In his vicinity

Chapter 2:Five years ago

I was preparing for the NEET (UG) exam at a popular coaching center, so I moved into the hostel and met Niru for the first time. She was my roommate and had a gloomy face, having just cried after her first night away from home. We chatted for a while and quickly bonded. We arrived a day before classes started to get settled in the hostel. I went to sleep around 3 a.m., with a firm resolve in my mind: "A new chapter begins tomorrow, Fidha. Be ready."

The next morning, Niru’s alarm roused me from sleep. We attended an orientation session conducted by the institute's director. After the comprehensive briefing, we proceeded to our first class. As I walked in, I noticed a ripple of laughter coming from the boys' side of the room. Curious, I glanced over and was immediately captivated by a young man adjusting his tousled hair with his hands. He wore a navy blue shirt, two buttons undone, which fit him perfectly, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Complementing his look were black jeans that enhanced his casual yet striking appearance. His smile was warm and inviting, and I found myself thinking, "His eyes are truly mesmerizing; they convey so much more than his words ever could."

After taking my seat, I tilted my head to the left and noticed that I had a clear view of him from this angle. I found myself silently pleading, "Oh God, please let me know his name." It was a desperate wish for someone I had just met, and I had never felt this way before.

At that moment, our class teacher entered and introduced him. "Good morning, students. I’m Vivek, and I will be your class mentor for the coming year. You need to improve yourselves each day and succeed in this journey so you can leave here with 'Dr.' in front of your name."

He paused briefly and then added, "Today, there will be no class. Instead, take this opportunity to introduce yourselves so everyone can get to know each other."

Internally, I was ecstatic, thinking, "Fidha, you are truly blessed. You were so eager to know his name, and now, thanks to this self-introduction session, you have the perfect chance to find out."

One by one, the students stood at the front of the class to introduce themselves. Finally, it was my turn. The navy blue shirt guy, who had caught my attention, got up and went to the front. He introduced himself, saying, "Hello, I’m Faizal Ahmed. I’m from Calicut. I’m a Re-repeater. That’s all I have to say. I just want to pass this exam at any cost." After his brief one-minute introduction, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

I was taken aback. Why had he noticed me? I was astonished.

My inner voice screamed, "Fidha, don’t even look at him. It will distract you from your goal."

That night, I resolved to avoid looking at Mr. Faizal Ahmed again.

But, as usual, the heart will never listen to the words of the brain.

The next morning, we got up a bit late, skipped breakfast, and went straight to class. There, I noticed Faizal standing at the front with another boy. Faizal had his arm around the boy's shoulder, and they were chatting for quite a while.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, as if Faizal, whom I had only seen the day before, was involved with someone else. It seemed irrational to be envious of someone I barely knew, especially over him talking to another guy. I didn’t even remember the other person’s name, though I recalled Faizal's from yesterday.

Later, I found out the other boy was named Nidhin Dev. He was quite good-looking in his black shirt.

As I entered the classroom and our first session began, I couldn’t stop glancing at Faizal. I reasoned that looking at someone wasn’t a sin, and I made sure not to disturb him or say anything.

As the days passed, everything went smoothly until Niru and Nidhin started talking.
They were standing in the corridor, engaged in a conversation that eventually grew louder and echoed through the corridor.  I went over and pulled Niru back, while Faizal stepped in to hold Nidhin back. Though I knew it was just a silly topic, the disagreement…