Morning wore a calm hush as Dev's car rolled to a gentle stop before the college gate.
Inside, Hiya clutched her bag with both hands, breath caught between nerves and wonder.
Her pink dress — chosen lovingly by Riddhi — swayed like a shy question in the breeze, as if it too were curious about the world ahead.
Dev didn't look at her.
His eyes stayed forward, distant. Impenetrable.
"Three minutes early," he murmured. "You managed to chew and run. Impressive."
Hiya smiled softly, letting the sarcasm slide.
"It's my first day," she said gently. "I had to try."
Without another word, he pulled the door handle from his side — a silent dismissal.
The lock clicked.
The moment her sandals touched the pavement, she felt the world shift.
New air.
New people.
New gravity.
And behind her, the car — gone.
Like a dream you couldn't hold on to after waking.
Across the yard, another pair of eyes caught her arrival.
Mira.
Already on campus.
Poised. Polished. Confidence wrapped around her like expensive perfume — quiet but impossible to ignore.
Her eyes flicked toward the sleek black car, then lingered on the girl who stepped out of it.
Hiya.
Pink-clad. Slightly breathless. Softness the city didn't know what to do with.
Mira's lips curved — a polite smile, touched with curiosity.
Then she turned to a cluster of students under the library stairs and extended a manicured hand.
"Hi, I'm Mira. Mind if I join you?"
Back at the gate, Hiya turned — just once.
Hoping… maybe Dev would offer a final word. A small smile. A soft wish for luck.
But the road behind her was empty.
Like a shadow at noon — there and gone.
She sighed.
And took her first steps alone.
The corridors buzzed with chatter and beginnings.
Hiya walked slowly, holding her documents like a shield.
Everything felt enormous — the trees, the voices, the brick-and-glass buildings.
Back home, her world had been no larger than a courtyard wrapped in sky.
But inside her?
She carried something even bigger:
A heart stitched from memory, sorrow, and wild hope — and a flame that refused to dim.
On the third floor, a quiet window framed the courtyard below.
Dev stood there, arms crossed.
He watched her — not like a protector. Not like a stranger.
But as someone caught in a moment of unexpected pause.
Her steps. Her hesitation. Her brave face.
He inhaled quietly…
Because she was courage in motion.
Mira passed behind him, coffee in hand.
"Dev," she said, soft and deliberate.
"Who's the bunny in pink?"
He didn't smile.
"She's under our roof. Hiya."
Mira sipped slowly. "She's sweet."
Dev's gaze stayed on the window.
Down below, as if sensing something, Hiya lifted her face.
Their eyes met.
Across the silence. Across everything unspoken.
And then… Dev turned away.
The bell rang. Life continued. Teaching didn't wait.
Two new flowers in the same garden.
Not yet close.
But beginning to notice each other.
And Hiya?
She walked on.
A girl wrapped in petals — caught in the wind.