When Fiza returned to the hostel on Sunday, she encountered Shahana and Priya eagerly waiting for her. Their curiosity peaked when they saw her strolling in wearing yesterday's clothes. Shahana couldn't contain herself.
"Ooookay... I want every detail," she demanded, while Fiza laughed.
"Come on! Vineet told us you went to Alan's place," Shahana continued, seeking more information.
"Yeah, we deserve to know! I covered for your ass when the warden came to check the rooms," Priya chimed in.
"There's really nothing to say," Fiza replied, attempting to downplay the situation. "I talked to Alan about, you know, his alcohol and drug problem. And I stayed over so he wouldn't feel tempted to go to Mownika's party."
"Did you sleep in his bed?" Shahana shamelessly asked, her prying eyes fixated on Fiza.
A blush crept across Fiza's cheeks as she vividly remembered the sensation of Alan's hands entwined in her hair, their lips close enough to kiss, and their bodies interlaced.
"So?" Priya prodded eagerly, sensing Fiza's excitement. "Did you take over from Mownika?"
Fiza's enthusiasm deflated like a popped balloon. She rolled her eyes, disheartened by the crude insinuations.
"Well?" Shahana pressed.
"We are just friends," Fiza responded defensively.
"With benefits, you mean," Priya quipped, and both she and Priya erupted into laughter, leaving Fiza feeling repulsed by her own actions. That's all it had been, hadn't it?
That night she added another characteristic to the list of qualities she had laid out for her future husband
"#10. Physical intimacy should mean something to him."
It was Monday morning, and Alan became increasingly reluctant to go to college. Free from the influence of drugs, he felt a profound sense of shame and embarrassment over his low scores. He considered quitting altogether. Maybe being a doctor wasn't the right path for him.
Despite setting his alarm for 6 am, he remained seated on his bed, debating with himself on whether to go. Just then his phone began to ring. It was Fiza. He let it ring a few times before he picked up.
"Hey!" Fiza said brightly. "I just wanted to make sure you were up!"
"Yeah," he replied, his tone devoid of any excitement.
"I was thinking," Fiza continued, ignoring his lack of enthusiasm, "I'll come with you."
"Huh?"
"You know," Fiza elaborated, "to meet with Dr Kulshastra. About your scores."
"Okay, whatever," he muttered, secretly relieved that he wouldn't have to face his professor alone.
Fiza sat diligently at the front bench, her gaze wandering to the classroom entrance from time to time, as she waited for Alan to arrive. When he finally walked in, she waved, but he ignored her.
Alan seemed determined to remain inconspicuous and went straight to the back row instead.
As the lecture drew to a close, Fiza's ears caught the sounds of a growing commotion from the back bench. Preet and Venkat, two of Mownika's friends, were advancing aggressively towards Alan. In an instant, Fiza's instincts kicked in, propelling her towards the unfolding scene.
"You worthless piece of shit!" Preet spat, his words dripping with venom. "You think you can use people at your convenience and then discard them with a text message?"
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RomantikFiza woke up smiling. Last night had been everything she had dreamt it would be. She had lost her virginity to her best friend. Now her boyfriend, hopefully? She had to talk to him. She walked up to the bathroom and found him shaving. She smiled at...
