It was just another ordinary morning… or at least, that’s what she thought.

The sky was soft and grey, like it couldn’t decide whether to rain or stay calm. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and walked slowly, lost in her own thoughts. Life had been feeling a little heavy lately—too many expectations, too many questions, and no clear answers.

She didn’t notice him at first.

He was standing near the gate, hands in his pockets, eyes quietly observing the world around him. There was something different about him—not loud, not attention-seeking… just calm, like he didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.

And then, it happened.

A simple moment.

A simple glance.

Her eyes accidentally met his.

For a second, time felt… strange. Like everything paused, even the noise around them faded. She quickly looked away, her heart beating a little faster than usual.

“Why did that feel so weird?” she whispered to herself.

She had seen hundreds of faces before. So why did this one feel… different?

She tried to ignore it. Tried to walk normally. But somehow, she could still feel his presence, like an unfinished thought in her mind.

On the other side, he noticed it too.

That one glance.

He didn’t know her name. Didn’t know anything about her. But something about her eyes… it stayed.

Not love. Not yet.

Just a feeling.

A small, quiet beginning.

And sometimes…

that’s how everything starts.

She tried to forget that moment.

Really, she did.

But the more she ignored it, the more it stayed in her mind—like a song stuck on repeat. That one glance. That strange feeling. It didn’t make sense.

“Focus,” she whispered to herself, opening her book.

But focus wasn’t easy… especially when she could feel someone’s presence again.

Him.

He was sitting just a few seats away today.

“What is he doing here?” she thought, trying not to look in his direction. But curiosity is a funny thing—it always wins.

Slowly, without making it obvious, she glanced up.

And again…

Their eyes met.

This time, neither of them looked away immediately.

It wasn’t awkward.

It wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was just… quiet.

Then suddenly—

“Do you always stare at people like that?”

Her heart skipped.

She didn’t even realize when he had walked up to her desk.

“I—I wasn’t staring,” she said quickly, looking down at her book, her voice slightly nervous.

A small smile appeared on his face.

“Relax. I was joking.”

There was a pause.

Not the awkward kind… but the kind where both people don’t know what to say next, yet don’t want to leave either.

“I’m… Arin,” he finally said, breaking the silence.

She hesitated for a second before replying softly,

“I know.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You know?”

She immediately realized what she said and got embarrassed.

“I mean—I heard someone call your name,” she corrected herself quickly.

He chuckled.

And somehow, that small laugh made everything feel lighter.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said.

She looked up at him again… this time a little more confidently.

“Zara.”

“Zara…” he repeated, like he was trying to remember it. “Nice name.”

For some reason, hearing her name from him felt different.

Special… in a way she couldn’t explain.

“Thanks,” she replied, a small smile forming on her lips.

Another silence.

But this time, it felt comfortable.

“See you around, Zara,” he said before walking away.

And just like that… he left.

But something had changed.

It was no longer just a glance anymore.

It was a beginning.

And deep down, she knew—

This was only the start of something she wasn’t ready to understand yet.

After that day, things didn’t stay the same.

Not in a big, dramatic way…

but in small, quiet changes.

The kind you don’t notice at first—

until they start meaning something.

It began with simple things.

A “hi” when they passed each other.

A small smile during class.

Occasional eye contact that lasted a second longer than before.

Nothing serious.

But not nothing either.

One afternoon, the classroom felt unusually quiet. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and most students were busy talking among themselves.

Zara sat by the window, absentmindedly flipping through her notebook.

“Do you ever actually study,” a familiar voice said, sitting down beside her.

She didn’t even need to look up.

“Sometimes,” she replied, pretending to stay focused. “Do you?”

“Never,” Arin said confidently.

She let out a small laugh.

That was new.

She wasn’t someone who laughed easily… but with him, it just happened.

Days passed, and their conversations slowly grew.

From random jokes…

to sharing notes…

to talking about things that didn’t even matter.

Or maybe they did.

“What do you like?” he asked one day.

“Like what?”

“Anything. Music, places… people,” he added casually.

She thought for a moment.

“I like quiet places,” she said softly. “And rain.”

“Rain?” he smiled. “That’s a little dramatic.”

She frowned slightly. “It’s peaceful.”

“Hmm,” he nodded. “Then you must hate crowded places.”

“I do.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Good. Then you won’t run away from me.”

She blinked, surprised.

“Why would I run away?”

He shrugged, a teasing smile on his face.

“People usually do.”

She looked at him carefully for a second…

then said,

“I won’t.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Something about those two words felt heavier than they should have.

I won’t.

It wasn’t just a reply.

It was a promise… she didn’t even realize she was making.

From that day on, they started sitting together more often.

It became normal.

Like it had always been that way.

But deep down… both of them knew—

It wasn’t normal.

It was something slowly growing…

Between conversations,

between smiles,

between the silence they now shared so comfortably.

And maybe…

this is how feelings begin.

Not loudly.

Not suddenly.

But in little moments…

that slowly start to mean everything.

The Feeling She Didn’t Like

Everything was going… well.

Too well, maybe.

Zara had started getting used to him—his voice, his random jokes, the way he always found a reason to sit beside her.

It had become a part of her routine.

And maybe… that was the problem.

That morning felt different.

Not because of anything obvious…

but because Arin wasn’t alone.

