JUST A LOOK, JUST A FEELING

It was two years back...

Nancy and I were in 11th class. It was the month of January, and winter had fully settled in. Mornings were cold and foggy, and we’d often wrap our shawls tighter while walking through the school gate. That winter brought not just cold winds, but something else—something unexpected.

There was a sports meet happening in our school. The ground was full of cheers, whistles, and students in tracksuits running around. That day, during the long jump event, Nancy saw a boy—tall, athletic, full of energy.

That was the moment.

She turned to me, eyes wide, a playful smile on her face.

"He looks kind of cute," she whispered.

That’s how it started.

A crush, I thought. Or maybe just attraction. He had the kind of body Nancy always liked—muscular, sporty. She admired boys who looked strong and confident, and this one fit right into that image.

Four months later, in 12th class, she saw him again.

That’s when her interest grew stronger.

She didn’t talk to him. She didn’t even know his name then.

But she told me about him again and again. "I think he’s from the science stream… maybe PCM?"

One day, I saw him too.

And something inside me felt off. I couldn’t explain it, but I got a weird vibe—negative, uneasy. I didn’t like how Nancy looked at him with so much excitement.

I didn’t tell her how I felt. I just nodded quietly when she talked about him. But somewhere in my heart, I hoped that this boy would just remain a passing crush.

That’s how we came to know his name later—Daniel.

Nancy’s quiet crush… and the beginning of everything.

Funny thing is—Daniel never even knew that Nancy liked him.

He had no idea. Not then. Not even later.

Back in 11th, Nancy and I were always together—same class, same bench, same routine. We shared everything: notebooks, snacks, and secrets. We were inseparable. But in 12th, we were placed in different sections, and for the first time, our paths during the day started to drift apart.

Still, our bond didn’t fade.

We stayed in the same hostel room, went to school together, and spent evenings talking like always. But something new entered her thoughts—Daniel.

It all started during the winter sports meet, when Nancy had first seen him during the long jump event. She developed a light-hearted crush. I thought it was just for fun, something she'd forget with time.

But then she saw him again—after four months.

And that little spark turned into something more.

That year, Nancy became classmates with Sam, a guy who had also been in our class during 11th. Through him, we came to know that Daniel was his friend. And as it happened, Sam was also close to Priyanka, our classmate and hostel friend.

Nancy’s little circle of connections worked together.

Sam and Priyanka got curious and playful, and eventually they helped her get Daniel’s Instagram ID.

But she didn’t tell me.

Not because she didn’t trust me, but because she knew what I’d say.

And she was right.

When I eventually found out, I wasn’t angry—just a little uncomfortable. I told her gently,

"Just keep him as a crush, Nancy… don’t go beyond that. Don’t talk to him."

I didn’t know why I felt that way. There was just something about Daniel that made me uneasy. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe I was protective. I couldn’t quite explain it.

We had small fights sometimes—light arguments, short silences—but they never lasted long. We always made up. That’s just how we were.

We never let anything serious come between us—not even this.

Nancy knew I didn’t like Daniel. And I knew she still thought about him anyway.

But we respected each other. We stayed honest. We stayed us.

Even with little cracks, our friendship never broke.

And now when I look back, I smile at how it all felt so big then...

Yet through it all, we never stopped being best friends.

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