💖 Chapter 1: The First Glance
Arko was never the kind of person who believed in love.
To him, love was just a game—something temporary, something that never stayed. People came and went, feelings changed, and promises were meant to be broken. That's what he believed… or maybe, that's what he forced himself to believe.
At seventeen, Arko lived in a children's home. It wasn't a place he hated, but it wasn't a place he loved either. It was just… somewhere he stayed.
Days passed like any other—same faces, same routine, same empty feeling inside him.
Until one day… he noticed her.
Nira.
He didn't even know her name at first.
All he saw was a girl standing quietly, her eyes focused on something far away, as if she was lost in her own world.
There was nothing extraordinary about that moment.
No dramatic background, no sudden realization.
Just a glance.
And yet… something felt different.
Arko frowned slightly, looking away.
"What was that?" he muttered to himself.
It wasn't love.
No… definitely not.
Just attraction.
That's what he told himself.
Days went by, and somehow, his eyes kept finding her again and again. He didn't try to talk to her. He didn't try to get close.
But he noticed.
The way she smiled rarely.
The way she stayed quiet even when others laughed.
The way her eyes held something he couldn't understand.
And slowly… without realizing it, she became a part of his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Nira had her own world.
A world where she was already in a relationship.
Not a perfect one.
Not even a happy one.
Arguments, misunderstandings, silence—
that's what her relationship had turned into.
And Arko?
He knew nothing about it.
One day, through a friend, Nira heard something unexpected.
"Arko likes you."
She was surprised.
Confused.
Maybe even a little curious.
Arko, on the other hand, didn't deny it when the topic came up.
Why would he? It was just attraction.
Nothing serious.
Nothing real.
So when the chance came… he agreed.
Just like that, without thinking too much, they stepped into something they didn't fully understand.
But for Arko, it was just another "time pass."
And for Nira… maybe it was an escape.
Neither of them knew—
this simple beginning would slowly turn into something much deeper…
something that would change them both.It wasn't a place he hated, but it wasn't a place he loved either. It was just… there. A space where time moved slowly, where dreams felt distant, and where hope was something people didn't talk about much.
Arko had learned to keep things simple. Wake up, go to school, come back, finish whatever work was given, and then spend the rest of the evening staring at the fading sky. It was his routine—safe, predictable, and quiet.
But everything changed on a random afternoon.
The sky was painted in soft shades of orange and pink, and a cool breeze passed through the old windows of his classroom. Arko sat by his usual seat, near the back, his eyes lazily drifting outside. Nothing ever really caught his attention anymore.
Until that moment.
She walked in quietly.
At first, Arko didn't think much of it. New students came and went sometimes. But there was something about her that felt… different. Maybe it was the way she held herself, or the calmness in her eyes, as if she carried a story no one knew.
The teacher introduced her, but Arko barely listened. His focus was on her instead.
She didn't smile much. She just nodded slightly and took her seat near the window, not too far from him.
For the first time in a long while, Arko felt something unfamiliar—curiosity.
Minutes passed, but his eyes kept drifting back to her. And then, it happened.
She looked at him.
Just for a second.
Their eyes met.
And in that brief moment, something shifted.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't dramatic. But it was there—quiet, soft, and strangely real.
Arko quickly looked away, his heart beating just a little faster than usual. He didn't understand why.
He had never believed in "moments" like this. Never believed that a single glance could mean anything.
But this… felt different.
The bell rang, breaking the silence of the classroom. Students rushed out, laughing and talking, filling the hallway with noise.
Arko stayed back for a second.
When he finally stood up and looked toward the window—
She was gone.
No goodbye, no words.
Just like that.
But for some reason, Arko knew—
This wasn't the last time he would see her.
And maybe… just maybe, this was the beginning of something he never believed in before.That night, Arko couldn't sleep.
He kept thinking about her—about that brief moment when their eyes met. It didn't make sense to him. Why would a stranger's glance stay in his mind like this?
He turned to his side, staring at the ceiling, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Why does it feel different?" he whispered to himself.
For the first time in years, his thoughts weren't empty.
Somewhere deep inside, something had started to change—something he couldn't explain yet.
And maybe… this was how it all begins.
Not with words.
Not with promises.
But with a single glance that refuses to fade away.