There was a girl with him.

She was pretty. Confident. The kind of person who didn’t hesitate before speaking. She walked beside him like they already knew each other well.

Zara noticed it.

Of course she did.

But she pretended not to.

“Hey Zara!”

She looked up.

Arin was standing there… with her.

“This is Nisha,” he said casually. “She just joined our class.”

Nisha smiled warmly. “Hi.”

Zara forced a small smile back. “Hi.”

That was it.

A simple introduction.

So why did it feel… uncomfortable?

The whole day, things felt off.

Arin wasn’t sitting beside her.

He was sitting with Nisha.

Talking. Laughing. Like he usually did with Zara.

And for some reason…

that didn’t feel right.

“Why does it matter?” Zara whispered to herself, staring at her notebook.

It shouldn’t matter.

He can talk to anyone.

He can sit with anyone.

So why did it feel like something was… taken away?

Later that day, Arin finally came up to her.

“You’ve been quiet,” he said, leaning slightly toward her desk.

“I’m always quiet,” she replied without looking at him.

He frowned a little. “Not like this.”

She didn’t respond.

There was a pause.

“Are you… upset?” he asked carefully.

That question hit differently.

She immediately shook her head. “No.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not.”

Now she looked at him.

And for the first time… there was something different in her eyes.

Not softness.

Not calm.

Something else.

“You seemed busy,” she added quietly.

“With Nisha.”

He stared at her for a second… then suddenly smiled.

Not a teasing smile.

A knowing one.

“Ohh,” he said softly.

Zara frowned. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Say it.”

He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice—

“Are you jealous?”

Her heart skipped.

“What? No!” she said quickly, looking away.

He chuckled.

“You are.”

“I’m not,” she insisted, her voice slightly weaker this time.

He didn’t argue.

He just looked at her… with that same calm expression.

And then said,

“Good.”

She blinked. “Good?”

“Yeah,” he said, standing straight again.

“It means I’m not the only one feeling something.”

Silence.

Her mind went blank.

“What does that mean?” she asked slowly.

But he had already started walking away.

“Figure it out,” he said, without turning back.

Zara sat there, completely still.

Her heart was beating faster than before.

Jealous?

Was she really?

And more importantly—

What was he feeling?

For the first time…

She wasn’t confused about him.

She was confused about herself.

I Don’t Like It

Everything felt normal again.

Or at least… that’s what Zara was trying to believe.

She had stopped thinking about what Arin said that day—

“It means I’m not the only one feeling something.”

But forgetting wasn’t easy.

Because he didn’t act like someone who meant nothing.

That afternoon, Zara was talking to a classmate.

It wasn’t anything special—just notes, a small doubt, normal conversation.

She didn’t even notice when Arin walked in.

But he noticed.

He stopped for a second… watching.

The way she smiled.

The way she leaned slightly forward while talking.

Something about it didn’t sit right with him.

Zara laughed softly at something the guy said.

And that was it.

Arin walked straight towards them.

“Zara,” he called.

She turned, a little surprised. “Oh, hey—”

Before she could finish, Arin looked at the guy and said,

“I need to talk to her.”

His tone wasn’t rude.

But it wasn’t casual either.

The guy nodded awkwardly and left.

Zara frowned slightly.

“What was that?”

“What?” Arin asked, acting normal.

“You didn’t have to interrupt like that.”

“I didn’t interrupt. I just called you.”

She crossed her arms. “Same thing.”

There was a small silence.

Then he said it.

“I don’t like it.”

Zara blinked. “Don’t like what?”

“When you talk to him like that.”

Her expression changed.

“Like what?”

“Like…” he paused, trying to find the right words,

“…like you were enjoying it.”

For a second, she didn’t understand.

Then she did.

And her heart reacted before her mind could.

“Why does it matter?” she asked quietly.

He didn’t answer immediately.

He just looked at her.

“Because it does,” he said finally.

That wasn’t enough.

“Arin, that’s not an answer.”

He stepped a little closer.

“Then listen carefully,” he said, his voice lower now.

“I don’t like seeing you with someone else.”

Silence.

Her heartbeat got louder.

“What does that even mean?” she whispered.

He held her gaze.

“It means… I notice things I shouldn’t care about.”

Zara didn’t know what to say.

This wasn’t teasing anymore.

This wasn’t light conversation.

This was something real.

Something she couldn’t ignore.

“You’re being weird,” she said softly, trying to lighten it.

But her voice didn’t sound normal.

He exhaled slightly, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah,” he said.

“I know.”

Another pause.

But this time… it felt heavy.

“I’m not saying you can’t talk to others,” he added quickly.

“I just…”

He stopped.

She waited.

“I just don’t like it,” he finished.

Zara looked at him… really looked at him.

This wasn’t anger.

This wasn’t control.

This was something else.

Something closer to…

jealousy.

And for some reason…

That didn’t push her away.

It made her feel something she wasn’t ready to admit.

“Okay,” she said softly.

He frowned. “Okay?”

“Yeah.”

She looked away for a second, then back at him.

“I’ll try not to… make you feel like that.”

Now it was his turn to be surprised.

“Why?” he asked.

Zara smiled a little.

Not teasing. Not shy.

Just honest.

“Because I don’t like it either.”

And just like that…

Everything changed again.