Aarav opened his eyes and stared at the same familiar ceiling. The morning air felt unusually cold—perhaps a lingering chill from yesterday’s rain. He y there for a moment, soaking in the silence, before finally pulling himself out of bed. After a quick shower, he headed to the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast.

  By the time he was done, the clock read 9 a.m. With a slow, absent-minded pace, he began getting ready for school. His thoughts wandered as he walked the familiar path, the streets still damp, his mind somewhere far from the present. he walked toward school, not really paying attention to his surroundings. His steps were slow, almost automatic.

  When he entered the cssroom, the usual noise greeted him—his cssmates chatting, ughing, catching up. Aarav quietly made his way to his seat by the window, sitting on his chair without a word. His gaze wandered outside as the breeze carried the scent of wet earth.

  Moments ter, the teacher entered. Aarav barely noticed, still staring out the window, lost in thought.

  "Everyone, we have a new student joining us today," the teacher announced.

  A gentle hush fell over the room. Aarav heard the door slide open, but he didn’t turn—until he heard the name.

  “Hi, I’m Suhana Gurung,” the girl said with a soft smile.

  Aarav’s heart skipped a beat. ,His hand froze above his notebook. The name echoed in his mind . He hadn't heard it in years, yet it still felt like yesterday. Slowly, he lifted his head. A fsh of memory washed over him—a girl ughing under the sun, smiling like she owned the world.

  His eyes met hers for a brief moment, the sun rays hitting Suhana's face, making her look even more pretty and the shock hit him. But he quickly turned back to the window, pretending not to notice, masking everything behind his usual calm expression.

  Suhana stood in front of the css, poised and composed, as if she didn’t know anyone, as if this was just another new beginning.

  “You may take your seat now, Suhana,” the teacher said.

  “Thank you, sir,” she replied politely, walking to an empty seat.

  The css settled, the lecture began, and time passed. Eventually, the bell rang—but for Aarav, the day had already begun to change.

  The lunch break had started. Everyone headed off to eat, but Aarav stayed in his seat, lost in thought. Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

  “Aarav, aren’t you going to have lunch?”

  The voice startled him. Looking back, he replied, “Wait, I’m coming in a minute.”

  It was his friend, Safal—someone Aarav had known since childhood, as they'd attended the same school.

  After a moment, Aarav stood up and walked to the cafeteria with Safal. While they were eating, a loud voice echoed from behind. It was Suhana, chatting with her friend.

  Unbothered, Aarav quietly continued eating.

  “Don’t you think that new girl, Suhana, is really pretty?” Safal asked, a look of excitement on his face.

  Aarav said nothing, still chewing his food.

  Safal went on, “I was honestly surprised when she walked into css. I swear, the moment I saw her, I thought, she’s the one for me.”

  Aarav chuckled and replied, “Yeah, yeah, heaven especially sent her for you.”

  They ughed together for a moment, but soon the bell rang.

  “Okay then, I’m heading back to css,” Safal said, walking away from the table.

  “Alright,” Aarav replied with a small smile.

  As he stood up, he murmured to himself, “The next period… is it Accounts or Economics?”

  He walked toward his cssroom, slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

  He entered the cssroom, still lost in his thoughts. As he made his way to his seat, a gentle tap on his shoulder pulled him back to reality.

  He turned around, thinking, Who is it now?

  To his surprise, Suhana stood before him, smiling brightly.

  “Hi, I’m Suhana. Nice to meet you,” she said cheerfully.

  “Oh, nice to meet you too. I’m Aarav,” he replied, a small smile tugging at his lips.

  “I heard people say you have this cold aura and that you don’t smile much,” Suhana said pyfully. “But I guess they were wrong—turns out you can smile.”

  Before Aarav could respond, the teacher walked into the room.

  “Talk to you ter!” Suhana whispered quickly before heading to her seat.

  Aarav, still processing what just happened, slowly made his way to his desk, confused—but with something unexpinable lingering in his heart.

  Amidst his confusion, he felt a quiet happiness—it was the first time someone had approached him and talked to him. He had always thought of himself as unapproachable, as no one really had before. Sitting on his seat, reflecting on the brief encounter, a soft smile appeared on his face. What he didn’t realize was that Suhana had been watching him smile, quietly observing from her pce.

  Soon, csses ended. Aarav packed his bag and started heading home. On the way, he noticed an old dy and a small child standing at the edge of a busy road, trying to cross. Concern sparked in him, and he instinctively moved forward to help. But then he hesitated.

  What should I do? he wondered. How do I approach them? What if I make them uncomfortable? What should I say?

  Caught in his thoughts, he froze. Just then, he heard a gentle voice say, “Grandma, let me help you cross the road.”

  He turned to look—and saw Suhana, calmly holding the old dy's hand and guiding her and the child across the road. A sense of relief washed over him, seeing they were safe. But beneath that relief, he felt a sting of self-resentment. He had wanted to help—but his own awkwardness and shyness held him back.

  With those conflicted feelings, he walked the rest of the way home. After arriving, he did his homework, exercised, and prepared dinner. That night, despite the emotional weight, he ate in silence and went to bed, slowly slipping into peaceful sleep.

  It had been more than a week since Aarav’s interaction with Suhana in css. The days that followed felt just as ordinary as ever—quiet, routine, and a little lonely. Suhana hadn’t approached him again, and though he tried not to think about it, her absence lingered in his mind.

  It was Saturday. Aarav was at the market, walking with a shopping list in his pocket and his thoughts drifting aimlessly. She never talked to me again, he thought, staring bnkly at the rows of vegetables. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.

  Just then, he heard a voice calling out from behind, “Aarav!”

  Startled, he turned around—and there she was.

  “Suhana?” he said, surprised. “Oh, hi… how have you been? And um, what are you doing here?” His eyes shifted downward, and he gave an awkward smile, unsure where to look.

  “I’ve been fine,” Suhana replied casually. “I came to buy some groceries.”

  He still hadn’t looked her in the eye.

  “But what were you thinking so deeply about?” she added, her tone tinged with pyful annoyance. “I called your name so many times.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Aarav muttered, waving his hands slightly in frustration. “I’m really sorry I didn’t hear you.”

  His voice softened, his face showing genuine remorse.

  “It’s okay,” Suhana said, though her expression stayed the same—slightly annoyed, but not unkind.

  “Alright then… I’ll get going,” Aarav said, turning to walk away.

  But before he could take another step, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.

  “Where are you going?” Suhana asked, holding his hand gently.

  “Home,” he replied, surprised.

  “And what were you doing here?” she asked again, tilting her head.

  “Oh… I came to buy groceries,” Aarav said, realizing he’d completely forgotten why he was there.

  “Then where are your groceries?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to buy them?”

  “Yeah, I will now,” Aarav said, flustered. “I just… got distracted.”

  Suhana smiled, letting go of his hand. “Since you haven’t bought them yet, why don’t we go together? It’ll be fun.”

  Aarav blinked, confused. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, let’s go,” she said cheerfully.

  As they disappeared into the crowd neither of them realized that a quiet change has already begun.