The first time our eyes met after months apart, it felt like time had folded in on itself. One moment I was climbing the hostel stairs, mind full of assignments and endless chatter, and the next, everything stilled. It was just him,leaning casually against the wall like he had every right to stop my whole world without even trying.
That smile. The one I thought I'd forgotten, the one I told myself not to miss,it came back to me in an instant. I froze, breath caught in my throat, while he tilted his head slightly, as if trying to figure out if I was real, or just another ghost of the past come to haunt him.
For a heartbeat, we didn't move. The noise of hostel life swirled around us girls dragging buckets to the bathroom, someone calling out for hot water, laughter ringing from an upstairs balcony. But none of it mattered. His eyes locked with mine, and I felt the months of silence press heavily against my chest.
Finally, he spoke.
"You're back."
Two simple words. Nothing extraordinary, but they carried everything I had been waiting to hear. My lips curved into a nervous smile, and I nodded. "Yeah. Just settled in today."
He shifted, stepping closer, his smile widening. "Good to see you."
My heart raced. Good to see you. Did he mean it? Or was it just something people said? I wanted to ask a thousand questions ,Why did you stop texting? Did you miss me? Did those months mean anything to you? But I stayed quiet, afraid of sounding desperate.
Instead, I managed a simple, "Yeah… you too."
For a moment, we lingered there, caught between everything we had been and everything we might still become. And then, as if sensing my unease, he laughed softly, the sound low and familiar. "You still look the same."
I rolled my eyes, relieved by the sudden lightness. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just… like you." His grin deepened. "Like the girl who can't hide when she's overthinking."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. He remembered. He still knew me.
We parted ways that evening with nothing more than a promise to catch up soon, but the encounter replayed in my head all night. Every glance, every word, every half-smile. And for the first time in months, I slept with a smile.
⸻
The days that followed were filled with small, cautious steps. We didn't dive straight into what we used to be. Instead, we circled around it,short conversations when our paths crossed, a wave across the cafeteria, a quick check-in over text. It was as though we were both testing the waters, unsure if it was safe to jump back in.
But slowly, the gaps closed.
One afternoon, I was sitting outside my hostel with my roommate, books spread across our laps, pretending to study. My phone buzzed.
Him: You free later?
I stared at the message, my heart flipping. My roommate noticed immediately. "It's him, isn't it?" she teased, snatching the phone from my hand.
"Give it back!" I lunged for it, but she only laughed, reading the text aloud before grinning at me. "So… are you free later?"
I rolled my eyes, but the truth was, I'd been waiting for this. I typed back quickly: Yeah. Where?
A few minutes later, his reply came. Meet me at the sports field around five.
⸻
The sun was low when I walked toward the field, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. My palms were sweaty, my heart thudding like a drum. I spotted him near the bleachers, hands shoved in his pockets, looking completely at ease while I felt like my stomach was in knots.
"Hey," he said as I approached, his smile easy.
"Hey." I forced my voice steady, though my nerves screamed otherwise.
We sat on the bleachers, side by side, the field stretching out before us. Players shouted as they kicked a football around, the sound of whistles and laughter filling the air. But between us, there was a bubble of quiet, a space only we occupied.
For a while, we talked about school,lecturers who still hadn't changed their terrible habits, classmates who hadn't matured, hostel drama. It was light, easy, like slipping back into old shoes.
But then he went quiet. I glanced at him, and his gaze was fixed on the horizon, thoughtful.
"Do you ever think about… how we just stopped talking?" he asked finally, his voice softer than before.
My chest tightened. "All the time."
He turned to me then, his eyes searching mine. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I guess… life got in the way. But I thought about you. More than I probably should've."
The honesty in his words left me breathless. I wanted to believe him, and in that moment, I did.
"I thought about you too," I admitted quietly.
He smiled, a little shy, a little relieved. "Good. Because I don't want to stop this time."
Something shifted between us then something unspoken but undeniable. The air felt charged, my skin tingling as though every nerve was awake. We didn't touch, didn't move closer, but the distance between us suddenly felt fragile, like it could break with the slightest breath.
As the sun dipped lower, he finally stood. "Walk you back?"
I nodded, my voice lost somewhere between my heart and my throat.
The walk was filled with easy chatter, but beneath it was a current, strong and insistent, pulling us toward something neither of us had named yet.
At the hostel gates, he paused. "So… same time tomorrow?"
I smiled, trying not to show how much the question meant. "Yeah. Same time."
And just like that, it began again.
⸻
Days turned into weeks, and soon, seeing him became part of my routine. We'd meet at the field, or grab food together, or simply walk aimlessly across campus, talking about everything and nothing. Each moment felt like a thread weaving us back together, stronger than before.
My friends noticed, of course. "You're glowing," one teased. "What's his name?"
I brushed it off with laughter, but inside, I knew. This wasn't just friendship anymore.
One evening, as we sat under a tree near the library, the conversation turned quiet. He looked at me, really looked, like he was trying to memorize every detail.
"You know," he said softly, "I don't just want to be your friend."
The words hung in the air, heavy and sweet. My heart raced, my breath caught, and for a second, I thought I'd misheard.
But then he leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Let me take you out. Properly. Not as friends. As… more."
My world spun. Every doubt, every question, every sleepless night led to this moment.
And yet, before I could answer, a group of students passed by, laughing loudly, breaking the moment like glass shattering. He leaned back, giving me a small, almost nervous smile.
"Think about it," he said, standing. "I'll wait."
I sat there, heart pounding, the echo of his words circling in my head. Not just friends.
For the first time, I realized this wasn't a maybe. It was real.
And now, the only question? Am I ready to let it happen?