Part 12

Maher's POV

The moment I stepped inside the house, I wanted to disappear into my room. I was exhausted—mentally, emotionally, physically.

Kian had just dropped me off and left, sensing that I needed space. But the second I turned toward the stairs, thinking I could escape without being noticed—

A sharp tug on my ear stopped me in my tracks.

"Ouch! Maa!" I winced, immediately grabbing my ear to free it from her grip.

"You still have the audacity to say 'ouch'?!" My mother's voice was dangerously loud, her scolding tone making me feel like I was five years old again.

I turned my head slightly and saw her face—furious, yet worried.

"First, you come home late, and then, without saying a word, you think you can sneak off to your room? Do you think this is a hotel where you come and go as you please?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

I sighed, rubbing my ear. "Maa, I was just tired. I was going to talk later."

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that? You would have locked yourself in your room for the whole night if I hadn't caught you!"

She wasn't wrong.

Still, I stayed silent, lowering my gaze like a guilty child.

"Where were you, Maher? Do you have any idea how worried I was? At least answer your phone!"

I bit my lip, hesitating. I couldn't tell her I had been with Kian, venting about the past I wasn't even sure I had moved on from.

"I was with a friend," I muttered vaguely.

"Which friend?" she pressed, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

"Kian."

The moment his name left my lips, my mother's anger flickered with confusion.

"Oh." She blinked, slightly taken aback. "Well... at least he's a responsible person."

I exhaled in relief, thinking the interrogation was over—

But then, she pulled my ear again.

"But that doesn't mean you can stay out late without informing me!"

"Maa! I get it! I get it! I won't do it again! Just let go!" I whined, dramatically rubbing my ear when she finally released it.

She shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "You always make me worry for no reason. Now come and eat dinner."

I wasn't hungry. But looking at my mother's face, I knew I had no choice.

With a deep sigh, I followed her to the dining table, knowing very well I had just avoided another emotional breakdown... but only for now.

Author POV

Maher placed her spoon down, pushing away her empty plate. The warm comfort of dinner settled in her stomach as she stretched her arms, feeling the weight of exhaustion from the day. She bid her parents a soft goodnight and ignored Isha's expectant gaze, walking straight to her room.

Sleep came quickly. The next morning, sunlight trickled in through the curtains as Maher groggily got up and got ready for work. She moved with precision—shower, makeup, outfit, coffee—each step calculated, leaving no room for unnecessary interactions.

Grabbing her bag, she walked toward the door.

"Bye, Maa. Bye, Papa," she said, her tone even, routine.

Isha, standing nearby, parted her lips to say something, but Maher had already turned away, leaving her words to dissolve into silence.

The office buzzed with the usual morning energy—keyboards clacking, phones ringing, hurried footsteps clicking against the floor. Maher walked into the meeting room, where Kian was already waiting, his usual smirk plastered on his face.

"Ah, Maher, fashionably late, I see," he teased as she took her seat.

"Not late. You're just unnecessarily early," she shot back, flipping open her notebook.

The meeting proceeded, all business, until Kian leaned over slightly and muttered, "You know, I think the only thing keeping me awake in this meeting is you."

Maher didn't even glance up. "Good. If my presence is the only thing stopping you from drooling on the conference table, I suppose I should start charging a babysitting fee."

Kian chuckled, shaking his head. "Ouch. And here I thought we had something special."

"Yeah, it's called colleagueship—very rare, very professional. Try it sometime."

He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "You wound me, Maher. Truly."

She merely raised an eyebrow and went back to her notes.

After the meeting, the two of them left the office, heading toward the place where Maher had decided to talk to Kian about Rudra. The air between them shifted from playful banter to something heavier.

Maher exhaled. " so let's start ".

Kian, for once, didn't crack a joke. His teasing demeanor softened as he nodded, ready to listen.

FLASHBACK 

Maher POV 

The lecture hall was packed, every row filled with students adjusting to the rhythm of their first day in college. The scent of fresh notebooks, faint traces of coffee, and the crisp scent of new beginnings lingered in the air. I tapped my fingers against my notebook, watching the professor scan the room.

Beside me, the boy who had just taken his seat remained eerily quiet. He had sharp features—deep-set eyes, slightly tousled dark hair, and an expression that could be best described as distant. He didn't fidget, didn't look around like the others did. Instead, he placed his notebook neatly on the desk, pulled out a pen, and fixed his attention on the professor.

Silence had never been my strong suit.

I leaned slightly toward him. "Hey," I whispered. "I'm Maher."

For a moment, he didn't react. Then, finally, he turned his head, his gaze meeting mine. "Rudra," he replied, his voice deep but quiet.

I blinked. "Rudra... just Rudra?"

His lips twitched slightly, as if he was amused but didn't want to show it. "Do you need my full name for attendance?"

