The sun wasn’t harsh yet, the campus was buzzing quietly— coffee cups clinking at the chai tapri nearby, and the familiar rustle of students moving toward their lectures with half-open notebooks and sleep-laced eyes.

Aayush walked through the college gate, his steps unhurried. A yawn escaped him before he could even suppress it, his hand lazily ruffling through his slightly messy hair. He was in his usual—simple black jeans, white t-shirt and a forest green shirt left unbuttoned. The straps of his backpack hung off one shoulder, and his eyes were carrying the weight of someone who was both too full and too empty of sleep.