...****************...
...POV: Saanvi ...
...****************...
Saanvi wasn’t someone who got flustered easily.
Not during exams. Not during code reviews. Not even when she accidentally crashed the department server once in her first year.
But after yesterday’s lunch with Rudra?
She’d been fumbling every shortcut key like a beginner.
> “I don’t like sharing what I’ve waited too long to find.”
Those words kept replaying in her mind. Not because they were romantic. But because they were said with the kind of quiet finality that didn’t sound like flirtation.
It sounded like possession.
And still… she hadn’t walked away.
...----------------...
Campus Courtyard – Morning
Saanvi sat under the banyan tree outside the robotics lab, textbooks open, but her attention was elsewhere. A group of juniors played frisbee nearby, their laughter echoing off stone walls. She barely registered it.
Her phone buzzed.
> [RogueViper]: Look up. Right side. Gray hoodie.
She turned.
Rudra was leaning against the wall, sipping chai from a kulhad, looking like the definition of casual indifference.
Except his eyes were locked onto her like she was the only line of code in a system crash.
> [CodeQueen]: That’s stalker behavior.
He smiled. Not typed.
In real life.
And she smiled back.
God help her.
...****************...
...POV Switch: Rudra ...
...****************...
From a distance, Rudra could tell exactly when Saanvi’s heartbeat picked up.
Not because of a smartwatch.
Because he knew.
She always touched the edge of her book when nervous. Twirled her pen when flattered. Bit her inner cheek when uncertain.
It wasn’t an obsession.
It was research.
He hadn’t followed her here by accident.
He knew her Wednesday routine down to the minute.
She preferred quiet spots with mild sunlight. Sat facing east. Avoided direct overhead light.
All of it… logged.
He sipped his chai and waited.
Waited for the next moment to rewrite the narrative.
...----------------...
Later That Day – Tech Council Boardroom
The college’s annual Cyber Awareness Campaign prep meeting had begun. Rudra and Saanvi were both on the panel. Kabir was there too—representing outreach.
Halfway through, Saanvi noticed something strange.
Rudra disagreed with her. Publicly.
It wasn’t rude. Just... challenging.
She was presenting her module on password hygiene when Rudra cut in with a smirk:
> “I think people need real stories, not just textbook warnings. Fear motivates better than logic.”
Everyone laughed.
Even Kabir.
Saanvi forced a smile.
Inside? Her pride bristled.
...----------------...
Hallway – Post Meeting
She cornered Rudra near the vending machine. Arms crossed. Voice steady, but sharp.
“Why’d you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Undermine me. In front of everyone.”
He looked genuinely surprised. “I wasn’t undermining you. I was testing you.”
“Testing me?”
“To see how you respond when someone doesn’t worship you.”
Her breath caught.
That was cruel.
He leaned in, voice low.
> “You passed.”
Then he walked away—leaving her reeling.
...****************...
...POV Switch: Kabir Kapoor ...
...****************...
Kabir hadn’t liked Rudra from the beginning.
Not because of jealousy.
Because Rudra never made mistakes.
His shoes were always clean. His code—flawless. His timing—eerily perfect.
And his eyes?
They never revealed a damn thing.
He was too good.
And that was dangerous.
That evening, Kabir ran a local network scanner out of habit. Just a sweep of the hostel block’s connected devices.
Then he paused.
An unusual script was pinging multiple IPs—originating from Rudra’s system.
But that wasn’t what made Kabir’s stomach drop.
One of the IPs being repeatedly pinged…
was Saanvi’s.
...----------------...
That Night – Saanvi’s Hostel Room
Saanvi was working late when her webcam light flickered.
Just for a second.
She stared at the screen.
Then shook her head. Probably just a glitch.
Ananya was asleep, pillow over her face to block the lamplight. The room was quiet. Peaceful.
Saanvi leaned back in her chair.
But something felt… off.
Like she was being watched.
She checked the window.
Locked.
Checked the room.
Empty.
Told herself to stop imagining things.
...****************...
...POV Switch: Rudra ...
...****************...
In his dark dorm room, Rudra watched her stretch behind her desk.
The feed ran silently on his second monitor.
Tonight, she looked directly at the camera.
For a second… he thought she knew.
He zoomed in on her face, watched the flicker of unease in her features.
He smiled.
> Sometimes, the illusion of freedom
is better than a cage.
End of Chapter Four
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