"कुछ तो है..."

भीड़ में वो एक चेहरा था,
खामोश फिर भी गहरा था।
नज़रों से कुछ कह जाती थी,
और खुद से नज़रें चुराती थी।

Amrita kept mumbling under her breath as she walked into the admin office. The madam in charge greeted her with a warm smile and quickly began verifying her documents. One desk after another, signature after signature—finally, all the official work was done.
Relieved, Amrita stepped outside. Just then, she noticed a senior standing near the entrance, handing out chocolates and roses to the freshers.

The senior clapped her hands, her cheerful voice carrying over the crowd.

Senior girl: “Hello everyone! I’m Shweta Mehra, your senior. I’m here to share some sweets as you all begin your journey at Imperial Heights! Woo-hoo!”

(Her bubbly energy made Amrita smile instantly.)

One by one, the freshers moved forward to receive chocolates. When Amrita’s turn came, a mean-looking girl suddenly cut in front of her.

Amrita: “Hey, it’s my turn. You should follow the queue.”
Girl: “Shut up, weirdo. There’s no queue for Rhea Mehra.” She smirked arrogantly.

Before Amrita could reply, Shweta’s cheerful tone turned sharp.

Shweta: “Hello, Miss Whatever-Mehra. Are you blind, or just too dumb to understand what a queue is? If there’s a line, you stand at the end of it. Now move along and wait for your turn.”
(She gave Rhea a dazzlingly fake smile.)

Rhea’s face stiffened, but she had no choice. She went to the back of the line.

Amrita: “Thank you, Senior.”
Shweta: “Oh cutie pie, don’t worry about it! And I’ll see you at the evening party.” She playfully pulled Amrita’s cheeks.

Amrita smiled shyly and headed off to get ready for the party.

Scene Change

Ranbeer was laughing uncontrollably.

Ranbeer: “Bhai… tujhse pehle kisi ne aise baat ki hai? She is sassy”

(Bhai, no one has ever spoken to you like that. She’s so sassy)

Madhav: “Shut up.”

Ranbeer straightened up, trying to control his laughter, but failed.

Ranbeer: “You handle everything so well, but this time? Haye… priceless!”
Madhav (glaring): “Enough. You manage things here; I’ll go check the party preparations.”
Ranbeer: “Sure, sure… good-for-nothing man!” (He burst out laughing again.)

Madhav walked away, shooting him a deadly look.

Madhav’s POV

That little girl… she really has guts. She actually called me ‘good for nothing’ and ‘bewakoof’ (idiot). But her long hair… those hazel eyes…

He clenched his jaw.
Shut up, Madhav. What the hell are you even thinking?

Shaking his head, he forced her out of his thoughts and buried himself in work again.

After distributing chocolates, Shweta spotted Ranbeer across the courtyard. With a bright smile, she walked up to him.

Shweta: “Hey, Rabi! What’s up?”
Ranbeer (grinning): “I’ve got some news for you.”
Shweta: “Spill it.”

Ranbeer dramatically recited everything that had happened earlier between Madhav and Amrita—how Amrita had dared to give Madhav a sassy reply.

Shweta (eyes widening): “Really? Now I have to meet her. Where is she?”
Ranbeer: “She left, bro. But don’t worry—you’ll see her at the party.”
Shweta (smiling): “Perfect. By the way, I also met a sweet girl today. Total cutie pie. I’ll introduce her to you later.”
Ranbeer: “Done! But for now, let’s focus on the party preps.”

They laughed and headed off together.

Scene Change

Inside her hostel room, Amrita sat on her bed when her phone buzzed. Her eyes froze the moment she saw the screen flash: Dad calling.

Her breath hitched. Panic pricked her chest. Without answering, she declined the call and set the phone back on the table. She took deep breaths, trying to calm the storm inside. Just as she got up to select her outfit, the phone buzzed again—this time, her brother’s name flashed.

Relief washed over her as she quickly picked it up.

Amrita (softly): “Hii, bhai…”
Brother: “Hi, mera baccha! How are you? Everything okay there? Seniors troubling you?”
(Hi, my child! How are you? Everything okay there? Are the seniors troubling you?)

Amrita (laughing nervously): “Arre ruk jao, Rajdhani Express! Yahan sab theek hai, sab bahut acche hain.”
(Stop, Rajdhani Express! Everything is fine here, everyone’s really nice.)

Brother (teasing): “Achha… acha. Waise, maine tumhare bag mein ek packet rakha tha. Abhi kholo.”
(Okay… okay. By the way, I had kept a packet in your bag. Open it now.)

Amrita (curious): “Ji, bhai.” (Yes, brother.)

She unzipped her bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped packet. Inside were two dresses.

Amrita (surprised): “Bhai… yeh sab?” (Brother… all this?)
Brother (laughing): “Mujhe pata tha tumhari uni mein welcome party aur freshers’ hogi. Aur mera buddhu baccha toh bhool hi jaata. Isliye pack kar diya.”
(I knew your university would have a welcome party and freshers’ event. And my silly little sister would forget, so I packed it myself.)

Amrita pouted, her eyes glistening softly.

Amrita: “Thank you, bhai.”
Brother: “Chalo, enjoy karo. Aur koi problem ho toh mujhe turant call karna.”
(Go enjoy. And if there’s any problem, call me immediately.)

