It Started With A Mistake

8. Annoying But Charming

The lawn behind the academic block had turned into a pop-up warzone of stress and caffeine. Students sat in circles-some cross-legged, some flat on their backs, some half-asleep-with laptops open, papers flying in the wind, and nervous energy crackling through the air like static. It was two days before project submissions, and the panic had officially hit campus.

Amid the chaos, Ananya sat on the grass with her legs tucked under her, the pale beige trousers dusted slightly from the lawn. Her blue shirt with white stripes fluttered in the breeze, sleeves rolled up just past her elbows. She squinted at her laptop screen like it owed her money.

Karan sat next to her, one leg bent, the other stretched out. His grey shirt had the first two buttons open, black trousers neat despite the grass stains threatening to cling. A tablet rested in his lap, but half the time he was just watching the others lose it.

"Senior, don't you think this line sounds... too much?" Ananya asked, tilting the screen his way.

"Which one?" He didn't look up.

She sighed, tapping the screen. "The objective paragraph. 'We aim to enhance experiential learning'-who even talks like that?"

He glanced over lazily. "Replace 'enhance' with 'explore' and delete the last sentence. It sounds like you're trying too hard."

"You didn't even read the last sentence."

"You already hate it. I'm just supporting your hate."

Ananya shot him a look. "Such emotional support."

"Anytime, Miss."

A few feet away, Meera and Rishi were at it again. They'd been arguing over the same three graphs for the last fifteen minutes.

"Rishi, I swear-this is your third pie chart," Meera groaned, arms folded.

Rishi looked completely unbothered, reclining on his elbows. "It's a trilogy. A beautiful, data-driven trilogy."

Shruti snorted as she leaned over Aman's shoulder, trying to fix a data set.

Aman adjusted his glasses for the fiftieth time. "This site's not even credible. Shruti, we'll lose marks if we don't fix the source."

"It's from an official blog," she argued.

He said flatly, "Even my mom has a recipe blog. That doesn't make it useful for college projects."

Back under the tree, Karan stretched slightly and looked over at Ananya again. "You realize we might be the only sane team left."

She raised a brow. "Says the guy who spent twenty minutes yesterday choosing between Roboto and Montserrat."

He looked mildly scandalized. "That was important. Fonts are sacred."

Ananya burst out laughing, the kind that made her forget the tension for a moment.

The sun was beginning to dip behind the building, streaking the sky in soft gold. Jackets were coming out, cold coffee cups were replaced with chai, and the pace of typing only grew more frantic. Someone cursed in the distance about Excel crashing. Another person yelled for a charger.

"You cold?" Karan asked suddenly.

"I'm fine," she replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

He leaned back again, pretending to scroll. "Just checking. You complain later and act like I never asked."

Ananya gave him a look. "Stop being annoying."

"I can't. It's in my blood. Senior duties."

Meera groaned loudly. "Okay everyone, any suggestions for the conclusion?"