700 ᏦᎥᏝᎧᎷᏋᏖᏒᏋᏕ ᏗᏇᏗᎩ

Chapter 14: The Present

And Harsha, who had been preparing himself for isolation for months, had only nodded.
"It's okay," he had said, meaning it.

But fate had its own plans.

Abi added, "one of my roommates applied for a transfer. If he gets it, he'll leave in a week. Then you can join."

Irony stung.

Harsha too had applied for a transfer out of this college-but due to issues in the process, his request was rejected. Abi's friend's request was accepted.

Luck was never kind to him.

A week later, when Abi's roommate left, Abi cried like a child hugging him goodbye. Harsha watched, feeling something unfamiliar-envy for friendships that felt so warm and open.

That evening, Harsha moved into Abi's room.

The new roommates were kind. Quiet. Respectful.
They didn't ignore him.
They didn't hate him.

But they didn't accept him yet either.

Harsha understood. Acceptance always took time-especially for someone like him.

And unlike most students, Harsha hadn't gone home to Chennai during the semester break.

There was no peace waiting for him there.

The college hostel was lonely but predictable. Quiet but safe. And he stayed.

He knew going home meant hearing his parents argue, slam doors, and drag him into their storms.

He needed silence.

Even if it was lonely.

The Second Year Begins

When college reopened, the campus buzzed with nervous excitement. Students compared new timetables, searched for classrooms, and gossiped about teachers.

But Harsha reached early.

He walked into the classroom, placed his bag on the second row, second bench, and sat quietly, trying to claim a space before the chaos began.

Slowly, classmates streamed in.

And the pattern began again.

People filled benches.
Three on a bench.

But the place beside Harsha remained empty.

He pretended not to notice.
He even asked one or two casually-

"Bro, anyone sitting here?"

They glanced at him.
At the empty space.
At the other benches filled with their own friends.

And smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry bro, we all sit together..."
"Next time, bro."

He nodded each time, pretending the rejection didn't sting.

"Expected," he whispered to himself. He had built enough walls to survive this.

The bell rang.

The HOD walked in.

She was strict, sharp, and carried an aura that made everyone sit straight.

"This department," she began, "will be more demanding than your first year. The workload will increase, the expectations will increase. I'm not scaring you. I'm preparing you. You are not kids anymore."

Some students gulped. Some whispered nervously.
......

Then their class advisor walked in-a gentle woman with a stern undertone.

"Listen," she said, "I don't want girls sitting only with girls and boys sitting only with boys. All of you are my students. You can mingle if you want. I won't scold you-for fun, for laughter... do what you want. But remember-we always notice everything, and we act where needed."

Everyone nodded.

After lunch, the class rearranged itself like a reshuffling pack of cards. Some girls sat with boys in the front. Others formed clusters behind them.

But the bench beside Harsha remained empty.

He didn't mind.

Or so he told himself.

He didn't expect anything else.

But what he really didn't expect...

Was her.

The Unexpected Entrance

The classroom door clicked open.

A girl stepped in, holding a file and her transfer papers. The sunlight fell on her face, making every boy in the room pause.

"She's a lateral entry student," the advisor said.
"Her name is Kavi."

Instantly, whispers filled the room.

"New entry da..."
"Bro she's cute..."
"Crush list, macha!"
"Ijin da..."
"She'll join our bench, right?"

Harsha didn't look up.

He was busy scribbling nonsense lines on the last page of his notebook-a habit he picked up to avoid eye contact with people who pretended he didn't exist.

But she looked up.

She saw him before he saw her.

And with a calmness that shocked the entire class...
she walked straight toward him.

The scrape of the bench made Harsha flinch.
He snapped out of his thoughts, genuinely startled.

A girl.
Sitting beside him.

He jerked upright so quickly that his pen fell.

"Ah-! Oh- uh- sorry! I didn't see- I mean-"

Kavi burst into a small laugh.

"Finally you noticed," she said.
Then she tilted her head, studying him.
"How are you, Harsha? Didn't expect to see you here."

Harsha blinked.

Confused.

Surprised.