The First Encounter
Chapter 1 The First Encounter
The university gates were louder than she expected students rushing in, chai stalls buzzing, seniors laughing too loudly. Zara Malik tightened her grip on the file in her hand. First day. New city. New campus. Don’t screw it up, she reminded herself.
Her sneakers crunched against the gravel as she crossed the courtyard, trying to look confident. Fake it till you make it, Minal had texted her that morning. Easy for Minal to say; she wasn’t the one walking into a sea of strangers.
And then it happened.
A shoulder brushed against hers, hard enough to knock her file down. Papers scattered like a deck of cards. Zara bent instantly to pick them up, but a voice deep, amused, slightly mocking reached her before she could.
“Freshers. Always in a rush. Always in the way.”
She looked up.
He was tall, lean, holding a coffee cup like it belonged in his hand. Arham Khan. She didn’t know his name yet, but the crowd around did because a couple of juniors whispered it with a mixture of fear and admiration.
Zara raised an eyebrow. “And seniors… always walking like they own the campus.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He crouched, picked up one of her papers, and held it up. “Transfer student, huh? Journalism?”
She snatched it back. “Do you mind?”
“I do, actually,” he said coolly. “Because you just bumped into me. And for the record seniors do own the campus. You’ll learn that soon.”
There was a small circle now, juniors giggling, seniors watching. Zara felt the burn of attention, but her pride refused to step back.
“Then maybe the campus needs better owners,” she shot back, sliding the papers back into her file.
A few “oooohs” rippled through the crowd. Arham’s smirk deepened.
“Careful, fresher,” he said, voice low, amused. “The last one who tried to argue with me… didn’t survive the semester.”
Zara straightened, lifted her chin. “Then lucky for me I don’t scare that easy.”
For a moment, his dark eyes locked with hers, curiosity flickering behind the arrogance. Then, without another word, he sipped his coffee, turned, and walked away like nothing had happened.
The circle slowly dispersed, buzzing with whispers. Zara exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath. Great. Day one, and I already have a senior enemy.
She shook her head, clutching her file tighter. “Bring it on, Mr. Coffee Arrogance.”
Somewhere behind her, Arham’s smirk lingered as he heard her mutter. He didn’t know her name yet, but he knew one thing for sure
This fresher wasn’t ordinary.
Chapter 1 ends here.
