???????

Chapter 10

"Ahm Ahm," I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I turn around and see a guy standing a few steps below, looking slightly amused. My bags are strewn all over the place, blocking his way. Embarrassed, I start gathering them up, but before I can finish, he climbs a few steps closer and asks, "You got a lot of stuff there. Do you want some help?"

I look at him suspiciously. He raises his hands in a placating gesture and says, "I don't have any other motive, I promise. I just saw you struggling, so I thought I'd offer. I live in this building—8th floor, flat no. 803."

I study him for a moment, weighing my options. He seems genuine enough, and I'm too tired to carry all this by myself. Finally, I nod. "Okay, you can help me with a few of them."

He flashes a friendly smile, picks up a good number of my bags, and asks, "So, which floor?"

I smirk and say, "Flat no. 802. Turns out we're neighbors."

He pauses for a second, then looks at me with an amused smile. "What a coincidence," he says with a chuckle. "Well, I'm Rohan Nanda."

"I'm Tara Malhotra," I reply, feeling a bit more relaxed now that the bags are no longer weighing me down.

"Nice to meet you, Tara. Let's get these bags upstairs, then," Rohan says, leading the way. As we continue the climb together, I feel a little lighter—not just because of the bags, but also because of the unexpected help from my new neighbor.

As we reach the door to my apartment, I ring the bell, and within moments, Dad opens the door. His eyes shift from me to Rohan, then to the many bags he's carrying. "Dad, this is Rohan, our neighbor from the 803. He helped me bring these bags up," I explain, a bit out of breath.

Rohan greets my dad with a respectful "Namaste," and Dad smiles warmly in return. "Thank you for helping her," he says, genuinely appreciative as he takes the bags from Rohan.

"No problem at all, sir," Rohan replies with a polite nod. We exchange a few more pleasantries before bidding each other goodnight, and Rohan heads up to his place.

I feel the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with me. After a quick dinner, I head straight to bed, eager to rest. But as I lie there in the dark, my mind keeps drifting back to that guy from the arcade. His face, his smile—everything about him seems to linger in my thoughts, like a song stuck on repeat. Despite my best efforts to shake it off, I find myself thinking about him as I drift off to sleep, the memory of his mesmerizing presence following me into my dreams.

After two weeks of anticipation, I finally received my college acceptance letter today. Excitedly, I'm on my way to submit my documents. Rudra had planned to come with me, but he had family plans, so here I am, standing outside the admissions office, this time with my own documents in hand.

An hour later, I'm done with all the paperwork. With the formalities out of the way, I can hardly contain my excitement about starting college in two weeks. As I take a moment to explore the campus, I hear someone call my name. I turn around to see Rohan approaching, accompanied by a girl in a cute white frock.

"Tara! What brings you here?" Rohan asks as he reaches me. I smile back, "I'm here to submit my documents for admission. What about you?"

With an amused grin, he replies, "I'm actually a third-year engineering student here."

"Wow, so you're my senior! It's nice to know I have a friendly face around here," I say, turning to the girl with him, who greets me with a sweet smile.

Rohan introduces her, "Oh, right! Tara, meet Shrishti—my girlfriend and, as it turns out, your other neighbor from 801."

Rohan introduces me to Shrishti, who smiles warmly, and I can't help but notice how genuinely sweet she seems. "Nice to meet you, Shrishti," I say, extending my hand. She shakes it and replies, "Nice to meet you too, Tara! I've heard a lot about you from Rohan."

I laugh a little, "All good things, I hope."

She chuckles and nods, "Of course! He's told me how you guys met just recently and how you're now neighbors."

I look at Rohan, who's grinning, and say, "Well, it's a small world, isn't it? First, we end up as neighbors, and now it turns out you're also my senior in college. Seems like I won't be able to escape you that easily, Rohan."

Rohan laughs, "You better not. If you need any help navigating the college or just want someone to hang out with, you know where to find me."

Shrishti adds, "And me too! We can show you around, help you get settled. The first few weeks can be overwhelming, but it's nice when you have familiar faces around."

I feel a wave of relief wash over me. Moving into a new phase of life, especially starting college, can be nerve-wracking, but knowing that I already have friends here makes everything seem less daunting.

"Thanks, you guys. I'd really appreciate that. I'm excited but also a little nervous about starting college."

Rohan nods, "Totally understandable. But trust me, you'll love it here. It's a great place to be, especially with the mix of technology and arts. You'll fit right in."

We chat a bit more, and I learn that Shrishti is majoring in fashion design, which seems to suit her perfectly given her stylish look. She offers to introduce me to some of her friends once classes start, which makes me feel even more at ease.

We're chatting when Rohan's name is called from across the courtyard. We all turn to see three guys walking toward us, and my heart skips a beat—I see him again, the guy from the arcade. My pulse quickens, and I can't tear my eyes away from him. For a brief moment, our eyes meet, and a wave of goosebumps washes over me. It's as if time has stopped, and all I want to do is keep looking at him, as if I could never grow tired of it.

That is it for this chapter 
Please vote
Tell me what do you think about it

Do you believe in this kind of fated attraction?