Author pov

It was first day of vikrants college.

He was moving towards his class

When..

He first saw her near the corridor, where the noise didn't belong.

Classes hadn't officially started yet, but a small crowd had already formed-three girls, two boys-standing in a loose circle around a trembling first-year student.

Their voices were sharp, cutting through the lazy hum of the college morning.

She stood at the center.

Not loud.

Not frantic.

Just... unmovable.

Her arms were crossed,

posture straight, eyes steady in

a way that made even silence feel threatening.

Someone said she was bullying him. But the words coming out of her mouth weren't careless-they were precise.

"You think you can harass someone and walk away like it's nothing?"

she said, her voice calm, almost cold. "Wrong place. Wrong people."

The boy stammered excuses. Someone behind her laughed-not amused, more disgusted.

One of the boys with her stepped closer, blocking the exit.

Another girl whispered something to a teacher passing by.

She didn't raise her voice once.

And yet,

everyone listened.

He had just entered the college that morning-bag still stiff from being new, heart still unsure where he belonged-when his world tilted slightly to the left and stopped there.

At her.

She wasn't conventionally beautiful, not in the glossy way posters tried to sell.

Her skin was dusky, sun-touched. Her hair was pulled back messily,

like she didn't care enough to tame it.

But there was something about the way she stood-fierce, bold, unapologetically present-that made her impossible to ignore.

She looked like someone who had fought battles long before this one.

He didn't know why his chest tightened. He didn't know why he wanted to step closer, or why the urge scared him.

He just knew-this was the first time he had seen her in his life, and somehow, it already felt too late to look away.

The bell rang.

The moment shattered.

Students scattered,

voices dissolved into footsteps,

and just like that,

she was gone

-walking ahead with her group, laughter replacing confrontation as if she hadn't just dismantled someone with words alone.

He stood there for a second too long.

Then he followed the crowd to class.

The classroom smelled like fresh paint and nervousness.

First years filled the benches quickly, claiming seats like unspoken territory. He hesitated, scanning the room,

then slipped into the first bench-because of course he did.

That's where people like him sat. The ones who listened more than they spoke.

The girl beside him smiled politely.

She was beautiful. Effortlessly so. Clear skin, bright eyes, confidence that came easily.

She introduced herself without hesitation,

"Ashwani Sharma" she said softly

"And you" asked him his name,

"Vikrant Malhotra" she replied

Simple.

She commented on the syllabus like it was already conquered territory.

He nodded. Answered. Smiled back.

Only later-much later-would he realize who she was.

The younger sister.

And that the girl in the corridor wasn't just a moment.

She was the beginning of everything