Chapter 75 – Name That Echoed through the Auditorium
The ride back was silent.
Too silent.
---
Keifer sat in the backseat of Aries' car, head leaned against the window.
Eyes half-lidded.
Breathing uneven.
---
And one thing kept repeating.
Not thoughts.
Not logic.
Just her name.
---
"JJ…"
Pause.
"…JJ…"
Again.
Like a broken record his mind refused to fix.
---
Yuri sat in the front, glancing back occasionally.
"Bro, you're scaring me."
No response.
---
Aries drove quietly.
Focused.
But tense.
---
Because Keifer hadn't stopped saying it since they left the club.
Even in the elevator.
Even outside the dorm.
Even now.
---
"JJ…"
"…she was there…"
"…I saw her…"
---
Yuri finally sighed.
"He's fully cooked."
Aries replied flatly:
"He's drunk and sleep-deprived."
"That's worse."
---
Dorm Night
When they finally reached the dorms—
Keifer didn't even walk properly.
Aries had to support him inside.
---
But even while sitting on the bed—
he kept muttering.
---
"She came back…"
"…she was right there…"
"…I saw her…"
---
Yuri rubbed his face.
"This is either grief or hallucination or both."
---
Aries stayed quiet for a moment.
Then:
"He drank too much."
"That's not a denial."
"It's reality."
---
Keifer suddenly grabbed Aries' sleeve slightly.
Not strong.
But desperate.
---
"She was real."
Silence fell instantly.
---
Even Yuri stopped joking.
---
Keifer lowered his head again.
"…I know her."
Pause.
"…I know her."
But no one answered.
Because what do you even say to that?
---
Next Morning
Sunlight hit the dorms harshly.
Too bright for how tired everyone felt.
---
And immediately—
Keifer called everyone.
Urgent.
No tone.
Just command.
---
Within an hour—
entire Section E gathered in his room.
---
Percy walked in first.
"Bro why do you look like you fought ten emotional wars overnight?"
Aries replied instantly:
"He did. Internally."
---
Yuri yawned.
"I heard we have breakfast drama. I came for food."
---
Felix, Endrix, Rory, Eman, Calix, David arrived next.
Half sleepy.
Half confused.
---
Even Cin showed up via call.
"Why am I being emotionally summoned?"
---
The girls too—
Ella, Freya, Rakhi, Mica—already gathered in the common lounge nearby.
---
Everyone was waiting.
---
Keifer stood in the center.
Unusually still.
Unusually serious.
---
Then he spoke.
---
"She was there last night."
Silence.
---
Percy blinked.
"…who?"
Keifer's eyes sharpened.
"JJ."
---
That name dropped the room temperature instantly.
---
A beat.
Then—
Yuri sighed.
"…bro."
Felix shook his head slightly.
"You were drunk."
---
Endrix added carefully:
"You might've hallucinated."
---
Aries stayed quiet.
Not confirming.
Not denying.
Just watching him.
---
Keifer's jaw tightened.
"No."
---
"I saw her."
---
Percy leaned forward slightly.
"Keifer… it's been a year."
---
That line hit harder than intended.
Even Percy regretted it instantly.
---
Keifer didn't react loudly.
He just lowered his gaze slightly.
Then quietly:
"…I know what I saw."
---
Silence again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
---
David finally spoke softly:
"You miss her."
Not a question.
A fact.
---
Keifer didn't answer.
Because he didn't need to.
---
He just turned slightly toward the window.
"…she was there."
Again.
Quieter this time.
Like a promise he couldn't explain.
---
Outside—
Bangalore moved like nothing was wrong.
Inside—
a group of people slowly started wondering if grief had finally started talking back.
---
First Day of Collision
Morning in Bangalore didn't feel like a new beginning.
It felt like something waiting to happen.
---
IIM Bangalore – Section E
The dorm corridors were already alive.
Doors opening.
Shoes hitting floors.
Last-minute panic energy everywhere.
---
Percy came out first, hair messy, hoodie half-worn.
"I hate mornings. I stand by that emotionally."
Aries didn't even look up from tying his shoes.
"You've said that for 18 years."
"And I will continue."
---
Yuri walked out eating something questionable.
Felix and David were arguing again—this time about seating arrangements in auditorium.
Endrix was already mentally five steps ahead of everyone.
Calix was silent, adjusting his watch.
Rory was fixing his shirt like it was a fashion emergency.
Eman was half asleep walking.
Nobody stopped him anymore.
---
The girls joined next.
Ella stretching.
Freya calm but focused.
Rakhi already complaining about orientation rules.
Mica quietly observing everything.
