The Journey of Complicated Relationship

“Not every story starts with a spark. Some begin with a glance and grow in silence.” College started like a blur, too many faces, too many voices, too many versions of who we were all pretending to be. I wasn’t looking for anything. Not love, not a moment, not even attention. Just a timetable, a peaceful corner in the canteen, and a few friends who wouldn’t drain my energy. But life doesn’t always give us what we expect. Sometimes, it gives us someone. I saw her before I knew her name. She wasn’t trying to stand out. In fact, she was almost invisible in the crowd near the freshers' registration. Tied-up hair, white top, a slightly impatient frown while her friend tried to get a perfect selfie. She wasn’t loud. She wasn’t glowing. But something about her made the world slow down for a second. Our eyes met, not dramatically, just briefly. But there was something at that moment. A pause. An unexplainable pause that settled inside me. Not love. Not even a crush. Just… something. Something that would eventually grow into everything. I didn’t chase her. I didn’t stalk her profile or ask about her name. But every day after that, my eyes naturally searched for her in the crowd. She became part of my routine, unintentionally. The girl with the lavender notebook, who always tied her hair high while studying in the library. The one who added ketchup even to her samosa. The one who smiled softly while reading her messages, never giggling out loud like the rest. She didn’t know I noticed. But I did. In the most genuine way possible. Then came that Wednesday. She dropped her ID card outside the canteen. I picked it up and walked toward her, unsure if I was more nervous about the moment or the fact that I finally had a reason to speak to her. “Excuse me,” I said. She turned. “Yes?” “You dropped this.” I handed her the card. Her fingers brushed mine for half a second. It was nothing. But I felt it. “Thank you… uh?” she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. “David.” She smiled. “Nice name, David. I’m Siya.” That was it. A name. A smile. A moment. But for me, something had begun. Something small. Something strange. Something real. Days went by. We didn’t talk. But I noticed her laugh once, the kind that made you believe in good days. I saw her cry once, silently on the college terrace, with her headphones in and the world turned off. I saw her angry, flustered, lost in thoughts, chewing her pen cap in stress before an internal. And without warning, she became a part of my world. Not as someone I owned, or someone who even noticed me. But someone whose presence changed how I felt on an ordinary day. One rainy afternoon changed everything. She was standing alone near the gate, watching the clouds instead of hiding from them. While most of us ran for shelter, she simply stood still, letting the drizzle soak her. Her top slowly clung to her skin, her eyes closed. I stood frozen, watching her like she was poetry written in raindrops. She opened her eyes, looked straight at me, and smiled. It wasn’t flirty. It wasn’t bold. Just… kind. And in that kindness, I lost track of time. The next week, our names showed up together in a group event for the college fest. Destiny? Maybe. Or maybe life was giving me a second chance to begin something I never expected. We started working together, casually at first. Shared to-do lists, printing issues, delayed volunteers. But slowly, conversations slipped in. About her playlist. Her love for tea over coffee. Her belief in handwritten letters. Her habit of keeping flowers pressed between pages of books she never finished. I didn’t ask personal questions. But she offered little parts of herself freely. And then one evening, on the steps of the auditorium, she said: “You’re easy to talk to. You don’t make it loud. That’s rare.” That line stayed with me. Because in a world that shouted “notice me,” she appreciated the quiet presence. That’s when I knew Something had truly begun. Not love. Not yet. But maybe the beginning of love. The kind that doesn’t announce itself. The kind that grows between silences, soft glances, and shared smiles. I didn’t know where this would go. Maybe we’d never fall in love. Maybe we were just a passing phase. Or maybe, we were the chapter that would rewrite everything. All I knew was… That one glance. That one ID card. That one smile. It was the beginning of something.