Episode 2: The Stranger I Couldn't Forget

"Some people enter your life for a moment. Others leave a mark on your heart forever."

The entire day, Riya tried to convince herself that the stranger meant nothing.

It had been a brief encounter—just a few seconds in a busy street. People met strangers every day. There was no reason for her to keep thinking about him.

Yet she couldn't.

His face kept appearing in her mind like a song she couldn't stop humming.

During class, she stared at the whiteboard while her professor explained an important lesson. The words filled the room, but none of them reached her ears.

Instead, she remembered the way he had looked at her.

The way he had smiled.

The way his voice sounded when he said, "Here."

It was such a simple word.

Yet somehow, it had stayed with her.

"Riya!" a voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

She blinked.

Her best friend, Ananya, was staring at her.

"What?"

"I've been calling your name for two minutes!"

The entire class burst into laughter.

Embarrassed, Riya quickly looked down at her notebook.

After class ended, Ananya grabbed her arm.

"Okay, tell me what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been daydreaming all day."

"I have not."

"Riya, you literally wrote the same sentence three times in your notes."

Riya looked down.

Ananya was right.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine. Maybe I'm just tired."

"Tired?" Ananya smirked. "Or thinking about someone?"

Riya immediately felt her cheeks turn red.

That reaction was enough to make Ananya scream dramatically.

"Oh my God! There IS someone!"

"No!"

"There definitely is."

"No, there isn't!"

Ananya folded her arms and smiled.

"I'll find out eventually."

The rest of the day passed quickly, but Riya's thoughts remained the same.

That evening, she sat beside her bedroom window.

The sky had turned orange as the sun slowly disappeared behind the buildings.

She watched the city lights come alive one by one.

Normally, evenings were her favorite time of the day.

But tonight felt different.

Her thoughts wandered back to the stranger.

"Why can't I stop thinking about him?" she whispered.

Maybe it was because he had appeared unexpectedly.

Maybe it was because she never even got the chance to thank him properly.

Or maybe there was something else.

Something she couldn't explain.

With a sigh, she opened her favorite novel and tried reading.

But after turning the same page three times, she finally gave up.

Even her books couldn't distract her.

That night, she dreamed of him.

She couldn't see his face clearly.

She only remembered his smile.

The next morning, Riya woke up earlier than usual.

For some reason, she felt excited to go to college.

She quickly got ready and left home.

The campus was already busy when she arrived.

Students walked in groups, laughing and chatting.

Riya tried to act normal.

But her eyes kept searching the crowd.

Every time she saw someone with dark hair, her heart skipped a beat.

Every time it wasn't him, disappointment followed.

"Get a grip, Riya," she told herself.

Just then, she noticed someone standing near the library entrance.

Her breath caught.

It was him.

The stranger.

For a moment, everything around her disappeared.

The noise.

The crowd.

The conversations.

All she could see was him.

He was leaning against the library wall, scrolling through his phone.

The morning sunlight reflected softly on his face.

As if sensing someone watching him, he looked up.

Their eyes met.

Again.

Riya's heart began racing.

The stranger stared at her for a second before a small smile appeared on his face.

A smile she instantly recognized.

And suddenly, she found herself smiling too.

Neither of them spoke.

Yet the moment felt strangely familiar.

As if fate had been waiting for this.

Before Riya could gather the courage to walk over to him, a voice called from behind.

"Arjun!"

The boy turned.

A friend waved at him from across the campus.

"Arjun, hurry up!"

Arjun.

The name echoed in her mind.

So that was his name.

Arjun.

For some reason, hearing it made her smile.

She repeated it quietly to herself.

"Arjun."

A beautiful name for a beautiful stranger.

Before she knew it, he was walking away with his friends.

But this time, he glanced back.

Just once.

And smiled.

Riya stood there frozen.

A strange feeling filled her heart.

She didn't know why.

She didn't know what would happen next.

But one thing was certain.

The stranger she couldn't forget finally had a name.

And somehow, she knew this wasn't the end of their story.

It was only the beginning.

To Be Continued... ❤️✨

Next Episode: His Name Was Arjun 📖🌙

"Sometimes, learning someone's name is the first step toward changing your entire life."

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