it's my first story, so pls don't judge me:)

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Maya always believed school corridors had their own personality—chaotic, noisy, dramatic, and somehow comforting. She navigated through them like she owned the place, waving at juniors, teasing her friends, and jumping into conversations she wasn’t even part of. She was the type who could talk to anyone, argue with teachers respectfully, and crack jokes in class without hesitation.

Except when it came to Aryan.

Her senior. The one glitch in her otherwise fearless system.

Aryan was tall, around six feet, and always wore those rectangular glasses that made him look like he read more than he actually did. But he was the most over-friendly person in the entire school—laughing loudly, talking to everyone, making inside jokes with random classmates from other sections. He had this habit of pushing back his hair while speaking, and the worst part? He was genuinely nice. Not the fake kind. The actual, annoyingly charming type that made Maya lose her voice every time he passed by.

Her friends thought it was hilarious. She thought it was torture.

That Monday morning felt like any other. Maya walked through the school gate, adjusting the strap of her bag as her deep brown hair fell to one side. Her brown doe eyes scanned the crowd automatically, though she told herself she wasn’t searching for Aryan. At 5’7 with a soft, slightly chubby look, she blended in easily—comfortable, familiar, nothing that made people stop and stare.

Which is why she didn’t expect the new boy.

He stood near the notice board, tall—definitely taller than Aryan, maybe around 6’2. He wore dark-framed glasses, the kind smart kids always had, and his build suggested he played at least one sport seriously. A few students whispered, “Who’s that new guy?” and “He looks like a topper.” And honestly, he did. He had that focused expression, scanning the timetable like he was mentally organizing his whole academic year in one go.

Maya wouldn’t have paid much attention if his eyes hadn’t lifted at the exact moment she walked past.

For a moment—barely a second—his attention fixed on her. Not in shock or judgement. Just a look, steady and curious, like he’d spotted something he wanted to understand.

Maya slowed for half a step. Why was he staring? Did she drop something? Was her hair weird? Did she look sleepy?

Whatever the reason, she pretended not to notice and kept walking toward her classroom, returning to her comfortable chatter with her friends. Within minutes she was laughing again, dramatizing her weekend story, easily blending back into the crowd.

But Rishav—because that was the new boy’s name, written neatly on the admission sheet—didn’t forget that moment as quickly.

He stayed near the notice board a little longer, pretending to reread the timetable even though he already memorized it. His mind kept going back to the girl with the brown eyes and the loud laugh he’d heard as she walked away.

He didn’t know anything about her yet. Not her name, not her grade, not the way she froze around one specific senior.

But he knew one thing.

His first day wasn’t going to be boring.

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The next day, Maya sat in her classroom tapping her pen against her notebook. She wasn’t thinking about homework. She wasn’t thinking about lunch either. She was thinking about the new boy—Rishav—who stared at her for a second too long yesterday.

Her friends were already whispering theories.

“He must have mistaken you for someone else.”

“Or maybe he was judging your hair, you didn’t comb it properly yesterday.”

“Shut up!” Maya groaned, though she couldn’t help smiling.

She didn’t admit it out loud, but the curiosity was eating her alive.

When the bell rang, the class shifted to the auditorium for orientation. Maya walked with her friends, half-listening, until she spotted a familiar tall figure at the edge of the crowd.

Rishav.

He wasn’t talking to anyone. Just standing there with a calm, unreadable expression, hands in his pockets, glasses slipping slightly down his nose. A few classmates tried to approach him, but he answered with short, polite replies before returning to his own quiet space.

Hard to read. Hard to approach. Hard to get.

Of course.

Maya rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she even noticing this? She already had one complicated crush in her life. She didn’t need another.

But fate—or bad timing—had other plans.

Inside the auditorium, the last empty seat next to Maya happened to be the one Rishav took. Her heartbeat stumbled, which she found ridiculous. She was Maya—loud, confident, chaos itself. Why was she nervous?

He didn’t even look at her.

Not even once.

