Chapter I:- The New Silhouette
Vikas never expected to land in one of the most reputed colleges in the city. Honestly, he didn’t even believe his marks when he first saw his 10th board result. But those unexpected high scores pushed him straight into St. Gabriel’s Collegiate — a campus people talked about like it was some mini-university.
The gym looked like something from an athlete’s Instagram post. The swimming pool literally sparkled. The basketball and football turfs were huge. There were basement lecture halls only for XI–XII. Even the locality around the college felt clean and fancy, the type where even the street dogs look well-fed.
On day one, Vikas blended in way faster than he expected. Back in school, he only had a few people he was actually close to. But here, his calm personality, his timing with jokes, his “chilled but confident” vibe — people liked it. He didn’t try too hard; he just fit in.
And of course, his athletic side stood out the most.
Within a few days, the sports department head spotted him.
“So, which sport do you play the most?” she asked.
“Cricket,” Vikas replied.
A left-handed power hitter AND a left-arm pacer? Exactly what the team was missing.
Within a week, he wasn’t just another XI grader. He was one of the main guys on the field.
Life was going surprisingly smooth… until it wasn’t.
Some classmates who used to be super friendly suddenly turned cold. Whispering. Staring. Ignoring him randomly. Vikas kept thinking he messed up somewhere, until a close friend finally told him:
“Bro… Rohan’s ex lives on the same floor as you.”
“Rohan who?”
“MY best friend’s best friend. He didn’t handle the breakup well.”
And then it all clicked.
The cold behaviour. The stares. The random tension.
And with it… came curiosity.
Who was this girl?
That night, he searched her up on Instagram. There were like a thousand girls with the same name, but when he finally found her…
Anushka.
He stared at her profile picture way longer than he should’ve.
“I swear… how did that chimpanzee pull her?” he whispered, half impressed, half confused.
He wasn’t trying to date anyone. He didn’t want any drama. He just wanted to SEE her once.
Put a real face to the stories.
But days passed. No sign of her in the building. No “accidental encounters.”
Until that one random evening.
Vikas got into the lift, tired from cricket practice. He pressed his floor button. The doors were about to close when a voice echoed:
“Wait there!”
He quickly hit the door-open button.
And then he froze.
Because the girl who rushed inside…
Her hair a little messy from running… The faint jasmine scent that instantly filled the lift… Earphones hanging loosely around her neck…
Was her.
Anushka.
The girl everyone whispered about. The girl whose ex basically hated the world. The girl whose Instagram made Vikas question reality.
She didn’t notice him at first, leaning back and catching her breath. But when she finally looked at him—
That was it.
Vikas felt EVERYTHING hit him at once.
He tried to act normal. Hands in pockets. Blank face. Heart doing cardio for no reason.
Don’t embarrass yourself. She’s just a girl. Breathe, bro.
She looked at him a bit longer, like she was trying to remember where she’d seen him.
“What floor?” he asked quietly.
“Same as yours,” she said, still slightly confused but calm.
Right. Same building. Same floor. Same lift.
He pressed the button again. The doors slid shut.
And just like that, silence took over.
Not awkward exactly… just heavy. Like both were very aware of the other person existing.
Vikas could hear his own heartbeat. He wondered if she could too.
The lift dinged, and they stepped out together.
She walked ahead at first… then turned slightly, just for a second, like she wanted to check if he was actually behind her.
That tiny moment burned itself into his brain.
Their flats were only a few steps apart. She unlocked hers. He unlocked his.
Before going in, she glanced at him once more. Just a small look — polite, curious, nothing extra.
He nodded. She nodded back.
And then they both disappeared into their homes.
The moment Vikas closed his door, he leaned back against it, exhaling sharply.
This was her. Anushka Khanna.
The girl who unknowingly made half his classmates act weird. The girl who shook him more in thirty seconds than most things had in years.The moment he’d imagined actually happened.
And something deep inside him knew:
Nothing after tonight was going to be the same.
