Chapter 3: Mess Dramas & Rivalries

“Why’d you suddenly come to the second mess today?”

A loud voice rang out beside me. Then, a deep, cold male voice answered, “The air’s good here.”

I caught Priya’s knowing smile—she was already plotting, I could tell. The second mess was where the cool crowd gathered, and Arjun showing up here meant something was up.

“Let’s get a window seat then!”

“Hi, is this seat taken?”

I looked up slowly. Across from me, Priya was winking like crazy. She knows I have a crush on Arjun. Getting a chance to interact with the college heartthrob, Priya was even more excited than me. She answered for me: “Yes, yes, yes, you can sit! Sit next to Neha!”

Priya practically bounced in her seat, her eyes darting between me and Arjun as if she was watching the final over of a cricket match. I wanted to kick her under the table, but restrained myself.

Arjun looked at me for approval: “Is it okay, Neha?”

His tone was so polite, so formal. I wanted to laugh—last night, the same lips were mumbling my name over and over. I almost wanted to tease him, but settled for a small nod, tucking my braid behind my ear to hide my embarrassment.

Neha? So distant. Who was it last night being hugged and called Neha a hundred times over? Panting and calling. Whimpering and calling. Moaning and calling. Damn… so thrilling.

I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to smile. My toes curled inside my sandals at the memory. If only Priya knew what was really going on behind the scenes.

I nodded coldly too. Just replied, “Mm.”

Sure enough, his inner voice sounded so aggrieved:

*Neha’s so cold to me.*

*Did I do something wrong?*

I felt a little cruel, but also amused. This was new—seeing the mighty Arjun fumble.

Arjun and his roommate Kunal sat down with their trays. His face was a bit downcast, his cold aura slicing through the air.

Kunal, ever the joker, was already shoveling puri bhaji into his mouth, not caring about anything else. His T-shirt was stained, and he looked as though he hadn’t slept all night. Kunal flicked a grain of rice off his plate, smirking.

Kunal noticed immediately. “Bro, what’s up?” He took a big bite of his samosa. “You feeling sick?”

His voice was too loud, drawing glances from nearby tables. Priya stifled a laugh, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she stirred her chai.

Before Arjun could answer, Kunal introduced him: “I told you, you’re too young to be like this. You took so many cold showers last night, even the strongest body can’t handle that abuse.”

I nearly choked on my chai. Cold showers? My cheeks heated, and Priya gave me a knowing glance. I could almost hear her thoughts: ‘So, this is the secret to Arjun’s glow?’

Priya’s eyes widened in surprise.

Kunal explained, “He’s just a neat freak.”

A neat freak? I blinked innocently.

I tried to stifle a laugh—so this was how college legends were born. Mess gossip travelled faster than WhatsApp forwards.

Just then, Arjun glanced at me secretly.

*Neha looks so cute when she smiles.*

*I’m not a neat freak, that’s just Kunal’s nonsense.*

*If my Neha hadn’t kept hugging me, I wouldn’t have had to take six cold showers. Such sweet torture.*

Six times? Cold showers? I was shocked inside, sneaking another look at him.

My heart skipped a beat. Was it really my fault he was like this? I blushed, pretending to focus on my plate, breaking a piece of poori and dipping it in sambar.

*Wow, Neha looked at me again. This encounter was worth it.*

*Hope she’ll look at me again tomorrow.*

---

For the next few days, I ran into Arjun in the mess every day. By day, we were cold and distant classmates, just eating together. By night, we were cloud-based sleep partners.

The rhythm of college life went on: lectures, assignments, the sound of distant dhol practice for the inter-college fest. But underneath, this secret game between us pulsed like a tabla beat.

I still don’t know why this sharing of senses and inner voice happened, but Arjun has slowly become a part of my life. And I started having all kinds of thoughts I shouldn’t have. Maybe… I can get a little closer to him.

The pillow became our nightly confessional, every accidental squeeze or pat sending a ripple through both our hearts. Each day, it got harder to pretend I didn’t notice him in the corridors, or the way his eyes lingered on me in class.

These nights, I’ve fallen asleep every time to his inner voice. Sometimes, his sudden soft moans would make me blush. Turns out, the proud and aloof Arjun is like this in private. It’s really… hot.

I never thought I’d be the type to get flustered by someone’s inner voice. But the little gasps, the whispered ‘Neha’—they haunted my dreams, leaving me with a silly smile in the morning.

I bit into my aloo paratha and glanced at Arjun sitting across from me. His handsome face was glowing, a rare smile on his lips. He wasn’t cold anymore—more like a spring breeze.

It was as if the weight he always carried had finally lifted, replaced by something softer. Even Priya noticed, nudging me and whispering, “Oho, Neha, full-on drama, haan!”

Sitting with him, I could feel the atmosphere between us getting ambiguous. But neither of us broke the tension—we just let it build.

The mess was noisy, the smell of sambar wafting from the kitchen, students arguing over who stole whose steel dabba. But between us, a silent current crackled, thick and charged.

