Chapter 11

The evening sun dipped low, painting the college canteen in shades of orange and gold. Poornima Rai sat at a corner table with a steaming cup of tea, her dupatta draped neatly over her shoulder, eyes lost in thought as she stirred absentmindedly.

A shadow fell across her table. She looked up to see Veeresh Raj standing there, his usual calm expression softened by the faintest trace of a smile.

“How is class, Miss Rai?” he asked, his voice low and even.

Poornima straightened slightly, her lips curving. “Good, Mr. Raj. The students seem to be enjoying it.”

Veeresh nodded, then turned to the stall keeper. “One kadak chai.” The order slipped from him with the ease of habit, his tone carrying quiet authority even here.

As he sat opposite her, there was a pause—not awkward, but charged. His gaze lingered on her, thoughtful. Finally, he said, “You are different.”

Poornima tilted her head, amused, a playful light in her eyes. “Different… good or bad?”

For a heartbeat, he didn’t answer. Then, the corner of his lips lifted into a rare smile. “That’s for me to discover, Miss Rai.”

Something in his tone made her heart skip, though she held his gaze with a calm smile of her own. “Then I wish you luck with your discovery, Mr. Raj.”

The tea arrived, steam curling between them like an unspoken secret. Poornima lifted her cup slowly, still smiling. Veeresh mirrored her, his eyes not leaving hers.

In that quiet corner of the canteen, amidst clinking cups and the chatter of students in the distance, a connection deepened—not rushed, not spoken aloud, but felt in the small silences and half-smiles they shared.