This morning was her first day here.

When she entered her dorm room earlier, she met her new roommates — Aadya and Taranya. 

They had offered to wait for her.

"We'll wait for you," Aadya had insisted.

"It's fine," Vihaana had said gently. "You guys might have someone waiting for you. I'll manage."

She thought it would be easier that way.

                                                      (Third Person POV)

Vihaana walked through the campus gates, backpack heavy on her shoulders, earbuds tucked in. The buildings were sleek and tall, the courtyard full of students lugging laptops, water bottles, and coffee cups. Everyone was new for her. She looked a little lost.

She adjusted her bag, shrugged, and started walking toward what she hoped was the library block.

"Hey! There you are my new roommate!! We were waiting for you!!"

Vihaana looked up. Two girls, her roommates, whom she met around an hour ago, were walking toward her, grinning. Before she could answer, they grabbed her arm.

"Come with us! You don't want to get lost on your first day."

Vihaana blinked. "Uh... okay," she said, smiling. Her hands moved naturally as she spoke, emphasizing her words, even as they pulled her into their group.

"Don't let them scare you," one of the girls said with a laugh, waving over five boys standing nearby. "This is our group. You're officially dragged in now."

Vivaan was leaning against a pillar, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a coffee. Black hair falling just enough over his eyes, tall, calm. He didn't speak, just watched, and for a second, Vihaana felt a little jolt — nothing obvious, just... he had presence.

The group laughed at some dumb joke, and Vihaana found herself grinning along, her hands moving as she explained something about herself. Nobody minded. It wasn't unusual. She was just... expressive.

Vivaan's gaze lingered, but he didn't approach. He didn't have to. He was confident enough to stay back and watch. Just enough to be intimidating.

"Where's the library?" Vihaana asked one of the boys.

"Follow us. You'll get there eventually," he said with a smirk.

They walked. Vihaana kept talking, her hands moving naturally with her words. Nobody noticed, nobody cared. And for the first time in a long time, she felt... normal.

Vivaan stayed a few steps behind, arms crossed, coffee forgotten for a moment. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He just... watched.

Vihaana fell into step with the group, trying not to trip over the cobblestones or the tiny cracks that lined the pavement. The girls, Aadya and Taranya, chattered nonstop, giving her little nudges and elbows like she was suddenly part of their world.

"So," Aadya said, "you survived the first twenty minutes without dying of embarrassment. That's... impressive." She smirked.

Vihaana grinned, her hands moving slightly as she gestured. "I've got survival skills. Trust me. And I can handle a lot more than this."

Taranya laughed. "We'll see."

The guys were scattered around, talking in smaller groups. Abhimanyu was arguing something with Dhruv, Arjun was tossing a pen back and forth with Rudra, and Reyansh was already scrolling on his phone, headphones in. Vivaan stayed slightly apart, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, silently observing. He didn't join the chaos, but he didn't leave either. He didn't need to. He was present.

"So, you actually know where the library is?" Arjun called out as they approached a crossroads of buildings.

Vihaana shrugged. "I think... maybe? I'm not lost yet." Her hands moved naturally as she spoke, emphasizing words, nothing dramatic, just her way of talking.

Rudra raised an eyebrow. "We'll see how long that lasts."

"Don't worry," Taranya said, nudging Vihaana again. "You're officially part of the group now. There's no escaping. You're stuck with us."

Vihaana laughed. "I'm... thrilled?"

Vivaan finally spoke, his voice low, calm, and just loud enough to carry: "Don't trip over yourself." He didn't smile. Didn't laugh. Just said it and looked back at the path, then returned to watching the group like nothing happened.

Vihaana's hands paused mid-gesture. She blinked. Okay... intimidating. Noted.

The rest of the walk passed in a jumble of introductions and inside jokes she didn't fully understand. Reyansh tried to explain a campus shortcut and failed, Arjun kept joking about who could carry the heaviest backpack, and Abhimanyu and Dhruv argued about which lecture hall was easier to survive.

By the time they reached the library, Vihaana's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Her hands were still moving naturally as she talked about how she liked the look of the place.

Vivaan followed at a slow pace, silent as ever, occasionally tilting his head to watch her gestures, to watch the way she laughed, to see her in motion. He didn't say a word, but something in his posture made it clear,  he'd noticed her energy.

And Vihaana, completely oblivious to him staring, was just happy to not feel like the new girl anymore.