Fate's Favorite Target

Fate's Favorite Target

Episode 1: The First Strike

St. Xavier’s University was supposed to be a sanctuary of fresh starts. No lockers, no high school nostalgia, and definitely no Kabir.

Mira adjusted the straps of her backpack, taking a deep breath of the crisp campus air. For four years, they had been the unofficial package deal everyone loved to ship. Well, Mira had made a solemn vow to break that curse. Different schedules, different social circles, complete radio silence.

"Mira!"

She froze. That voice was loud, unapologetically cheerful, and entirely inescapable.

Before she could pivot toward the safety of the history building, a rogue yellow blur hurtled through the air. Splat. A massive, perfectly round laddoo caught her square in the shoulder, exploding into a cloud of sweet flour and crushed cashews across her brand-new jacket.

Mira gasped, whipping around. There he was, standing by the clock tower with a sheepish grin and a half-open backpack leaking fried sweets like a baking catastrophe. Kabir.

"Don't start," Kabir raised his hands defensively, jogging over as his best friend Leo chased after him, waving wildly. "Before you blame my aiming skills, my backpack zipper literally staged a mutiny."

Mira glared down at the yellow dust coating her sleeve, a reluctant twitch fighting at the corner of her lips. "Fate really hates us, doesn't it?"

Kabir laughed, a warm sound that made her heart flip. "Or maybe it just knows we belong together