The next morning, Professor Ragini Malhotra stood before the class with a bright, professional smile that didn't quite reach her cold eyes.
"Good morning, everyone. As part of our cultural studies module, we'll be going on an excursion today," she announced, her voice smooth and commanding. "We'll be exploring the ancient ruins of the Rana Palace on the outskirts of the city. It's a magnificent site, steeped in history... and mystery."
A buzz of excitement filled the classroom. Ragini produced a container filled of wooden sticks.
"To make this more engaging, you'll be working in pairs. I've numbered these sticks. Everyone, please come forward and pick one. You will be partnered with the person who has the matching number."
Students filed up one by one, drawing their sticks. Kiara picked hers and looked at the number carved into it: 19. She glanced around, wondering who her partner would be.
Across the room, Yuvaan drew his stick. Number 5. His eyes flickered to Kiara, then to a nearby student who was holding stick number 20. With a mere, almost imperceptible glance from Yuvaan, the numbers on the sticks seemed to shimmer and swap. The other student blinked in confusion, looking down at what was now number 5, while Yuvaan calmly held up number 20.
He walked over to Kiara, a slow, confident smirk on his lips. "Well, well. It seems fate has so much in store for us, Kiara. We're partners."
Kiara's eyes narrowed. She held up her stick. "Number 19." She pointed at his. "Number 20. They don't match."
"They do now," he said smoothly, showing her the 20 clearly. "Perhaps you misread yours?"
Before she could protest further, Ragini's voice cut in. "Everyone find your partners and get ready to board the bus!"
As the students began to move, Ragini's eyes locked on Kiara and Yuvaan. A dark, triumphant thought echoed in her mind. Enjoy your little partnership while it lasts, Kiara Shetty. In these ruins, far from your father's protection, you will lose more than just this excursion. You will lose your life.
---
Outside, students filed into the waiting bus. Kiara spotted Yuvaan already seated and attempted to walk past him, hoping to find another seat. But as she passed, his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down into the seat beside him.
"Hey! Let me go!" she protested, trying to stand up.
He held her firmly but without aggression, his voice a low, amused murmur. "Now, now, partner. Where are your team spirit? We're supposed to be working together on this excursion. It would be rude to abandon me already."
She glared at him, but with the bus filling up and Ragini watching them with sharp eyes from the front, she had little choice. She sank back into the seat with a frustrated huff, the wheels of Ragini's plan—and Yuvaan's own mysterious agenda—beginning to turn as the bus pulled away from the college.
The bus hummed with the chatter of excited students. Angad found a seat near the back, glancing at the stick in his hand. Number 12. He looked around, hoping his partner wouldn't be someone boring.
A girl slipped into the seat beside him, her face completely hidden behind a thick textbook. Angad paid her little mind, scrolling through his phone instead.
A few minutes into the journey, the bus hit a bump. The textbook slipped, and the girl quickly grabbed it, revealing her face.
Angad's eyes widened. "Mishka?"
She looked at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes before her usual calm expression returned. "Angad."
He grinned, holding up his stick. "Don't tell me... are you number 12?"
Mishka hesitated for a brief moment, then showed him her stick. The number 12 was clearly carved into the wood.
A wide, triumphant smile spread across Angad's face. "It is you! Wow, so we're partners!" He leaned back in his seat, his mind already racing. This is it. This has to be a sign. First, we keep bumping into each other, and now we're partners for a whole day trip? It seems I'm finally going to get my first girlfriend.
"Looks like we'll be exploring the ruins together," he said, his voice filled with genuine excitement.
Mishka offered a small, polite smile, tucking her textbook away. "It seems so."
She looked out the window, her expression unreadable. Angad, lost in his own happy thoughts, didn't notice the slight tension in her shoulders or the way her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. He saw fate; she saw a complication.