“Is this seat taken?”

A slim, flirty-looking girl walked over with a tray.

Her bangles jingled as she set her tray down, her kajal perfectly smudged. The kind who wore branded jeans to class and never bothered with mess food unless it was for show.

Arjun’s face turned cold: “It’s taken.”

He barely looked at her, his jaw set. I felt a flicker of pride, but also a strange, sour note in my stomach.

The girl looked around, smiling: “Where’s the person?”

“They’ll be here soon.”

Arjun frowned, clearly impatient.

The tension in his body was obvious, but the girl didn’t seem to notice.

The girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling sweetly: “Well, no one’s here now, so I’ll just sit for a bit.”

“Arjun, long time no see.”

Her voice was sugar-coated, but her eyes were on me, daring me to react. I stiffened, unwilling to back down.

Arjun ignored her, picked up a paneer tikka, and put it on my plate. “Try this.”

It was a tiny gesture, but my heart skipped a beat. Everyone at the table seemed to pause—except Arjun, who kept his gaze locked on me, as if to say, ‘Ignore her. You’re the only one here.’

I smiled, and the annoyance I’d felt from being interrupted melted away.

The warmth of his gesture spread through me, softening the edges of my irritation. Even Priya grinned, raising her eyebrows in silent approval.

Sneha, seeing no one paying her any mind, wasn’t angry. “Arjun ignoring me is fine, anyway, Dadu invited you to dinner tonight. You’ll come, right?”

She shot me a provocative look.

Her words were heavy with meaning, but I held her gaze, refusing to flinch. The mess, for all its noise, suddenly felt too small for this kind of drama. A couple of juniors hovered by the water cooler, pretending to fill their bottles, ears straining for gossip.

Arjun still ignored her, just kept serving me food. Sneha bit her food angrily.

She stabbed her poori with unnecessary force, her nails digging into her palm. I almost felt sorry for her—but only almost.

After the meal, Sneha blocked me at the door.

“My family and Arjun’s are family friends. We’ll be engaged in the future.”

She stood close, arms folded, her voice low but sharp. I could feel the eyes of a few curious onlookers lingering, sensing the tension.

My good mood instantly vanished. I sneered, my tone icy: “So what?”

I kept my face blank, refusing to show how much her words stung. No way was I going to let her see even a crack in my composure. I adjusted my dupatta and lifted my chin, refusing to let her see my hands trembling under the table.

Sneha snorted: “Arjun’s just playing with you. His real marriage partner is me.”

I said, “Oh? What a coincidence, I’m just playing with your Arjun too. I don’t care who he marries—let me have my fun first.”

Her jaw dropped, the wind knocked out of her. It was a small victory, but a satisfying one. I brushed past, letting my dupatta flick against her arm.

Sneha clearly didn’t expect that. She was stunned, speechless for a long time.

I could almost hear Priya’s voice in my head: ‘Solid burn, yaar!’ For the first time, I walked back to the hostel with my head held high, even as my heart ached beneath the bravado.

---

Even though it felt great to put Sneha in her place, I still felt upset afterwards.

That kind of victory comes with a sting. The mess air was thick with the smell of frying oil, my appetite long gone. I stared at the leftover roti on my plate, wondering if I’d said too much—or not enough.

I know there’s a huge gap between me and Arjun—family background, resources, everything. We’re worlds apart. But having it rubbed in my face still stung.

Memories of Amma’s words drifted through my mind: “People like us have to work twice as hard, beta.” I tried to push it aside, but Sneha’s voice echoed—reminding me of every time I’d been told to know my place.

That night, I barely touched the cat pillow and just went to sleep.

The pillow sat untouched at the far end of the bed, the fan’s breeze ruffling its ears. I lay on my side, staring at the flickering streetlight through the window, letting the weight of the day settle over me.

In my ear, Arjun’s dissatisfied inner voice sounded:

*Why didn’t Neha squish me more today?*

*So uncomfortable.*

*What do I do, I’m about to cry.*

I wanted to be angry, but his voice was so forlorn, so boyish, that I couldn’t help but smile. It was ridiculous—here I was, getting excited over a boy’s imaginary tears.

Cry? Really? A man’s tears are a woman’s aphrodisiac. I couldn’t help but get a little excited.

In my head, I imagined Arjun, that ever-cool exterior melting into a puddle just for me. I bit my lip, grinning into the darkness.

I sat up abruptly in bed, but waited and waited—no Arjun crying. After a while, I finally heard him, in his usual cold inner voice:

*Neha might be tired today? She hasn’t moved at all.*

*A little aggrieved, but that’s all.*

*Neha, good night.*

It was oddly comforting, his silent understanding. But a part of me wished he would push a little harder, just to prove that the connection between us was real.

Ugh, boring. I flopped back onto the bed. Didn’t even bother hugging the cat pillow this time.

I pulled the blanket over my head, shutting out the world, the noise, and even Arjun. If only falling out of love was as easy as ignoring a pillow.