THE NEXT MORNING
Veer was busy in his lecture, but there were only a few students in the hall; most of the students were preparing for the upcoming fest.
He continued with his teaching, his voice filling the empty spaces, explaining the intricacies of accountancy with the same intensity as he would for a full class. Even with fewer students, he didn't compromise on the quality of his teaching.
After a while, he noticed a few students exchanging glances, clearly distracted.
"I understand the fest is important, but so are your studies. Let's stay focused," he said firmly, drawing their attention back.
The lecture eventually came to an end, and the students slowly gathered their things to leave. Veer packed up his materials, preparing for the next sessions.
Entering the next lecture after a while, Veer glanced over the class. There were only around six students in the room. He shook his head, feeling a mix of disappointment and resignation. The fest preparations were clearly taking precedence over academics for most students.
"Alright," he began, setting his materials down on the desk. "I appreciate those of you who are here today. Let's make the most of this time."
"Excuse me, Mr. Singhania."
His attention turned toward the door as he was interrupted during his lecture. There stood Saranya, looking slightly hesitant.
"May I enter inside?" she asked.
He nodded curtly. "Sit quickly if you want to study. If not, don't disturb me."
"I came to bring my phone. I forgot it here," she said slowly, noticing the anger bubbling inside him.
"Hurry up then, don't waste my time," he said a little louder.
She nodded and went towards the desk where she had left her phone, but it wasn't there. Glancing down and around, she looked for it, feeling the weight of his gaze. Veer stood there with his arms folded across his chest, a file in his hand, his anger-filled eyes fixed on her.
"Enough, Miss Oberoi. Please go outside and don't disturb my lecture. You can look for it after the class ends," he said loudly.
I'm sorry for the disturbance. It was just a little urgent," she replied, finally spotting her phone on another desk beneath some books.
"Yes, everything is urgent for you except studies," he retorted.
"I said I am sorry if I have disturbed you," she said again, picking up the phone.
"I don't need your sorry. Go outside. I don't like talking to students like you," he said sternly.
"What do you mean by 'students like me'?" she asked, anger bubbling inside her.
"Yeah, students like you, who don't care about their studies and engage in all unnecessary activities after coming to college. Sometimes, I just wonder how such students get seats in such a prestigious college. Then I think, favoritism still exists, right? You should have given up your seat to some deserving student if you didn't intend to study."
Saranya's fists clenched at his words. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.
Veer raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Is that so? Then prove me wrong by showing some dedication to your studies instead of wasting your time."
"What I do and what not, that's up to me. A lot of students are participating in the fest, why are you only targeting me?" Saranya's voice was firm, standing her ground despite the tremor in her heart.
Veer narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing. "I'm not targeting you, Miss Oberoi. But you seem to be the only one constantly finding reasons to skip my classes or engage in non-academic activities. If you put half as much effort into your studies as you do into these distractions, you might actually achieve something."
Saranya's eyes flashed with defiance. "You don't know anything about me or my life. Maybe if you took the time to understand your students instead of judging them, you'd realize that not everything is as black and white as you think."
Veer's jaw tightened at her words, "My job is to teach, not to delve into personal lives. If you have issues, deal with them on your own time, not in my classroom."
She took a deep breath, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "Fine. But remember this, Mr. Singhania-just because someone struggles, it doesn't mean they're not trying. And sometimes, life doesn't give us the luxury to focus solely on studies."
With that, she turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. Veer watched her go, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.
◇◇
I was returning home by cab since I didn't bring my scooty today. I was still fuming, my anger bubbling just beneath the surface. Who is he to judge me? If I don't perform in the exams, then fine, come and talk to me. But not now. I had my reasons for not attending his class.
Today, I didn't even want to participate in the fest. But my friends and Professor Jivya Rathee kept insisting, and I couldn't refuse. She's the only sensible professor I know, and I respect her a lot. How could I refuse her requests?
But that Mr. Khadoos, Veer Singhania-he's such an arrogant person, no, not a person but an arrogant dinosaur.
I shifted my attention back to my phone. Mom was doing fine today, and I had asked about her condition 5 to 6 times from Mrs. Purvi Sharma. She is our neighbour and she gets to know about the incident this morning. She was genuinely concerned and reassured me that she would look after Mom and inform us if there were any problems.
