It started on an ordinary Monday morning, the kind that smelled like chalk dust and fresh notebooks. Meera was new to the school, nervously clutching her timetable, when she walked into the classroom and realized every seat was taken—except one.
“Here,” Aarav said softly, moving his bag off the chair beside him.
That was it. No music, no sparks. Just a seat.
But sometimes, beginnings are quiet.
Aarav noticed little things. The way Meera underlined her notes with different colors. How she bit her pen when she was thinking. Meera noticed how Aarav always shared his lunch, even when he pretended he wasn’t hungry.
Their friendship grew slowly.
They argued about which song to play during free periods.
They shared umbrella space during unexpected rain.
They competed for the highest marks and secretly celebrated when the other did well.
Soon came the little sweet moments:
Him saving her a seat every day without asking
Her borrowing his hoodie during winter and never returning it
Late-night texts that started with homework doubts and ended with random jokes
Smiling at their phones for no reason and hiding it when someone asked why
One evening, while studying together, Meera fell asleep on the desk. Aarav didn’t wake her. He just covered her with his notebook and smiled like his heart had finally found its place.
They never officially confessed. Love slipped in quietly—between shared chocolates, inside unfinished sentences, and in the way their hands brushed and stayed there a second longer than necessary.
When exams ended and life began to change, reality slowly knocked. Different colleges. Different cities. Different dreams.
On their last day together, they stood outside the school gate, not knowing what to say.
“I guess this is goodbye,” Meera whispered.
Aarav smiled, a little sad, a little grateful.
“Not goodbye,” he said. “Just… thank you.”
They walked away in opposite directions, carrying something precious—
their first love.
Not perfect. Not forever.
But sweet enough to stay with them for a lifetime.
