't wrong.

Abeer looked surprisingly pleased with her silence.

"Good to know you're selfaware."

And just like that, he walked past her.

Vriti turned around immediately.

"Wait were you teasing me?"

Abeer didn't stop walking.

But he raised a hand slightly.

"See you around, Glasses."

And then he disappeared into the crowd.

Vriti stood frozen.

Again.

A sm

ile slowly spread across her face.

"Did Abeer Diwan just give me a nickname?"

A nickname. A smile. And a senior who somehow remembered her. Was Vriti's crush about to become something more? 👀❤️