Married to my Professor ~ Arshi ff

Chapter 18

In college,

It was a typical afternoon, and Arnav was busy preparing for his upcoming class. The quiet hum of the fan and the soft rustling of papers filled his cabin as he reviewed his notes. He was focused, his mind already on the topics he would be covering, when a soft knock on the door interrupted his concentration.

He looked up to see Miss Anika Ravat, another math professor, standing at the doorway. Anika had a reputation for being a bit too forward with her affections, particularly towards Arnav. Despite his clear lack of interest, she never missed an opportunity to flirt with him. Arnav, however, always maintained his professionalism.

“Hello, Arnav,” Anika greeted him with a bright smile, stepping into the room. “How are you?”

Arnav nodded politely, though his tone remained neutral. “Hello, Miss Ravat. I’m fine, thank you. How are you?”

“I’m good too,” she replied, her smile widening as she sauntered closer to his desk. “And please, I’ve told you so many times—you can call me Anika. No need to be so formal.”

Arnav offered a courteous but firm smile. “Thank you, but I prefer to keep things professional. We are colleagues, after all.”

Anika’s smile faltered just slightly, but she quickly recovered, brushing off his remark with a light laugh. “Of course, Arnav. I respect that.”

There was a brief, awkward pause before Anika cleared her throat and continued, “So, the department has assigned us to organize the seminar next month. I thought we could discuss it and start planning.”

Arnav glanced at the clock and then at the notes spread out on his desk. He had been planning to grab lunch before his next class, but he knew the seminar required their attention. “Yeah, sure,” he replied, nodding. “Let me just finish up here.”

As Arnav began to tidy his desk, Anika’s eyes lingered on him, her expression thoughtful. “You know,” she started slowly, a hint of suggestion in her tone, “if you haven’t had lunch yet, we could go over the details while we eat.”
Arnav paused, considering it . He had a tight schedule, and it made sense to multitask if they were going to get everything done. He could see the practicality of her suggestion, even if her motives were less than subtle. After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded.

“That sounds like a good idea,” he agreed. “It’ll save us time, and we can cover everything we need to.”

Anika’s smile brightened, clearly pleased with his response. “Great! There’s a nice café nearby—how about we go there?”

Arnav looked at her briefly before replying, “We could just go to our canteen.” His tone was firm, leaving no room for further discussion.

As they left the cabin, Anika couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope that perhaps, over lunch, she might find a way to break through his formal exterior. But for Arnav, it was just another task to complete—nothing more, nothing less.

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They reached the canteen, a lively space filled with students and staff, the hum of chatter and clinking cutlery creating a familiar backdrop. Arnav and Anika made their way to the section reserved for teachers, a quieter corner where they could talk without interruptions. They ordered their meals, and as they waited, the conversation naturally shifted to the seminar.

“This seminar is going to be a big deal for the department,” Anika began, taking out her notebook. “We’ll need to coordinate with several speakers and ensure all the logistics are in place.”

Arnav nodded, already making a mental checklist of tasks. “Yes, and we’ll need to start on the invitations soon. The sooner we get confirmations, the better.”