23 First Day
The shrill, unrelenting scream of an alarm shattered the peaceful silence of the room, clawing Niyati back from the depths of sleep. Groaning, she reached blindly across the cool surface of the bedside table until her fingers finally collided with her phone.
With one drowsy, practiced swipe, she silenced the noise and let her hand fall limp. She lay entirely still for a few moments, her eyes tracking the smooth, unfamiliar ceiling above her as her brain slowly reconnected with reality.
Delhi. Hostel. College.
Today was her very first day. Before she could stop it, a wide, unstoppable smile spread across her face. Months of relentless entrance exams, endless application forms, terrifying interviews, anxious waiting, and sleepless nights had finally converged into this single morning.
She was officially a university student.
Throwing the light blanket aside, she stretched lazily before swinging her legs over the frame and stepping down. The biting chill of the marble floor sent a sudden shiver through her body, instantly chasing away the remaining cobwebs of sleep.
Stepping back to look around, she was reminded that her room was still only half-settled.
A few unopened cardboard cartons rested haphazardly beside the wooden wardrobe, textbooks were stacked in neat, expectant piles on the study table, and several photographs from home were propped gently against the wall, waiting for a permanent spot.
One particular frame immediately caught her eye. It was an old, cherished picture taken during Diya's sixteenth birthday party. The two girls stood in the foreground, clutching each other as they laughed at something happening just out of frame.
But behind them, almost entirely hidden in the background, Ansh was standing, his eyes fixed entirely on Niyati instead of the camera lens. Her lips curved unconsciously at the memory, a warm flutter blooming in her chest, before she caught herself and shook her head.
"Not today," she muttered softly to the empty room.
Shaking off the distraction, she moved quickly to freshen up.
She pulled on a comfortable cream-coloured kurti paired with classic blue jeans-stylish, simple, and practical enough to survive a long orientation day.
She was in the middle of fastening the leather strap of her watch when her phone on the desk suddenly began to buzz. The caller ID flashed Diya.
"Good morning," Niyati answered, pressing the phone to her ear.
"No," Diya's voice came flatly through the speaker.
Niyati paused, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What do you mean, no?"
"I refuse to believe we're actually in college," Diya declared with utmost drama. "I am denying reality."
A bright laugh escaped Niyati as she gathered her things. "Diya, we've literally moved into the hostel. Our bags are in the rooms."
"I know! That's the scary part! It means we're adults now!"
"You have been dramatic since the day you were born."
"I learned from the best, darling," Diya shot back smoothly. "Now, meet me downstairs in ten minutes."
"Make it five," Niyati countered.
"You won't even be ready in five."
"I already am."
A suspicious pause lingered on the line. "...You're lying to me."
"I absolutely am," Niyati chuckled, but before she could tease her friend any further, the call abruptly ended.
Shaking her head with a smile, she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder and stepped out into the bustling hallway.
The hostel dining hall was a whirlwind of energy and high-pitched excitement. Every single table was packed with freshers exchanging names, comparing hometowns, and trying their absolute best to mask their overwhelming first-day jitters beneath bright, enthusiastic smiles.
Niyati scanned the crowd and spotted Diya almost instantly. Her best friend was currently negotiating her way through the tables while balancing a tray loaded with an absurd, almost comical amount of food.
"You do realise this is a standard breakfast, right? Not an all-you-can-eat buffet," Niyati remarked as she pulled out a chair opposite her.
Diya looked down at her mountain of food, having the decency to look slightly bashful. "I got nervous."
"So your instinct was to order six different main dishes?"
"People cope with major life transitions differently, Niyati. I choose carbohydrates."
Niyati laughed, shaking her head as she dug into her own modest plate. For the next twenty minutes, the world outside dissolved as they fell into their familiar, easy rhythm.
They bickered gently over their messily printed timetables, debated the terrifying mystery of their orientation schedule, gossiped about hostel rules they had already managed to forget, and wondered out loud whether any of their professors would actually bother learning their names.
Yet, every few minutes, a sudden lull would fall over their conversation. They would stop, look at each other across the messy dining table, and break into matching, unstoppable grins.