I was scrolling through my phone when I got a call from Di. I picked it up immediately.
"Hello, Di."
"Chiku, listen to what I'm saying. Last night, Mom told me about a guy. I don't know who he is, but I know that he's a professor. We were supposed to meet up at 5 p.m. today, but I'm caught up in some urgent work. I won't be able to make it. It's pretty urgent."
I frowned, concerned about the sudden change in plans. "What do you want me to do, Di?"
"Can you go in my place and meet him? I know it's a lot to ask, but I can't leave work right now, and it's important. Just see what he's like and report back to me."
"But how could I? I mean, it's about your relationship and your marriage. How can I?" I protested.
"See, Sara, you don't need to pretend to be me. You can say that you're my sister and that I got something very urgent to do. He might be arriving soon, and it will be rude if no one shows up. You can see his personality and then inform me. Later, we both will meet each other and decide things."
I hesitated for a moment, but Di's words made sense. "Alright, Di. I'll do it. But you owe me big time for this."
She laughed softly. "Deal. Thank you so much, Chiku. You're the best."
I hung up the call and asked the driver to drop me near a mall. I needed to get changed first. Thankfully, Rudra took both my notebooks that I brought today, saying he had to complete the notes.
After changing into something suitable, I arrived at the venue Di had messaged me. It was a beautiful café, located on the outskirts of the city.
The ambiance of the café was cozy and inviting, with warm lighting and a serene atmosphere. It seemed like the perfect place for a relaxed meeting. I took a deep breath and walked in, scanning the room for any sign of the person I was supposed to meet.
As I approached the reserved table, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. This wasn't just about meeting someone for Di; it was also a chance to ensure she would be with someone worthy of her. I settled into the seat, trying to calm my racing thoughts.
After a few minutes, I saw a tall figure approaching the table.
To my surprise, it was none other than Mr. Singhania, the professor who had been so harsh on me earlier.
My eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"Mr. Singhania?" I blurted out, unable to hide my shock.
His expression mirrored mine, clearly not expecting to see me either. "Miss Oberoi?" He said, equally taken aback.
"You... Why are you here?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"The same question," I responded, matching his surprise.
"Well, I was forced to come here to meet a date arranged by my aunt, but I didn't really expect to see you," he said calmly.
"Then you should be glad that it's not me. It's my elder sister who was supposed to be your date. Or what, do you think I would date a guy like you?" I said, keeping a fake smile on my face. This wasn't college, where he could scold me or restrict me. It was a public place, and I could say anything here.
"What do you mean by 'a guy like me'?" he asked, sitting down, his voice filled with anger.
"A guy like you means a guy like you-an old man," I retorted.
He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly
irritated. "Old man, huh? You have quite the attitude outside of class."
"And you have quite the arrogance everywhere," I shot back.
"Well, I don't want to argue with you. I just came here to tell you to break this alliance before it even starts. No matter who was supposed to be here, I don't want to marry anyone," he stated firmly.
"Very well said. I also don't want my di to marry you," I scoffed, crossing my arms.
"Good, then we're on the same page," he replied, leaning back in his chair, his expression unreadable.
"Great, so how do we make this clear to our families?" I asked, a bit of sarcasm creeping into my voice.
"We tell them the truth, you can tell your sister to say, That we met, and it was clear to both of us that this wouldn't work."
"Perfect. Let's do that," I agreed, standing up. "No need to drag this out any longer."
"Agreed," he said, also rising from his seat.
We went our separate ways, each determined to inform our families and put an end to this proposed alliance.
He's too arrogant to marry my sister, and what was he saying?
'No matter who was supposed to be here, he knew that it wouldn't work out.' Whatever," I muttered to myself as I walked away from the café.
I couldn't believe the nerve of that man. The whole encounter left a bad taste in my mouth. How could someone be in my mouth. How could someone be so presumptuous? It was almost as if he thought he was doing us a favor by rejecting the proposal. Well, good riddance.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Vanya arrived home. She tried to contact Saranya, but her phone was out of network coverage. As she entered inside, she found her mother sitting with Rekha Aunty and one more lady who looked quite old.
Prarthana smiled warmly, "Vanya, this is Veer's grandmother, the man I have told you about."
Vanya smiled politely at Vidhatri, "Namaste, Aunty. It's a pleasure to meet you."