Siya

For the next few seconds, I couldn't move.

I was still staring at the name written on the board.

PROF. RAGHAV KHANNA.

The same man.

The same black shirt.

The same cold eyes.

The same person I had argued with less than fifteen minutes ago.

And now...

He was my professor.

Great, Siya.

Just great.

I slowly looked down at my notebook, hoping he wouldn't notice me.
Of course, he did.

"Let's start with a simple introduction."
Raghav sir placed the attendance sheet on the desk.

His eyes moved across the classroom.
"My name is Raghav Khanna. I'll be teaching you this semester."

His voice was calm, but there was something intimidating about it.
"I expect three things from my students."

He paused.

"Discipline. Punctuality. And honesty."
The classroom was completely silent.

"No unnecessary talking during lectures. No excuses for late submissions. And if you don't understand something, ask."

He looked around.

"I don't mind questions."

A student raised his hand.

"Sir, what if we have a genuine reason for being late?"

Raghav sir looked at him.

"Then make sure it's genuine.

A few students exchanged nervous glances

I almost smiled.

Definitely the same man.

Raghav sir picked up the attendance sheet.
"Let's take attendance."

One by one, he called the names.

I kept my eyes on my notebook.

"Rahul Sharma.

"Present, Sir."

"Ananya Mehta."

"Present, Sir."

Then-1

"Siya Malhotra.

My heart skipped.

I slowly raised my hand.
"Present, Sir."

His eyes met mine.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he simply marked my attendance.
"Hmm."

I looked away.

Why did that tiny hmm feel like a warning?
The lecture started.

I tried my best to concentrate.

Raghav sir was actually a good professor.
He explained everything clearly and didn't rush through the topic.

But every time he walked near my desk, I became conscious of myself.

I kept writing.

Don't look at him.

Don't say anything.

Just survive the class.

"Miss Malhotra."
I froze.

I slowly looked up.

"Yes, Sir?"

Raghav sir was standing near the board.
"Can you explain the point I just discussed?"

I looked at my notes.

I knew the answer

Still, I hesitated.

"Yes, Sir."

I explained it carefully.
When I finished, the classroom went quiet.

Raghav sir looked at me for a moment.
"Correct."

I blinked.

That was it?

Then he added,

"At least someone came prepared."

I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or sarcasm.

I simply nodded.

"Thank you, Sir."

He turned back toward the board.

But for the first time, I noticed something.

He wasn't completely unreasonable.

He was just...
very strict.

Raghav

I glanced at the class.

Most of the students were busy writing.
Except one.

Siya Malhotra.

The same girl from the corridor.

I still couldn't understand how someone could walk through a crowded university while staring at her phone and then have the confidence to argue with a stranger.

And now she was sitting in my class as if nothing had happened.

Interesting.

I looked at her notebook.

Her notes were neat.

She was paying attention.

At least she wasn't careless academically.

"Miss Malhotra."

She looked up immediately.

"Yes, Sir?"

"What's the answer?"

She answered correctly.

I nodded.

"Good."

I moved on.

But somewhere in my mind, I remembered her words from the corridor.

"Next time, you should too.

I frowned slightly.

She had confidence.

Maybe too much.

Siya

The class continued for another forty minutes.

I was finally starting to relax.
Until I made a mistake.

Raghav sir asked everyone to write down an important point from the lecture.

I was writing quickly when my pen slipped.

I accidentally skipped an entire line.

"Miss Malhotra."

I looked up.

"Yes, Sir?"

"You missed the point."

I looked at my notebook.

"Oh..."

"You were writing so quickly that you skipped an important part."

"I'm sorry, Sir."

He sighed.

"Don't say sorry every time you make a mistake. Just pay attention."

I nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

His tone wasn't exactly rude.

But it still made me uncomfortable.

I lowered my eyes and continued writing.

For some reason, his words stayed in my head.

Don't say sorry every time you make a mistake.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe I apologized too much.

The bell finally rang.

Everyone immediately started packing their bags.

Raghav sir closed his file.

"That's all for today. And remember-tomorrow, I expect everyone to be on time."

Students started leaving.

I packed my notebook quietly.

My new classmate, Ananya, came over.

"You survived!"

I looked at her.

"Survived what?"

"Professor Khanna."

I laughed softly.

"Is he really that scary?"

"Scary? Siya, he once made an entire class sit silently for ten minutes because someone was talking."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

She suddenly looked at me suspiciously.

"Wait... why do you look like you've already met him?"

I hesitated.

"I did."

Her eyes widened.

"When?"

"Before class."

"What?"

I sighed.

"We bumped into each other in the corridor."

Ananya stared at me.

"And?"

"I argued with him."

She covered her mouth.

"You WHAT?"

I laughed nervously.
"I didn't know he was my professor!"

Ananya started laughing.

"Oh my God, Siya. First day and you've already argued with Professor Khanna."

"Please don't remind me."

"I'm definitely going to remind you."

We both laughed as we walked out of the classroom.

For the first time that morning, I felt a little less nervous.

Maybe university wouldn't be so bad after all

Raghav
The classroom slowly emptied.
I gathered the papers on my desk.

My eyes fell on a notebook lying near the last row.

I picked it up.

Siya Malhotra.

I shook my head.

Of course.

I walked toward the door with the notebook in my hand.

But before I could leave, I noticed her standing outside the classroom.

She seemed to be looking for something.

Then she turned around.

Her eyes met mine.

"Sir..."

"Yes?"

"I think I left my notebook inside."

Raghav sir held it up.

"This one?"

Her face immediately relaxed.
"Yes."

She walked toward him.
"Thank you, Sir."

He handed it to her.

"You should be more careful, Miss Malhotra."

She gave him a small, polite smile.
"I'll try, Sir."

She turned to leave.

"Miss Malhotra."

She stopped.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Tomorrow, don't be late."

She nodded.
"I won't be."

Then she walked away.

Raghav watched her disappear down the corridor.

He looked at the empty classroom.

For some reason, he already had a feeling that-

Miss Malhotra was going to be more trouble than he expected.

Annuwrites 🎀