Chapter 1 – The Boy Named Casper
Before everything fell apart… before love turned into regret… there was just a girl who didn't even realize when her heart began to change.
Her name was Guriyaa.
Everyone in class knew her as the cheerful one. She laughed easily, helped people with homework, and never seemed to carry anger in her heart for long. Even teachers liked her because she was respectful and hardworking.
Every evening after school, she walked to her tuition classes.
The street that led to the building had become part of her routine. A small grocery shop stood on the corner, and children usually played cricket nearby. As the sun slowly disappeared behind the buildings, yellow streetlights would flicker on one by one.
Guriyaa walked the same path almost every day.
That evening didn't seem different at first.
Students were chatting while waiting for the teacher. Some were scrolling through their phones, others were arguing about homework.
Guriyaa sat in her usual seat near the window, letting the cool evening air brush against her face.
Then the classroom door opened.
A boy stepped inside.
He wasn't loud like the other boys who tried to show off when they entered. Instead, he walked in quietly, his expression calm and distant.
His dark eyes briefly scanned the room before he moved toward an empty desk.
The teacher looked up from his notebook.
"Class, this is Casper," he said. "He'll be joining from today."
Casper gave a small nod.
He didn't smile.
He didn't introduce himself.
He simply sat down and opened his book.
A few girls whispered immediately.
"Who is he?"
"He looks serious."
"Maybe he's new in the area."
But Guriyaa barely paid attention.
To her, he was just another student.
Someone who would probably sit quietly for a few weeks and then disappear from her thoughts completely.
And that's exactly what happened.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into months.
Casper attended every class without fail. He always arrived on time, finished his work quickly, and rarely talked to anyone.
Sometimes the teacher asked him questions, and he answered calmly, his voice low but confident.
Then he would go back to writing in his notebook.
He didn't laugh loudly with the other boys.
He didn't join their jokes.
He didn't seem interested in making friends.
And slowly, he became part of the background of the classroom.
Guriyaa hardly noticed him anymore.
Until Mia arrived.
Mia joined the tuition classes several months later.
Unlike Casper, she was lively and energetic. She talked easily, laughed loudly, and made friends quickly.
Within a week, she and Guriyaa started sitting together after class, chatting about school, teachers, and random gossip.
One evening, while they were packing their bags, Mia suddenly leaned closer with a curious smile.
"So…" she said.
Guriyaa looked up from her notebook.
"So what?"
Mia's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Do you like Casper?"
The question came so suddenly that Guriyaa almost dropped her pen.
"What?" she laughed nervously. "No!"
Mia raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Of course," Guriyaa said quickly.
Mia didn't look convinced.
Over the next few days, she kept bringing it up.
"You look at him sometimes."
"You notice when he enters the class."
"You definitely like him."
Every time, Guriyaa denied it.
But something strange started happening.
The more Mia mentioned Casper, the more aware Guriyaa became of his presence.
She began noticing things she had never paid attention to before.
The way Casper pushed his hair back when he was concentrating.
The way he tapped his pen lightly on the desk while thinking.
The way he quietly packed his bag the moment class ended.
Sometimes, without realizing it, her eyes drifted toward him.
Just for a moment.
Just to see what he was doing.
At first, she didn't think it meant anything.
But slowly… those small moments started happening more often.
One evening, Mia asked again while they were leaving the classroom.
"Be honest this time," she said.
Guriyaa hesitated.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
"I don't know," she admitted quietly.
Mia tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
Guriyaa looked down at the floor.
"Maybe… I like him a little."
For a moment, Mia didn't react.
Then she simply shrugged.
"Oh."
Guriyaa frowned.
"Oh?"
Mia pulled out her phone casually.
"He doesn't want a relationship."
The words sounded simple.
But they hit harder than Guriyaa expected.
A strange pain spread through her chest.
She forced a small smile, pretending it didn't matter.
"Good," she said lightly. "Because I don't either."
But that night, as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind kept replaying the moment Mia had said those words.
And without realizing it…
She started thinking about Casper.
About his quiet eyes.
About his calm voice.
About the boy who never even looked at her twice.
For the first time, a thought crossed her mind that she couldn't ignore anymore.
Maybe… Mia had been right all along.
Maybe her heart had already begun falling for him.
And she didn't even know when it started.