After all the checking in the big hall was finished, we were sent to the box rooms — boys to their room, girls to ours.
Everyone was busy changing, unpacking, arranging their things…
but my mind was stuck somewhere else.
His face kept coming back to me.
That first moment in the hall — I couldn't forget it.
I wanted to know his name, honestly… but then I stopped myself.
Leave it, I thought.
I didn't want anyone to tease me or ask questions, so I just kept quiet.
Night passed, and morning came.
We woke up early, brushed our teeth, drank our Horlicks, and went to the study hall for morning study.
Everything was normal, the same routine as always, but something inside me felt different.
After study, we changed into our school uniform and came out for breakfast.
The dining hall was divided —
boys on one side, girls on the other,
and in the middle, there was a big window-like opening where both sides could see each other.
I was walking with my friends toward the girls' dining area, talking about completely random things…
and suddenly, through that big window, my eyes stopped.
It was him.
He was sitting on the boys' side, eating breakfast and talking softly with his friends.
He wasn't laughing loudly or doing anything special — but still, he stood out to me.
The way he talked, the way he moved… everything seemed so calm.
I wasn't expecting to see him at that moment.
But when I did, my heart reacted instantly.
For a second, the noise around me disappeared.
It felt like the whole dining hall blurred, except for him.
I didn't even blink — I just kept looking, quietly, secretly, hoping no one noticed.
That was the second time I saw him…
unexpected, sudden, and somehow, even more special than the first.