Amrita: “Okay, bhai. Bye.”

The call ended. Amrita looked at the two outfits—a black embroidered Anarkali suit and a sleek western dress. Smiling, she picked the anarkali.

Amrita (to herself): “Tonight, let’s go desi.” (Tonight, let’s go traditional.)

Clutching the outfit, she went to get ready.

Time Skip

Amrita was now ready in her black Anarkali paired with small jhumkas. She did light makeup, wore a rose-pink lipstick, and placed a small black bindi between her brows. She admired herself in the mirror for one last time and then left for the party before leaving, the warden informed her that her room mate will join her tonight.

Scene Change

Meanwhile, in the Rathore Mansion, Ranbeer stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his casual jacket when Madhav walked in, dressed in all black.

Ranbeer (whistling): “Wah, bhai! Black on black? Killer look.”
(Wow, brother! Black on black? Killer look.)

Madhav (smirking): “Bas ho gaya tera sajna-savarna? Chal chale?”
(Done with your dressing up? Let’s go?)

Ranbeer (mock-annoyed): “Arre, main toh kabse ready hoon. Tera hi khatam hi nahi ho raha tha! Chal ab.”
(Arre, I’ve been ready for so long. You just wouldn’t finish! Let’s go now.)

He hurried downstairs, leaving Madhav shaking his head with a faint smile. Ranbeer might be full of drama, but to Madhav, he wasn’t just a friend—he was family.

At the Welcome Party

The banquet hall glowed brighter than ever, fairy lights twinkling against the soft drape of satin curtains. Music thumped lightly in the background as seniors and freshers laughed, clicked selfies, and mingled.

Shweta and Ranbeer were already near the entrance, greeting juniors. Ranbeer was cracking jokes, his laughter echoing through the hall. Shweta looked dazzling in a navy-blue Anarkali, her energy making her the star of the crowd.

Inside, Abhimaan and Kajal kept the freshers busy with small talk.

Amrita entered the party nervously, too conscious of herself. She saw a lot of girls wearing expensive western gowns and heavy makeup—some in Indian attire as well.

She stepped in, making a few heads turn—looking absolutely gorgeous in her dress. Not wanting to get into conversation with anyone, she searched for a corner and found one. She took a seat there and unlocked her phone to read something online to distract herself.

But her peace didn’t last long—Shweta spotted her.

Shweta: “Hey, cutiepie!” (She remembered her from the morning.)
Amrita (smiling): “Oh hii, senior.”
Shweta: “Why sitting alone in the corner? Nervous?”

Amrita nodded hesitantly.

Shweta: “Come on, you don’t have to be… acha chalo, I’ll introduce you to my friends.”
(Okay come, I’ll introduce you to my friends.)

Amrita: “But…”
Shweta: “No buts… come with me.”

Shweta dragged Amrita with her towards her group.

Shweta: “Guys, look who’s here—the fresher I told you about this morning.”
Ranbeer: “You little girl!” (He said, recognizing her.)
Shweta: “You know her?”
Ranbeer: “Yeah, she’s the one I told you about.”
Shweta (realizing): “Ohh… By the way, what’s your name, cutiepie?”
Amrita: “Amrita.”
Shweta: “Okay Amrita, meet Kajal and her boyfriend, Abhimaan.”

Kajal (smiling): “Hi, Amrita.”
Amrita returned the smile.

Abhimaan (coldly): “Hi, Amrita.”

Amrita’s smile faltered for a moment, but she still gave a respectful nod.

Kajal: “Where are you from…”
But before she could finish, Abhimaan cut her off.

Abhimaan: “Amrita, why are you here? Why don’t you go and enjoy with your batchmates?”

Amrita’s smile fell at his rude tone.

Kajal: “Abhi, why are you—”
Amrita (quickly): “Yeah, he’s right, Di… I should leave.” (She rushed away, hiding her hurt.)

Kajal (angrily): “Abhi, what was that? She seems to be nice.”
Abhimaan: “People are not always how they appear. Maybe danger wrapped in innocence.”
Ranbeer: “Don’t worry, bro. Background check already done.”
Abhimaan: “You found something suspicious?”
Ranbeer: “Not really. Amrita Sharma from Varanasi, her mother died when Amrita was 12 years old , brother is an IAS officer. But… no sign of her dad. Her father’s name is missing in her documents—that’s the only strange thing.”

Abhimaan: “Maa ka naam kaafi hai, baap ka naam zaroori nahi hai pehchan banane ke liye.”
(A mother’s name is enough; a father’s name isn’t necessary to create an identity.)

Kajal: “Now you should apologize.”
Abhimaan: “I’m still suspicious, baby. Once I’m sure everything is clean, I’ll definitely apologize.”

Shweta & Kajal (together, rolling their eyes): “Shakki insaan!” (Suspicious man!)
Abhimaan (smirking): “Maine suna.” (I heard that.)
Shweta & Kajal (together): “Sunane ke liye hi bola tha.” (We said it for you to hear.)

Abhimaan chuckled.

As they were discussing about Amrit’s background Rhea Mehra the mean girl heard everything. She was clearly not happy seeing Amrita getting close to one of the most famous group of college. She smirked and thought to use it against her.