Noor was late.
Passing through the corridor, clutching her notebook, her breath uneven as she checked the classroom number for the third time.
"Room 204." "Neuroscience elective…" she muttered under her breath before pushing the door open carefully, only to find the empty desk of the professor.
"Noor here!" Zoe's voice came from their seat.
Noor slipped into the empty seat beside her near the window, placing her books down with quiet precision.
"Overslept Again ?" Zoe asked. "No" Noor replied innocently, dropping her books onto the desk "It was traffic."
"Yeah yeah like I would believe you." Zoe rolled her eyes dramatically.
"By the way, where's Professor Verma?" Noor asked, finally catching her breath.
"He's not coming,his son is coming on his behalf."
"And why are you so weirdly excited about it? " Noor raised her eyebrows,amused and teasingly asked.
Zoe grinned immediately "because he's very handsome"
"There it is"
"What?"
"The real reason you are not late today"
Zoe clutched her heart in fake offence before suddenly groaning. "Wait,did you study for the test next week?"
Noor nodded" A little"
Zoe leaned closer, groaning dramatically "but I didn't and now I'm panicking."
A faint teasing smile touched her lips. "Then maybe you should've studied."
"I tried," Zoe said dramatically. "But the drama I was watching was way more interesting than my notes."
This time Noor glanced at her, the hint of amusement clearer now. "You know" she said thoughtfully " If you'll fail, i'll attend your funeral and update you on your dramas personally"
Zoe pointed at her accusingly. "See? People think you're sweet, but you're actually evil."
Suddenly the classroom door opened.
The conversation around them stopped abruptly.
Noor looked up absentmindedly at first, expecting another student-
then paused.
A tall man stepped inside, dressed simply in a black shirt with rolled sleeves, a few books tucked beneath one arm. He didn't look much older than them, yet the calm confidence in the way he carried himself made the room fall unexpectedly quiet.
Not because he demanded attention, but because he didn't seem to need it.
Behind her, someone whispered,
"That's Professor Verma's son?"
Zoe straightened immediately.
"Oh no," she muttered under her breath. "He's worse than I imagined."
Noor bit back a smile.
The man placed the books on the desk before glancing briefly across the classroom. His expression remained composed, unreadable almost, but his eyes were sharp. He was quietly observing everyone in a way that it made her feel like he noticed more than he said.
Then he said,"I'm Ayaan Verma." His voice was calm, steady.
"I'll be taking your lectures for the next few weeks on behalf of Professor Verma."
A few students immediately sat straighter.
Zoe leaned toward Noor without taking her eyes off the front.
"You see the problem, right?"
Noor kept her gaze on the front of the classroom, though amusement flickered in her eyes.
"The problem," she whispered back, "is that you fall in love every three business days."
"I'm being serious for once."
"That's new."
"But don't you think he looks familiar?"
Noor blinked slightly then looked up absentmindedly, twirling her pen between her fingers—
Then stopped
Oh.
The memory returned so clearly it almost made her laugh.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
The first time they met was when she was crying over a stranger.
Not loudly or dramatically just quietly, sitting on a bench outside the university hospital, with her fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee that had long gone cold.
A man had died ten minutes ago.
She didn't know him, yet her eyes followed his grieving family as if their pain had reached out and touched something inside her.Her shoulders trembled slightly. She kept wiping her tears, almost embarrassed by them. Like she didn't want to be seen this way.
"Why are you crying?"
The girl looked up, startled, for a second, her expression shifted from vulnerability to awkwardness.
"I—" she quickly wiped her face, almost laughing at herself, "this is going to sound weird."
"That depends on your explanation."
She let out a small breath and glanced toward the hospital doors again.
"Someone passed away," she said softly. "And his family… they looked so broken."
Ayaan's tone remained even. "You know him?"
"No."
"Then why are you crying?"
For a moment, she just stared at him. His reply was unexpected, she wasn't angry or offended by his directness but was definitely amused.
"You're very direct," she said.
"I prefer truthfulness."
She studied him now, properly. His expression was calm, almost distant. Like nothing around him really mattered.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Ayaan."
"I'm Noor."
He nodded.
Noor looked down at her hands, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her cup. "I know I didn't know him," she said. "But… does that mean I shouldn't feel anything?"
"Yes."
The answer came too quickly and efficiently.
She looked up again, something softer replacing her earlier smile.
"I don't think that's how it works," she said.
Ayaan tilted his head slightly. "But you are crying for someone you don't even know, carrying the grief that isn't even yours?"
Noor let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head.
"We don't have to know someone to feel their grief!"
He didn't respond.
She continued, her voice calm but certain, "If we only cared about the things that affected us directly,wouldn't that make us emotionless."
"Maybe," he said after a pause."But emotions still make people irrational"
"Maybe," she said, standing up slowly, "but it's also the only thing that makes people feel alive."
For a brief second, their eyes met.
Hers—warm, expressive, full of something he couldn't quite categorize.
His—steady, unreadable, untouched.
She picked up her bag.
"When I saw them crying," she added softly, "it reminded me that people can really love someone that much" She sighed " And sometimes we should do irrational things." she said grinning mischievously.
Ayaan remained silent.
"And if that hurts sometimes," she smiled faintly, "I think it's still worth it."
She took a step past him, but suddenly paused.
"Do you never feel anything like that?" she asked curiously.
"No." His answer came so quickly that it left Noor speechless. She studied his face for a moment longer without any judgement but instead helplessness.
"That sounds lonely," she said gently, before walking away, disappearing into the flow of people.
Ayaan stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary, his gaze flickering but can't be noticed because of his expressions, which remained unchanged throughout the conversation.
"Emotions," he muttered under his breath, "are nothing more than neurological responses."
In the distance, Meera laughed at something her friend said.
Ayaan looked away.
For the first time in years, something unfamiliar lingered in his thoughts, but it wasn't emotion, just pure curiosity.
---
"Noor?"
Zoe's voice pulled her back abruptly.
The classroom returned around her all at once.
At the front, Ayaan was arranging his notes calmly across the desk.
As though he hadn't just stepped out of one of her memories.