Getting admission into the university felt like stepping into a new world. That morning, I walked into the admin office with my dad, nervous but excited. While we waited for the paperwork, I noticed him.
He wasn't doing anything special,just standing there with his mom,but for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was fair, his skin almost glowing under the fluorescent lights. His smile,soft, charming, a little mysterious,felt like it could melt through the walls of that office. The kind of smile that made time slow down for a moment, leaving me caught in the middle of a crowd but only seeing him. Something about him pulled me in, though I didn't even know his name. By the time the process was over, we went our separate ways. I didn't expect to see him again.
But life has its surprises.
Days later, I went for my medicals, and there he was this time in the same cab as me. I pretended not to notice, but inside, my heart raced. Was it just coincidence, or was the universe trying to say something?
Back at the hostel, I couldn't keep the story to myself. I told my course -mate about him, and she laughed softly. "In the evenings, guys usually hang out outside," she said. "You might see him again."
So I tried. That evening, I walked over to her hostel, my heart pounding like it had something to prove. And then,like magic,there he was again.
I froze for a second, afraid my courage would fail me. He was leaning casually against the wall, talking to a friend, the same easy smile on his face. It felt impossible to interrupt, but at the same time, impossible to just walk away.
I took a deep breath, stepped closer, and before I could stop myself, the word slipped out.
"Hi."
He turned, his eyes meeting mine. For a heartbeat, I thought he wouldn't recognize me. Then his lips curved, slow and knowing, as if he'd been expecting this moment all along.
"Hey," he said, his voice warm and easy.
Something fluttered inside me. We exchanged names, then numbers, almost too quickly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. But to me, it wasn't just numbers on a screen,it felt like a door opening.
Walking back to my hostel that night, I couldn't stop smiling. My mind kept replaying his voice, his smile, the way he had looked at me like I wasn't just another random girl on campus.
And deep down, I knew it.
That one word, that simple hi, had changed everything.
Back at my hostel, I burst into the room, barely able to contain myself. My roommate was sprawled on her bed, scrolling through her phone, but the moment she saw my face, she sat up.
"You saw him again, didn't you?" she asked, already grinning.
I nodded, dropping onto my bed with a dramatic sigh. "Not just saw him… I spoke to him. We exchanged numbers."
Her eyes widened. "No way! You actually did it?"
Within minutes, the news had spread to two other girls in our block, and suddenly I was surrounded, everyone teasing and asking what he looked like, what his voice sounded like, if he was taller than me. I laughed through their questions, hugging my pillow like it held all my secrets.
Later that night, when the room was quieter, my phone buzzed. A new message.
"It was nice meeting you today."
I stared at the screen, my heart racing, a smile pulling at my lips. My fingers hovered, unsure of what to reply without sounding too eager. Eventually, I typed back something simple, casual. But inside, I was anything but casual.
I didn't know it then, but that single message was only the beginning of late-night chats, of stolen glances across campus, of something bigger than I ever imagined.
And that night, as I drifted off to sleep, I had no idea that tomorrow would change everything.