Redux (Discontinued)

Stained

A/N: I cannot believe this has over a thousand reads! A big thank you to everyone who read this, voted and commented. You people made me smile and feel great! kahiliginger Here's to you for inspiring me with our chat yesterday. It's a slightly longer chapter, with everyone's favourite mentor in it!  Without further ado, on to the story!

(Randhir)

Coffee.

The only non creased shirt he had was splattered with hot coffee. Blackish-Brown. An unsightly mark that made it look like he'd let a pet do its business all over it and forgotten to wash it. Not only would he have to go back and change into something else, he'd also be missing his morning shot of sanity.Coffee kept him tolerant towards the rest of the world.

'I cannot believe this. First Kumar is here, not that I mind her being here, it will just save me the pains of hiding from the girls who are going to throw themselves at me for my money and my looks. '

Randhir discarded the shirt in favor of a slightly creased but mercifully clean white T-shirt.

'But then, when I think it's all probably not going to be a waste of my life, a klutz decides it is ok to space out and bump into me. Did she think that's the way to catch someone's attention....Wait a minute. I'm thinking about her. That means her game plan worked. She's probably just like the rest of them, wanting to get a degree and catch a rich husband. Just like..'

He shook his head. Today was not a good day to think about the woman who had brought him into the world. Not when it marked the anniversary of his abandonment.

'People always leave. Women more than anything.' His thoughts echoed his father's motto. A drunkard his father maybe, but his slurred words made more sense than Renuka Sanyal's absence.

The shrill sound of a bell, signalling the start of the first lecture made him snap out of his resentful thoughts.

'Shit. I'm going to be late for the orientation. And from what I have heard about the professor, it is not going to be tolerated.'

Randhir did what any sane person in his place would have done.

He ran.

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Packed.

The classroom was filled with silent, nervous looking people who were staring right at him. He could spot a few familiar faces. The boys from his hostel who were playing with a frisbee the night before, a girl with too much red on her cheeks who winked at him and lastly Vidushi, sitting at the back, giving him a slight shake, her eyes wide. Almost like...

"Do you need a special invitation to come into this class?" the tone was deviod of amusement.

Shit.

Randhir turned to the direction of the voice and saw the man he'd heard so much about. The reason he had opted for FITE instead of going abroad.

Proffesor Vardhaan Suryavanshi. The man whose research Randhir had avidly followed in his early teens. Whose innovation and persistence set the college a league above the rest of the engineering institutes.

Randhir managed to swallow his shock and his ego long enough to ask for permission to come in.

"You may. But don't think I'll allow you to be late for my lectures hence forth. Rules are rules for everyone, even if you are Randhir Singh Shekhawat. Take a seat." the gruff and formal tone that Randhir had heard online sounded a lot more intimidating than the you-tube uploaded lectures.

At the sound of Randhir's name, a lot of his classmates gasped in shock. He had been singled out. Personally given acknowledgement. Vardhaan sir, by addressing Randhir this way, had made it clear to the class that Randhir was the one to watch out for, the one to look up to. The chatter and awed whispers intensified, especially after Randhir sat at the first bench.

"Why are you so shocked? You've all done your research on me, on my academic and probably even a bit of my personal life. It's only fair that I do mine. I know each and every one of you in this class of sixty students. Your achievements, your goals, your personal lives. In fact, you've been placed under my guidance for a very specific and important reason. Does anyone know why?" Vardhaan's confident tone made the whispers fade out into utter silence.

Before Randhir could raise his hand, something very uncanny happened.

A female voice spoke, out of turn, with a firm and confident tone. "Because you know that out of  us sixty students, eight have the capacity to become the dream team."

Vardhaan Sir gave what could only be described as a grimace "Not eight out of you but only five. The remaining three will be from other branches. Mechanical is an important branch but without the interrelation with the other streams we cannot innovate to our full capacity. However your answer was partially correct. Next time try to not jump to the most obvious answer but think a little more. Miss Sanyukta-"

Randhir turned back to look at the girl. Hazel eyes and simple clothing. Clothing that was very familiar--

"Agarwal" Vardhan sir finished.

The girl flinched. And nodded before she bowed her head a little. "I'll be better the next time Sir."

Randhir coughed. It was the same girl from the canteen. The one who had made him spill coffee all over himself. That was strike one.

And now, she'd answered a question in class before he could.

Sanyukta Agarwal, who had flinched at her own name, but held her ground.

"Good. Now if the rest of you aren't completely aware of how I do things in class---" Vardhaan sir continued with giving instructions and warnings that would help them survive the academic year. He got straight to the point and gave them a few basic equations to solve.

"Without the basics, you are going crumble like a rusty engine." he pointed out "And the place for useless trash is not this classroom. Remember that and you'll be better off."

Randhir busied himself with the equations. They were familiar. They were safe.

Unlike the hazel eyes he'd just looked into.

Randhir knew just what Vidushi would say if she got to know about the coffee and the girl. 'Looks like she left more than just a coffee stain on you.' Vidushi was a hopeless romantic and that was why he would make sure she never learnt of the incident.

Class ended, and they had a ten minute break before their introduction to the practical lab.

"So, Coffee stains huh?" Vidushi sounded amused.

She knew. Somehow she always did.

"I saw it. She looked very funny after you walked away cursing. Almost like...she was out of it and somewhere else. What did you say to her Randhir?" Vidushi's tone softened.

"Don't tell me you care about her Vidushi." Randhir rolled his eyes.

Vidushi shrugged. "She's my roommate. I can tell you she's definitely someone who doesn't need anyone to take care of her."

Randhir smirked "It's women like her..."

Vidushi nodded and excused herself. She knew better than to stick around with Randhir in one of his moods. She felt a little bad for Sanyukta because of the way Randhir was starting to relate her with his mother. Vidushi had met Randhir's mother a couple of times and she could see why.

Sanyukta had the same steel in her eyes. The look of a woman focused on proving herself.

"I let one Renuka ruin my life. I will not let another one do the same. " Randhir had promised himself.

And he kept his promises, no matter what the consequences were.

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