I smirked. "No, just trying to be friendly. But okay, just Rudra."

Silence settled between us again. I twirled my pen between my fingers, my eyes flicking toward his notebook. Unlike mine, which was already filled with messy doodles in the margins, his was blank—completely untouched.

Then, as the professor began the lecture, Rudra uncapped his pen and started writing. His handwriting was neat, every word aligned perfectly as if he had rehearsed this a thousand times. No unnecessary words, no scratch-outs. I found myself watching him more than I should have.

After a few minutes, I leaned over slightly and whispered, "You're one of those students, huh?"

Rudra didn't stop writing. "One of what?" he murmured without looking up.

"Topper types. The ones who actually listen to lectures."

He exhaled through his nose, something between a scoff and a chuckle. "And you?"

I grinned. "Oh, I survive."

This time, he glanced at me, a single brow raised. His eyes, I noticed, had a sharpness to them, like he was always analyzing things, even if he pretended not to.

The professor's voice broke the brief moment of connection. "I hope everyone's getting along with their seat partners," he announced, flipping through his notes. "Because you'll be working together for the semester's group assignments."

My eyes widened in delight. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Rudra, on the other hand, looked vaguely like he regretted sitting here.

I turned to him with a mischievous glint in my eyes. "Guess we're stuck with each other, partner."

Rudra's gaze flickered to me, and for the first time, something shifted in his expression. A hint of amusement. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, almost forming a smirk before he turned back to his notebook.

"Lucky me," he muttered.

The moment the lecture ended, I stretched my arms and exhaled in relief. Rudra, on the other hand, simply closed his notebook with his usual quiet efficiency.

Before either of us could leave, a girl and a boy approached us. The girl had a friendly smile, her dark curls bouncing as she walked, while the boy had a relaxed stance, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Hey! I'm Alisha, and this is Kabir," the girl said enthusiastically. "We figured we should introduce ourselves, since we're all in the same class."

"Nice to meet you," Kabir added with a nod.

I smiled. "I'm Maher, and this is—"

"Rudra," he finished for me, his tone neutral.

Alisha tilted her head. "You guys seem like you already know each other. Do you?"

At that, Rudra and I turned our faces toward each other at the same time. My breath hitched slightly as our eyes met. For a second, it felt like the world paused. His gaze held something unreadable, like he was weighing an answer he already knew.

"No," we said together, the word leaving our lips in perfect sync.

Aisha and Kabir exchanged amused looks. "Well, that was... oddly synchronized," Kabir said with a chuckle.

I forced a laugh, feeling an odd flutter in my chest. Rudra exhaled, shutting his notebook a little too firmly.

Alisha grinned. "Well, either way, I have a feeling this semester is going to be interesting."

I glanced at Rudra, who met my gaze briefly before looking away.

Before the conversation could drift, Alisha clapped her hands together. "Hey, since we all just met, why don't we work on the project together? Four heads are better than two, right?"

Kabir nodded. "Yeah, that way we can split the workload and make it less of a headache."

I glanced at Rudra, and to my surprise, he simply shrugged. "Fine by me."

I smiled. "Same here. Teamwork it is."

Aisha grinned. "Great! This is going to be fun."

Kabir sighed dramatically. "That depends on how much 'fun' you're planning. Last time we worked on something together, Alisha turned it into a full-blown event."

Alisha smirked. "Excuse me, but I like things to be... engaging."

Kabir rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because a simple PowerPoint wasn't enough. We had to make a whole dramatic reenactment."

I chuckled. "You two seem like you know each other well."

Aisha and Kabir exchanged a glance before nodding simultaneously. "Yes," they said in perfect unison.

Before I could react, Rudra leaned back in his chair, smirking slightly. "Well, that was... oddly synchronized."

Aisha and Kabir blinked before bursting into laughter. "Touché," Alisha said, shaking her head.

I turned to Rudra, unable to hide my amusement. Maybe he wasn't as serious as he pretended to be after all.

After discussing the idea of working together once the project topic was assigned, Aisha clapped her hands together. "Alright, team bonding time! Coffee, anyone?"

Kabir groaned. "You just want an excuse to get extra whipped cream on your latte."

Alisha gasped dramatically. "How dare you expose me like that?"

I laughed. "I'm in. I could use some caffeine."

Rudra sighed, closing his notebook. "Fine."

As we stepped outside, the evening breeze hit us, crisp and refreshing. The campus café was buzzing with students, and as we sat down with our drinks, the conversation flowed easily.

After finishing our coffee, we decided it was time to return to our classes. The rest of the day passed in a blur of lectures, note-taking, and adjusting to the new college environment. When the final class ended, we all exchanged brief goodbyes before heading home, the first day of college officially behind us.

Hello Guys,

I hope you like the chapter.

So what are your thought on Aisha and Kabir.

If found any grammatical error then do tell me.

Thank you