Chapter 4 A Little More Than Friends

"Some people slowly become a part of your routine.

You don't notice when it happens… until one day, you realize that seeing them has become your favourite part of the day."

I don't know when exactly Arav Mehta became someone I looked for in every room.

Maybe it was during our conversations.

Maybe it was during those small moments when he smiled at me.

Or maybe it was simply because being around him felt easy.

With Arav, I never felt like I had to pretend.

I could just be myself.

And somehow, that felt special.

A few weeks had passed since Arav joined our class.

By then, he wasn't just the new student anymore.

He had become someone everyone knew.

But for me, he was different.

He was the person whose voice I noticed even in a crowded classroom.

The person whose messages I waited for during group project discussions.

The person who could turn a normal day into a memorable one without even trying.

"Anaya, are you coming to the library?" Arav asked one afternoon.

I looked up from my notebook.

"Library?"

"Yeah. We need to collect some information for our project."

I nodded. "Okay."

Walking beside him through the quiet school corridor felt strangely peaceful.

We talked about random things.

Not just studies.

Not just the project.

Everything.

Our favourite movies.

The subjects we liked.

The little things that annoyed us.

And somehow, those simple conversations became my favourite memories.

"You know something?" Arav said suddenly.

"What?"

"You smile a lot when you're talking about things you like."

I looked at him, surprised.

"Do I?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of nice."

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

It was such a small compliment.

But coming from him…

It felt different.

I looked away, trying to hide my smile.

"You're weird," I said jokingly.

He laughed.

And that laugh stayed in my mind for the rest of the day.

That evening, I sat at my desk, pretending to complete my homework.

But my thoughts kept going back to our conversation.

I started wondering…

Did he enjoy talking to me too?

Did he wait for our conversations like I did?

Did he notice these little moments the way I did?

I didn't know the answers.

Maybe I never would.

Because sometimes, feelings begin in silence.

One person feels everything.

While the other person doesn't even realize they are becoming someone's favourite thought.

The next day, when I entered the classroom, I saw Arav sitting near the window.

As soon as he noticed me, he smiled.

A simple smile.

A normal smile.

But somehow, it made my entire morning better.

And that's when I realized…

Maybe I wasn't just interested in knowing him anymore.

Maybe he had become someone I genuinely cared about.

Someone who made me happy without even trying.

Someone who was slowly becoming a beautiful part of my story.

But I didn't know then…

That every beautiful beginning carries a hidden ending.

And every first glance…

Somewhere, someday…

Leads to a last goodbye.

— to be continued.

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