Samaira Lakshmi Deshpande is caught between two worlds, two masks. Amidst the hunt for her missing twin and the pressure to fit her family's mold of the perfect daughter facade, she's trapped in a life she despises.
Everything shifts when a strange...
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December, India Bangalore
Samaira's POV
"Having some unholy thoughts in the broad daylight, are you?" A voice snaps me back to reality, and I whip my head around, wide-eyed and horrified. Karthik stands behind me with a smirk, his gaze flicking to the phone in my hand, which displays a picture of Aryan and me from our engagement shoot. I quickly lock my phone, my heart racing.
"What?" I stammer, trying to sound casual. Karthik just crosses his arms, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"I've been calling you for more than ten minutes," he says, his tone playful.
"Really?" I reply sarcastically, turning away from him and heading inside the staff room to my seat. I open my laptop and pretend to be busy, hoping he'll take the hint and leave. But Karthik follows me and, to my annoyance, closes my laptop.
"What's wrong with you?" I snap, my voice louder than I intended. Several of the other faculty members glance over, their curiosity piqued. I force a smile and lower my voice, "We need to talk," he says, all traces of mischief gone from his face.
"Can it wait? I need to update the attendance for my last class online," I tell him, reopening my laptop.
"I'll help you," he insists, pulling a chair to sit beside me. I sigh, resigning myself to his presence. I turn on my laptop and pull out the attendance register. Karthik takes it from my hand and flips to today's page. I log in to the college staff website and open the attendance section.
"Okay, just tell me the student register numbers of those who are absent," I instruct him, clicking the "all present" option to unselect the names of absentees.
"7, 11, 13, 24, 25... whoa, that's a lot of people," Karthik says, blowing out a low whistle as his eyes skim the list.
"Keep going," I mutter, trying to keep him focused so we can finish quickly.
"26, 29, 32, 33, 35..." Karthik continues, and after a few minutes, we're done. I turn to Karthik, about to speak, when something hits the back of his head, startling both of us. We look down to see a rolled-up piece of paper on the floor.
A voice from across the staff room calls out, "Whistle again, and I'll make sure you're suspended for a week," Meera says casually, her eyes never leaving her laptop. The entire staff room chuckles, and I can't help but feel amused.
Karthik rolls his eyes and replies without turning around, "Well, good for me. I'd be happy not to see your face for six days of the week." Another paper ball flies across the room, hitting him with more force.
"Oww," Karthik winces, finally turning to face Meera, who continues typing, ignoring him.
"You have no regard for the environment, Ms Meera," Karthik chides, clicking his tongue as he picks up the paper balls and walks over to her desk. I watch the scene unfold, entertained by their banter.
