Chapter 2: The Future Apparently Couldn't Wait

The morning after my JEE Advanced result should have been peaceful.

Should have been.

But apparently, the universe had other plans.

I was so exhausted from last night's celebrations that I could barely open my eyes.

AIR 49.

I still couldn't believe it.

Every time I remembered it, I felt like screaming into a pillow.

Or dancing.

Or both.

Unfortunately, before I could do either, my parents reminded me that today was my counselling session.

Yes.

Today.

The very next day.

I stared at them in disbelief.

"Arey mummy, yeh counselling-vounselling thoda baad mein dekh lenge."

(Mom, we can deal with this counselling stuff later.)

"Pehle mujhe saans toh lene do."

(At least let me breathe first.)

"I haven't even properly processed my result yet!"

But apparently nobody cared about my emotional needs.

My dad folded his newspaper and looked at me.

"Beta, yeh tumhare future ka sawaal hai."

(This concerns your future.)

"We can't miss it."

Fine.

Don't miss it.

But taking an actual leave from work?

For me?

That felt illegal.

My mom was an English professor at Delhi University.

My dad was the chairman of Apex Bank.

Both of them had ridiculous amounts of work.

And yet they had taken an entire day off.

For counselling.

Meanwhile if they ever wanted a break, they could simply call in sick.

Why was everything being blamed on me?

Anyways.

My sister Mahi had already left for school.

Delhi Public Academy, Noida.

The same school I had attended.

And before you start asking-

"Mira, if you live in Delhi, why did you study in Noida?"

Simple.

Getting admission into Delhi Public Academy's Delhi branch was harder than cracking some competitive exams.

The school's student list looked like a celebrity family tree.

Actors' kids.

Politicians' kids.

Businessmen's kids.

And people with enough connections to know people with more connections.

Nothing shady.

Just rich people things.

Anyways.

Back to my suffering.

The counselling team had arrived.

I sat there looking half-dead while everyone else looked extremely enthusiastic about my future.

One counsellor smiled politely.

"So, Mira, what's your rank?"

I casually opened the result page and showed it to them.

The moment they saw the screen-

Silence.

Pure silence.

I think one guy forgot to blink.

Another adjusted his spectacles twice.

Someone nearly dropped their pen.

AIR 49 tends to have that effect on people.

Then the interrogation began.

"You'll be taking Computer Science, right?"

Another counsellor nodded immediately.

"Obviously Computer Science."

A third one joined.

"Beta, all top rankers choose Computer Science."

A fourth one probably would've proposed Computer Science for world peace if given enough time.

I looked at all of them.

"No."

The room froze.

"No?"

"No."

They looked concerned.

Almost offended.

As if I had personally insulted technology itself.

Then came round two.

"If not Computer Science, then Electronics?"

"No."

"Electrical?"

"No."

"Mathematics?"

"No."

Now they looked like contestants losing a game show.

The questions kept coming.

"What interests you?"

"What are your strengths?"

"What subjects do you enjoy?"

Honestly, I wasn't listening anymore.

My mind had drifted elsewhere.

Way back.

To chemistry labs.

To test tubes.

To funny-smelling chemicals.

To experiments.

And...

That one incident.

Bhai.

I still remember that explosion.

Actually-

Okay.

It wasn't an explosion.

It was a tiny mistake.

A very small mistake.

A microscopic mistake.

One involving concentrated acids.

And enough noise to convince everyone within a fifty-meter radius that I had accidentally started World War III.

Details are unnecessary.

The point is-

Chemistry was fun.

"Mira?"

Nothing.

"Mira?"

Still nothing.

"MIRAAA?"

I suddenly jumped.

"Huh?"

Dad looked at me.

"Beta, kahan kho gayi ho?"

(Where did you disappear to?)

"Present mein raho."

(Stay in the present.)

"Right. Sorry."

One counsellor-the nicest among them all-smiled.

Unlike the others, he wasn't trying to shove Computer Science down my throat.

Instead, he asked me proper questions.

About my interests.

About what excited me.

About what I genuinely enjoyed doing.

And by the end of that conversation, the answer became crystal clear.

"I want Chemical Engineering."

Silence.

Again.

A lot of silence happened during counselling.

One counsellor looked disappointed.

Another tried one last time.

"Beta, Computer Science has better packages."

There it was.

The famous package argument.

I took a deep breath.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Think carefully-"

"I have."

AIR 49 had gotten me the luxury of choice.

And if I had worked this hard, then I wanted to study something I actually liked.

Not something everyone else liked.

So the decision was made.

Chemical Engineering.

Final.

Done.

Finished.

Then came the college selection.

Which took approximately three seconds.

"Preferred institute?"

"IIT Bombay."

The counsellor smiled.

"No second option?"

"No."

I had dreamed about IIT Bombay for years.

The campus.

The culture.

The people.

Everything.

There was never any doubt.

Not even for a second.

The forms were completed.

The preferences were finalized.

And just like that-

The future that everyone had been panicking about since morning was officially decided.

IIT Bombay.

Chemical Engineering.

Done.

As the counsellors packed their bags and prepared to leave, I leaned back on the sofa.

For the first time all day, there was peace.

At least for five seconds.

Then Mahi called from school.

"Didi!"

"What?"

"Ab toh IIT Bombay pakka hai na?"

(Now IIT Bombay is confirmed, right?)

"Yes."

"Good."

"Why?"

"So that you can introduce me to handsome seniors."

I disconnected the call.

Immediately.

Some problems in life never go away.

And unfortunately, Mahi was one of them.

Still...

As I looked at the counselling documents lying on the table, reality finally started sinking in.

This wasn't a dream anymore.

This wasn't a result screen.

This wasn't just a rank.

In a few months, I'd be leaving Delhi.

Leaving my room.

Leaving my family.

And starting a completely new chapter of my life.

At IIT Bombay.

Little did I know...

I was about to meet people who would change my life forever. ❤️✨

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