Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The First Day
Mukti switched off the engine and sat quietly for a moment.
The academy gate stood a few metres away.
Players, coaches, staff members and trainees moved in and out as if they had somewhere important to be.
She didn't.
At least, she didn't feel like she belonged there.
"Bas ek meeting hai," she muttered.
She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat.
The bag looked heavier than it actually was.
Inside were notebooks, pens, a water bottle and a notebook filled with notes she had prepared last night after spending hours revising Class 10 mathematics.
Just in case.
You never know.
She stepped out of the car.
The morning sun was already warm.
Not unbearable.
Just enough to make her regret wearing black.
Her outfit was simple.
A loose black kurti.
Light blue jeans.
White sneakers.
Nothing expensive.
Nothing carefully planned.
Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail because she had no patience to style it.
No makeup.
No jewellery except a small watch on her wrist.
She looked exactly like someone who had driven a long distance and was hoping the day would end without embarrassment.
As she walked through the gate, she adjusted the strap of her bag.
Her eyes automatically moved around the academy.
The practice nets.
The grounds.
The training area.
The sound of balls hitting bats.
For a moment she forgot why she was there.
Then she remembered.
Vaibhav.
She already knew who he was.
Almost everyone who followed cricket knew.
Especially after IPL 2026.
She remembered watching one of his innings with her cousins.
The entire room had been shouting at the television.
Not because they supported a team.
Because a teenager was batting with ridiculous confidence.
At one point her cousin had said,
"Yeh ladka future mein bahut aage jayega."
Mukti had agreed.
Then completely forgotten about him.
Until somebody called her and asked if she wanted to tutor him.
Life was strange.
Very strange.
---
A staff member led her toward one of the academy buildings.
She followed quietly.
The nervousness returned immediately.
"What if he doesn't listen?"
"What if I can't explain properly?"
"What if he hates studying?"
The last question felt very likely.
Most fifteen-year-olds hated studying.
She certainly had.
The staff member stopped outside a room.
"He is inside."
That was it.
No encouragement.
No good luck.
Nothing.
Just "He is inside."
Wonderful.
Mukti stared at the door.
For a few seconds she seriously considered running away.
Not permanently.
Just enough to avoid the awkward introduction.
Then she sighed.
"Paise chahiye ya nahi?"
The answer was yes.
Very much yes.
So she knocked.
A voice from inside replied.
"Come in."
She opened the door.
And there he was.
Vaibhav.
Sitting at a desk.
A textbook open in front of him.
A notebook beside it.
Looking significantly less enthusiastic than somebody who was about to meet his new tutor should have looked.
The moment their eyes met, both of them silently judged each other.
Vaibhav's expression clearly said:
"She's younger than I expected."
Mukti's expression clearly said:
"He already looks tired of studying."
Neither spoke.
The silence stretched.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Finally Vaibhav broke it.
"You're the tutor?"
Mukti blinked.
"You're the student?"
Another pause.
Then unexpectedly—
Vaibhav laughed.
A short laugh.
The kind that escaped before he could stop it.
And for the first time that morning, Mukti relaxed a little.
Maybe this wouldn't be a disaster after all.
She was wrong.
It would absolutely be a disaster.
Just not for the reasons either of them expected.
The First Study Session
The laugh disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Vaibhav leaned back in his chair.
Mukti sat down opposite him.
For a few seconds, neither knew what to say.
The room was quiet except for the distant sounds of practice outside.
A ball hitting a bat.
Someone shouting instructions.
Footsteps in the hallway.
Meanwhile, inside the room, a tutor and a student were sizing each other up.
Mukti placed her bag on the table.
Vaibhav immediately noticed how stuffed it was.
"What's in there?"
"Books."
"All of that?"
"Do you think I carry bricks for fun?"
"Hmm."
The conversation was already going terribly.
---
Mukti pulled out a notebook.
"Okay. Show me what you're studying."
Vaibhav pushed a textbook toward her.
Mathematics.
Of course.
Why was it always mathematics?
She looked down at the chapter title.
Thankfully she had revised it last night.
Otherwise she would have been in serious trouble.
Trying her best to look professional, she nodded.
"Okay. Let's start."
Vaibhav nodded.
Then stared at the table.
Mukti stared at him.
Nothing happened.
"Read the question."
"Hmm."
"You haven't read it."
"Hmm."
"Vaibhav."
"Hmm."
"Read."
The boy sighed like she had asked him to climb Mount Everest.
Very slowly he looked at the book.
Read one line.
Stopped.
Looked out the window.
Read another line.
Stopped again.
Looked at the ceiling.
Mukti watched this performance for almost a minute.
Then she put her pen down.
"Do you always study like this?"
"Like what?"
"Like somebody being forced into a government witness protection program?"
Vaibhav laughed.
Again.
That was becoming a problem.
Because every time he laughed, it became harder for her to stay serious.
---
Half an hour later she realized something important.
Vaibhav wasn't weak.
He wasn't lazy either.
He simply hated being told what to do.
The moment something felt like an order, he lost interest.
But if she explained things normally, he listened.
Not immediately.
Not perfectly.
But he listened.
"See, this step goes here."
"Why?"
"Because mathematics said so."
"That's not a reason."
"Okay fine."
She grabbed a rough sheet.
Drew the problem again.
Explained it differently.
This time he understood.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Oh."
"You got it?"
"I got it."
Mukti sat back proudly.
As if she had personally invented mathematics.
---
An hour passed.
Then another.
Eventually the lesson ended.
Mukti closed the notebook.
"Done."
Vaibhav looked surprised.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"I thought it would be longer."
"You want extra homework?"
"No."
"Exactly."
---
As they packed their things, Vaibhav suddenly asked,
"How old are you?"
Mukti looked up.
"Why?"
"You don't act like a teacher."
"Good."
"Most teachers are boring."
"Thank you."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"You kind of were."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Okay."
The argument ended immediately.
Neither wanted to waste energy.
---
Outside the room, Mukti checked the time.
The drive home was going to be long.
Very long.
She could already feel the exhaustion creeping into her shoulders.
Still, something felt lighter than before.
The nervousness was gone.
The fear that the job wouldn't work was gone too.
Because despite all the interruptions, distractions and complaints...
The session had actually gone well.
Much better than she expected.
As she walked toward the parking area, she thought about the conversation she'd had with her family a week ago.
"You don't need a job."
That had been everyone's first reaction.
Her parents paid for everything.
Her brothers never let her spend her own money when they were around.
If she wanted something, someone usually got it for her before she even asked.
Being the youngest had its advantages.
It also came with one problem.
Nobody expected her to stand on her own.
This wasn't about money.
It was never about money.
For the first time, she wanted something that belonged entirely to her.
Her own responsibility.
Her own achievement.
Something she earned because she could, not because she had to.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from her cousin.
How was the first day?
Mukti stopped.
Thought about it.
Then typed:
Student annoying.
Job good.
Will continue.
A few seconds later the reply came.
You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?
Mukti rolled her eyes.
Maybe a little.
Unfortunately...
Her cousin wasn't completely wrong.