---
Cin joined via video call from AIIMS, already in scrubs.
"First day rule: don't embarrass yourself."
Percy immediately replied:
"Too late in life generally."
---
Cin smirked.
"Good luck surviving professors. They smell fear."
Call ended.
---
And for a moment—
it almost felt normal.
Almost.
---
But not everyone was loud.
Not everyone was joking.
---
Keifer sat alone near the window of his dorm room.
Silent.
Still.
Watching nothing.
---
Not eating.
Not talking.
Not reacting.
Just… present.
But not really.
---
Percy noticed it as he passed.
"…he's been like that since last night."
Aries replied quietly:
"Don't push him."
Yuri muttered:
"He's still stuck there."
No one asked where "there" was.
They already knew.
---
Keifer finally stood up after a long silence.
Grabbed his bag.
No words.
No jokes.
No energy.
Just movement.
---
Like a man forcing himself into the world.
---
Across the City – JJ's Side
A completely different silence existed somewhere else in Bangalore.
Inside a moving car.
---
Care was driving.
Focused.
Professional.
Calm.
But occasionally glancing at the girl beside her.
---
JJ sat in the passenger seat.
Strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
---
Not her usual restless energy.
Not teasing.
Not talking.
Just… staring out of the window.
---
The black hoodie she wore hung slightly loose on her frame.
Worn fabric.
Old smell.
Unexplainable familiarity.
---
Care noticed it again.
But still said nothing.
Just tightened her grip on the steering wheel slightly.
---
JJ's fingers rested lightly on her lap.
Still.
Controlled.
But inside—
something was uneasy.
Like stepping into a memory she couldn't see.
---
"…nervous?" Care asked softly.
JJ blinked.
Then shook her head.
"…no."
Small pause.
Then quieter:
"…just feels strange."
---
Care nodded once.
"That's normal."
But she didn't explain what "normal" meant.
---
The road ahead widened.
IIM Bangalore gates slowly approaching.
---
JJ looked at it from a distance.
Big campus.
Unknown people.
Unknown future.
---
Yet—
something about it felt heavier than it should.
Like déjà vu without memory.
---
Keifer – Same Morning
Keifer stood in the dorm hallway.
Aries walking beside him.
Percy talking behind them.
Yuri complaining about breakfast.
Noise everywhere.
Life happening.
---
But Keifer didn't hear most of it.
He just walked.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Empty in a way no one could fix anymore.
---
Aries glanced at him once.
"You good?"
Keifer answered instantly.
"Yes."
No emotion.
No hesitation.
No truth either.
---
They moved toward the campus exit together.
First day.
Auditorium briefing.
New life starting.
---
But Keifer's mind wasn't there.
It kept going back to a club.
Neon lights.
A face.
A feeling he couldn't place anymore.
---
And a name he had whispered so many times it stopped sounding real.
---
JJ.
---
IIM Gates – The Split Moment
Care's car slowed near the entrance.
Security ahead.
Campus rising beyond it.
Students everywhere.
New beginnings forming in real time.
---
JJ looked up slightly.
"…this is it."
Care nodded.
"This is it."
---
JJ exhaled softly.
Then opened the door.
Stepped out.
---
For a second—
she paused.
Just one second.
Like something inside her almost remembered something.
Almost.
---
Then she walked forward.
Into campus.
Into noise.
Into fate.
---
Keifer – Walking In
From the other side of campus—
Keifer walked in with Section E.
Silent.
Eyes forward.
Bag on shoulder.
Expression unreadable.
---
Percy was still talking.
Yuri still joking.
Aries still watching him quietly.
---
But Keifer wasn't listening anymore.
Not fully.
---
Because for a split second—
he stopped walking.
---
Not because of anything visible.
Not because of sound.
Not because of reason.
---
Just instinct.
A pull.
A wrong kind of familiarity in the air.
---
He looked ahead.
Students everywhere.
Unknown faces.
Unknown world.
---
But something inside him tightened.
Unexplainably.
---
"…weird," he muttered under his breath.
Aries heard it.
"What?"
Keifer shook his head once.
"Nothing."
---
And kept walking.
---
Two groups.
Two entrances.
Same campus.
Same morning.
Same unknown future.
---
One girl wearing a black hoodie she didn't understand.
One boy walking forward carrying a name he still couldn't forget.
---
And neither of them saw each other.
Not yet.
---
But the distance between them—
had officially ended.
---
The Name That Stopped Everything
The IIM Bangalore auditorium was packed.
Freshers everywhere.
Noise everywhere.
New beginnings trying to sound exciting even when everyone was nervous underneath it.
---
Section E sat together in one block.
