On the second day, I met up with some familiar faces—people from my inter college days. Among them was Simon, the academic weapon himself. The rest? Well... let’s say their faces didn’t make it past my lazy brain’s filter. Since I was alone, I walked ahead with Simon. He asked me which branch I was in.
"IT," I replied.
"CSE," he said. And honestly, he looked relieved that I wasn't in his branch. We were on the same floor but different classrooms. Still, I got his number. Don’t ask me why I didn’t have it before—we’re weird like that.
During lunch, we talked about the others—where they were, what they were doing. I already knew about one guy: Vishnu. He’d taken the degree route instead of engineering. Why? Because he’s an otaku too. Anime fans flock together like birds of a feather.
He updated me on the rest, and then came the afternoon session—a long, winding advertisement for the greatness of our campus. But I had questions. “500+ placements,” they said. What about the remaining 5,000 students? And by placements, they meant internships—with no job security. My dream of Japan? It was starting to flicker.
But as the days rolled by, I discovered one of the seven wonders of Aditya: TechnicalHub. A place where students got actual hands-on training on real tech stuff. Finally—something practical. No more lifeless PowerPoints or teachers reading from Wikipedia.
They gave us an orientation on how to join. Sounded like a good opportunity. But let’s be real—I joined because they said they had Wi-Fi. That sealed the deal. Gotta download all my anime seasons in glorious 4K, right?
And then—she.
As I saw her a name popped up in my head, Seren. Don’t ask why. The poet in me did it before the logical side could intervene. She had those eyes—dangerous, framed like artwork. Carried herself like she owned gravity. Sitting on the second-last bench in the middle row... and I couldn’t stop looking.
Why hadn’t I seen her before? Maybe it was her first day. Maybe I’d just been blind. And she may already have a boyfriend—I mean, it’s statistically likely. But I refused to believe that.
Coincidentally, her bus was next to mine. Don’t ask me how I know. I wasn’t stalking—seriously. I was just walking around with Simon when I spotted her getting on the same bus. Or maybe... my eyes were just looking for her.
Would I talk to her? Heck no. This isn’t some teen drama where I go up to her with a poetic line. And she’s definitely not walking up to me either. Only stealing glances from afar. Like I don't know what has gotten into me.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYo9ABXdkE
But guess what? My attendance went up. Thanks to her.
So the days went on... Teachers teaching us stuff we’d already learned in inter. Eating chicken sandwiches from the canteen, alone. Talking to Chadhini, the senior, in the evenings—that was my highlight.
And then came a twist. A miracle. A scripted scene out of a drama.
Our English teacher decided we should all pair up—boy and girl—to “better understand the opposite gender.” Like some weird social experiment. We’d talk, get to know each other, and introduce our partner on stage.
For the first time in forever, I whispered a prayer.
And somehow, she became my pair.
I don’t know if it was fate or luck or divine trolling. But that small moment changed something in me. I was blank. Shaking. Tongue-tied. But she broke the silence. Her voice? Soft. Patient. Kind.
We talked—slowly, carefully. Turns out we shared a lot. Anime. Books. Manga. Both introverts. Both living inside our heads most of the time.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm3yhpeoy3
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyBnHEIQBa
She told me she loves to travel abroad, discovering new places and embracing new languages—Spanish being one of them.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVThpFU2Lw
And as she spoke, I quietly scribbled every detail onto a piece of paper, in a language only I can read and understand.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWpdBd9Wqy
Time flew. Class ended. We said goodbye.
And just like that... we never spoke again.
She was a dream I never wanted to wake up from.
Now, the first semester starts off in a few days.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvC1BAnYc9
And also… I was setting up a MasterPlan — to not get any backlogs. Not even one. Clean record. Like a shining badge of honor. I told myself, “This is it. This is college. No more lazy mistakes. Focus. Execute. Rise.”
Also me: "Maybe she’ll join TechnicalHub too."
I joined anyway. Hopeful? Maybe. Desperate? Nah. Romantic? Probably. Delusional? 100%.
Next few days flew by like speeding rickshaws. We changed classrooms, got a time table (aka a formal excuse to hate Mondays), and were sorted into sections by roll number.
Guess what?
She was in the same class.
Do I know why I got so excited? No. Did I pretend it was no big deal? Yes. Was I screaming inside? Also yes.
Classes went on. Labs started creeping in like uninvited guests. But things were settling down, becoming... routine.
And then — Second Counselling happened.
Like a plot twist no one saw coming.
I saw her that afternoon, walking towards the counselling section, admit card in hand. My brain went: "No. No. No. She’s changing college. Don’t go. Please don’t go."
But plot twist inside a twist — she wasn’t leaving college.
She was just changing her branch. From IT to CSE.
Into Simon’s class.
That hurt a little. Okay, a lot. It was like losing a background soundtrack. But hey, I told myself I could still spot her during lunch. Just hang out with Simon — no big deal.
Guess what again?
She eats lunch in my classroom with her friends from when she was in IT.
Plot armor? Coincidence? Pure luck? I don’t know. But I wasn’t complaining.
And then the TechnicalHub sessions kicked off. Under the banner of ‘Ignite Coders’, we were onboarded, trained, and warned about how serious it was.
She was in it too. Yay.
But not for long…
They split us again. Into batches. She was in Batch 1. I was in Batch 2.
Can I fight fate? No. Can I change my batch? Also no.
I was starting to regret not doing better in my EAPCET exam. But what could I do? I was ill then and blindly trusted my “inner confidence.” It didn’t let me down completely, just... gave me a decent rank.
And today, for the first time, I wasn’t happy with it.
Still, life was moving. We made a WhatsApp group. Doubts were being shared. Solved. People were helping each other.
And amidst all that…
The Chef cooked up a MasterPlan.
Backlogs — zero. Distractions — manageable.
And her?
Let’s just say, she’s still a part of the recipe.
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