Fiction: Namya’s privileged college life is challenged when crossing paths with Vir, a village boy

It’s late in the evening here in the Atrium. I feel more put together because Pari did most of my introductions and she is comfortable around random people. I try to shut away all my inhibitions and focus on these new people, one by one, rather than on my inner voice which is constantly trying to unravel what they are thinking of me behind their polite exteriors.

After half an hour of forcing myself out of my own head, I start to calm down. The horrible afternoon has given way to a glorious overcast sky, Spotify’s Chai & Acoustic playlist is on a loop, and warm samosas, adrak-wali chai and cold coffee are being served in this Karan Johar-type college. I try to speak to a few people out of my own volition, and Mehreen emerges as my favourite. I feel an immediate ease with her, and she is easy on the eyes, too. She helps me figure out the name of the guy Pari was on the hunt for, and I’m relieved to have been of some use in this department.

We are sitting on a bench, sipping on our respective drinks. I’m enraptured by her A-class storytelling. She has already...

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