Chemistry Class: The Battle Continues
The classroom buzzed with energy as students settled into their seats. Riya, as usual, sat with her arms crossed, waiting for the day's inevitable duel with Mr. Oberoi. Her friends whispered about how the new visiting professor was single-handedly making chemistry fun.
Riya scoffed. Fun? For her, it was a battlefield.
Vivan Oberoi entered, his usual silent demeanor sending a hush through the room. His sharp gaze swept over the students before landing—for the briefest second—on Riya. If she hadn't been watching closely, she might have missed it.
"Good morning, class," Vivan's deep voice cut through the air.
"Good morning, Sir," the class responded, except Riya, who mumbled something unintelligible.
Vivan didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he turned to the board and wrote:
'What happens when magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid?'
Before anyone could answer, Riya smirked. Here we go.
"Sir, do you want the basic answer or the one with dramatic flair?" she asked sweetly.
A few students chuckled. Vivan sighed. This girl...
"Ms. Mathur, let's try something new today-" he leaned slightly forward, "-how about you give an answer without unnecessary commentary?"
"Oh, so you do like my commentary?" Riya grinned.
The class erupted into muffled laughter. Even Vivan's lips twitched-but only for a second.
"Answer the question." His tone was calm, but his eyes? They held a challenge.
Riya sighed dramatically before responding, "Magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce magnesium chloride and hydrogen gas."
"Correct." Vivan turned back to the board, writing the balanced chemical equation. But Riya noticed something.
The way he tapped his marker twice before writing.
The slight crease between his brows when he concentrated.
The absence of coffee on his desk-only a cup of green tea.
Weird. She had assumed someone as cold as him would be a black coffee addict.
"Miss Mathur, since you seem free enough to make faces, why don't you solve this equation?"
Riya froze.
'Dude, seriously?! An attack on the first day?!'
The class chuckled.
Keeping up appearances, Riya flashed a fake confident smirk, stood up, and looked at the equation.
Then, with an effortless shrug, as if she knew everything-"Huh, easy."
She immediately started writing...
...And got it completely wrong.
The class burst into laughter again.
Vivan let out a heavy sigh, looking at her with pure disappointment.
"If you're done proving your overconfidence, Miss Mathur, maybe now you can try solving it correctly?"
Riya squinted her eyes at him.
"This guy is out to get me!"
As the lecture continued, the class began noticing something else-Mr. Oberoi was starting to anticipate Riya's interruptions.
When she raised an eyebrow, he had an answer ready.
When she opened her mouth, he was already countering her argument.
It was a rhythm. A silent war.
And the class? They were the real winners here.
"They should just date already." Someone whispered, making Riya's ears burn.
But before she could shoot back, Vivan spoke.
"If you have enough time for gossip, then perhaps I should assign an extra research paper on reaction rates."
Dead silence.
Riya blinked at him. Did he just-?
For the first time, she saw it.
A flicker of amusement.
A silent acknowledgment of their war.
Maybe... just maybe... it wasn't just her who was entertained by this.
-
As the lecture ended, students gathered their books, still grinning from the live entertainment between Riya and Vivian. She packed her stuff slowly, watching as Vivian erased the board, his usual silence wrapping around him like armor.
Most students had left when Riya finally slung her bag over her shoulder. Just as she reached the door, Vivian's voice-calm yet sharp-cut through the air.
"Ms. Mathur."
Riya paused. What now?
Turning around, she found him still focused on the board, his back to her.
"You forgot your notebook."
Her brows furrowed. Notebook?
She glanced at the desk she had been sitting at-empty.
Her gaze snapped back to him, but there it was. Her notebook. In his hand.
She didn't remember leaving it.
Vivian finally turned, holding it out without meeting her eyes.
Riya stepped forward and took it, their fingers not even brushing.
"Try to keep track of your belongings, Ms. Mathur." His tone was neutral, dismissive even.
But Riya wasn't fooled.
She saw it.
The slightest flicker of a knowing look in his eyes.
He had noticed before she had.
Before she could respond, he had already turned away, picking up his tea.
Riya walked out, clutching her notebook.
For the first time, the battle didn't feel one-sided.
Maybe, just maybe... she had met her match.
-
Thank you 🎀