STRINGS and STANDOFFS

2: Plot Twist - Same College, Same Chaos

And then..

The worst sound echoed.

Anirudh's laugh.

She turned slowly. There he was. Leaning casually against the corridor wall, arms crossed, looking like he belonged on a college brochure. Behind him, someone whispered, "That's Shah. Mr. Shah's son."

Radha's soul sighed. Loudly.

He smirked. "Looks like we're duet partners now, Deshpande."

She smiled sweetly. "Looks like I'll be investing in noise-cancelling earphones."

Somewhere in the background, Kavya whispered to Trisha, "I give it three weeks before one of them throws a mic stand."

Shree pulled out a granola bar. "Why not today?"

*

(Setting: Department of Performing Arts, NCU)

The classroom was shaped like an amphitheatre, curved rows of wooden benches rising in a half-circle. It smelled like fresh varnish and unspoken dreams, like an old Broadway theatre that still remembered every heartbreak it hosted.

Radha slid into a middle row seat, notebook in hand, earbuds dangling from one ear, confidence in full swing.

Then, the chair next to her screeched.She didn't even need to look.

Anirudh Shah.

Walking in with the ease of a boy who knew the world would move to his beat eventually.

He didn't sit.

He sprawled.

Like he owned the piano in the corner.

Like the keys whispered his name.

"Assigned seats?" he asked, looking far too smug.

Radha, without glancing at him: "Yeah. You're assigned to the corridor."

He grinned. "Missed you too."

Before she could respond with something sharp enough to cut glass, the classroom hushed.

A slim, white-haired man in a linen kurta, holding a thick file and a tabla stick like a wand.

"Good morning, batch of 2029,I am professor Mirza" he said, voice low but commanding. "Welcome to Music Theory I, where we learn not just to play music, but to understand it."

Anirudh raised his hand halfway. "Like... emotionally?"

Mirza smiled. "Like mathematically, philosophically, culturally. If you feel emotions, that's bonus."

Mirza continued. "You will learn about ragas and rhythm, Western progressions and Indian scales, Beethoven and Bulleh Shah. By the end of this course, if you can't identify a mood in a note, you're doing it wrong."

He tapped the stick.

"Music isn't talent. It's language. And you'll learn to speak it fluently."

Radha found herself leaning forward. So did Anirudh. She hated that part. The part where they synced without trying.

"Final project," Mirza said, "is a public duet. Partner assignments after lunch. And yes, it's graded.40%"

Radha blinked.

Anirudh leaned in, voice low. "Manifesting not us."

Radha hissed, "If we end up as partners, I'm legally changing my name."

*

Next Class: Dance Theory with Prof. Iyer

Dance Hall