Aarav's POV
He tossed the basketball aside and flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room like it had answers.
But it didn't.
Nothing did.
Not even him.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," Aarav muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.
It wasn't like he hadn't seen a pretty girl before. He had. A hundred times.
But she wasn't just pretty. She was… quiet. Still. Like the calm in the middle of a storm.
And the way her eyes had met his — like they were asking a question he didn't know how to answer.
He had felt that same strange pull again. The same as yesterday, when he accidentally brushed past someone in the corridor. He hadn't turned then. But now he knew — it was her.
And then she left. Just disappeared.
He had noticed.
Noticed the way she stopped looking.
Noticed the way her seat stayed empty after lunch.
"Why did she leave?" he asked aloud, frustrated.
He didn't even know her name.
But something about her absence made the classroom feel… off.
He ran a hand through his hair.
This wasn't like him.
He didn't chase. He didn't overthink.
But for the first time…
He wanted to see her again.
Aanya's POV – The Next Day
The corridor was filled with its usual chaos—students hurrying, laughing, shouting across floors. Meher was late again, which didn't even surprise Aanya anymore.
She walked slowly, holding her books tightly to her chest.
She hadn't slept much. Her heart still felt a little too loud. Like it remembered something her mind couldn't quite place.
Then—suddenly—she felt it.
That same stillness.
Like the world paused again, just for a second.
She turned instinctively.
And there he was.
Standing at the other end of the corridor, leaning against the wall casually, headphones around his neck, bag slung on one shoulder.
But his eyes…
They were looking straight at her.
And once again—just like yesterday—time froze.
Neither of them smiled.
Neither of them moved.
Just eyes meeting in the middle of all the noise, as if they were the only two people who could see clearly.
She wanted to look away.
But she couldn't.
Because deep inside, something whispered again—
"It's him."
And this time…
He didn't look away either.