Based on real life incidents: Vibinn Noothan and Anjali are two introverted souls and college classmates who grapple with anxiety and overthinking. They aren't the admired prodigies or born talents, but they always strive to give their best. In a wo...
"Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening and a warm welcome to the Freshers' Day ceremony of the prestigious C.G.S College of Engineering! Today is going to be the most memorable day of your entire life! You're going to make new friends, and if you don't, we have activities lined up to get you mingling with everyone! This should be a legendary batch, it has to be because you are the luckiest ones. You're going to be welcomed by the gorgeous, the handsome hunk, the student of the year, the college crush, the most desirable man of our university, your sweetest senior, the dancer, the rockstar, the showman, Aryaaa...arjunnnn!"
The music dropped, and the showman Aryarjun arrived on stage. Every eye widened at his charm, his gaze sparking a beam of might, his confidence capable of making anyone go crazy. At that moment, every boy knew they didn't stand a chance against him. Every step he took raised the heartbeats of every woman in the arena and lifted the jealousy in every boy. On this first day, everyone realized there was a man who was the epitome of perfection. The music stopped, and he stood still, looking at the ground. Someone threw a mic, which he caught effortlessly, and then he began...
"Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought, baby, I just wanna be yours, I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours...!" The whole arena erupted. His voice was angelic and divine, every lyric sung from his heart, and his melody was one to cherish. His performance was a banger, making everyone feel they were at a premium version of Freshers' Day.
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"How are you doing, my people!?" The crowd roared in response. "Welcome to C.G.S! This is not just a college, it's home! Home for people who are here to win, here to achieve something big! From up here, I see a bunch of people who are hungry! Hungry for biscuits?" Everyone giggled. "No, no, everyone is hungry for success, and to satisfy that hunger, we have to work hard. This is day one, and winners start on day one! This is Aryarjun. No girls! Don't cry, I'm not leaving, ha ha, just kidding! Still a few games to play! I'm thrilled to interact with you all!" Aryarjun left the stage and joined his crew.
After Aryarjun's electrifying performance, the students endured repeated speeches from the staff. Finally, when it was all over, the fun games were about to begin.
"So guys! It's time for the real fun to begin. The first game on the cards is 'Will You Be My Soulmate?!' The rules are interesting: First, we will call out random names until we find someone who actually has that name. Then, the selected person must call out names starting with the same letter as theirs. For example, if you are Manoj, you might call out Manjari or any girl's name starting with M. You only get three chances, and if you're lucky and there's a person with the name you call, you both get to dance to your favorite song on stage! What a beautiful moment, right? Okay, I will start. Is there a Rohan in the crowd?" A group from the arena shouted 'Rohan, Rohan,' pushing Rohan onto the stage. Rohan took the mic and smilingly asked, "I'm Rohan, who will be my Rohini?" The crowd cheered as an actual Rohini came onto the stage. "This is a great game. I'd like to dance to 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran. I don't care what Rohan's choice is!" Rohini laughed, and the crowd joined in. Both danced beautifully, entertaining the crowd.
The game continued. Some were lucky in finding their soulmate, others were not. As the game neared its end, the host announced, "So guys, that was a beautiful experience! Everyone was so good and took it gracefully. For the last round, what do you think about Aryarjun taking the call? Yeah, yeah?" The crowd erupted, chanting "Arjun! Arjun! Arya! Arya!" Aryarjun stepped onto the stage. "Alright, okay, anything for my dear juniors. Let me think of a name... Hmmm... Okay, I'm Aryarjun, who will be my Anjali?"
The crowd fell silent. Were there no Anjalis in the crowd? A few seconds later, a group of girls raised their hands and shouted, "Anjali! She's here!" and they pushed her onto the red carpet leading to the stage.
The red carpet felt like a path of fire, the crowd's noise seemed mocking, and Aryarjun looked like a monster calling her out to humiliate her. Everything felt wrong to dear Anjali. She was the kind of girl who had never been on stage, never been in the spotlight, never interacted with boys, let alone danced with them. Now, she was in front of a huge crowd, feeling brutally uncomfortable. As an overthinker, introvert, and anxiety-driven girl, she felt bullied. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before her weak extrovert battery ran out, her anxiety skyrocketed, and tears flowed from her delicate eyes as her legs carried her away from these monsters.
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Anjali ran to the college restroom, crying until she realized she had made a mess out of nothing. She wiped her tears and stepped out, only to find the Samaritan who had appeared as a monster, Aryarjun, waiting for her. In that moment, Anjali's eyes reshaped him into the dream boy she always wanted, the crush who never meant to be. As they looked into each other's eyes, Aryarjun softly whispered, "Anjali... I..."
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