Nayan had just stepped out of the car and said, "I think you all should eat someth…" but stopped mid-sentence because, except for Vedanshi, no one else was there. Before he could even finish, all the boys had already dashed off toward the canteen.
Nayan shook his head and began unloading the luggage from the car.
Without turning around, he asked, "Aren't you hungry? Why didn't you go with your friends? Go on, why are you standing here?"
Vedanshi replied, "Sir, you probably haven't eaten either this morning, so you should eat first too."
Nayan's hands froze as he was pulling stuff out of the car. Vedanshi walked up beside him and started helping him unload the bags. Muttering under her breath, she said, "They were so hungry they didn't even realize the luggage had to be brought in first. Idiots."
"You just used the word 'idiots' in front of me," Nayan said as he lifted a large bag.
"They acted like idiots," Vedanshi shot back, picking up another bag. "And anyway, I was talking about my friends, so it's allowed in friendship." She emphasized the word friendship.
"But I'm not your friend. After all, I'm your professor. So you shouldn't talk to your professor like that, you know… some respect?" Nayan said, then resumed picking up the luggage.
Just then, two history students came out. When they saw Nayan with the bags, they came over and took them from him to carry inside.
"Put these in the lab. And be careful," Nayan told them.
"No wonder the archaeology students have no manners, thank god the history ones are at least sensible," Vedanshi commented.
"Hmph! Everyone is good, Vedanshi. It's just a person's actions that make them good or bad. And karma… always comes back to us. If people kept that in mind, they'd be saints already," Nayan said. Vedanshi nodded in agreement.
"Shall we go now?" Nayan asked.
"Sure," Vedanshi replied, and the two of them headed toward the canteen.
"Dude, where the hell is Vedanshi? My stomach is growling!" Nikhil said, annoyed.
"Maybe she went to the washroom," Akshay guessed.
"I'm right here," Vedanshi said, walking up from behind. As soon as everyone saw her and then noticed Nayan with her, they quickly looked away, trying to avoid eye contact.
They all knew very well that none of them had helped with unloading the luggage and had just run off to the canteen.
"Alright, today's treat is on me," Nayan said.
Everyone was stunned.
Noticing their shocked expressions, Nayan added,
"What are you all staring at? You're new students, this is the least I can do. Just chill. I'm your professor, not some school teacher who reacts to every little thing." Hearing that, everyone relaxed and smiled, nodding in agreement.
Soon, everyone was gathered around a round table, eagerly digging into the food. Sagar and Nikhil were sitting together, while Vedanshi and Akshay sat next to each other. Nayan was seated directly across from Vedanshi.
Sagar and Nikhil had already started a mini eating competition. Vedanshi, meanwhile, had her eyes fixed on Nayan.
"Do you really not remember me? Do you truly not recognize me?" These thoughts kept racing through Vedanshi's mind. Just then, Nayan looked up and locked eyes with her. Vedanshi quickly panicked and looked away.
Nayan gave a faint smile and shook his head slightly.
"This girl…" Nayan thought to himself.
As soon as Nayan announced the threat and the food arrived, Nikhil and Sagar pounced on it like starving wolves who had finally found prey after days. They were even snatching food from each other's plates, at that moment, they looked exactly like siblings fighting over food in childhood.
Vedanshi and Akshay looked at them and shook their heads in disbelief. Nayan, too, was watching them in surprise but there was a faint smile on his face. Vedanshi quietly served herself some food and brought along a cup of tea as well.
Seeing the tea, Nikhil exclaimed,
"Seriously? Who drinks tea in this heat?" Vedanshi immediately replied,
"I do."
Vedanshi never really ate junk or unnecessary outside food. Her meals were always simple and clean, just like what was on her plate right now.
Just then, the seniors' group arrived. Looking at the juniors, Riddhi commented sarcastically, "Wow, sir! We never got any treats. Aren't you being a bit too generous with these juniors?"
"You're forgetting, Riddhi, I've given you all treats twenty-two times," Nayan responded.
"You actually counted them, sir?" Riddhi asked, surprised.
"Of course I did! If I hadn't, you would've blamed this innocent professor right away," Nayan said playfully, and everyone burst into laughter.
The seniors pulled up chairs and joined in. Watching Sagar and Nikhil devouring their food, Pranay commented,
"What's going on here? These two are eating like prisoners who haven't seen food in days. Relax, guys, our canteen won't run out of food!" Nobody could reply, their mouths were stuffed with food.
