Chapter 1

Siddharth! Siddharth!! Siddharth!!!

Everyone in the crowd was roaring his name, but he seemed to be calm. Looking around casually, his eyes searched for someone in the crowd, and his search ended when he sees her. Taking a quick glimpse, he turned his attention back to the game.

Hearing his name all around her, Roshini’s heart throbbed insanely. Her eyes were swinging here and there with every step he took. His attention was on that ball that he was going to kick. He rocked his hand before running, she could feel how much he tensed, but his face remained firm.

She bit her lower lip when he kicked the ball. It was a penalty shot. If it was a goal, then their computer science department would win the overall trophy of this sports meet.

Her eyes widened when the ball was almost caught by the goalkeeper, but thankfully he didn't succeed. She heaved a sigh, smiling at the small smile on his face. Siddharth, he won. Not only in the match but also in her heart a long time before.

Everyone started enjoying the victory, and his teammates carried him on their shoulders. This time, he smiled widely. Her heart raced to see it. It was still very strange and unbelievable for Roshini, she never experienced this watching anyone else.

Why does it have to be him? Why is it always him? Roshini questioned, staring at him fixed.

"He’s a good player," Nidhi said, and Roshini nodded quickly turning her gaze.

"Let's go, Nidhi, we are going to be late for the bus," Roshini suggested, and Nidhi agreed.

They walked out of the stadium at 6.00 pm. Their houses were located in the same area, so they used to travel on the same bus, and that was how they become close in such a short time.

"Hey, what are you going to do this Sunday?" Nidhi questioned.

"Nothing, we have assignments, and I am planning to finish them," Roshini answered.

"We still have this entire month. Oh god, I guess this is why you shouldn’t be friends with a class topper."

"Okay, then what do you want me to do?"

"Let's go for a movie this Sunday."

Thinking a minute, Roshini said yes. She, too, wanted to go somewhere. It was very tiring to study and stay in the house all the time.

"Okay, then I will see you on Sunday, 11 am sharp," she told him, and they reached their stop.

They walked together, chatting about some random things. Nidhi is a complete entertainer, no one could feel bored around her, and Roshini felt lucky to have a friend who always reached out a hand when she needed any help.

She met her at college, the only person who left space for her to sit. They had a lot of things in common, and most importantly, she felt so happy around Nidhi. Roshini was an introvert, she didn't have any close friends at school, but Nidhi was different from every other person she had met in her life.

When they reached Nidhi's house, she waved goodbye for the day and, again, reminded Roshini to be ready on Sunday. To that, she gave a nod.

It had turned dark when Roshini reached her small yet beautiful house, which was located a street away from Nidhi's house. She sat on the concrete slab at the entrance and removed her slippers. She felt something strange today, a feeling of extreme jealousy when she saw those girls admiring Siddharth, but in the end, she was someone who couldn’t feel that way.

She was in her second year studying computer science engineering in the most reputed college in their city. She worked hard to get into it. Her college is one of the topmost colleges in her state for engineering. Only toppers could get into it.

In her college life, she liked everything, but one thing she never intended to do was like Siddharth. She felt a sudden sparkle of something the very moment her eyes stuck on him. He was the first person she met in this college, the first person who made her feel that way. Roshini found this odd as she had never believed in love at first sight. But remembering that moment, she had to agree that it could happen…

It was Roshini’s first day in college. She was confused about how to reach her class since she entered via another entrance near the playground. She couldn't find anyone to help her, until out of nowhere, she saw a guy walking before her. She scurried near him, smiling.

"Excuse me."

He turned, and she took a step back, stunned to see the handsome creature standing before her. He looked at her with a "What?" expression. For the first time in her life, there was this sound, a "Lub-Dub" heard as background music.

"Do...you…know where the first-year…computer science class is?" She sounded like she had just run a marathon. She felt so ashamed and awkward.

He gazed at her for a second.

"Go straight and turn right. Your class will be upstairs," he directed.

Before she could thank him, he walked away from her. In just a few seconds, he had vanished from her sight.

Then, she went to her class, everyone was talking among themselves. She searched for a place, but no one gave a welcoming gesture other than Nidhi, who was sitting on the second desk. Nidhi smiled at her and asked her name. Then, they introduced themselves. The day started this way, their class professors came and informed them about their subjects, each giving a short intro.

After a lunch break, three guys swaggered into their class like bosses. Roshini’s eyes widened to see him again. Her heart started to beat faster. She stared at him, and when he saw her, she turned away like she didn't know him.

"Hi, everyone, I am Siddharth, your senior studying second year," he said and smiled.

“I am the department vice chairman. If you have any doubts or anything you want to ask, you can come and meet me in my class when there's a break,” he added. Then he told us about our professors and how important it was to participate in the events organized by the department. Roshini could not even listen to anything he said and just stared at him in bewilderment. The girls sitting behind her asked for his number, and with a smile, he wrote his number on the board for everyone to see.

Then the other two boys shared theirs as well. They all wanted us to socialize with others and not become involved in anything that might spoil our grades. Then they all left. Roshini just smiled, knowing she could see him often. Every girl in her class jotted down his number, except for her. She didn't want anything to distract her from her studies.

Even though she had built a wall around her heart, Siddharth broke every single brick, filling up her heart, mind, and soul. She tried her best to suppress her growing attraction to him, but all her attempts ended in dismay.

It was the end of her first year, just a month before the semester, and there was a football match. Nidhi messaged her to come to the playground, and Roshini halfheartedly decided to go.

There was a huge crowd on the football pitch. Even some professors were there enjoying the match because Siddharth was playing. Roshini knew that he played football, but she had never seen it. She purposely avoided any activity that displayed his charm.

Taking a seat beside Nidhi, Roshini looked around to see where Siddharth was. He was standing there and looking at the other players. He seemed to be kind of nervous. Seeing him, she smiled.

Roshini never showed her admiration for Siddharth to anyone, especially not to Nidhi. So, she cut off her smile and looked down.

The match went well. Siddharth got two goals and won the special trophy. Roshini was astounded by his attractiveness. At that moment, she accepted her crush on him.

The first year went this way. She got two chances to talk with him, but just about event preparation. He asked her name in one of those meetings. He was a great leader, and Roshini like his friendliness.

But, at the same time, she heard that he had had three girlfriends in two years, and he was a brat, playboy, etc. So, she stopped thinking about him and decided she would stay away from him. But, whatever she did, she couldn’t deny her attraction.

When she entered her house, her mom welcomed her with a warm smile. Roshini's mom was a housewife and a very strict woman. 

"I am going to temple, do you want to come with me?"

Roshini nodded. “I have work," she replied and went to the bedroom, where her bro was sitting and studying for his upcoming exams.

"Hey!"

"Hi, how was your exam today?"

"Good, but I lost one mark," Karthik said.

"Oh, so sad," she smiled in mischief.

Her little bro was not so little. He was taller than her and was working hard to pass the NEET exams. He was studying two sets of the syllabi, making sure that he was well versed in everything. His ambition of becoming a doctor was going to come true soon, and Roshini was already feeling so happy about that because she knew that her brother was smarter than her.

Her dad was working on the railway; they were a small family, yet the happiest. Her parents were very strict when it came to education, and because of that, Roshini and her brother were always good in their academics. She decided to study engineering because of her dad; he wanted her to be an engineer. And now, she loved this field.

After finishing off her dinner, Roshini laid on her bed and remembered that day's match. Automatically, Siddharth's smiling face came before her. She didn't know whether it was good or bad, but he was making her weak, weakening her with his charms.