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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ADAH
After all the classes, Naina and I retreated to our room, finally away from the endless stares and exhausting day. It wasn't the workload that drained me; it was him. The day had been ridiculously tiring with all the glares I threw at Sam. Ever since anatomy class, I tried my best to keep my distance, but he seemed to relish making things more awkward than they needed to be.
I slumped onto the bed, frustrated, and sighed. Why was he blowing such a petty issue out of proportion? We barely know each other, and the semester just started. Instead of trying to make friends like a normal person, he's fixated on turning me into his enemy.
"Are you still thinking about Sam?" Naina asked, raising an eyebrow as she sprawled out on her own bed.
I groaned. "How can I not? It's like he's deliberately trying to start something. What's his deal?"
Naina shrugged. "Maybe he just doesn't like you. Some people are like that, you know?"
"That's the part that doesn't make sense," I muttered, staring at the ceiling. "We've barely exchanged two words, and yet he's acting like I ruined his life. What's next? A full-on rivalry?"
Naina chuckled. "I don't know, Adah, but you might want to let it go before it gets any worse. You don't want him occupying your thoughts more than he already is."
"Trust me, I'd love to let it go," I said, frowning. "But every time he looks at me like that, it just gets under my skin. And then Hriday partnering with me? That probably made things worse."
Naina smirked. "Well, Hriday's nice enough. Maybe Sam's just jealous."
I blinked. Jealous? The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. "Jealous? Of what?"
"Who knows? People can get weird about things they can't control." She shrugged nonchalantly.
I rolled my eyes, not fully convinced but too tired to argue. "Whatever it is, I just hope this nonsense fades soon. I didn't come here to deal with immature drama."
Naina nodded in agreement. "Agreed. But you have to admit, it's a little entertaining."
I shot her a look. "For you, maybe."
She laughed. "Hey, just wait. Maybe by the end of this semester, you two will be best friends or something."
"Over my dead body," I muttered, pulling the covers over my head.
But even as I tried to push it all away, I couldn't help but wonder what Sam's problem really was. Why did I get under his skin so easily? And more importantly, why did it bother me so much?
After lying in bed for a while, replaying the day's madness in my head, I finally forced myself to sit at my desk. This year is going to be relentless. Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry—three monsters I need to slay, and I'm not going to waste my time on people like Sam, who seem more focused on making jokes than making grades. Then there's Hriday, who's decided to partner with me, probably because he thinks I'm just as studious as he is. Well, I can keep up. Seeing him so absorbed in lectures, so laser-focused, I almost admire him—almost.
