Episode 4
1183 Words
Adit’s eyes briefly moved toward the surrounding shelves, and for the first time, Sakshi noticed something unexpected in his expression.
It looked like he genuinely wanted to know what she was reading.
“You like fiction?” he asked.
Sakshi looked down at the book in her hand and gave a small smile. “A lot.”
“Hm.” A faint smile appeared on his face. “Good choice.”
For a second, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn’t awkward exactly…
Just strangely intense.
Adit glanced around the library slowly. “Most students come here only during exams,” he said casually. “Rare species usually wander here on the first day.”
Sakshi laughed softly before she could stop herself.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.”
Again, that tiny smile.
And somehow, it affected her heartbeat more than it should have.
Meera, who had silently witnessed the entire interaction from nearby, looked between them suspiciously like she was watching a drama unfold in real time.
“So,” Adit continued, shifting the files slightly in his hand, “which department?”
“Media and Communication.”
“First years?”
She nodded.
“Then welcome to Srishti, Ms…?”
“Sakshi.”
For one brief moment, his expression changed slightly after hearing her name.
Almost like recognition.
Almost.
But it disappeared too quickly for her to understand.
“Well then, Sakshi,” he said softly, “I hope this library becomes your favorite place here.”
Something about the way he said it felt unusually personal.
As though he already knew it would.
Before Sakshi could respond properly, another faculty member called from outside the library.
“Adit! Staff meeting in five minutes.”
He looked toward the door briefly before turning back to her.
“Looks like duty calls.”
Sakshi nodded awkwardly. “Yes, sir.”
Adit gave one last glance at the rain-covered novel in her hands.
“Careful,” he said lightly while stepping away. “Books like that usually make people believe in love too easily.”
And then he walked away.
Sakshi stood frozen in the middle of the library.
Her heart completely betrayed her once again.
Meanwhile, beside her, Meera slowly turned with the most dramatic expression possible.
“… Okay,” she whispered. “Tell me everything.”
Sakshi frowned at Meera’s dramatic expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
Meera stared at her like the answer was painfully obvious.
“I mean…” she lowered her voice dramatically, “Professor Adit Varma just had an actual conversation with you.”
Sakshi blinked. “So?”
“So?!” Meera nearly gasped. “Do you know how intimidating he is?”
“He didn’t seem intimidating.”
“That’s because you were busy having a whole rain-romance movie scene in the library.”
Sakshi’s eyes widened immediately. “WHAT? No!”
Meera crossed her arms with a smug look. “Mm-hm.”
Sakshi quickly looked away, trying to hide the warmth rising from her cheeks.
“It was just a normal conversation,” she muttered.
“Normal conversations don’t include mysterious lines about love and books.”
“That was clearly about the novel!”
Meera gave her a look that clearly said even you don’t believe that.
Trying to escape the teasing, Sakshi walked toward another bookshelf.
“I think I’m going to be a regular student here,” she said while running her fingers across the books. “This library alone is enough reason.”
“That part I agree with,” Meera admitted, following behind her. “Honestly, if exams didn’t exist, I’d probably live here too.”
Sakshi smiled softly.
The peaceful atmosphere wrapped around her again. She loved how quiet everything felt inside the library — the soft turning of pages, distant footsteps, rain tapping gently against the windows.
It felt like the kind of place where stories were born.
Her kind of place.
As she explored another shelf, her eyes suddenly landed on a small noticeboard nearby.
Creative Writing Club — Registrations Open
Her face instantly brightened.
“There’s a writing club here?”
Meera peeked over her shoulder. “Looks like it.”
Without realizing it, Sakshi smiled to herself.
Maybe this institution really would change her life after all.
“That would actually be interesting,” Sakshi said while continuing to stare at the notice board.
Her eyes scanned the poster carefully.
Creative Writing Club
For students who believe stories can change the world.
A small smile appeared on her lips immediately.
Meera leaned beside her. “You’re definitely joining that, aren’t you?”
“I want to,” Sakshi admitted honestly. “But what if there’s some difficult selection process?”
“Hm… true.”
The notice only mentioned registrations opening next week but gave no other details.
“What would even be the joining criteria?” Sakshi wondered aloud. “Do they take interviews? Writing tests? Group discussions?”
Meera groaned dramatically. “Please don’t say interviews. I barely survived today’s introductions.”
Sakshi laughed softly.
“How will we even get to know about it properly?” she asked. “I think we should ask someone.”
Meera looked around the library thoughtfully.
“There’s a librarian near the front desk…”
But before she could finish, another familiar voice spoke from behind them.
“You’re interested in the writing club?”
Sakshi turned instantly.
Adit.
Again.
At this point, she genuinely started questioning whether fate was following her around the campus.
Adit stood near the notice board now, his eyes briefly moving toward the poster before returning to them.
“Yes, sir,” Sakshi replied quickly. “We were just wondering how to join.”
Adit nodded slightly.
“The Creative Writing Club is one of the oldest clubs here,” he explained. “Registrations open every year for first-year students.”
“So there’s no interview?” Meera asked hopefully.
A small amused smile appeared on his face.
“There is.”
Meera looked personally betrayed.
“But it’s not as terrifying as you imagine,” Adit added calmly. “They usually ask students to submit a short piece of writing first. Stories, poems, articles… anything original.”
Sakshi’s eyes lit up instantly.
“And after that?”
“The selected students attend an interaction session with the club mentors.”
“Mentors?” Sakshi repeated curiously.
Adit nodded. “Senior writers, editors… sometimes faculty members too.”
Something about the way he said that made Sakshi suspicious immediately.
“Wait…” Meera narrowed her eyes dramatically. “Are you part of the club too, sir?”
For the first time, Adit looked slightly caught.
“Unfortunately,” he said with mock seriousness, “yes.”
Meera grinned proudly like she had solved a mystery.
Sakshi tried very hard not to smile too much.
“The club mostly handles college publications, competitions, magazine articles, and storytelling events,” Adit continued. “If you genuinely enjoy writing, you’ll like it there.”
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