RATHOD INDUSTRIES – 10:30 AM
The boardroom was silent except for the sound of a presentation clicking forward.
Rehyansh stood at the head of the table, sleeves rolled up, explaining expansion strategies to senior executives twice his age.
“And if the merger fails?” one director asked.
“It won’t,” he replied calmly.
Confidence. Not arrogance.
He didn’t speak loudly. He didn’t need to. When he spoke, people listened.
Meeting ended in 42 minutes.
Efficient.
Controlled.
Predictable.
Just how he liked things.
But as he stepped into his cabin, removing his glasses briefly, something flashed in his mind.
A voice.
“Or because you like control?”
He exhaled slowly.
Annoying.
Why was she lingering in his thoughts?
He picked up his phone.
There was a college event tonight. Freshers’ informal interaction in the auditorium.
He usually didn’t attend small events.
But for some reason…
He confirmed his presence.
He told himself it was for discipline.
Nothing else.
COLLEGE – AFTERNOON
Kajal was in the canteen with her new friends.
“You’re brave,” one girl said.
“Talking to him like that.”
“I wasn’t talking to him,” Kajal said, sipping her cold coffee. “I was defending myself.
“He doesn’t talk much with girls.”
“Good,” Kajal shrugged. “Less headache.”
But she remembered the way he looked at her yesterday in the garden.
Not angry.
Not soft either.
Something unreadable.
Which irritated her.
She didn’t like not understanding people.
“Are you coming to the event tonight?” her friend asked.
“Obviously. Free food.”
They laughed.
EVENING – COLLEGE AUDITORIUM
The auditorium was buzzing.
Music played softly.
Students dressed better than usual.
Rehyansh entered from the side door.
Immediately whispers started.
“He came.”
“He never attends.”
“Maybe management forced him.”
He ignored all of it.
He stood near the back, hands in pockets, observing.
Then he saw her.
Kajal was near the stage, laughing at something her brother Avinash (who had come to pick her later) said on the phone.
She wasn’t dressed extravagantly.
Simple light blue kurti.
Minimal makeup.
But she stood out anyway.
Not because she tried.
Because she didn’t.
He shouldn’t be noticing these details.
Yet he was.
THE SPARK
A group activity was announced random pairing for quick
introduction games.
Students gathered.
Names were picked.
“Kajal Sinha!”
She stepped forward.
“Arjun Mehta!”
A tall, confident senior walked toward her.
Rehyansh didn’t recognize why his jaw tightened slightly.
Arjun was popular. Charming. Slightly too confident.
They were asked to introduce each other after five minutes of conversation.
Kajal and Arjun moved aside to talk.
From across the hall, Rehyansh told himself he was just scanning the crowd.
Not watching them.
Definitely not watching her laugh at something Arjun said.
Arjun leaned closer while talking.
Too close.
Something unfamiliar stirred inside him.
A sharp discomfort.
He didn’t like it.
Not because of rules.
Not because she was his student.
Because he suddenly didn’t like another man standing that close to her.
He straightened unconsciously.
Why does this matter?
It doesn’t.
It shouldn’t.
On stage, Arjun introduced her:
“This is Kajal. She’s… chaotic but intelligent. And apparently fights gravity daily.”
The audience laughed.
She rolled her eyes playfully.
Then she took the mic.
“This is Arjun. He thinks he’s very charming.”
Crowd laughed again.
“But he’s decent,” she added lightly
Rehyansh’s expression hardened slightly.
Decent?
Why did that word irritate him?
AFTER THE EVENT
Students gathered in small groups.
Arjun walked beside Kajal toward the exit.
“You’re different,” Arjun said smoothly.
“Different from?”
“Other girls.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That line works on people?”
He chuckled. “Coffee tomorrow?”
Before she could answer
A calm voice interrupted.
“Ms. Sinha.”
Both turned.
Rehyansh stood there.
Professional expression.
Neutral.
“Sir,” Kajal said.
“Your economics assignment lacked referencing.”
She blinked. “You checked it already?”
“Yes.”
Arjun looked confused.
“Resubmit tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
He didn’t look at Arjun once.
Not even once.
But his presence alone shifted the air.
Kajal nodded. “Okay.”
Rehyansh gave a small nod and walked away.
Arjun frowned slightly. “Strict.”
She watched him leave.
“Yes,” she murmured softly. “Very.”
OUTSIDE COLLEGE GATE
Avinash arrived on his bike.
“Ohooo, someone looked serious back there,” he teased.
“Stop imagining things.”
“That senior guy liked you.”
“I don’t care.”
“And the professor?”
She paused for half a second.
“What about him?”
“He looked… intense.”
Kajal got on the bike. “He always does.”
But her mind replayed that moment.
The way he stepped in.
The way his tone changed slightly when talking to her.
Was it just academic?
Or something else?
She shook her head.
Ridiculous.
RATHOD MANSION – NIGHT
Vivaan walked into Rehyansh’s room without knocking again.
“You attended freshers’ event?” he asked dramatically.
Rehyansh loosened his tie. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Management presence.”
Vivaan smirked. “Or gravity girl presence?”
Rehyansh didn’t respond.
Vivaan continued, “Saw her with Arjun.”
Silence.
Then
“He’s not serious,” Rehyansh said calmly.
Vivaan froze. “Oh? You analyzed him?”
“He lacks discipline.”
Vivaan burst out laughing. “Bro, you’re jealous.”
“I don’t get jealous.”
“Sure.”
Rehyansh’s voice turned colder.
“She’s my student.”
“Then why care who she talks to?”
That question lingered in the room.
Rehyansh looked away.
Because he didn’t have an answer he liked.
KAJAL’S ROOM – SAME NIGHT
Kajal sat at her desk, rewriting her assignment.
She paused.
Why did he check her work so quickly?
Why today?
Why right after Arjun asked for coffee?
Her heart beat slightly faster at the memory of him saying her name.
“Ms. Sinha.”
It sounded different.
Controlled.
But not indifferent.
She touched her wrist unconsciously.
The same wrist he had caught yesterday.
Why am I thinking about this?
She sighed and continued writing.
LATE NIGHT – BALCONY SCENE
Rehyansh stood outside again.
City lights below.
Cool wind brushing against him.
He replayed the scene in the auditorium.
Her laughing with someone else.
Why did that bother him?
He had no claim.
No right.
No intention.
Yet
It unsettled him.
He closed his eyes briefly.
This is unnecessary.
He needed distance.
Clear boundaries.
Because lines, once blurred
Become dangerous.
And he had built his life on discipline.
Still…
When he imagined her saying yes to that coffee invitation
Something inside him tightened.
And he didn’t like that feeling at
all.
END OF CHAPTER 2
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