That morning, I woke up unusually early.
For the first time in many days, my mood actually felt good.
Peaceful.
Light.
Maybe because slowly things in my life were settling again.
Or maybe because after talking openly with the senior, my heart felt slightly less heavy now.
---
I got ready for college properly that day.
Carefully choosing clothes.
Packing my bag nicely.
Tying my hair while standing in front of the hostel mirror and silently hoping,
"Please let today be a good day."
And honestly…
I genuinely believed it would be.
But little did I know…
that day was already planning something completely unexpected for me.
---
Meanwhile, my roommate was still half asleep while getting ready.
She looked at me suspiciously and said,
"You're looking too fresh today. Definitely something is going on."
I immediately laughed and threw pillow at her dramatically.
"Nothing is going on."
But somewhere deep inside…
even I knew my emotions had become slightly different lately.
---
Soon both of us left hostel and walked toward college building together.
The morning atmosphere felt beautiful.
Cool breeze.
Students rushing with files and bags.
Some sleepy faces.
Some stressed faces.
Some people already discussing assignments loudly.
Typical medical college morning.
---
When we entered our classroom, everyone looked unusually noisy that day.
Some students were laughing loudly.
Some discussing anatomy notes.
Some already panicking about practicals.
And honestly…
first-year MBBS students always looked stressed for no reason.
---
Me and my roommate had barely settled on our seats when suddenly class monitor entered seriously and said loudly,
"Guys please be silent. Professors are coming. They want to announce something."
Immediately the whole class became curious.
Some students started whispering,
"What happened?"
"Internal exams?"
"Attendance issue?"
"Practical schedule?"
And honestly…
everyone suddenly looked scared.
---
But before we could understand anything properly…
something even more unexpected happened.
Our seniors entered the classroom too.
Not one or two.
Many seniors.
And then they started sitting quietly around the class.
At that moment the entire classroom atmosphere changed completely.
Now everyone looked even more confused.
---
My roommate whispered dramatically,
"Why are seniors here too? This definitely looks serious."
And honestly…
even I started overthinking slightly.
---
After few moments, professor finally entered the classroom carrying some files.
The entire class instantly became silent.
Then sir looked around and started speaking calmly,
"This year, all of you need to focus seriously on anatomy practicals."
The moment anatomy word came…
half the class already looked emotionally tired.
---
Then sir continued,
"That's why this year seniors will guide juniors personally."
And immediately whole class started reacting.
Some students looked excited.
Some nervous.
Some terrified.
Meanwhile sir continued explaining,
"Every junior student will be paired with one senior student so practical learning becomes easier."
At that moment, everyone started whispering again.
Some girls already looked excited.
Some boys started joking immediately.
And honestly…
the classroom suddenly felt less like lecture hall and more like chaos.
---
Then sir finally opened the list and started announcing pairings one by one.
One senior.
One junior.
One by one.
The process continued.
Meanwhile everyone kept reacting dramatically after hearing names.
---
And then suddenly…
I heard my own name.
Followed by his name.
That senior.
My senior friend.
---
For a second…
I genuinely froze.
Out of all people.
Out of all seniors.
Why him?
---
Honestly, I should have felt happy.
And somewhere inside me, maybe I actually was slightly happy too.
Because he was understanding, kind, and comfortable to talk with.
But at the same time…
I also felt strangely awkward.
Like destiny was continuously pushing us into each other's lives again and again.
---
Meanwhile, after hearing our names together, my roommate immediately looked at me with suspicious smile.
And I instantly avoided eye contact.
---
After pairing announcement ended, sir gave some final instructions about attendance, discipline, and anatomy practical schedules.
Then slowly the class atmosphere started becoming normal again.
---
After some minutes, he walked toward my bench casually.
And while sitting near us, he smiled slightly and said,
"So… now we're officially practical partners."
I laughed softly but honestly my mind still felt slightly confused.
---
Then suddenly his expression became softer and he quietly asked,
"You're not uncomfortable, right?"
And before I could answer, he immediately added,
"If you want, I can ask sir to change the pair."
That moment genuinely surprised me.
Because instead of making things awkward…
his first concern was my comfort.
And honestly…
my respect for him increased once again.
---
So I smiled slightly and replied,
"Looks like you forgot we're friends."
The moment I said that, he laughed softly and replied,
"Right. My mistake."
And somehow…
that small conversation made things feel normal again.
---
Then professor announced one final thing before leaving.
"From after this weekend, anatomy practicals will officially start. No one will remain absent."
The entire class collectively looked emotionally damaged after hearing that.
And honestly?
Same.
---
Soon after classes ended, our whole group went toward canteen together.
Both juniors and seniors.
And honestly…
the atmosphere there became surprisingly fun.
---
Seniors started sharing their anatomy practical horror stories dramatically.
How strict professors were.
How students faint sometimes during dissections.
How viva questions destroy confidence completely.
And hearing all this…
half our group looked terrified already.
---
At one point, one senior casually said,
"First-year MBBS tests your patience more than intelligence."
And honestly…
that line stayed in my mind.
Because slowly I was starting to understand how difficult this journey actually was.
---
Meanwhile, my senior friend kept giving me random advice continuously.
Like:
how to prepare anatomy practically
how to survive viva
what mistakes to avoid
how not to panic before exams
And honestly…
his guidance genuinely helped.
Because somewhere I still felt lost inside this huge medical world.
---
At one point he even looked at me seriously and said,
"Don't pressure yourself too much trying to become perfect immediately."
And strangely…
that sentence affected me deeply.
Because lately I had been carrying pressure silently every single day.
---
After spending some more time in canteen, everyone slowly started leaving toward hostels and departments.
The evening sky had already started turning orange.
And honestly…
those small college moments were slowly becoming memories too.
---
Finally, after reaching hostel, I immediately threw my bag on bed tiredly.
But before I could even relax properly…
I noticed something on my phone.
Missed calls.
From my best friend.
--
Immediately I called her back.
The moment she picked up, she dramatically said,
"You didn't forget our weekend plan, right?"
I instantly replied,
"No no, obviously not."
Then laughing slightly, I added,
"I seriously need this meeting."
We talked for some more time casually before ending the call.
And honestly…
just hearing her voice always made me feel emotionally safe somehow.
---
Later that night, after changing clothes and finishing some notes, I lay down on my bed silently.
Then slowly…
without even realizing…
I opened his profile again.
---
And once again…
I simply kept staring.
His pictures.
His smile.
His account.
Everything.
And honestly…
sometimes I still didn't understand why my heart stayed so attached.
---
Suddenly hostel room door opened.
And immediately I hid my phone dramatically.
My roommate looked suspicious instantly.
"What are you hiding?"
I quickly replied nervously,
"Nothing yaar."
She narrowed her eyes dramatically but thankfully didn't question more.
---
Then both of us started talking normally about classes, daily routine, practical fear, hostel life and random gossip again.
And slowly my attention shifted away from emotional thoughts.
---
But then suddenly…
my phone vibrated again.
A new message.
And the moment I opened it…
I realized it was from him.
The senior.
And after reading the very first line of that message…
my expression changed completely. 😅