Love Amidst The Shadows

Sia’s POV

The cold breeze of the trees around hit me just as I stepped out of the cab. I looked around, taking in the surroundings. The white building ahead stood tall, looking as if it was waiting for something— deep, to unfold. I took a deep breath, pushing all my thoughts aside before stepping forward. Every step I took towards the building echoed in my ears, the only sound in the midst of tall trees. My eyes roamed around, noticing how the trees and even the weather too seemed to momentarily pause, as if it was holding its breath. My feet came to a halt in front of the huge gate; my fingers lingered on the slightly rusted iron gate before opening it. I took the key from my bag, moving towards the main door to open it.

I pushed open the door, only to be met by the scent of old furniture and dust. I stepped inside, glancing around to see the interior of the building filled with old furniture covered with dust that seemed decades old. I don’t know why but, the place somehow have a strange effect on me.

I came out of my reverie when a doubt started to creep up my head, ‘why did they give us such a place to live for the next four months?’

I moved a bit forward towards the closed windows, opening them for sunlight and a bit of fresh air. I was about to go inside to see the whole building when I heard some footsteps through the main door. I paused for a second before my feet started moving involuntarily towards the sound.

I came to a halt as my eyes fell on a man. His height around 6 feet, in a casual white t shirt and a denim cargo. The sunlight fell on his face accentuating his features, making his hazel brown eyes shine. He was looking around the room when he stilled for a second before slowly turning towards me, as if he was able to sense my gaze on him.

Our eyes met and for a second I just stood, before my feet started moving again, taking slow steps towards him. He started moving too until we both met halfway. I stood in front of him, extending my hand for a handshake, “Hey, I am Sia.”

He accepted my hand, still not breaking the eye contact. “Reyansh,” he spoke in his deep voice etched with quiet confidence and a charming smile. His eyes crinkled a bit at the corners which immediately made me smile too.

“Reyansh... I think I’ve heard the name somewhere,” I thought out loud.

He started speaking, “There are many people named Re—”

I cut him off, my voice carrying a hint of surprise, “You were the one who supervised the project last year, right?”

He knitted his brows in confusion, “which project are you talking about?”

“The one which secured second place, in the competition,” I said, my voice tinged with excitement.

“Yeah, that was me,” he said with a small smile which soon turned into shock. “Wait, you are Sia. I mean Sia Joshi, the one who supervised the incredible project that won the competition.”

“Yup, it was me but come on, I won it with just a single point. Your model was so unique that I thought—no almost sure that it would be the one to win the competition,” I gave him a smile to which he grinned and we both started talking about the projects. I was really impressed by the model they presented it and wanted to meet him since that day. And I could tell that he was impressed with mine too from the way he spoke about it.

We were still talking when we heard a throat clearing sound. I turned towards the sound to find another man, of almost same height as him, wearing a similar navy blue t shirt with casual light blue denim jeans.

He looked at both of us for a moment before his eyes moved towards something. I followed his gaze only to realize we were still holding each others hands. My eyes widened before we took back our hand. I instinctively averted my gaze, too embarrassed to even look at him.

The man in blue shirt chuckled seeing our reaction before quickly composing himself. He looked at me for a moment before turning towards the other man, “Do you know her, Rey?”

Reyansh cleared his throat, turning towards him, “Yeah. Do you remember the project that won the competition last year? She is the mastermind behind that masterpiece.”

The man frowned for a moment which soon turned into surprise. “I saw the model di [elder sister], and I have to admit, it was amazing,” he said turning towards me. His voice was composed and confident but also tinged with admiration and respect.

“Thank you. That means a lot. By the way, I am Sia,” I said extending my hand which he accepted with a smile.

“Advait. And I can call you di, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I just nodded my head with a small smile.

I turned my head only to realize Reyansh was not present there. I was about to ask when I saw him returning from inside. “This place looks no less than a haunted house. Are you sure that this is the place which is given for us to live for the semester—like next four months?” he said, his eyes wide with horror.

“I was thinking about the same thing. Shall we call the principal or dean?” I asked.

They agreed with me and I tried to place the call only to realize that this place doesn’t even have a signal. Seriously! What kind of college does something like this.

“What do they think of themselves? I agree that it was me who requested for a building to live till the completion of the project. But I didn’t mean this kind of a building,” my voice carried the irritation that I didn’t even try to hide.

Reyansh looked at me with an amused smirk. “Woah! relax chief. And, come with me, lets go and check our luck at the gate before you get ready to launch an attack at the dean.” Reyansh spoke already jogging towards the main door.

“Oh please! I think he deserves it for giving us such a place,” I said, rolling my eyes but nonetheless following him to the gate.

Advait trailed along with us and we tried to call again near the gate, once, twice only to be ignored by our dear dean. “Di was right, they deserve it,” Advait spoke mirroring my expression.

Reyansh just shook his head but failed to hide the irritation that started bubbling.

Mira’s POV

I stood at the entrance of a building— a place which was supposed to be my home for the next four months, a place where I had to stay with three other people who are complete strangers to me. I couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of anticipation and nervousness thinking about the next few months.

I was never the one who felt comfortable talking to strangers, let alone stay with them. But look at my fate which always seems like it loves to throw challenges at me. Yet, there’s also a part of me that whispers that this is not just going to be one of those challenges, but something even more profound.

I took a deep breath, putting a halt to all my thoughts before pushing the gate. I stood there for a moment taking in the surroundings. Before I could move further, my eyes fell on a woman who looked maybe a year or two older than me standing a little bit away from the gate. Her hair was tied into a low pony with just a few strands falling on her face. Her face was contorted with irritation; as if she was ready to pounce on anybody who comes near her. Behind her, two men were present who looked just as frustrated as she is.

I tightened my grip on my suitcase. For a moment, I felt as if I was stepping inside a world which wasn’t meant for me; as if I should have reconsidered my parents words. ‘No Mira, you are doing something you have always dreamed of,’ I told myself.

My thoughts came to a halt when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to look at the man standing a bit away. Advait. Somebody who never fails to make me nervous in a strange way. I know him. I had always been captivated by him, even when we were in the middle of any lecture. But I seriously doubt if he even knows that I exist. But wait, I didn’t know that he was a part of this project too. I should have at least checked the people whom I was working with.

He turned towards me and the moment our eyes met, my grip on my suitcase tightened, my palms turning cold. I could feel the heat rising up to my cheeks.

His deep hazel brown eyes shined with a warmth the moment they met mine, the annoyance in his eyes melting in an instant. I wanted to avert my gaze and I even tried to; only to fail as my eyes refused to break the contact. It felt as if that was the only thing that grounded me. He started walking towards me with slow, steady steps and I somehow found courage to move forward.

“Hey, Mira right? I am Advait,” he said, extending his hand towards me. His voice was deep and husky while the scent of sandalwood wrapped around me. My eyes widened. Wow! I didn’t expect him to know my name. I thought that he wouldn’t know me since we rarely talked to each other even after being in the same class for more than 2 years.

I looked at his hand for a moment before accepting his hand “Yeah,” I said my voice smaller than I intended. His hand enveloped mine completely; the warmth from his hand seeping through mine. The contact sent a shiver down my spine but strangely, it also calmed my nerves.

I pulled back when I heard a footsteps approaching. I mentally kicked myself for forgetting that there were other people present here too. The other man who looked a bit elder than us, almost as the age of the woman, raised an eyebrow teasingly at Advait which made him scratch the nape of his neck. That gesture immediately bought a small smile to my face despite the earlier embarrassment.