The morning sun felt warmer than usual that day.
Maybe it was because I was nervous; standing at the gate of my new school, holding a bag that still smelled like the shop I bought it from.
Everything felt unfamiliar; the voices, the laughter, the walls.
In the new school. I was the new kid again.
"Bro, don't just stand there," one of the boys said, patting my shoulder. I had just met him five minutes ago, and he was already acting like we were old friends. "Class nine's room is that way. Let's go, Aryan."
That was the first time someone called my name there Aryan.
Funny how a simple word can make you feel like you belong somewhere.
As I followed them through the corridor. I was trying to look confident. But then... I saw her.
She was standing near the window, sunlight brushing through her hair. Her white shirt fluttered slightly in the breeze. She wasn't talking much; just smiling faintly at something a friend said. When she laughed
I swear, time didn't stop, but my heartbeat did.
Something inside me just... clicked.
That kind of feeling you can't explain, only feel.
"Eh, Aryan, where are you looking bro?" my new friend whispered with a teasing grin.
I quickly looked away, pretending to fix my bag strap.
"Nothing," I said. But my voice sounded way too defensive, and he burst out laughing.
Later, I heard someone say she was Shreya, the daughter of one of the teachers. Smart, mature, the type who always looked calm even when everyone else was loud.
And, apparently, she already had a boyfriend.
I should've stopped right there, but I didn't.
Because every time she walked past me, it felt like the world got a little quieter; and a little brighter. I started to accept her as my queen of heart.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
A random song was looping in my head "Stranger" by Buywithuke.
🎵 Stranger... na na nana nana na....
I didn't even remember when I heard it first, but it felt like it was made for her.
Days turned into weeks.
I barely cared about studies. My friends teased me every time she appeared.
And I didn't even try to deny it anymore; not really.
One afternoon, we were sitting under the tree, joking around. I was mid-laugh when she appeared from behind the corridor.
My friends noticed first.
"Eh, lover-boy! Your princess is here!" they shouted.
I froze. My hands felt cold, my ears hot.
She looked at us; or maybe just at me; for a second.
Then, she said softly, "I hate him and that's not what lovers do."
And walked away.
I didn't understand what she meant.
But that single line echoed in my chest long after she left.
That day, the song in my head didn't stop.
It just got louder.
🎵 Stranger.........