BEFORE WE BECAME STRANGERS

Ethan Cole arrived at Westbridge University with three things. A faded black backpack. Two thousand naira in his wallet. And a promise to himself that nobody would ever know how badly he was struggling. The university gate stood several meters ahead of him, enormous and intimidating. Students moved through it in every direction, dragging suitcases, carrying boxes, laughing with friends and calling their parents. Some looked excited. Some looked nervous. Ethan felt both. He adjusted the strap of his backpack and took a deep breath. "First day," he whispered. He looked down at his phone. 7:43 a.m. His first lecture was at eight. "Great." He hurried across campus. Westbridge was much bigger than he had imagined. Buildings seemed to stretch endlessly, and every path looked almost identical. He stopped beside a large notice board. FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES — NEW STUDENTS He scanned the list. Room 204. Block C. He followed the directions. After getting lost twice and asking three different students for directions, Ethan finally found the lecture hall. The room was already crowded. He stepped inside quietly. Nobody paid much attention to him. Perfect. He preferred it that way. He looked around for an empty seat. Near the middle of the room, he spotted one. A girl had placed a notebook and a water bottle on the desk beside her, but she wasn't there. Ethan glanced around. Nobody seemed to be using it. He sat down. He pulled out his notebook. At exactly 7:59, a girl hurried into the lecture hall. She was holding several books against her chest. Her long braids bounced behind her as she walked. She stopped suddenly. Her eyes landed on Ethan. Then on the seat. Then back at Ethan. "Excuse me." Ethan looked up. "Yeah?" "You're sitting there." He glanced at the chair. "Here?" "Yes." He looked at the notebook on the desk. "Oh." He picked it up. "Sorry. I didn't know anyone was sitting here." "I was sitting there." Ethan looked around. "But you're not sitting there now." The girl stared at him. For a moment, Ethan wondered if he had said something wrong. "I went to get something," she said. "Oh." He stood. "Sorry." She didn't move. Ethan waited. She raised an eyebrow. "You're going to move, right?" "Yeah." He picked up his backpack. "Of course." He moved to the seat behind her. She sat down without another word. Ethan shook his head. First day. First minute. Already annoying someone. He opened his notebook. Then he heard her whisper. "Unbelievable." Ethan looked up. She wasn't looking at him. He decided not to respond. A few seconds later, the lecturer walked in. "Good morning, everyone." "Good morning, sir." "Welcome to Westbridge University." The lecture began. Ethan tried to concentrate. But the girl in front of him kept tapping her pen against the desk. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. After five minutes, Ethan leaned forward. "Are you okay?" She turned. "What?" "Your pen." She looked at it. "What about it?" "It's making noise." She stared at him. Then she smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. "Does it bother you?" "A little." She shrugged. "Sorry." Then she continued tapping. Ethan sighed. Definitely not his day. --- Two hours later, the lecturer dismissed them. The room exploded into conversation. Students stood, stretched and rushed toward the door. Ethan packed his things. He had barely gotten out of his seat when someone tapped his shoulder. "Hey." He turned. The girl from earlier. "Yes?" She held out his notebook. "You forgot this." Ethan looked down. He hadn't even realized it was missing. "Oh. Thanks." She handed it to him. "You're welcome." She started walking away. "Wait." She turned. Ethan smiled. "I never got your name." She hesitated. "Amelia." "Ethan." "I know." He frowned. "You know?" She pointed at the notebook. His name was written across the cover. "Oh." She smiled. "Right." Then she walked away. Ethan watched her disappear into the crowd. He shook his head. "Interesting." "Ethan!" He turned. A tall guy with a huge smile was walking toward him. The guy threw an arm around his shoulder. "Bro!" Ethan laughed. "Marcus." "You almost got me killed." "What?" "I've been calling you for twenty minutes." "My phone was on silent." "I know. I nearly thought you had died." Marcus looked around. "So?" "So what?" "How's your first day?" Ethan shrugged. "Fine." Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Fine?" "Yeah." "You met anyone?" "Not really." Marcus smiled. "Liar." Ethan laughed. "I'm serious." Marcus looked toward the doorway. Then back at him. "I saw you talking to that girl." "What girl?" "The beautiful one." Ethan rolled his eyes. "Amelia?" "You know her name already?" "We had a conversation." "Ah." Marcus grinned. "First day and you've already found love." "Relax." "I'm just saying." "You're always saying nonsense." Marcus laughed. "Come on. I'm hungry." They walked out together. --- Across the hallway, Amelia was standing with her best friend, Sophia. Sophia was scrolling through her phone. "You disappeared," she said. "I had to get my notebook." "You could've waited." "No." Sophia looked at her. "What happened?" "Some guy took my seat." Sophia laughed. "And?" "And nothing." "You look annoyed." "I am annoyed." Sophia smiled. "What's his name?" "I don't know." "You asked?" "No." "Then how do you know?" Amelia glanced toward the hallway. "Ethan." Sophia raised an eyebrow. "You said you didn't know his name." "I saw it on his notebook." Sophia laughed. "Interesting." "There's nothing interesting about it." "Sure." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Let's go." --- By lunchtime, Ethan had already realized something important. University was expensive. Very expensive. He stood in front of the cafeteria with Marcus and stared at the menu. "How much is rice?" Marcus checked. "One thousand two hundred." Ethan's expression changed. "One thousand two hundred?" "Yeah." Ethan quietly put his wallet back into his pocket. Marcus noticed. "You okay?" "I'm fine." "You sure?" "Yeah." Marcus looked at him for a moment. Then he ordered two plates. Ethan frowned. "What are you doing?" "Buying lunch." "I don't need—" "I didn't ask." Marcus handed him a plate. "Eat." Ethan smiled. "Thanks." "No problem." They sat at a table near the window. Halfway through the meal, Ethan's phone rang. Mum. He answered. "Hello?" His mother's voice came through. "Have you settled in?" "Yes." "Did you eat?" Ethan looked at the plate. "Yes." "Good." There was a brief silence. Then she asked the question he had been expecting. "Everything is okay with the money?" Ethan swallowed. "Yeah, Mum." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." Another silence. His mother sighed. "We'll figure everything out." Ethan smiled. "I know." After the call ended, he stared at his phone. Marcus didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Ethan had promised himself that he would make things easier for his mother. No complaining. No asking for extra money. No telling her when things became difficult. He could handle it. He had to. --- That evening, Ethan returned to his hostel. He dropped his backpack onto the bed and lay down. His roommate hadn't returned yet. The room was quiet. For the first time all day, he could breathe. He opened his phone. There was a new message. Unknown Number. He frowned. He opened it. Hi, Ethan. He stared at the screen. He typed: Who is this? The reply came almost immediately. Someone who thinks you shouldn't sit in other people's seats. Ethan's eyes widened. He sat upright. He typed again. Amelia? Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Another message came. Maybe. Ethan laughed. It had to be her. He saved the number temporarily as Seat Girl. Then he typed: You're weird. The reply came. And you're annoying. Ethan smiled. Goodnight, Seat Girl. A few seconds later: Goodnight, Wrong Seat. Ethan placed his phone beside him. He smiled at the ceiling. He didn't know it yet, but that stupid argument over a seat would become the beginning of the most important relationship of his life. Years later, when everything was over, when they had stopped speaking and their names had become nothing more than memories buried inside old phones and photographs, Ethan would think about that morning. He would remember her expression. Her voice. The way she had looked at him like he had personally offended her by sitting in her chair. And he would wonder how something so small could become something so big. Because sometimes, the people who become strangers to us... begin as complete strangers. And sometimes, the smallest moments are the ones that change everything.