The school corridor was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Aanya sat alone on the last bench of the classroom, flipping through her notebook without really reading. The pages were filled with neat handwriting, but her mind was somewhere else.
The final bell had already rung. Laughter and footsteps faded as students rushed home, yet Aanya stayed back, enjoying the calm that followed the noise.
"Are you waiting for someone?"
The voice startled her.
She looked up to see a boy standing near the door, holding his school bag with an awkward smile on his face. She had seen him before—in the hallway, on the stairs—but they had never spoken.
"No," she replied softly. "I just like the silence."
He nodded, as if he understood. After a brief pause, he walked in and sat two benches away from her. Neither of them spoke. Still, the silence didn't feel uncomfortable.
Aanya glanced at him. He was staring out of the window, watching the trees sway in the late afternoon breeze.
"I'm Arjun," he said suddenly, turning toward her.
"Aanya," she answered.
That was all. No long conversation. No promises. Just two names exchanged in a quiet classroom.
Yet, as Aanya packed her bag and stood up to leave, she felt something unfamiliar—something warm and gentle.
She didn't know it then, but that empty bench had just witnessed the beginning of her first love.