Not fully relaxed.
Not fully tense either.
Just that strange in-between silence before something important happens.
---
Keifer sat slightly back.
Aries beside him.
Percy talking low behind them.
Yuri scanning the room like chaos was a sport.
Felix and David whispering about batch distribution.
Calix already half focused on something else.
Rory adjusting his sleeves.
Eman half asleep like always.
---
And then—
the dean stepped onto the stage.
---
"Welcome to IIM Bangalore…"
Applause followed automatically.
But nobody really felt it yet.
---
Speeches began.
Standard.
Motivational.
Predictable.
Everyone pretending to listen.
Everyone actually waiting for results.
---
Keifer didn't move much.
But something in him stayed alert.
Restless.
Like he didn't belong to the moment.
---
Aries noticed it once.
But didn't say anything.
---
Percy leaned slightly forward.
"Bro looks like he's about to commit emotional terrorism."
Yuri whispered back:
"He already has."
---
The List Announcement
Then came the moment.
Dean adjusted papers.
Smiled.
"Now, we will announce the section-wise classroom allocations."
---
The room shifted instantly.
Attention sharp.
Energy changed.
---
Names started scrolling.
Sections forming.
Groups being separated.
Futures being assigned.
---
"Section A…"
"Section B…"
"Section C…"
---
Students reacting quietly.
Some cheering.
Some disappointed.
Some confused.
---
Section E straightened slightly.
---
Keifer's hand rested still on his knee.
Eyes forward.
Silent.
---
"Corporate Management – Section 304."
Pause.
Names began.
---
"Mark Keifer Watson."
No reaction outward.
But Percy glanced at him immediately.
---
Percy.
Aries.
Yuri.
Felix.
Endrix.
Rory.
Eman.
David.
Calix.
---
One by one.
All together.
Same class.
Same storm.
---
Percy whispered:
"…of course we're stuck together."
Aries replied:
"That was never a coincidence."
---
Then—
the dean continued.
---
"And Fashion Design & Management – Section 305."
---
Ella.
Freya.
Rakhi.
Mica.
---
The girls exchanged looks across the hall from a different section seating.
Smiles.
Small relief.
Different path.
Same campus.
---
Then—
the dean paused.
Looked down at final list.
---
"…and lastly in management section 304."
Silence tightened instantly.
---
Keifer didn't know why his chest shifted slightly.
But it did.
---
"Section 304…"
"…Jasper Jean Mariano."
---
For half a second—
the world didn't move.
---
No noise registered properly.
No applause mattered.
No breath felt normal.
---
Percy blinked.
Aries froze slightly.
Yuri stopped mid-motion.
Felix went still.
Even Calix looked up.
---
Keifer's entire body went rigid.
Just one name.
But it hit like impact.
Not memory.
Not logic.
Something deeper.
Something buried.
---
"…what?" Percy whispered.
---
The dean continued reading casually.
But nobody heard anything after that name.
---
Because Keifer wasn't listening anymore.
---
Jasper Jean Mariano.
JJ.
---
The name he had been chasing in grief.
In silence.
In broken nights.
In drunk whispers.
In emptiness.
---
And now—
it was here.
---
Aries slowly turned toward Keifer.
"…Keifer."
No response.
---
Keifer stared forward.
Unmoving.
Breathing changed.
Not faster.
Not slower.
Just different.
---
Like reality had finally cracked open.
---
Yuri whispered quietly:
"…that can't be coincidence."
Felix muttered:
"…no way."
---
And somewhere across the hall—
the name echoed again in his mind.
Jasper Jean Mariano.
---
Because somewhere in the same building—
she was standing.
Alive.
Unknown.
Unremembered.
---
And Keifer Watson had just heard the impossible become real.
--------------------------💫🩷
Hey my cuties 💛✨
I'm really sorry for the delay in the chapter 🥺 I know you were waiting and I genuinely hate making you wait like this.
Right now I'm stuck with some personal work, so I couldn't finish it on time… but don't worry, next chapter will be out tomorrow for sure 📖💫
I'm really sorry if I disappointed anyone. Your support means a lot more to me than I can explain, and I'm trying my best to balance everything properly 🫶
And if you've been enjoying the story so far, please take a moment to drop a review 💬✨ It really helps me understand what you like, what hits harder, and what I should improve. Even a few lines mean a lot 🥹💛
Also let's aim for 12+ comments from one person on the next chapter too 😭🔥 (I love seeing your long reactions, they make my day fr)
Thank you for sticking with me, even when updates get late. You all are the reason I keep going 🤍✨
Regards,
yours lovingly,
Author ~ CARE...💕🧿