~An offer he can't refuse~

Sanjana Thapar

Reminder to all Phoenixes : Don't forget to complete your mandatory volunteering hours! This is essential for fulfilling your graduation requirements. Volunteering not only allows you to give back to the community but also enhances your resume and provides valuable life experiences. Check the university's volunteer opportunities page for more information and get those hours in soon!

The Imperial University Chronicles 

May 5th

"What are you going to do now?" Maya asked, her voice echoing in the empty rehearsal room.

I was giving Maya company as she was waiting for the other drama club members to arrive. This year, for the inter-college competition, the drama club was going to put up an adaptation of the Disney classic 'Beauty and the Beast.' Performing, drama and being the center of attention were my thing, but I hadn't auditioned this time. Between the upcoming talent show, studying and class projects, it felt like it was going to be too much. I had gotten three pimples and several split ends in the last two weeks alone due to stress. Apart from all this, Saksham had also auditioned for the character of the Beast and if I had gotten the role of Belle, it would be awkward to say the least.

Unlike me, Maya auditioned for the main role. Fresh from a break up and harboring a not-so-secret crush on my brother, she saw the rehearsals as a chance to get closer to him, but unfortunately for her, she didn't get the part. And to all of our shock, Tara had landed the role of Belle.

The thought of my brother spending time with Tara had pissed me off so much. I'd even gone as far as threatening to disown him if he got too close to her – dramatic, perhaps, but I meant it.

While Maya hadn't gotten the main character part, she had been offered the role of Mrs. Potts – a consolation prize she'd begrudgingly accepted. For her, any part meant spending time with Saksham.

"I'm going to make Varun an offer he can't refuse," I said, with a slight shrug.

"What?"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at her horrified expression . "Nothing like that! I have standards."

"That's good because honestly, I don't think that would have worked,"

"What does that mean?" I asked, frowning.

Her smile faded, and she looked flustered. "I... No offense, babe. But I just don't think you are Varun's type."

"Please," I scoffed, pushing my hair back. "I'm every guy's type. And if I wanted I could make him fall in love with a flick of my finger, but I'm not going to do it. You know why? Because he is the one who isn't my type."

"Of course," she hurriedly agreed.

"You look like you don't believe me," I accused, noting her doubtful expression.

"No, nothing like that. I was–" Our conversation halted as Medha Chauhan, our English and Drama teacher, entered the room, struggling with large boxes. Having been through this before, I recognized them as her infamous icebreaker props.

"Oh... Hi, girls," she greeted, nearly stumbling while trying to balance the boxes.

We rushed to help, placing the boxes in the room's center for her. "Thank you!" she grinned, brushing away stray curls that had escaped her high bun. Medha Ma'am was younger than most faculty so she had a refreshingly different approach to teaching that made her a campus favorite. Even I attended her classes without any coercing, finding them fun and engaging.

"What are you doing here, Sanjana? Do you want to participate–?"

"Not this time, Ma'am. I am sorry," I mumbled.

She pursed her lips, nodding sadly. "It's really sad that so many talented students aren't able to participate in these extra curricular activities because of that tyrantjay," she murmured absentmindedly, fidgeting with her fuzzy lavender shawl she had wrapped around her white tank top.

Maya and I exchanged shocked but amused glances. "What?" Maya asked, incredulous.

Realizing that she had just bad-mouthed her boss in front of students, Medha Ma'am cleared her throat. "Nothing," she quickly said, turning away from us but because of the mirrors that surrounded the room, we could still see the blush on her cheeks. Courtesy Medha Ma'am, we had a new name for our dean– 'tyrantjay'. It suited him just fine. "Now that you are here, why don't you both help me set these props?"

Still giggling at the nickname, we arranged the props around the room randomly. As other students began to arrive, I excused myself and began making my way to the boys dorm. I was mentally going through the conversation I was going to have with Varun.

As I exited the building, I spotted Tara approaching, head bowed and shoulders slumped, clutching her crossbody purse. She was always the more reserved one of the both of us.

The moment she saw me, her face brightened with a smile. I ignored her and walked on, but unlike before, she followed. "Sanjs!" She called out, using the nickname I only allowed her to use. "Can I talk to you? Please?"

I halted abruptly, causing her to collide with my back. "What?" I demanded.

Tara blinked as if she wasn't able to believe that I was talking to her. "I... I... I–"

"I don't have all day. If there is something important you want to say then hurry up," I snapped, impatience clear in my voice.

She swallowed hard. "I didn't know that Saksham was going to audition. If you don't want me to do this then I can totally step down."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "It's a free country and you are nobody to me so I can't dictate what you do. But, I'm warning you, if you try anything with my brother I swear to God."

"Sanjs, I would never–"

"This conversation is over," I cut her off, fighting a lump in my throat. "And don't bother talking to me ever again. We are strangers and I would like to keep it that way."

I hurriedly blinked away my tears before she could see them.

The last time I cried because of Tara was when I saw her kissing Sameer Mehra.

Tara knew all about how much I loved Sameer, yet she betrayed me like that. It wasn't the kiss itself that broke my heart, but her betrayal and for that I would never forgive her.

