The exams were done. The campus, once buzzing, had grown strangely quiet. Suitcases rolled, buses honked at the gates, parents waved at children—two weeks of holiday stretched like a pause everyone needed.
I had packed lightly—just enough kurtas, books, and my diary. Akshu's parents were waiting outside the gate, her mother waving at us with that excited warmth only mothers carry.
"Come on, vidhu," Akshu tugged my hand. "We'll drop you at your stop, then Papa will drive us to the city."
I smiled and nodded, clutching my bag. Nikki, dragging his suitcase like it weighed his entire existence, joined us.
But a black luxury car stood further down the road. Sleek, silent, almost out of place against the dusty parking lot of Yogamaya.
My stomach tightened.
Because I knew that car.
⸻
Flashback to the morning
Papa had texted:
"Your exams are done. I'll be there. Don't make me wait."
Ashok Kumar Simha. The man whose signature opened doors, whose name carried half the weight of Coorg's business empire.
My father.
But at Yogamaya, no one knew him as my father. No one knew me as his daughter.
And that was exactly how I wanted it.
⸻
"Vidhu, come on!" Akshu called again. "Car's this way!"
I smiled at her, hugged her tightly. "I'll... actually meet you in the city. Papa's sending someone to pick me."
Her brows furrowed. "Someone?"
"Yeah," I said quickly, avoiding Nikki's curious eyes. "Long story. Go, or your parents will wait."
They didn't push. Akshu's mother fussed over me, kissed my forehead, and promised to see me soon. Then they were gone, swallowed by the traffic.
I exhaled. Turned. And walked toward the car.
⸻
The driver bowed slightly, opening the door. Inside, in crisp white kurta and his signature calm aura, sat Ashok Kumar Simha. My father.
He glanced at his watch. "That's my girl," he said softly, in the way only he did.
I slid in, dropping my bag on the leather seat. "Sorry, Papa. I... couldn't just leave like that."
"You never could," he said, amused. His hand rested on mine, warm and steady. "But you're home now."
The car pulled away from Yogamaya. Through the tinted windows, the campus grew smaller and smaller, until it vanished into the green hills of Coorg.
⸻
The car glided smoothly through the winding roads of Coorg, the tall trees forming a canopy overhead, sunlight flickering like a thousand tiny spotlights. Vidhu sat quietly in the back seat, her eyes lost in the greenery flashing by. For the outside world she was just another girl, another student, blending in with college life. But as the car turned into the private lane leading to Simha Mansion, her two lives stood apart like fire and water.
The heavy iron gates opened, guards bowing respectfully. Inside, fountains danced in perfect rhythm, gardens were manicured with almost royal precision, and the mansion itself stood tall—glittering under the fading sunlight. White walls, vintage balconies, and chandeliers glowing faintly through the giant windows.
YOU ARE READING
Between the Classes(Two different worlds)
RomanceShe was supposed to be just another student. He was supposed to be just another professor. Vidhu never believed in early mornings, strict rules, or the idea of love waiting inside a classroom. But when Siddharth Rai walked into her college as the ne...