One special thing about this department was that there was no ragging here, nor were seniors addressed as "sir" or "ma'am" unlike in most other university departments, where such formal traditions still existed.
Perhaps it was because the Archaeology department always had fewer students, so these traditions never took root. And it wasn't just the students, even the Archaeology professors were unusually friendly with their students. They supported them in every possible way and shared a strong bond with them.
This closeness often irritated the History students, because they never enjoyed such a relationship with their own professors.
Those professors were still stuck in that old, strict, grumpy mindset. That's why there was an unspoken rivalry, even hatred from the History side toward Archaeology. And it wasn't just the students. The History professors also maintained that hostility openly. They were always looking for an opportunity to belittle the Archaeology students. Another reason behind this tension was that both departments Archaeology and Anthropology were under the same HOD, who always came from the History faculty. So technically, both these departments operated "under" History.
Archaeology had requested independence from this setup many times, but the college had never taken any significant action. Because of this, the History department constantly tried to assert its superiority and control. On the other hand, Archaeology professors always stood firmly by their students. They were supportive and encouraging. They were present with their students in every sense. And by now, the students had understood this very well.
Vedanshi was lost in her thoughts when Nayan's voice brought her back.
"What's taking you so long? Eat up quickly!" Nayan said. Once everyone had finished eating, Pranay stood up and said,
"Okay, everyone, listen up! Two more people from your batch will be joining soon. And with semester classes starting next week, we've decided to host the fresher's party the day after tomorrow. So we formally invite you all to attend!"
"This time, the theme is traditional wear, so everyone is expected to dress accordingly," Riddhi added.
"We've already spoken to the other two students from your batch, they're on board. The Archaeology professors will also be joining the party."
"There aren't too many of us," Seema continued, "so we've arranged the party in the projector room. It's on the top floor, so there won't be any disturbance. We've also taken official permission. The room's pretty big, and we've coordinated with the canteen, the food will be delivered from there."
As soon as food was mentioned again, Nikhil and Sagar lit up with excitement.
By this time, Nayan had already left. The seniors and juniors were making quite a cheerful racket together, laughing, joking, and enjoying the vibe.
Meanwhile, across the room, the History students were glaring at them with open contempt.
"Oh, and one more thing, I almost forgot," Nikita added.
"The Anthropology folks will be joining us too. Their seniors are helping us arrange the party."
It was already 10 a.m. the next morning when all the students had gathered in the classroom. They were expecting the two remaining students from their batch to arrive that day, so everyone was waiting for them.
Today, Nayan was going to introduce them to the antiques in the museum, so everyone was excited. The museum came directly under Nayan's supervision. Not only Archaeology students, but even students from History, Anthropology and sometimes even from outside the university, would visit the museum. And it was always Nayan who guided them and explained the exhibits.
As the students were chatting among themselves, Nayan walked in and right behind him were the two students from Bangalore. Vedanshi was standing behind the boys, so she couldn't see clearly.
Then Nayan said, "This is Parth and Parthavi, your classmates." The moment she heard the names, Vedanshi froze. Her heart sank.
She quickly moved Sagar aside to get a clear look and it felt like the ground had slipped out from beneath her feet. She stumbled slightly. Her head began to spin. Sagar was standing beside her, so she grabbed onto his arm for support. Vedanshi just kept staring at them.
Parth, seeing her, gave a faint smile. He didn't react, as if he already knew this would happen, as if he had expected it.
But the one standing next to him, Parthavi, was stunned too. Her eyes locked onto Vedanshi's, burning with anger. She glared at her without blinking. She turned to Parth with questioning eyes, demanding an explanation. But Parth said nothing. Parthavi's fists clenched tightly.
And then, at the back, Vedanshi suddenly lost consciousness. Just before collapsing, she lowered herself to the floor. Sagar immediately caught her and helped her sit. But her eyes were already closed. Everyone panicked and rushed to her.
Nayan came running, dropped to his knees beside her, gently took Vedanshi's head into his arms, and began rubbing her arms with his other hand, trying to revive her.
"Vedanshi! Bring water, quickly!" Nayan shouted. Akshay quickly pulled a bottle out of his bag and handed it to Nayan.
Parth took one step forward instinctively but Parthavi grabbed his hand, stopping him. She looked furiously in the direction where Vedanshi lay unconscious.