ep 1

River stone University, New Delhi

Ritu adjusted her backpack and sighed as she stepped onto the university campus. The golden morning sunlight filtered through the tall trees lining the entrance, casting a warm glow on the bustling students around her. Some were rushing to their lectures, others were gathered in groups, laughing and chatting. A new beginning, a fresh start—that’s what she had hoped for when she got admission here. But destiny had a twisted sense of humor.

"Ritu?"

Her body tensed at the familiar voice. The one she had hoped never to hear again.

She turned slowly, her hands already clenching into fists, and there he was—Amrit malhotra *.

The same irritating smirk, the same sharp gaze that had haunted her childhood. He was taller now, his once unruly hair slightly tamed, but the arrogance in his posture remained the same.

"Amrit," she said flatly, her voice laced with years of pent-up frustration.

"Didn’t expect to see me here, did you?" he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.His eyes gleamed with amusement. "I guess fate just loves playing games with us."

"More like a cruel joke," she muttered

Amrit chuckled. "Still the same firecracker, I see."

She rolled her eyes. "And you’re still the same annoying brat who used to pull my ponytail in third grade."

"And you’re still the girl who poured an entire bottle of ink on my white school shirt in sixth grade," he shot back.

"That was because you called me a—" She stopped herself, inhaling sharply. "Forget it. I don’t have time for this."

She turned to walk away, but he smoothly stepped in front of her. "Hold on, ritu . We’re stuck together now. Same university, same department. You can’t avoid me forever."

Ritu froze. "Same department?"

He grinned. "Oh, you didn’t know? Biological Science . Looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together."

Her stomach twisted. Five years. Five years of enduring amrit’s presence. The boy who had been the bane of her childhood . Ritu entered the classroom with a heavy sigh, gripping the straps of her backpack tightly as if holding on to her last shred of patience. The large hall was already filled with students, some chatting excitedly, others scrolling through their phones, and a few flipping through their notebooks like the overachievers they probably were.

Her mind, however, wasn’t in the present. Five years. Five whole years of dealing with Amrit on a daily basis. Just the thought made her stomach churn. Was there a way to transfer colleges? Maybe switch to an online course? Fake her own death?

“Ugh,” she muttered under her breath as she made her way toward an empty seat in the second row.

She had barely settled down when the girl next to her tapped her shoulder.

"Heyyy! It’s Tanu," the girl said, flashing a wide, confident smile.

Ritu returned the smile, though hers was more cautious. "Ritu this side."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***