The short break did wonders for all of them, helping break the monotony of the mundane and recharge their batteries. For Vidushi and Parth the opportunity to reconnect helped compensate for the physical distance that divided them, those young lovers had been inseparable during the trip. For Randhir it was a way to unearth another layer of the mystique that his partner represented. Besides the sense of physical comfort that was growing between them his emotional attraction for her was steadily rising too.

It brought a respite to the boys in the midst of an extremely demanding academic regime. The B. Tech. Program at IIT consists of 255 credits including 36 credits for 6 electives, spread over 8 Semesters. It is also obligatory for students to complete 8 weeks of practical training before the 7th Semester and to submit its written report to the department for evaluation and approval. The project work or dissertation is an Honors credit requirement spread over the last two semesters. The idea is to instil complex problem solving and analytical ability amongst some of the country's brightest minds. A good student aims for a grade point average above 8 on a scale of 1-10, with only highly dedicated students making it to a GPA of 9 or 10, and Randhir was one of them.

Surprisingly his partner was an elixir for him, not a distraction. Unlike a typical girlfriend she disliked being taken out shopping or wined and dined. Instead both looked forward to spending quality time whenever he came over to the barsati when his schedule was less demanding. He would engross himself in his work for hours as they snuggled. He would smirk to see her peering into his books trying to comprehend the content and then give up with a sense of resignation.

He often saw her reading or working on something on a laptop she had acquired a few months ago, probably studying herself though he never intruded in her work nor did she share much. But if she spotted him trailing off she would nudge him gently to spur him on, which meant both spent more time studying with the other around than without. Besides she could whip up a nosh in a jiffy, her snacks and coffee kept them revived and refreshed. Lights-off was a cue for another level of togetherness, both had endless energy enlivening each other until finally sleep shrouded them in a lover's tangle.

If only his batch mates knew how lucky he was to have this alternate universe they would surely envy him, but his immaculate sense of discretion and general good nature while interacting with others on campus made him popular, he could mingle with people from any background effortlessly. The girls on campus were a different cup of tea altogether. The ones he treated as equals because he found their interests and intellect compatible were fairly easy to get along with; these were mostly in committed heterosexual relationships or were same-gender oriented amidst the liberal-minded campus that sets IITB apart from similar institutions.

Because he had a moral compass he was wary of the scheming jezebels or the sexually liberated ones. There were the ones who needed help with assignments and would exploit anyone who fell for their charm, and there were others seeking gratification he was not willing to provide. He had a vague memory of a girl who had once groped and flashed him during a party, he was glad to have been rescued by his buddy Parth in his drunken state. Any other guy in his boots would have had a field day instead.

He had never shared this with his girl, although she did not come across as being jealous or possessive. Just the one instance when he had left abruptly after a phone call without giving her a proper explanation was when she had made her indignation obvious, albeit without throwing a tantrum. She knew what his obligations were and did not have unreasonable expectations, preferring to live in the moment and enjoying it fully. Sometimes he got the feeling that she could either read his mind or had known him a long time based on her uncanny ability to anticipate things before he could spell them out. Maybe, he thought, it had something to do with how close his sister had gotten to her, hardly aware of the depth of the connection he and his sister shared with this sibylline girl. She herself found his confusion amusing, she knew it was not going to be easy to come out to him, but that time was still to come, and when it did she knew she would have to take full responsibility for the consequences.