The last year of school always feels heavier than the rest not because of books or exams but because everyone knows something is ending even before it ends
Class 12th started on a humid Monday morning when the ceiling fans made more noise than the students and the smell of chalk mixed with sweat and old wooden desks
I was eighteen already and so was everyone else but we still sat like children pretending we knew what we were doing with our lives
My name is Sam
I sat on the third bench from the window the same place I had been sitting since class nine
I liked that seat because sunlight touched the desk for a few minutes every morning and for some reason those minutes felt honest
That morning I was sketching random lines on the last page of my notebook thinking about nothing important
Then Nova walked in
She was late
Not dramatically late just enough for the class to notice
Her footsteps were light but they felt loud to me
She pushed the door slowly like she was unsure whether the room wanted her inside
Nova was not loud or flashy
No sharp laughter no forced confidence
She had calm written all over her like a quiet river that looked harmless but you never knew how deep it went
Her hair was tied loosely and a few strands kept falling on her face like they refused discipline
She looked around searching for an empty seat and her eyes passed over me without stopping
That should not have mattered
But for some reason it did
She sat beside Anaya who was known for talking too much and listening too little
Nova smiled politely and opened her bag
That smile stayed with me longer than it should have
I did not fall in love that day
People say love happens instantly
They lie
What happened was slower and more dangerous
Our English teacher Mr Rao entered and started talking about poetry and metaphors
He said something about how some emotions cannot be named
I looked at Nova while he said that
She was underlining a sentence and nodding slowly like she understood something others did not
I wondered what she was thinking
Days passed
Weeks followed
I noticed things I never planned to notice
The way Nova listened when someone spoke even when the topic was boring
The way she wrote notes like every word mattered
The way she smiled less but felt more
I never spoke to her at first
I was not shy
I was careful
Because once you speak you exist
And once you exist you can be ignored
We shared the same school but lived in different worlds
I stayed back after classes for basketball practice
She went to the library or sometimes straight home
Our paths crossed without touching
Sometimes I felt like she knew I was watching
Sometimes I felt invisible
There was one evening when the sky turned orange too early and the power went out
Classes were dismissed early
Everyone rushed out laughing like freedom had been announced
Nova stood alone near the notice board reading something
I stood a few steps away pretending to check my phone
The wind moved suddenly and a paper fell from the board
It landed near my feet
I picked it up
It was a poem printed in small letters
I read one line
If love stays silent does it still exist
I looked at Nova
She was watching me
Our eyes met
Just for a second
Maybe less
She walked toward me and took the paper from my hand
Thanks she said softly
Her voice was calm but it stayed with me longer than the sound of the school bell
You like poetry I asked without thinking
She smiled a little
I like words that don't lie she said
I did not know what to reply
She nodded politely and walked away
That was our first conversation
Six words from her
Twelve seconds of courage from me
That night I could not sleep
I kept hearing her voice in my head
Not the sound but the feeling
I told myself it was nothing
Just curiosity
Just attraction
But feelings do not ask permission
From that day I started noticing strange things
Sometimes when I thought about Nova I felt a tightness in my chest like the air had shifted
Once during chemistry class I could swear the lights flickered when she laughed
I blamed it on stress
On exams
On imagination
But deep down I felt something else
Something unreal
There was a boy named Aarav
He sat two rows ahead of Nova
He talked to her often
Too often
I watched their conversations from a distance
Nothing romantic
Nothing obvious
Still it hurt
That was when I understood
It had already happened
I was in love
One sided
Quiet
Hopeless
I never planned to tell her
Some feelings are not meant to be shared
They are meant to be carried
One afternoon Nova did not come to school
The next day neither
Teachers said nothing
Anaya looked worried
On the third day Nova returned
Her eyes looked tired
Not sleepy
Tired in a deeper way
I wanted to ask
I didn't
During lunch break she sat alone
I walked past her table
She looked up
Sam right she asked
I froze
She knew my name
Yes I said
You dropped this yesterday she said handing me a notebook
It was mine
I had not noticed
When did you
I stopped
She smiled slightly
I notice things she said
Our fingers touched for a moment
The room felt quieter
Too quiet
For a second I felt like time slowed down
Like everything was waiting
Then the bell rang
And reality returned
That evening something strange happened
I was walking home when I felt like someone was following me
I turned around
No one
The streetlight flickered
The air felt heavier
In my pocket my phone vibrated
A message from an unknown number
If you keep loving her silently something will change
My heart raced
Another message came immediately
Not every love story stays human
I stopped walking
My hands shook
I typed back
Who is this
No reply
That night I dreamt of Nova standing in the school corridor alone
The lights were off
She looked at me and said
Some feelings create doors Sam
Once opened they cannot be closed
I woke up sweating
The next morning I reached school early
Too early
Nova was already there
Standing near the window at my seat
She looked at me like she had been waiting
Sam she said quietly
Do you ever feel like something is watching us
Before I could answer
The lights flickered again
And for the first time
I realized this was not just a love story
Something had already begun.