"We actually made it," Diya whispered, resting her chin in her hands.
"I know," Niyati agreed softly, a sense of awe settling over her. "I still can't fully believe it."
Neither of them could. This had been a distant, shared dream whispered during late-night study sessions for years. And now, the horizon had finally arrived.
After clearing their trays, they stepped out of the dining hall and into the crisp morning air. The main university campus lay just beyond the heavy iron gates of the hostel, barely a three-minute walk away.
Streams of eager students flooded the paved pathways in chatterbox groups-some talking loudly to cover their anxiety, while others clutched folded campus maps as if embarking on a perilous trek into the unknown.
The campus itself was breathtaking. Massive, majestic academic buildings rose proudly against the backdrop of the morning sky, their modern, sleek architecture blending seamlessly with the ancient, wide-canopied trees that lined the main avenues.
Manicured gardens surrounded the various departments, and bright, colorful banners welcoming the new batch fluttered lazily in the autumn breeze.
Diya came to a sudden halt on the brick path, staring up at the sprawling complex. "Oh, wow..."
Niyati paused beside her, following her gaze. "What?"
"This place is utterly massive," Diya said, her eyes wide. "We're definitely going to get lost."
"Oh, without a single shadow of a doubt," Niyati agreed smoothly.
They exchanged one brief, terrified look before breaking into helpless laughter. Joining the general flow of the crowd, they navigated their way toward the enormous central auditorium.
Friendly upperclassmen volunteers wearing bright university badges greeted the freshers with warm, welcoming smiles, pointing them down the sprawling corridors.
Inside, the auditorium was a cavern of sound, rapidly filling with thousands of voices echoing off the tall walls. On the grand stage ahead, elegant floral arrangements surrounded a podium proudly displaying the gilded university emblem.
Finding two empty seats near the middle section, Niyati and Diya slipped into them. As the crowd around them settled, Diya leaned over, her voice dropping an octave. "Okay, I am suddenly very nervous."
Niyati gave her a dry look. "You've said that at least six times since breakfast."
"Yes, but I am serious this time. My stomach is doing gymnastics."
Reaching over, Niyati squeezed her friend's hand tightly. "We're together. We'll figure it out."
Diya offered a soft, genuine smile. "Always."
Before they could say more, the heavy overhead lights slowly began to dim, throwing the audience into soft shadow. A collective hush washed over the crowd as the thousands of frantic conversations faded into expectant silence.
A tall professor walked purposefully onto the stage, adjusting the sleek microphone at the podium before looking out at the sea of eager, young faces with a warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Good morning, everyone..." his voice boomed softly through the speakers.
And just like that, the curtain lifted on their university life.
Meanwhile, across the vast, bustling expanse of the city, a completely different morning was unfolding.
Ansh stood motionless in front of the full-length mirror inside his apartment, his fingers carefully adjusting the crisp, precise knot of his navy-blue tie. Today marked his official debut as a junior product designer.
Fresh out of university with his bachelor's degree in hand, he had managed to secure a coveted position at one of Delhi's top design firms-a dream role he had poured endless late nights and grueling effort into achieving.
He smoothed down the collar of his tailored white shirt before stepping into his charcoal-grey blazer, checking his reflection one last time. His leather laptop bag rested on the entryway bench, packed with meticulous care the night before. Everything was in order.
Everything was completely prepared.
Except, perhaps, his mind. He took a slow, deep breath, exhaling the tension coiled tightly in his shoulders. No matter how much prep work a person did, first days possessed an inescapable weight.
A brand-new workplace, unfamiliar colleagues, high expectations, and daunting responsibilities lay waiting for him.
Just as he picked up his watch, his phone vibrated against the wooden surface of the bedside table. Expecting another automated HR reminder or a final confirmation email from his manager, he reached over absentmindedly to check the screen.
The moment his eyes caught the name, his posture softened completely.
Niyati: Good luck on your first day. ??
Ansh stood frozen, staring down at the glowing screen for several long seconds. The message was brief. It wasn't profound or overly dramatic.
Yet, as he read those seven simple words, the lingering knots of anxiety in his chest untangled all at once, replaced by a quiet, grounding warmth.