It was a quiet Sunday morning.

My mom, Meena, an English professor, was at home making food herself after a really long time. We had a cook, of course, but a few days ago my dad had praised her culinary skills so much that Mom had decided it was time to remind him exactly who he was married to.

An English professor?

Yes.

But an excellent cook as well.

Dad seemed more than delighted by this unexpected turn of events.

"Tumhare haath ka khana toh kaafi time baad khayenge, Meena."

(We'll finally eat food cooked by you after such a long time, Meena.)

Mom just smiled proudly and continued cooking.

Then there was my sister, Mahi.

Oh, don't even get me started on her.

She's completely obsessed with K-pop.

Like seriously-

Jab tak hai jaan, tab tak hai K-pop.

(As long as I have life, I have K-pop.)

Oof.

So dramatic.

And me?

Well, I had recently completed my Class 12 board exams along with all the competitive entrance exams.

JEE Mains mein toh sab crack kar lete hain, par baadshah toh woh hai jo IIT jaata hai.

(Many students clear JEE Mains, but the real challenge is clearing JEE Advanced and getting into IIT.)

To be honest, my parents had never pressured me about studies.

Mere parents ne mujhe kabhi force nahi kiya. Ye sab meri khud ki competitiveness thi.

(My parents never forced me. It was simply my own competitive nature.)

Anyways...

What was I doing that morning?

Absolutely nothing productive.

I was lying on my bed, scrolling through YouTube reels and wondering how unbelievably crazy Gen Z had become.

Honestly, all of that was just a distraction.

A distraction from what?

The results.

Because no matter how confident you are, waiting for exam results can make anyone nervous.

And then there's the additional burden of maintaining family reputation.

Family ki izzat ka pressure bhi alag hi hota hai.

(The pressure of maintaining the family's honour is a different burden altogether.)

Just then, a notification popped up on my screen.

JEE Advanced Results Released.

I almost ignored it.

Result notifications had become so frequent during exam season that I had started assuming every single one was fake.

But this one...

This one seemed real.

There was only one way to find out.

I grabbed my tablet and quietly opened the official website.

My hands were trembling.

I entered my roll number.

Clicked submit.

And waited.

Mere dil ki dhadkanein itni tez ho gayi thi ki bas pucho hi mat.

(My heartbeat had become so fast that I can't even describe it.)

Mera stomach literally gymnastics kar raha tha.

(My stomach was literally doing gymnastics.)

Taking a deep breath, I clicked the final button.

And then-

I froze.

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I blinked.

Looked again.

Nope.

It was real.

AIR 49.

AIR.

FORTY.

NINE.

"OHHHH MY GOD!"

I screamed so loudly that the entire house probably heard me.

I couldn't believe it.

I had done it.

I was going to IIT.

Meri khushi ka koi thikana nahi tha.

(There was absolutely no limit to my happiness.)

Immediately, I ran outside.

"Mom! Dad! Mera result aa gaya! I got IIT!"

(Mom! Dad! My result is out! I got into IIT!)

Mom's eyes widened.

Within seconds she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Beta, tune aaj naak katne se bacha li."

(You saved our family honour today.)

She became so emotional that she came running out of the kitchen and completely forgot the stove was still on.

I had to remind her before she accidentally burned down the house.

Dad looked emotional too.

Very emotional, actually.

But of course, fathers have an unwritten rule that they must always maintain a serious face.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled.

"I knew you could do it."

That's all he said.

But somehow those five words meant everything.

As for Mahi-

She was overjoyed.

Well...

Not exactly for the reason I expected.

"Didi, mujhe good-looking tall seniors se milwana."

(Sister, please introduce me to some good-looking tall seniors.)

"Mahi!" Mom snapped.

One warning was enough.

Mahi immediately fell silent.

Honestly, that was a rare sight.

Looking around, I realized everyone was happy.

Truly happy.

And for the first time in months, I felt the weight on my shoulders disappear.

The sleepless nights.

The endless mock tests.

The stress.

The self-doubt.

Everything had been worth it.

My dream college.

IIT Bombay.

I was finally coming.

Mom wasted absolutely no time.

Within minutes she had informed every relative in existence.

And then-

She called that one auntie.

You know.

That auntie.

The one she had been feuding with for years.

I could practically hear the smug smile in Mom's voice.

"Meri beti ka admission IIT Bombay mein hua hai. Zara apne aap ko sambhal lena ye khabar sunkar."

(My daughter has secured admission in IIT Bombay. Better prepare yourself before hearing this news.)

Mom's level of pettiness that day was truly inspirational.

The rest of the evening turned into one giant celebration.

Nobody had any mood to cook.

So we ordered practically half of Zomato.

Paneer Tikka Masala.

Dal Makhani.

Chinese.

Italian.

And God knows what else.

We ate till our hearts were content.

Laughed till our stomachs hurt.

And celebrated every second of that unforgettable day.

That night, as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, I couldn't stop smiling.

The love in my family's eyes.

The pride in my parents' voices.

The excitement of a future waiting ahead.

It felt like the ending of one chapter.

And the beginning of another.

A much bigger one.

A much crazier one.

And little did I know...

My journey at IIT Bombay was about to change my life forever. ✨📖💕