He just sat down, straight-backed, focused on the stage like he was attending a conference and not a boring school orientation. Maya glanced at him from the corner of her eye. No reaction. No curiosity. Nothing like yesterday.

Had she imagined that look?

After fifteen minutes of staring at a PowerPoint presentation she didn’t care about, Maya leaned slightly toward him. “So… you’re new here, right?”

A normal person would at least look at her.

Rishav didn’t. “Yeah,” he said simply.

No follow-up. No smile. No interest.

Maya blinked. Okay. Rude.

She tried again. “Which section?”

“12-B.”

Still not looking.

Maya made a face. She wasn’t used to conversations dying so fast. “Right. Cool.”

This time, he finally turned his head. His eyes met hers for exactly a second before he looked away again. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I was trying to be friendly,” she muttered.

“Noted.”

Noted? NOTED?

Maya almost choked on her own disbelief.

The orientation ended, and the students started moving out. Rishav stood up, adjusted his glasses, and walked away without another word.

Her friends rushed to her. “HOW WAS IT? You sat next to him!”

Maya crossed her arms. “He’s… annoying.”

They burst out laughing. “Annoying or interesting?”

She didn’t answer.

Because she didn’t know.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the hallway, Rishav walked calmly to his new classroom.

He wasn’t rude. He wasn’t ignoring her.

He just wasn’t going to make it easy.

The third day of the new term began with unusual energy—even for Maya. She stood near the lockers, her friends circling her like detectives interrogating a suspect.

“So he really said ‘Noted’? JUST that?” one of them asked.

Maya groaned. “Yes. That’s literally all he said. No smile, no expression, nothing. I’ve seen rocks with more emotion.”

Her friends broke into laughter, but Maya just shook her head. She shouldn’t care. She truly, sincerely shouldn’t.

And she wouldn’t have cared—

If Aryan hadn’t walked in at that exact moment.

Aryan, with his usual messy hair, his rectangular glasses, and that annoyingly bright smile that made Maya’s stomach somersault like it was performing for a talent show. He was carrying a stack of football equipment for the PE teacher—because of course he was helpful like that.

“Maya!” he called out when he saw her.

Her soul left her body for a second.

She turned to stone. Her friends looked at her like they were watching their favorite drama unfold live.

Aryan came closer. “Hey, can you hold this for a sec?” He placed a football in her hands before she even answered. Typical Aryan energy.

Maya nodded stiffly. She could chat with strangers, teachers, juniors—but Aryan? No. Her brain refused to function around him.

“Thanks. You coming to the club meet later?” he asked.

She forced a smile. “Y-yeah.”

“Great! Don’t be late, okay? I wanna show you something.” He flashed his easy grin and jogged down the hall.

Her friends squealed the moment he was out of sight.

Maya covered her face. “Please. Stop.”

Before they could tease her further, someone brushed past them—tall, silent, and straight-backed.

Rishav.

He gave a short nod to the group as he walked, eyes focused ahead. Not a single glance at Maya. Not one.

Her friends elbowed her. “He didn’t even look at you today.”

Maya shrugged, a little irritated. “Why would he?”

But a tiny part of her wondered why he had stared so openly the first day but seemed uninterested now. Was he just shy? Or did he not care at all?

The question followed her all the way to the club meet after school.

The classroom buzzed with chatter as students arranged chairs. Aryan was helping set up the projector, sleeves rolled up as he worked. When he noticed Maya entering, he waved enthusiastically.

She waved back—clumsily, of course.

But then she froze.

Because behind him, sitting calmly with a notebook open, was Rishav.

He was observing the room like he was studying it, not participating. When Aryan called, “Rishav, can you help switch off the lights for the projector?” he stood up with a quiet nod.

Maya blinked. “Wait… he joined the same club?”

Aryan wandered over to her. “Yeah, he wanted to. Said he preferred something productive after classes.”

“Oh,” she said, trying to sound normal.

But the second Aryan walked away, Maya felt two completely different emotions hit her.

One from the crush she’d had for two years.

And one from the mysterious boy who didn’t even look at her today.

Great.

Just what she needed.

More confusion.