It was no longer just a passing crush for Adam; it had turned into a quiet obsession that followed him everywhere, on his way to university, during lectures, and even as he tried to sleep, Salma's image kept slipping into his mind without permission, and every time he remembered her words or her looks, he felt something like a challenge, as if an unspoken game had begun and he was already part of it without understanding its rules
That day, Adam decided to do something different, he no longer wanted to be the guy who stood in the background watching, he wanted to prove to himself before anyone else that he could change, so he stood in front of the mirror, adjusted his clothes carefully, fixed his appearance, and even practiced a natural smile as if he were preparing for a confrontation, not just an ordinary day
When he arrived at the university, he didn't approach immediately this time, instead, he stood at a distance watching, as if trying to understand the scene before stepping into it, and there he saw her, Salma standing with a guy, talking and smiling, the guy seemed confident, moving freely and laughing easily as if he had nothing to worry about, while she responded with clear interest
Adam froze for a few moments, watching from afar, feeling something pressing on his chest, but he didn't move, he didn't interrupt the scene like before, he waited, as if searching for the right moment
And then, after a few minutes, the guy looked at his phone, said something Adam couldn't hear, and quickly walked away, leaving Salma alone for a brief moment
That was when Adam moved
He walked toward her faster this time, as if afraid to miss the chance, and when he reached her, he said good morning Salma, she looked at him, gave a slight smile, and said good morning, but she didn't seem surprised, as if she had expected him to show up
He stood there for a moment, then said were you talking to someone, she replied simply yeah just a friend, then glanced at him and added why, he got slightly nervous and said no I mean you both seemed focused, she smiled and said I'm always focused, then looked back at her phone
Adam felt the conversation slipping from his control, but he insisted on continuing, so he said are you heading to the lecture, she replied yeah but not yet, then looked up at him and said you always show up at the right time like this, he couldn't tell if it was a normal question or a hint, so he said maybe, and she smiled lightly without commenting
He sat beside her and tried to start a conversation, but he noticed she kept replying to messages on her phone, smiling at times and ignoring him at others, as if her attention was divided, or maybe not with him at all
Then she suddenly said by the way I like people who are clear and confident, he looked at her and said I can be like that, she smiled and said not with words, then went quiet, leaving the sentence hanging with more than one meaning
He felt a slight sting, but he didn't back down, instead he said you'll see, and she looked at him with mild interest, as if she was simply taking note of him, nothing more
A few moments passed in silence, then she stood up and said I have a lecture, and without waiting for his response, she walked away immediately, as if ending the conversation on her own terms, while he remained seated for a few seconds, feeling like everything had happened too fast to understand whether he had moved forward or not
In that moment, he realized something strange, he was always the one waiting for the opportunity, watching, timing his move, while she waited for no one, caring little whether someone came or left, as if his presence was just a possibility, not a necessity
Later, he sat with Karim, who looked at him and said you look like you're waiting in line for your turn, Adam replied with irritation it's not like that, Karim laughed and said then try to make someone wait for you for once, Adam stayed silent, because the sentence was simple, but heavier than it sounded
On his way home, he didn't think much about the guy she was with, instead, he thought about himself, about his hesitation, his approach, yet he didn't feel like quitting, something inside him was pushing him to continue, even if he didn't know where it would lead
He lifted his head and said to himself I'm still at the beginning, without realizing that this very beginning was already full of signs he had not yet understood