📕

My conversation with Tara had put a damper on my mood for the rest of the morning, however in the afternoon I finally trudged over to the boys' dorm room, but they said he was in the library, so for the first time in my life, I entered this part of the campus of my own free will. 
I scanned the library, feeling slightly out of place. People stared as I walked past them but I ignored all of them and walked to the corner of the library where I spotted Varun. It was kind of easy to find him because he had decided to wear his bright yellow t-shirt again. Seriously, did he not have anything else to wear?
Varun glanced up as I approached, his eyes widening behind his glasses slightly in surprise before narrowing in what looked like annoyance. He promptly returned to his books, rolling his eyes. The dismissal stung, but I was determined. I plastered on my widest smile and dropped into the seat across from him.
"Hi!" I chirped, perhaps a bit too loudly for the library's hushed atmosphere.
Ignoring my presence, he continued writing in his notebook.
"Varun?"
"Shhhh!" The harsh whisper came from somewhere across the room. I turned to see the librarian glaring at me. Wasn't she our exam invigilator? Huh! Look at that I was learning new things everyday. She placed a finger on her lips as if silencing a child.
Pouting, I turned to face Varun once again.
I tapped my coral nails on his notebook and he looked up at me in exasperation. Leaning in closer to Varun, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Look...I think we got off on the wrong foot. We both did and said things that weren't nice and maybe unnecessary. Honestly it was your fault because you started this feud by being so rude to me and everything, but I'll be the bigger person here and call it a truce."
Just as I finished my little speech, a shadow fell over our table. The librarian now stood next to me with her arms crossed over her chest. "This is a library. No noise allowed here," she whisper-yelled. Varun looked mortified, hiding his face, pretending like he wasn't with me. "You can only be here if you are going to study. If you want to talk, go to the cafe," the librarian continued, her eyes boring into me.
"I'm–"
"Shhh..." She placed a finger on her lips once again. "I said no talking. Start studying or get out."
As she walked away, I dramatically pulled out my supplies, arranging them on the table with exaggerated care. The librarian threw one last warning glare over her shoulder before returning to her desk.
Varun had already buried himself back in his books, seemingly determined to pretend I didn't exist. The silence stretched between us, punctuated only by the soft rustle of turning pages and the occasional cough from somewhere in the library.
Deciding to change tactics, I reached for my bag and pulled out a packet of sticky notes. The plastic wrapper crinkled slightly as I opened it, and I cringed at the sound, not daring to look in the librarian's direction. With my best writing, I scribbled a note and stuck it in Varun's notebook.

He sighed, clearly annoyed, but read the note anyway. His response was swift and dismissive – he crumpled the note and tossed it aside without a word.

Undeterred, I wrote another note, this time holding it up for him to see. His eyes flicked to it briefly before he grabbed the entire stack of sticky notes. For a moment, I thought he might be writing a lengthy response, but he merely jotted something down and shoved the stack back at me.

I glared at him, my frustration mounting. It was like talking to a wall. This guy was impossible! Barely ten minutes in his presence and I was ready to tear my hair out. I ripped off his sticky note and penned a new one, this time sticking it directly onto his hand out of spite.
He didn't even flinch, just continued reading his textbook as if nothing had happened. The sticky note clung to his skin, a bright yellow rectangle that somehow matched his t-shirt. I chuckled internally at the coincidence.

In a last-ditch effort, I scrawled one final note.

This time, I held it up with my best pout, the one that usually got me my way. Varun glanced up, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment. I saw a flicker of something – amusement? annoyance? – before he looked away again.
The silence stretched on and I sat there, the note still held aloft, feeling slightly foolish.

He finally threw me a dirty look and began packing his stuff, his movements sharp and agitated. Taking it as a sign, I began packing up as well, trying to match his pace while stealing glances at him. He finished before me, zipping up his backpack with unnecessary force, and left without sparing me a second glance.

As I rushed behind him, nearly tripping over my own feet in my haste, I noticed the librarian was still shooting daggers at me. Her stern gaze followed me all the way to the exit, making me wonder what I'd done to offend her so deeply.
The moment I stepped out of the library, Varun whirled around, his eyes blazing with frustration. "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded, his voice low but intense. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
I couldn't help but grin, despite the hostility radiating off him. "Because I'm in love with you," I quipped, hoping to lighten the mood. But Varun wasn't amused by my joke; if anything, his scowl deepened so, I quickly changed tactics. "Okay, fine... I actually have a mutually beneficial offer for you."
He raised an eyebrow, skepticism written all over his face. "Really? Let's hear your amazing offer," he spat, his expression suggesting he'd rather be anywhere but here, talking to me.
Not a problem, I thought. I can change his mind. Taking a deep breath, I launched into my pitch. "You tutor me so I can get good grades, and in return, I'll help you improve your social status."
"My social status?" he asked, his tone a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
Without waiting to hear the rest of my proposal, he began walking. But I wasn't about to let him go that easily. I hurried after him, falling into step beside him as I continued my pitch.
"I'll tell everyone you're my friend, even if you aren't," I explained, waving excitedly. "Just imagine how cool you'll become. Everyone will be dying to be your friend. You'll go from social outcast to campus celebrity overnight!"
"Look—" he tried to interject, but I was on a roll.
"I'm not done yet," I pressed on, determined to make him see sense. "On top of that, I can pay you double what you usually charge for tutoring. Plus, I'll throw in dating and fashion advice, completely free. All from the goodness of my heart. Honestly, this deal is way more beneficial for you than it is for me. If I were you, I'd grab this opportunity with both hands."
To my surprise, Varun stopped walking and turned towards me, his expression unreadable. I grinned, seizing the moment and holding out my hand. "So, we have a deal, right? You'll be my tutor?"
He looked between my outstretched hand and my face, his eyes searching for something. Then, unexpectedly, he offered me a smile. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile from this close, and I was momentarily stunned by the transformation it brought to his face. I noticed the little dimples that formed in the corners of his mouth, giving him a boyish charm I hadn't expected.
"Has anyone ever said no to you?" he asked, his voice softer than before.
Smirking, I shook my head. "No, not really."
Varun's smile widened, and for a moment, I thought I had won. "Well, there's always a first time for everything."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me standing there, mouth agape, utterly flabbergasted. I found myself at a loss for words as I watched his retreating figure.