Chapter 1
I wasn't supposed to notice her.That's what I told myself.I had seen many girls before — beautiful and confident ones, girls who tried too hard, girls who laughed too loud, girls who followed me with their eyes when I walked into a room. None of them ever made my heart pause.Until I saw her.
It happened on a Monday morning. The kind of Monday I usually hated. The air felt heavy,the campus noisy, and my phone wouldn't stop buzzing with messages I didn't care about it. I walked past the school gate like I always did, hands in my pocket, face blank, pretending nothing in the world could touch me.That was when I saw her.She was standing under the mango tree beside the administrative block, holding a notebook tightly against her chest. Her hair was slightly messy, like she had rushed out of the house. She wasn't laughing like the other girls. She wasn't trying to impress anyone,She just stood there quietly.And somehow… that was enough.I slowed down without realizing it.My eyes followed her as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She looked nervous, like she didn't belong here. Like the noise around her was too loud.
I don't know why, but something inside me shifted.My chest tightened.My heartbeat changed.And that scared me.Because I don't react to girls.Girls react to me.But that moment… I was the one staring.She looked up suddenly, and our eyes met.I quickly looked away.Too late,I said to myself.I had already fallen.Not completely.But enough to know I was in trouble.
I walked past her, pretending I didn't care, but my mind stayed behind. I could still feel her presence, like she had left something inside me."Bro, you good?" Daniel asked as he caught up with me.I nodded. "Yeah."But I wasn't.For the first time in years, my thoughts weren't under my control.I kept thinking about her.Her quiet eyes.Her long fingers.The way she looked like she was hiding from the world.And I didn't even know her name.
The whole day, I searched for her without admitting it to myself. In the cafeteria. In the library. In the hallway. Every time I saw a girl with similar hair, my heart jumped… then fell when it wasn't her.I was getting irritated.Why was I looking for someone I didn't know?Why did she matter?This was stupid.I leaned back in my chair during the last lecture, trying to focus, but my mind drifted again.Then the classroom door opened.And she walked in.My heart stopped.
She looked even more beautiful up close. Not because of makeup or fancy clothes — but because she looked real. Her eyes scanned the room nervously until she found an empty seat.The seat beside me.
I sat up instantly.She walked toward me slowly, like she wasn't sure she was allowed to be there."Is… is this seat free?" she asked softly.Her voice,God!Her voice was softer than I imagined,I cleared my throat. "Yeah."She sat down carefully, leaving a small space between us. I could smell something light… maybe vanilla. My hands suddenly felt too big. My breathing too loud.I stared straight ahead.Don't look at her.Don't say anything.Act normal.But my heart wasn't listening.I glanced at her.She was writing quickly in her notebook, biting her lower lip in concentration.Too cute.I swallowed hard.That was when I realized something terrifying.I wanted to know everything about her.Not just her name.And that was when it hit me.