Arohi's POV
The projector buzzed faintly overhead, casting a pale rectangle of light across the whiteboard. Professor Mehra stood at the front of the room, his sleeves rolled up, his expression unreadable. There was a hush in the air—not the usual post-lunch lethargy, but something sharper. Anticipation.
"Today," he said, "you stop being students. You start thinking like founders."
I sat up straighter. My pen clicked into position. I'd read every article he'd posted on the portal, annotated every case study. I was ready.
"You'll work in pairs. Two people. One idea. One model. You'll pitch it, defend it, and build it from scratch."
The room stirred. Heads turned. Eyes scanned. Alliances formed in seconds.
I didn't move.
Across the room, Nihal was already gesturing toward Vedant. Vedant didn't react immediately. He just closed his notebook, nodded once, and leaned back in his chair.
Of course.
The lines were drawn.
But Professor Mehra wasn't finished.
"Each team will be assigned a theme. You don't get to choose. You adapt."
He clicked the remote. A list appeared on the screen, glowing white against the dark background.
Assigned Teams and Themes
TEAMS
THEMES
Arohi & Meher - Sustainable Fashion for Gen Z
Vedant & Nihal - AI-Powered Mental Health Solutions
Isha & Anushka - Subscription-Based Wellness Retreats
Aryan & Mudit - Hyperlocal Delivery for Rural India
Riya & Tanmay - Gamified Learning Platforms for Primary Schools
Zoya & Krish - Ethical Hacking as a Service
Pranav & Sneha - Smart Waste Management for Urban Spaces
Fashion.
I could work with that. It was strategic, emotionally resonant, and had room for storytelling. But Vedant's theme—mental health and AI—was sleek, technical, and dangerously impressive.
I glanced at him. He hadn't reacted. No smirk. No flicker of triumph. Just quiet focus.
And that made it worse.
He wasn't trying to win.
He was just...doing what he did.
And somehow, that felt like a challenge.
Meher was already scribbling ideas. "We could explore circular design, resale platforms, maybe even a social impact angle."
I nodded, but my mind was elsewhere.
Vedant.
He hadn't looked at me once. But his presence felt like gravity—quiet, constant, impossible to ignore.
I hated that I noticed.
Isha and Anushka were already laughing softly, tossing ideas about yoga retreats and digital detox packages. Aryan and Mudit were sketching delivery routes on the back of a flyer. The room was alive with ambition.
But I stayed still.
I could already see it: Vedant's team would build something sleek, data-driven, and emotionally intelligent. It would impress. It would be praised.
But I wouldn't let it outshine mine.
Let him build his model.
Let him impress the panel.
Let him think he's untouchable.
I would build something better.
Something that didn't just solve a problem—
It would tell a story.
And when the results came in, I wouldn't need to look at him.
Because he'd finally have to look at me.