The classroom was louder than usual.
Chairs scraped against the floor, students laughed over unfinished conversations, and the teacher hadn't arrived yet—giving everyone just enough freedom to be chaotic.
Aadhira sat by the window, her fingers lightly tracing invisible patterns on her notebook.
She wasn't part of the noise.
Not really.
Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, slightly messy from the breeze slipping in through the open window. She didn't bother fixing it.
She rarely did.
"…Aadhira! Are you even listening?" her friend nudged her.
She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts.
"…Huh? Yeah… I am," she replied quickly, though it was obvious she wasn't.
Her friend rolled her eyes.
"…You've been staring outside for five minutes."
Aadhira let out a small, awkward laugh.
"…It's better than listening to everyone shout," she said softly.
That's when the classroom door opened.
And everything shifted—just slightly.
A few students turned.
Whispers started.
Someone at the back said, "…He's here."
Aadhira didn't look immediately.
She didn't care.
Or at least—she told herself she didn't.
But curiosity always wins.
Her eyes moved toward the door.
And that's when she saw him.
Abhinav.
He walked in like he owned the place—calm, confident, completely unaffected by the noise around him.
His bag hung lazily over one shoulder, his expression carrying that familiar half-smirk like he already knew something no one else did.
Aadhira looked away instantly.
Too fast.
"…Why did I even look?" she muttered under her breath.
Her friend noticed immediately.
"…Ohhh, you saw him," she teased.
Aadhira frowned slightly.
"…I just looked at the door."
"…Yeah, sure."
Aadhira didn't respond.
Instead, she focused on her notebook again—though she hadn't written a single word.
She could feel it.
That weird awareness.
Like someone was looking at her.
And she knew who it was.
She refused to look up.
But then—
A shadow fell across her desk.
"…You always sit here?" a voice said casually.
Her heart skipped.
Just once.
She looked up slowly.
Abhinav.
Standing right there.
"…Why?" she asked, trying to sound normal.
He glanced at the empty seat beside her, then back at her.
"…Thinking of taking it."
Her grip on her pen tightened slightly.
"…There are other seats."
He smirked faintly. 😏
"…None with this view."
Her cheeks warmed—just a little.
"…Then sit somewhere else," she said, looking away again.
He didn't move immediately.
Just stood there for a second longer than necessary.
Then—
He pulled the chair.
And sat.
Right next to her.
Aadhira froze for a second.
"…You don't listen, do you?" she muttered.
"…Not when I don't want to," he replied easily.
She tried to focus on her notebook again.
But now it was impossible.
Because suddenly—
The noise in the classroom didn't matter anymore.
The window didn't matter.
Nothing did.
All she could think about was—
why her heart was beating faster…
just because he was sitting next to her.
And just like that—
Without realizing it…
Something had already begun.