Falling in love was completely out of the syllabus for Adah Goel. She had always been laser-focused on one thing: her goal of attaining a medical degree and starting her practice. With countless hours spent studying and a relentless pursuit of excel...
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SAMARTH
The shrill ringing of my phone tore through the calm of the morning, yanking me from a deep, dreamless sleep. In my groggy state, I fumbled through the unfamiliar surroundings of my new bed, nearly knocking over a water bottle before finally managing to find my phone. Squinting at the screen, I saw my sister's name glaring back at me.
Great. Just what I needed—an early morning lecture.
Without much enthusiasm, I swiped to answer and mumbled, "Why are you calling so early?"
Instead of easing into the conversation like any normal person would, she yelled, "It's seven, you idiot! Don't you have classes from nine? What are you still doing in bed?"
I groaned and rolled my eyes, still clinging to whatever remnants of sleep I could salvage. "There are two whole hours, di," I replied, dragging out my words. From my peripheral vision, I noticed Aditya's bed was empty, but Hriday sat at his desk, studying like a robot on autopilot. Of course. One day into the semester and I'd already pegged him as the human embodiment of every parent's "ideal child." Aditya, meanwhile, was probably halfway to the mess hall, planning his third breakfast by now.
"Don't you need to freshen up?" my sister pressed, in that classic scolding tone.
I chuckled, trying to sound nonchalant. "It only takes me ten minutes," I said, feeling pretty smug about my impeccable bathroom efficiency. Honestly, I could write a guidebook on how to minimise bathroom time. Maybe even a TED Talk.
"But the queue, genius! You think you're the only one? There must be a hundred boys waiting for the same bathroom. If you don't get in line soon, you won't even get to brush your teeth!"
The realisation smacked me in the face. Why was she always right? I swear, it was like she had a direct hotline to the universe's truth department. Of course she would! She has done MBBS, post graduation from such a college only.
"Oh crap! Thanks for the heads-up, di. Love you, gotta go, bye!" I said, scrambling out of bed like someone had lit a fire under me. In my haste, I almost tripped over my own feet, but somehow managed to stay upright—an early victory. Stretching, I glanced over at Hriday, who was still laser-focused on his book, completely unfazed by the chaos around him. I wondered if he even realised I existed.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I cleared my throat. "Uh, Hriday?"
Without taking his eyes off his textbook, he responded, "Hmm?"
I waited, thinking he might actually look up, but he didn't. Just "hmm." That's it.
Feeling a little awkward, I forged ahead. "Did you, uh, bathe already?"
He paused for a second, then nodded slightly, his face devoid of emotion. "At four," he muttered, like it was the most normal thing in the world to wake up before the birds just to have a peaceful bath.
